Leadballs needed!!!

[Leadball loader]

This week I realized I was not going to live up to my name if I didn’t take some serious action to ensure I could. I was in danger of running out of ball for my FDC. Had only 42 rds on hand and I try to shoot a couple times a week.
today I spent four hours plus with anRCBS lead furnace and my Lyman single cavity .610 mould blocks and made 602 rds.
The last run of ball was 400 plus inOctober of 2018 and that only lasted about a year and a half so I hope I’ve got a little cushion til l need to be replenishing stock.
Had a beautiful warm day sunny to start cloudy when I was done with rain for tomorrow so I picked the right day.
My son has decided we need to use the setup for some other bullet making since I’m in the mode. I guess I better make a run of .678 when good days return in a week or so.
stay busy and healthy
Leadball Loader

 

[Griz44Mag]

I am lucky enough to be in a state where gun shops and ranges can be open under the lockdown orders.
A few counties in the state issued county orders for them to close but our freedom loving governor and attorney general smacked that down on an expedited order. I usually cast when I get down to a couple of hundred in a couple of sizes to make the run worth setting up. I keep plenty of lead on hand so it's just time to spend when I am in the mood.

 

[fourbore]

Have any of you considered building a small sand box to capture all that lead? I shelled out $200+ for 100 pounds of roof flashing and I intend to make it last.

 

[mooman76]

Someone here stacked a bunch of tires. The RBs would go through and get caught inside the tires on the other side.

 

[Eterry]

Have any of you considered building a small sand box to capture all that lead? I shelled out $200+ for 100 pounds of roof flashing and I intend to make it last.

Maybe you should locate a roofing contractor, about 5years ago the one who shingled my house traded me about 50 lbs of lead flashing for a 12 pack of his favorite beverage...i soon turned it into minie balls.

 

[Ames]

My backstop is round ball only.
4'X2', 4 ply 2X6's pressure treated.. When it gets shot up enough, unscrew the wood 1 layer at a time. The captured lead rains out.
Then you just screw 2 new layers on and you are good to go.

 

[Leadball loader]

I make a bullet trap by saving my daily paper and packing them in grain bags and placing two bags in a heavy corrugated box with a wood backer behind my paper loaded bags. The face of the box is the target backer and I can replace the face with a fresh piece of cardboard taped over the shot out face.
I replace the bag nearest the target as the paper gets too shredded and salvage the lead balls. Some balls are reusable depending on the volume of shooting I have done.
My FDC is .62cal and shreds paper nicely but I save lead and it is easy to change the bags. The box is raised on a 2x4 base and I leave it covered with a tarp at my range in my back pasture until I need .to maintain it.
Thats my cheap lead collector.
Leadball Loader

 

[Desperate Lee]

Amen to that Griz44Mag.
DL

 

[rrebuck]

If you can get some old conveyor belts, like from a quarry, several layers of them would good peripheral coverage against any peripheral flyers, but I wouldn't use them for the primary backstop. If you can have your primary backstop suspended, like from chains, allowing the target to move will also help dissipate energy.

 

[JoeU]

I took a piece of AR 500 plate and bolted to a semi truck tire and then screwed a truck mud flat to the front. Catches everything you shoot into it. When I want to clean it out just unscrew the mud flap.

 

[bigted]

I took a piece of AR 500 plate and bolted to a semi truck tire and then screwed a truck mud flat to the front. Catches everything you shoot into it. When I want to clean it out just unscrew the mud flap.

A picture of your trap would be cool

 

[JoeU]

Nothing fancy, but works great, shoot BP and modern ammo. I haven’t had any issues. Got the idea from an old guy who owns a welding shop, they have theirs inside the shop and shoot up to a .308 without any issues. .62 cal RB take a toll on the mud flat so when it needs replaced might try conveyor belting.

 

[bigted]

Nice. Thanks for the photo. Great and simple idea ... and ... sounds like it works well.

 

[Gun Tramp]

I was in danger of running out of ball for my FDC.

My FDC is .62cal

I give up. What is a/an FDC?

 

[SmokepoleSam]

Fusil de Chase

 

[Eterry]

Everyone just be cautious when shooting into metal or rubber. I've seen bullets do crazy things, usually at low velocity like BP pistols. I once had a PRB at low velocity hit a railroad tie and BOUNCED right back at me! I did the duck and cover real quick.
I was working on a squirrel load for my 40, my brother and his young son with me. I shot at an old car door, no problem. My brother shot, flinched at the shot, hit the door post. The ball hit the metal door post, it bent, then flung the ball back. It hit my brother right above the belly button, leaving a nasty welt. His young son had been standing in front of him while i shot, i had him step behind me while his dad shot. The bullet would've hit his son right in the forehead if he hadn't moved!!

Like Sgt Esterhouse said on Hill Street Blues..."Let's be careful out there."

 

[Griz44Mag]

Everyone just be cautious when shooting into metal or rubber. I've seen bullets do crazy things, usually at low velocity like BP pistols. I once had a PRB at low velocity hit a railroad tie and BOUNCED right back at me! I did the duck and cover real quick.
I was working on a squirrel load for my 40, my brother and his young son with me. I shot at an old car door, no problem. My brother shot, flinched at the shot, hit the door post. The ball hit the metal door post, it bent, then flung the ball back. It hit my brother right above the belly button, leaving a nasty welt. His young son had been standing in front of him while i shot, i had him step behind me while his dad shot. The bullet would've hit his son right in the forehead if he hadn't moved!!

Like Sgt Esterhouse said on Hill Street Blues..."Let's be careful out there."

The key to shooting steel in angles. With a proper setup, steel can be shot safely. Top tilts in about 5 degrees, Plate is left semi loose so it can move when hit.
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[user 43911]

The key to shooting steel in angles. With a proper setup, steel can be shot safely. Top tilts in about 5 degrees, Plate is left semi loose so it can move when hit.
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Except when a ball/bullet strikes the outer edges and ricochets in any direction, spatter also comes off the steel in a 360 deg circle 90 deg to the plate face, still have to be aware of what is around the plate for 50 plus yards.

I own a shooting range and have held competitions with upto 500 shooters, I've used steel many times (poppers, plate racks etc), I still have bays that are all steel, some with static plates that pivot on spring loaded bolts others are racks and poppers, to this day the same problem come up from edge hit that travel 100 yards or so .

 

[Griz44Mag]

Except when a ball/bullet strikes the outer edges and ricochets in any direction, spatter also comes off the steel in a 360 deg circle 90 deg to the plate face, still have to be aware of what is around the plate for 50 plus yards.

That's easy to remedy, just don't shoot the edge of the plate!
I used to shoot a lot of Steel Challenge, target being as close as 10 yards. An angle on the plate seems to be the ultimate answer. Splatter will not radiate upward on a tilted plate.

 

[user 43911]

That's easy to remedy, just don't shoot the edge of the plate!
I used to shoot a lot of Steel Challenge, target being as close as 10 yards. An angle on the plate seems to be the ultimate answer. Splatter will not radiate upward on a tilted plate.

An edge hit will send a projectile in all directions, as far as spatter not radiating upwards, that is simply not true unless the plate is past about 30 deg, in the video you posted the guy noted 5 deg.
I'm trying to point out to people that shooting steel is not the magic bullet stop, an edge hit can travel 100 yds , I had an edge hit ricochet over a berm travel 80 yards and crack a windshield in my parking lot. Simple test is to set up your (anyone ) steel and place a sheet of cardboard around it and see what happens.
Again I'm not trying to cause an argument but there is more to it that hang a piece of steel and many do not know and have never set up a shooting area, it's also not just about kick back to the shooter, a target can be shot closer than 10 yard and be safe'ish to the shooter but still have spatter falling behind them.