Tired of wasting lead. Bullet trap ideas?

[Dark Wolf]

I have not tried this for black powder, but the same thing might work. I needed to make a simple air pistol pellet trap. Made a square box frame. Fixed a piece of Kevlar cloth that I had to the top leaving the bottom loose with a bit of weight attached to the bottom, so that it could swing.

Same thing might work with a target frame and two or three layers of the cloth hanging and maybe a sandbag on the bottom to reduce the amount of swing. I believe the leaf bags for lawn mowers to be made of Kevlar cloth, or it is available in sheets.

The traps I made for my airguns are filled with rubber mulch. Works very well, and helps with the lead supply for round balls.

DW

 

[LME]

You get a square piece of AR500 steel for targets. You build a frame with a box on the bottom where the steel can sit leaning 20 - 30 degrees forward, and you fill the box below the leaning steel with sawdust. The lead or lead alloy bullets strike the steel, and are deflected down into the sawdust for later recovery. There is no sand so you don't have to worry about getting the sand and lead apart when you recast. Imbedded sawdust in the lead will burn off and residue will form on the surface of the melted lead as slag. OH and you can remove the plate from trap and use it as a target at a shooting event if you wish.

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LD

I do something similar to your trap. I just made a triangular frame from 2x4s with a dado to accept a steel plate. It deflects the rounds into the ground. It is no problem picking the lead off the ground as they are all in a neat group. This weighs next to nothing and is easy to construct.

 

[johnfrommd]

with things being what they are on the supply side I'd like to capture my lead. Does anyone have any ideas on a homemade bullet trap? Something light weight, easy to transport? Something commercial that maybe out there? thanks

I use five gallon and smaller buckets filled with sand for all my around the house shooting. I use a collander to separate the lead and reuse the sand. I use duct tape over the holes and stick on targets.

 

[J. Paul]

Often thought about building a snail trap, there was a fellow on the popular online auction site selling them for a reasonable price. Made of steel so not really all that light, but should be durable.

Figured if I ever built one I would use AR500 steel for the impact side and something lesser for the rest of it.

Years ago, I saw one on wheels being used to trap lead.. user said he emptied it when he needed to cast more and he only occasionally had to replace shot out tires

 

[johnfrommd]

Snail type bullet traps can be really heavy.

 

[tomm9903]

I have had good luck with a metal trash can filled with rubber mulch, about 3 1/2 bags fills it up and I made a wood frame to sit over it and held on with bungee straps. Works great so far. I have shot .58 cal minnies into without any exit holes from 25 yards and I just move it around with a hand cart.

 

[45man]

I tried many things from angled steel that made lead dust to others but what worked for me is a 55 gallon plastic barrel full of rubber mulch but dang it is heavy. OK since I have my own range.

 

[hangfast]

Here is one from Hang Fast Targets that uses a steel plate inside a tire. It captures over 90% of the lead if set up properly and the plate is reactive and rings like a bell.

 

[johnfrommd]

The nice thing about sand barrels is that they don't bother the neighbors. In the valleys around my part of the woods, clanging steel would carry for a couple of miles.

 

[hangfast]

The nice thing about sand barrels is that they don't bother the neighbors. In the valleys around my part of the woods, clanging steel would carry for a couple of miles.

Do you have a suppressor on your ML? I know when I fire mine off the BOOM echos a lot longer than the CLANG

 

[johnfrommd]

Do you have a suppressor on your ML? I know when I fire mine off the BOOM echos a lot longer than the CLANG

No, only on my modern rifles. However, I can shoot 10 grains of BP in my .36 cal rifle and it makes little noise. I load 10 grains of corn meal on top and a patched ball and, at 25 yards, I can keep a 2 inch group.

My centerfire rifles all have threads so they are dead quiet when I am shooting those into sand.

 

[Buckskinquin]

with things being what they are on the supply side I'd like to capture my lead. Does anyone have any ideas on a homemade bullet trap? Something light weight, easy to transport? Something commercial that maybe out there? thanks

Google Kevlar wall insert, various sizes. Mounted on a frame at 45, sand below should be good at any range. 3x9 panel $600:spilt with 2 friends.

 

[cornstalk]

Here is one from Hang Fast Targets that uses a steel plate inside a tire. It captures over 90% of the lead if set up properly and the plate is reactive and rings like a bell.

Okay that's the best of the redneck solutions I think. And I've actually got a speed limit warning sign out on the highway that I plan on removing this winter, pole and all. Give me most of what I need, and my property came with a ton of 18 wheeler tires at the far end so maybe I've got the tire covered as well.

 

[Gtrubicon]

This was my answer to keeping my lead, the lead drops into a 5 gallon bucket at the bottom of the 4” pipe. its 1/4” steel, I have shot up to 44 mag using it, it works very well.

 

[hangfast]

Okay that's the best of the redneck solutions I think. And I've actually got a speed limit warning sign out on the highway that I plan on removing this winter, pole and all. Give me most of what I need, and my property came with a ton of 18 wheeler tires at the far end so maybe I've got the tire covered as well.

The bullet has to fragment on a hard smooth surface (AR500 steel) in order for the fragmentation cone angle to be shallow enough for the tire to catch the fragments. A steel sign would become dented which would turn a shallow frag cone into a directed cone with one or two big fragments back toward the shooter at worst and not in tire at best.
This video shows bullets hitting various material including steel at extremely slow motion. When the bullet hits HARD steel watch how the bullet fragments and then you will understand how the tire catches the bullet frags. (hard steel starts at 6:19)
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[cornstalk]

The bullet has to fragment on a hard smooth surface (AR500 steel) in order for the fragmentation cone angle to be shallow enough for the tire to catch the fragments. A steel sign would become dented which would turn a shallow frag cone into a directed cone with one or two big fragments back toward the shooter at worst and not in tire at best.
This video shows bullets hitting various material including steel at extremely slow motion. When the bullet hits HARD steel watch how the bullet fragments and then you will understand how the tire catches the bullet frags. (hard steel starts at 6:19)
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Interesting, thanks.

 

[FPDoc]

Lots of great ideas in this thread, I've tried a lot of them and each has it's perfect place. I imagine that like most of us I keep my stock of scrap lead in wooden boxes or plastic buckets etc. and move them around on a 2-wheeler. I bet I can't shoot through a box or bucket of lead too easily. I think I might try using my scrap lead instead of sand or rubber for filler and just take out what I need when I cast more projectiles. An easily replaceable strike face would be a good idea. Guys.. I swear that I get lazier every year.

 

[powderhombre]

Good ideas guys. So I'm thinking on two options . 1. a square can 2 ft x 2 ft. or a 30 gal. oil drum cut about 24 inches deep. a 3/4" piece of plywood at the bottom, then staggered layers of kevlar and some sort of heavy rubber mat and layer that in and top with another 3/4" plywood cover. lay on side . I only shoot lead 45 and 50 cal. 50 to 150 yards. I figure the plywood would expand the slug, the kevlar and rubber should adsorb the energy and should the slug penetrate all the layers surely the plywood and bottom steel will stop the lead. Now if this can be done for under $400.00 I'll give it a try. If not 2. I saw a bullet trap advertised to stop 44 mag. for about the same money. we'll see.