need plans for a shooting cover

[vmax]

I have a range on my own land and all I have now is a shooting table that is about 6 ft wide and 24" deep.
I have wanted a cover for it for awhile to keep the sun and rain off.

The ground is soft after the rains and if I'm gonna dig, now's the time. Problem is I hit gravel about a foot down and it gets harder and harder.

What I would like to do is come up with a plan and prebuild the frame at home with my welder, carry it out in sections where I could bolt or screw it together and then anchor it somehow without having to drive the corner post like you would on a carport

I can get plenty of purlin, and 2" square tubing pretty cheap and I have a bunch of use metal roofing from an old garage that is in 8' lengths already.



I'd like it to be about 12X12 or so with a center ridge design

something remotely similar to this would be great.

any ideas or input would be appreciated.

 

[Dawico]

You know that picture is of a prebuilt carport and they sell them everywhere for fairly reasonable prices. They are usually staked down.

If I was building, I would just make a lean to style, as in sloped from front to back with no ridge. Bolt it all together at home with angles coming down from the corners for stability and some way to stake it down. Then take it apart and move it to the location.

Build it upside down at the house so you aren't fighting trying to stand it up at home. Save that for at the range. Just make sure it is in managable pieces and leave together what you can.

 

[mitchntx]

My mom had one of those pre fab carpots and a slight gust of wind moved it quite easily.
It was a big box kite.

If you can open up the center and build a secondary peak on it to allow the wind some place to go, that might be an option.
especially with your limitations on dirt work.

Another option might be to rent a 3" concrete auger, drill some holes in the layer of rock and anchor the structure like that.
We had to do that on the deer lease to anchor blinds and stands.

 

[grasshopperglock]

Frame it in the 2x2. Acquire about 3 cameo nets. It takes years and year for those to rot. It'll let the wind through.


If you want a dry all year round set up, It really needs walls. Might as well build a shed. Otherwise, like everybody has mentioned, the wind will jack it up.

 

[Bozz10mm]

I like that idea of camo netting. It'll block most of the sun. And having a tin roof overhead really amplifies the sound. Reflects it back down to the shooter.

 

[F350-6]

If you have enough land to have your own range, are you friendly with any of the neighbors? Find one who has a post hole digger for their tractor and see if you can get them to dig you some holes.

Otherwise I'd agree with the rental, hand held units, but it usually takes 2 to operate one of those well. Or worst case get/build the kite version that just sits on the ground and then get some of those screw in dirt augers with the eye on top so you can at least anchor your kite.

 

[Vaquero]

Do the "kite" option. Check out rock anchors for mobile homes.

Otherwise, text me for pics of mine. But I don't have the rock issue.

 

[vmax]

UPDATE and question

I decided to save as much money as I could and go with a wood frame, a simple wood frame.

I cut 4 cedar post off of my land and am placing them so I end up with a 12X12 frame. My question is that I was planning a standard gable design making a ridgepole and rafters but it was pointed out to me that a peaked roof will hold in the sound from the muzzle blast and make it unnecessarily loud underneath
looking at other shooting rest designs, most of them are a simple pitch lean too style with the high end facing out from the muzzle end. It appears this is done with the sound in mind.

Right now, I have the post up, but I am thinking of doing a simple pitch roof like this

 

[grasshopperglock]

Lol, yeah shooting under a gable roof would be like a mini amphitheater. Directly over you head.



Which direction is down range from your build? North, south?.....




Are you planning on Sun visors like those in the pic? Those are pretty neat.

 

[vmax]

Lol, yeah shooting under a gable roof would be like a mini amphitheater. Directly over you head.



Which direction is down range from your build? North, south?.....




Are you planning on Sun visors like those in the pic?

down range is East and we rarely shoot in the mornings but may end up with a sun screen of sorts.
the main thing is keeping the afternoon sun off of us which is directly behind us