Soundproofing A Shooting Range

Many cities and municipalities are looking for more state of the art soundproofing procedures and methods for soundproofing a public, private, or even a home shooting range. The materials used must be impervious to the mist and smoke as well as gunpowder residue and it must be resilient and easy to clean. Some folks feel that convoluted foam mat (basically bedding or egg crate foam) will work in such applications. This is a totally false assumption because convoluted foam is an open celled foam and has no soundproofing qualities whatsoever. Now it does possess the ability to cushion sound and stop it from reflecting off of the firing tunnel walls for example, but mere cushioning does not in any way dissipate or diminish the sound of a firing weapon that generally reflects off the hard concrete or brick range walls. Also keep in mind that common open cell foam is not at all resistant to deterioration or flaking when exposed to water or humidity. So how do you get both absorption and sound blocking from one product, that is impervious to moisture and will stand up the rigors of a live firing range? Many large cities have contacted me desperately looking for just such a material and believe it or not we have exactly what they are looking for. It's the closed cell vinyl nitrile America mat and it has been used in many different ranges throughout the country. It is extremely flame retardant and only absorbs water into the first 6% to 8% of the mat. We have found through real life experience that this absorbed moisture dissipates rapidly and never causes mold, mildew, or deterioration. The America mat is both a blocker and absorber that is extremely resilient and versatile in the shooting environment. The mat comes in thick nesses of ¼" all the way up to 2" thick, but we have found that in most instances the ½" America mat does the job. This foam mat would be adhered directly to the walls and ceiling of the range tunnel and in some cases it would even be adhered to the floor. This will provide complete coverage thus forcing the sound to be absorbed into the mat and with no way out it dissipates rapidly. Major shooting ranges have used this foam mat even on outdoor ranges where the material is exposed to the elements. Now we really don't recommend direct exposure of this material to the elements (especially in the snow), but the feedback we have received in such applications has been favorable indeed. This material has been used in the cities of Boston, New York, Oceanside California, and Kansas City and all the feedback was positive. The thicker the foam, the better the results, but for a basic handgun range, the ½" America mat should be sufficient. There are many other applications for America mat, but one of the most popular is for shooting ranges. It is a phenomenal product. If you have further questions about shooting range soundproofing or about the America mat in general, please feel free to call or e-mail us at your earliest convenience.

e-mail dr.bob@soundproofingamerica.com
Call Soundproofing America, Inc. toll free @ (877) 530-0139


Soundproofing a Shooting Range