Archery practice backstop advice

[ljsommer]

Hello there,

   I recently bought a house and have plenty of room (up to 60 yards) to build an archery range. I have two young boys and a third on the way, and would like to build a safe place for them to practice without errant arrows zooming onto my neighbors property.
I was thinking of building a backstop, something like some 4x4 posts setup in an 8'x8' square, but I was wondering if anyone wanted to share any brilliant ideas on their backstops.

Considerations:
Mobility (moving it around would be nice, maybe rugged multi-directional wheels?)
Wind (if I use plywood layered with rubber, is this going to be a problem in wind storms?)
Cost (any way I can keep this under $200?)

[92xj]

My insulated garage wall will stop my 490 gr arrow at 270fps at a distance of 10 feet at half draw at the fletchings while the rest of the arrow is stinking out above the master bath.
 

[vandeman17]

My shed works well. Few holes in the door but that just improves ventilation

[Seahawk12]

Stacked hay bales.
They are cheap and can be moved. Though, I wouldn't want to move them often.

[Special T]

what are you shooting? how old are the kids? if they are young kids then a hanging piece of carpet would work. it has just enough mass to catch and slow down a arrow from a recurve or a youth compound. Ive seen a white fine cloth mesh used as a backstop in archery ranges that could be used, but im not sure where or how much it is.

[bigdub257]

Rubber horse stall mats work great!  Quite heavy though, so not very mobile.

[pd]

Stacked hay bales.
They are cheap and can be moved. Though, I wouldn't want to move them often.

 

Less than $100.  Find an old pallet somewhere.  Level the ground.  Stack 4 or 5 straw (not hay!) bales on top of each other.  Place 1 bale in front of the 5-stack.  You don't need any back stop beyond this.  Use a simple target block, just place it on the first straw bale.  That is about $50, depending on your straw bale cost.  The only other thing you should do is build a simple rain/snow cover over the straw bale stack--if you do so, the straw will last for 2 years.  Otherwise, if you have a lot of rain, it will just last 1 year.

It is not mobile.  Sorry.  But, this will stop any arrow you throw at it.

[Mudman]

http://www.shopmaninc.com/foam.html

[Fozzie Bear]

I have 6 bales of scrap plastic stacked behind my archery target. Lightweight and waterproof. The bales were free from First Due Movers. They have scrap plastic constantly that they make into bales and give away.
 
First Due Movers
206-755-6053

[Remnar]

 Does anybody use cedar bales anymore ? Im sure they are alot harder to come by these days . But they last a LONG time and  weatherproof . Not very mobile though .

[pianoman9701]

My insulated garage wall will stop my 490 gr arrow at 270fps at a distance of 10 feet at half draw at the fletchings while the rest of the arrow is stinking out above the master bath.
 

 
I put an arrow through the wall of my garage one year...the inside wall into the laundry room. I don't shoot into my garage anymore.

[wideleft]

For a back stop I use fence boards.  They're six feet long and I have them set up horizontally six feet high.  For a target butt, I use a burlap sack (used coffee bean bag), stuffed with pallet wrap that I pick up for free at the local grocery store.  This setup stops my 680gr arrows out of my 57lb recurve.  I'll shoot from as far 20yards in the backyard.

[4fletch]

Try a cotton bed sheet held on the corners never tried it.  heard this yrs ago .suppose to flex when the arrows hit it and not go threw. Problem with bales is that u have to keep the rain off of them

[4fletch]

Forgot to include the sheet should be held by the top  2 corners so the sheet will flex

[SteelheadTed]

I built a backstop out of (2) sheets of marine plywood stacked along their long edge and then braced with 2x4's.  I could take photos if you'd like, here is a screen capture from my security camera.  It works real well.