# Indoor Archery Range Backstop



## BowhuntingBlake (Feb 22, 2005)

My dad and I own a pole barn that is over eighty feet long so it is easy to get twenty yards inside to shoot in the winter. My only problem is coming up with a backstop. I don't think the ol' man would be too happy if I or my girlfriend missed and punched holes in the back wall. Does anyone out there have something they use that's fairly simple and cheap?

Thanks.


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## breaknockspeed (Jan 9, 2007)

*cardboard*

I save shipping boxes from work. They are fairly uniform in size and they do a good job stopping arrows. Stack them up where you can see the corrugation. If you have a small stack, you need to put weight on weight on top to compress the stack. Otherwise, if you have a large stack, the weight of the cardboard is enough. I can shoot 20yds in my basement, so I have it set up there. Other ways you can compress the stack is use a ratchet strap, or cut 2 boards the length you need and drill holes in the ends, run all thread through the holes, and them compress with nuts. Works for me. I have a 3ftx
3ft target that I use daily.


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## JPE (Feb 1, 2004)

If you're talking about stopping stray arrows that miss the target, plywood works fairly well and is relatively cheap.


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## eflanders (Dec 8, 2007)

Some people call them cow mats and they are 1/4' thick rubber mats that are used for cushioning the floor. We got a bunch of them for free when our local school changed the mats in the weight room. A lot of farmers use them for their livestock to stand on. These mats are heavy in weight but extremely effective, quiet, and do not damage your arrows.


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## sagitarius (Sep 11, 2007)

The guys I shoot with use 5/8" chip board. It is only about $10 for a 4'x8' sheet and really stops an arrow. You can see the boards standing up behind the people in the pic.

http://www.archerytalk.com/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=681853&thumb=1&d=1260390292


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## Supermag1 (Jun 11, 2009)

horse/cow stall mats would work good


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## -=WGT=-EMSDJ2 (Mar 12, 2009)

I you have a stone quarry located near you they have extra conveyor belts laying around on the dump they would probably happy to get rid of to hang as as a backstop


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## shadowhunter (Oct 12, 2003)

*carpet*

Drape layers of old carpet.


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## Longrodder (Oct 11, 2009)

Old coal mine belt...rubber conveyor belt...anything rubber will work GREAT!!


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## AppleOnMyHead (Nov 22, 2009)

-=WGT=-EMSDJ2 said:


> I you have a stone quarry located near you they have extra conveyor belts laying around on the dump they would probably happy to get rid of to hang as as a backstop


Thats what I have seen at several clubs... works great, easy on your arrows..


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## OutlawBiz (Oct 6, 2009)

How about "used" truck bed mats. They are about 3/8" thick rubber...4'x6' in size!? Could probably find them cheap at auto salvage yards in old pickup boxes.


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## Springfield2 (Jul 19, 2009)

A club in our area uses telephone books stacked 2 deep. they are made of newspaper so recycled newspapers laid flat and stacked would work. Also boxes of rags will work as well.


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## AppleOnMyHead (Nov 22, 2009)

Springfield2 said:


> A club in our area uses telephone books stacked 2 deep. they are made of newspaper so recycled newspapers laid flat and stacked would work. Also boxes of rags will work as well.


Not a good idea fro a barn....mice


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## t-roys (Oct 12, 2009)

Does the plywood / chipboard tear up an arrow? I'm wanting to get my son to practice in the basement. I have about 15 yards in some spots and want him to practice. I need something to keep the arrows out of my concrete basement walls and save his arrows!


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## DonsHarley (Sep 10, 2003)

I use (2) 1/2" chip board sheets behind my bag targets and the arrows will pentrate but not by much so I would not rest them against the metal. I just lean the sheets and it works great and they don't damage the arrows.


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## BowhunterJT (Jun 4, 2009)

I use large old blankets free hanging behind the target and 2 to 5 feet away from the wall or whatever it is you don't want to hit. The blanket will absorb the energy from the arrow and fall to the ground or slightly penetrate the blanket. You may need to place more than one for higher kenetic energy arrows. :wink:


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## GWN_Nuge (Oct 1, 2004)

Our club uses 5/8" OSB (oriented strand board) as a backstop. Up here it costs about 10 bucks for a 4x8 sheet. We also made brackets to hold the sheets vertical and the enitre backstop can be torn down in about five minutes. Works well and no arrows have been damaged. The arrow will penetrate the OSB but so far has stopped short of the fletching. I assume you're using field points in your indoor range?


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## Zappem (Feb 11, 2006)

BowhunterJT said:


> I use large old blankets free hanging behind the target and 2 to 5 feet away from the wall or whatever it is you don't want to hit. The blanket will absorb the energy from the arrow and fall to the ground or slightly penetrate the blanket. You may need to place more than one for higher kenetic energy arrows. :wink:


I was thinking of the same idea but using carpet.


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## Top Gauge (Sep 6, 2009)

My barn is 50 yards long, and my bag target is setup in front of the double wide doors at the far end. The doors are made of 1/2" plywood with 2x6 framing. If I mess up and hit the plywood all I need to do is take the field point off and pull the arrow back out. I have not had one issue with the arrows that hit the door, I was concerned at first so I marked the arrows that hit the door, and they still spin fine and are just as accurate.

I am shooting Easton Axis 340's.


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## tedicast (Jun 6, 2004)

Supermag1 said:


> horse/cow stall mats would work good


We just used these as a backstop behind our indoor target bucks at our club. We left them hanging freely, so they could "give" on a hit. a 70 pound AM35, shooting a 450 grain arrow, only penetrated 4 " at 20 yards. Pulling the arrow out is another story, lol. Perfect backstop behind a target to stop an errant arrow.


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