[CrossTex]

What have y'all found to be an effective backstop that doesnt destroy your bolts/arrows?
I have around 40 yards to work with in my backyard and I obviously dont want to rely on a cedar fence picket to stop anything that might miss the target.
At that range it shouldnt be an issue but I'd hate to skewer the neighbor kid on the off chance that I missed the target completely.
They have a half court basketball court in their backyard just on the other side of the fence,obviously if they're back there playing some B-Ball I wont be shooting at all.
Any thoughts?

 

[Norski]

Regardless of your choice of backstop/target, you do not have a safe shooting area based on your description. JMO.

 

[CrossTex]

Regardless of your choice of backstop/target, you do not have a safe shooting area based on your description. JMO.

I know when the kids are back there, and believe me the dogs wont let me forget. They bark when a squirrel farts.
It wont be for long,just until my hip heals up after my surgery.
I tried to find an outdoor range near me and none of them allow crossbows.
We do have a lease on 6K acres which is where I plan on shooting the crossbow. We shoot all manner of guns there already.

 

[LonewolfMcquade]

Similar situation where I live.
For safety, I would suggest standing with back at the fence near neibor's (your original spot for target) & shooting towards your own house.

 

[Colorado Crossbow]

A 4x8 piece of 1/2inch plywood is a good start.

 

[fly]

no way in hell i would shoot anything if the were no hill size berm or thick concrete wall behind
specially if there was any chance that there would be kids behind

picking your nose while fingering the trigger can make arrow land 400yards away

 

[CBRon]

I do what Lone Wolf said..
27 yards , Back to fence and target in front of garage..

 

[fly]

I do what Lone Wolf said..
27 yards , Back to fence and target in front of garage..

if its not concrete it will go through, care

 

[CrossTex]

Similar situation where I live.
For safety, I would suggest standing with back at the fence near neibor's (your original spot for target) & shooting towards your own house.

Wish that was an option but it wont work.
The yard is really wide but not deep.
I might be able to set the target by the back fence witch is brick but it would have to angle in and the arrow would likely skip off the brick anyway.

 

[CrossTex]

A 4x8 piece of 1/2inch plywood is a good start.

I was thinking along similar lines but I was going to use 3/4 inch treated plywood.
I'd get two sheets so it would be 8ft wide 6 1/2 ft. tall which is the height of the fence.
I suppose I could the full 8x8 but you can bet the HOA would send me a letter.
I dont think I could aim bad enough to miss it even with a compound bow.
Of course two sheets of 3/4 treated plywood would probably cost as much as the crossbow these days.

 

[CrossTex]

no way in hell i would shoot anything if the were no hill size berm or thick concrete wall behind
specially if there was any chance that there would be kids behind

picking your nose while fingering the trigger can make arrow land 400yards away

The neighbors yard is an L shape.
There's a pump house and the basketball court on my end and thats it.
The rest is the long side of the L which backs up to the golf course.
I'd definitely put the target in front of where the pump house sits.
Hate to say never but in my 47 years of shooting I've never had a negligent/accidental discharge.
And again it's only going to be there until my hip finishes healing up from surgery.
I will however keep searching for a local spot I can go shoot at.
We have a huge park nearby where there's tons of wide open spaces and it's not a kid park,but I'd bet the park patrol would tell me I cant shoot it there.
The lease is an hour and a half away unfortunately and you have to go through two gates that have to remain closed at all times.
Getting in and out of the truck and dragging gates would truly suck with my hip not being healed yet.

 

[robertyb]

It is always best just not to shoot anywhere that an errant arrow could hurt someone. One day my nephew was over at the house and was looking at my crossbow with an XBR scope on it and i was explaining how it can be used as a speed dial scope or dial the distance in using the turret. The next day I went outside to shoot it and aimed at a target at 30 yards and when I pulled the trigger the arrow flew completely over the target and way out into my back field never to be seen again. If it had been someones back yard it might well have hit someone. I was shocked and couldn't figure out why that arrow took off so high until I noticed that the top turret was set on 70 yards where my nephew had turned it and not set it back to the original setting. Stuff happens and I now check the scope every time before I shoot it.

 

[Switched]

Horse mat from tractor supply. They are heavy, but work well. You will need a razor blade to cut the mat if you do put an arrow in it. You can't pull it out, at least I couldn't.

 

[fly]

that was my nightly shooting spot, i also visited it couple time after they removed the fences when they were done with asphalt and stuff
one night i spotted someone with phone cam on bit above P sign up in a hill, he clearly knew what i was doing and was filming it
and somehow had no clue how dangerous it was, even tho it was off and way up from my target bag, which was bit right and back from yellow truck
backed up my stuff while shakin my head

was 74ish meters from the rock behind left P sign all the way to pond behind that truck, didnt want to back up more as it was so open to road

my other spot had cliff behind it, only max 20yard ish range

was really good spot to shoot when it had fences, altho had to have ears and eyes out all time for people walking dogs

 

[fly]

think you should go ask your neighbour what they think of you shootin they house with crossbow, really

 

[Norski]

At least check to see if there’s the minimum distance from another dwelling, might be too close anyway. Since there’s an HOA, might check with them as well.

 

[CrossTex]

think you should go ask your neighbour what they think of you shootin they house with crossbow, really

Not even close to their house.

 

[CrossTex]

After giving it some further thought I'm just going to wait until I heal up from the hip surgery before I go shoot the new crossbow.
As was mentioned it's not the best idea to shoot the crossbow in the backyard where there's the potential of a stray bolt hitting someone.
While it's not likely to happen you just never know for certain.
And it'd be just my luck if it did happen and I'd get sued to hell and back.
It's just driving me crazy not being able to shoot the damn thing.

 

[fly]

shoots 2-3 inch low within 5-10yards, depending on scope height. if you have cellar or good solid walls to do it indoors
using solid rest can or will significally raise the POI

 

[CrossTex]

I could however shoot into my garage from the sidewalk.
I have a 4 car garage,one side is your standard side by side while the other is two cars deep plus.
The original owner had it custom made for his RV,it's a bit over 40ft deep and I'd have a good 70ft more from the sidewalk.
So around 36 yards. Not sure what the neighbors would think but it would be safe.