Ball/Bullet Trap??????

[Skychief]

I suspect most of us here have seen the metal "pellet traps" used with airguns to safely and conveniently capture fired pellets. The kind where the pellets strike a metal plate angled so that the pellets glance downward into the "trap".

My question is, have any of you seen/built or used a similar contraption for "catching" muzzleloader projectiles?

Maybe a pellet trap on steroids??? :haha:

I would love to know if such a thing exists as it would be of great use to me as I do a lot of moulding.

Thanks for any thoughts and help.

Best regards, Skychief

 

[BrownBear]

Been using a 5 gallon buck of sand for years. But I have sand galore around home. I know folks on here who fill the buckets with chopped rubber mulch of some sort (from tires?) that they get at garden supplies and nurseries. They report equally good results. Simple and easy.

 

[DeeDubya]

A sizable soft lead projectile will fragment "spatter" when striking a steel plate. I catch and recover mine (in tact) in a sand trap. I built this one from a livestock water tank. I screen the sand occasionally to retrieve the bullets (pistol, rifle, both CF and ML and both jacketed and lead}. Took some work but works great. There is a 3' x 4' x 3/8" steel backup plate behind the sand, just in case. However, most bullets stop within 10" after hitting the sand.

 

[coloradoclyde]

I made one similar to this...only better..

I just built a box around a single metal 3/8 plate
Mine has a sacrificial door on it to attach target to....I was always going to build a better one but it works so well I didn't bother.
I also have a sand trap for bigger stuff and a Do-all rimfire trap, that surprisingly withstands moderate round ball loads...

 

[rushlake1]

does it need to be portable?
Got a chain saw?

12" thick 2'Dia. log... shoot into the end grain.

Keep it simple.

 

[nkbj]

At the last house we used a stack of worn out freebee throw away truck tires filled with dirt.
Two T posts made a handy target holder.
Easy to unstack and get your lead back.

 

[coloradoclyde]

low velocity bullets can bounce off tires....

 

[Skychief]

Thanks to all for the great ideas! :thumbsup:

Colorado Clyde, your box looks interesting. Will it work with 45 caliber roundball loads, say with 70 grain loads and less?

Much appreciated, Skychief

 

[David Grout]

Like 22fowl said. Shoot into the end of an oversize log and when well used split for fire wood and remove lead. Works quite well and is cheep.

 

[coloradoclyde]

Thanks to all for the great ideas! :thumbsup:

Colorado Clyde, your box looks interesting. Will it work with 45 caliber roundball loads, say with 70 grain loads and less?

Much appreciated, Skychief

Yep!, I shoot 45 more than any other caliber... :thumbsup:

 

[nkbj]

low velocity bullets can bounce off tires....

and water and trees and rocks and dirt...

 

[Cowboy]

I too, have seen a truck tire suspended with a steel plate centered a couple of inches behind in the center. The tire seemed to catch the majority of the rounds fired at the steel plate. Respectfully, cowboys1062.

 

[Kansas Jake]

I have a Detroit Bullet Trap in the back yard that the grandsons use for pellet guns. It is rated for pistol calibers but should be fine for muzzle loaders with soft lead. I think the company is gone, but you may be able to find one. It is metal and looks something like Clyde's trap.

 

[coloradoclyde]

Just To clarify guys, the trap I posted does not belong to me.....I snagged the picture off the internet....It is however, very similar to the one I have..

I'll see if I can get a picture of it...

 

[Gene L]

A 3/8" slanted steel plate will stop and divert a lot of bullets, if you get the right kind of steel. Where I used to work, we used them for up-close shooting, especially with shotgun shells. It will stop a .308 at distance. If it's the right kind of steel, that is. We had those "pepper poppers," we'd shoot at from arm length distance with a .45 after the target started to fall. Some bounce back that close up, but the returning lead isn't that dangerous if you use eye protection. Up close, that is.

Problem is, it's expensive and should be cut by an artificer using a plasma cutter. Probably not a home project. Luckily, I hang out next door to a steel builder, although I've never bought one.

 

[coloradoclyde]

Gene,
I have about a 100 steel targets, All made by myself. I have about 30 poppers alone and a half dozen speed racks, drop turners, pigeon chuckers, dueling trees, prairie dogs, deer, freestanding silhouettes, long range silhouettes, 3 bullet traps, and a partridge in a pear tree. :haha:
most are 3/8 mild steel, none are AR500. I made most of them back when steel was cheap. but a good junkyard is a great place to find a piece of steel cheap. If your lucky you can find a manufacturing cut-off or discard that is exactly what you want.
No need for a plasma cutter, although many of mine were cut with a torch or straight line flame cutter, you can easily cut 1/4" steel with a right angle grinder and a cutoff wheel.
I have many targets that are simply squares or rectangles, that way they can be sheer cut by the seller.

I double checked and my trap is 1/4" plate and it easily stops 12 gauge slugs and every muzzleloader projectile that has been fired at it.

 

[coloradoclyde]

Ugly, but effective :grin:

http://imgur.com/a/01jRy

 

[Skychief]

Thanks for your trouble of posting the pics Clyde.

My "wheels" are turning. :hmm:

Best regards, Skychief

 

[DeeDubya]

Like your trap it is important to have a substantial barrier out front to keep bullet fragments contained within the trap.

 

[coloradoclyde]

Indeed....and it keeps the squirrels and birds out too.
Mine is getting a bit worse for wear though.....I'll probably make a new one come spring. I built that one in a hurry one day.

I might try coating the door with EPDM rubber roofing next time for added durability