Bullet trap ideas for recycling lead

[geargnasher]

Grumman, what does the local gunsmith shoot into? Mine has a typical steel containment box he fires handguns and rifles into, don't know what kind of hoops he had to jump through to get it approved by the city, maybe having an FFL precludes a local permit.

Sounds like you need to go to a city council meeting and make a motion to consider your proposal. Perhaps you could have a lawyer compose an ordinance which included provisions for inspection and permitting of private testing facilities such as the one you propose. I'm not sure what regulatory arm would be in charge of inspection and permits, perhaps the enviromental health department or just the local PD. Nobody will commit because there is probably no precedent or code currently in existence, so naturally the deer stare blankly at the headlights and hope you will go away.

Just a thought.

Gear

[JTknives]

I am in need of q way to trap my bullits. I shoot a 10mm and drive a mini cooper. I shoot at a gravel pit about a half hr away. So I need something i can put in my small car and take to the range. I was thinking about just a 5gal bucket full of rubber mulch. I have a 3/4" thick steel disk that fits very nicely into bottom of the bucket if just by chance a bullet makes it that far. I would just use a bucket lid and tape my targets on to it. When the lid is so shot up that it does not work I will replace it, there cheap. Looking for somthing portable and not super heavy. What you think?

[thx997303]

Sounds like it may work.

Your 10 mm was moving how fast?

I forgot.

[JTknives]

180gr RN Lead cast at between 1200-1300fps

hay I'm now a boolit bub

[pmeisel]

JT, that sure is worth a try. Let us know how it works!

[Jim_Fleming]

hear, hear! JT keep all of us posted, that's a nice quick and very portable system... if it works...

Shooting something that portable, and still be able to recover your lead...? That's the cat's meow fo' sho!

[JTknives]

well i shot it and it works if you hit the bucket stright on . there was a few shots where i saw the dirt poof behind it on the bank. i was like man am i missing it. no the bucket turned a bit and the bullets where going through on an angle. i will pull out do\some slugs tonight and see how thy look.

[JTknives]

ok i pulled out the multch and maybe it did not work as good as i thought. all the bullets are flat on one side. kinda like you put them on a skillet and melted them. there was also small bits of lead. its kinda hard to think that these bullets zipped all the way through the rubber and hit the steel hard enough to break up. i will now try filling my 20gal drum and see how that does. its like 14" by 26" i think.

[thx997303]

Don't they make little trailer hitches for the mini coopers?

I've seen em on honda civics and think they may for yours.

If they do, you could get on of those.

Make a little basket to come off it.

Lots easier to carry your 20 gal drum that way.

And check your PM inbox.

[geargnasher]

JT Knives, try getting some dry blasting sand (not playground sand, you need the heavier, dustless, granite sand, check your local sandblasting shop) and fill the bucket with that. I know for sure it will stop the boolits without needing a steel plate, the boolits won't deflect inside the bucket, and sand is MUCH easier to sift than mulch. The only drawback to the sand is it mucks the boolits up more than mulch, so if you're doing forensic work the mulch leaves critical evidence more intact.

One more thing you might try, if you can get an old mudflap from a truck shop and cut it to fit behind the bucket lid, it will help keep the sand from pouring out the boolit holes.

Gear

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

I haven't tried it yet . . . but I've thought of using old carpet . . . fuzzy side in, and build a sand trap . . . my 16" of rubber mulch stops my 44 mag . . . and just barely my 7.62X39 . . .

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

Well I finally built another trap!

This one is built with a frame of 2X6's, outside dimensions are 12" wide X 14" tall, it has a 5/8" plywood backing, on the front I put an old piece of rubber flooring for a bus isle, and then a 1/4" piece of Lexan, filled with sand! I then put a double layer of cardboard which I wrapped around the sides and stapled.

We shot mostly 22's into it today, they just barely make it through the rubber!, light 38 spl loads were stopped by the lexan, and fell out when I removed the cardboard! Hot 38 spl loads penetrated the lexan, but I did not open it up yet see how far in they went.

I believe that 1.25" Lexan is used for bullet proof windows . . .





This what we were shooting it with (141gr):


I had planned to shoot my 44 mag into it, but forgot, and used my other trap for that . . . We are planning on going back out on Monday . . . and should hit it with 44 mag rifle, and also 270 . . . maybe even 7.62X39 . . .

[O9Tacoma4x4]

By o9tacoma at 2010-07-04

This is what it looks like from "shooter view". The range I shoot at has backstops and plenty of room to maneuver the hand truck around. As far as loading goes, if I put it backwards to my truck, then tilt it back it goes in pretty smooth. With 2 additional ratchet straps it does not move @ all.


By o9tacoma at 2010-07-04

This is what connects the replacement front to the left/right sides. I just use tie wire and overdrill the hole on replacement piece. It ends up taking about 1 minute to change out. Thats ample time during cease fires.


By o9tacoma at 2010-07-04

Thats the back. Cool.


By o9tacoma at 2010-07-04

Thats a pullet from HF and an office clip on clothesline. It lets me change out my targets while the range is hot. Similar to an indoor range with the push button to make closer or farther. Mines the Amish model. Hand operated.


By o9tacoma at 2010-07-04

The box is 24wx24lx18h. (It's actually +/- 3/4in depending on which way the brackets are securing the sides and walls) This gives you an idea of how much crumb rubber fits inside the box. That can and a 5 gallon bucket full, fill the shooting box with a little room. I'm going to pick up a few pieces of busted tire and cut/glue to the back to make the rubber fit more snug. It took I believe 7 bags to fill it.


By o9tacoma at 2010-07-04

These are just the 2 screws that hold the clothesline. It's 51ft worth of clothesline so It'll let me shoot out to 25 foot.


By o9tacoma at 2010-07-04

Thats what it looks like before setup.

I got to thinking about it a couple days after I built it. If someone were to make a similar box, but use schedule 40 pipe in a prison bar fashion, but behind. As in the first row, the bars go verticle 1/2 apart then the 2nd row horizontal 1/2 apart. Then measure off where the gap is one the first row and make the third vertical and 4th horizontal. Schedule 40 is tough stuff, and I'm pretty sure nothing lead is going to penetrate it. As time progresses and bars get bent, just replace them. If you were real ambitious you could maybe even bevel the base and put a coffee can under itso the lead just went right in and all you would have to do is change the front and maybe sideways depending on how bad ricochets were.

The way I cleaned it thou instead of dumping it all in saltwater, is with a leather glove on, take the front cover off and slowly empty it into the garbage can by hand. With the black rubber, even the dullest cast loads stand out. I got some wood splinters mixed in, but that was acceptable to me.

Hoepfully this helps someone out. If not, thats cool to. It works, thats what counts. My hot .45ACP .230gLRN only went about 14 inches in and were barely scraped. If you were in a bind, they could even be reloaded. .38SPC only went about 10 inches in.

[geargnasher]

"Amish model"

One note, schedule 40 pvc is absolutely no match for a boolit. I blew a, no joke, six-inch section out of a 2" drain under my kitchen with a .22lr hollow point after it went through the raccoon. (Note to self, trap the varmints and shoot them somewhere safer!)

Gear

[grumman581]

One note, schedule 40 pvc is absolutely no match for a boolit. I blew a, no joke, six-inch section out of a 2" drain under my kitchen with a .22lr hollow point after it went through the raccoon. (Note to self, trap the varmints and shoot them somewhere safer!)

Or be sure of your backstop when you are shooting at something...

You sure it was schedule 40? Usually drains are the thin stuff, not schedule 40... Well, at least inside the house they are... Don't know about underneath a house that is raised above the ground...

Personally, I try to only shoot down at pests like that so that if it goes through, it ends up in the ground. These days though, I'm using a .357mag for pests... Either a 158gr or 147gr round nose and just enough powder to get about 300-350 fps out of it... More quiet than a .22 -- don't even need ear protection for it...

[geargnasher]

Or be sure of your backstop when you are shooting at something...

You sure it was schedule 40? Usually drains are the thin stuff, not schedule 40... Well, at least inside the house they are... Don't know about underneath a house that is raised above the ground...

Personally, I try to only shoot down at pests like that so that if it goes through, it ends up in the ground. These days though, I'm using a .357mag for pests... Either a 158gr or 147gr round nose and just enough powder to get about 300-350 fps out of it... More quiet than a .22 -- don't even need ear protection for it...

I built our 2700 sf, two-storey monster myself, that's why the branch drains are 2" sched. 40 and the main is 4" sched. 40. The only part that isn't on a slab is the kitchen/washroom/downstairs bathroom, and it's on piers. Still have a section of the galvanized underpinning missing where I haven't built an access door yet, and I chased the little buggar in there from the catfood dish around front, saw him peeking around a pier with my light, and let him have it between the eyes. Plenty safe 4x4 timber retaining wall + concrete footing wall behind that, no chance for any issues with richochets or overpenetration, just forgot the pipe behind him.

Now, I have a cat-sneeze .45 Colt load for wildlife management, but it's a richochet waiting to happen. Think I'll just trap 'em.

Gear

[grumman581]

Plenty safe 4x4 timber retaining wall + concrete footing wall behind that, no chance for any issues with richochets or overpenetration, just forgot the pipe behind him.

LMAO !!!

Looks like the pest got the last laugh...

Now, I have a cat-sneeze .45 Colt load for wildlife management, but it's a richochet waiting to happen. Think I'll just trap 'em.

What kind of velocity are you getting with the .45 Colt reduced load? I try to shoot downward so that any misses or overpenetration will just go into the ground and not ricochet...

The good thing about a revolver for pest management is that it doesn't leave brass around as evidence (just in case the neighbors call the cops on you).

[geargnasher]

I live in the country, and if you shoot the ground from any direction you get richochets. It's the Hill Country, the place where we dig post holes with a 60# rock bar and a steel coffee can!

I don't know how fast that .45C load is, my best guess is about 5-600 fps. 340 grains of 7 bhn stick-ons out of a 7-1/2" Vaquero is pretty rough on gallon jugs of water.

Gear

[grumman581]

I don't know how fast that .45C load is, my best guess is about 5-600 fps. 340 grains of 7 bhn stick-ons out of a 7-1/2" Vaquero is pretty rough on gallon jugs of water.

According to my calculations, for a 158 gr bullet at 350 fps, I'm getting a total of 43 ft-lbs... Doesn't sound like much, but it works for the only pest that I've encountered since developing the load -- a skunk... 340 gr at 500 fps should give you about 189 ft-lbs -- good enough for bigger pests...

I probably should do some penetration tests with this reduced load to ensure that it will worn on "hardened targets" (i.e. armadillos)...

2011.06.18 -- Since I originally posted this comment, I've done some tests on "hardened targets". The rounds are extremely quiet and go through an armadillo and make a sufficient enough mess of him to kill him. A lot better than using a .22LR.

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

Well . . . I shot my sand trap some more today, a few more 22's, a few more 38 spl's, 25 - 44 mags, (some revolver, some rifle) 47 - 45 acp's, 2 - 270's

The hand guns were fired from 10 - 15 yards . . . the rifles 27 yards . . . none went through, very little sand leaked out, but it compacted very hard! Had to dig it out with a metal serving spoon . . . (Don't tell my wife!)

The outside:




What was left of the lexan:


The rubber mat behind the lexan:




Some of my trophies:
45 acp 230gr "ball" - 38 spl 140 gr MiHec - 44 Mag 242gr MiHec H&G 503