Bullet trap?

[stealthshooter]

I've been thinking about building a bullet trap so I can just recover my bullets and melt them back down. My thought was to build a 2' cube and fill it with news papers to stop the bullets. Then I can just take it to the range with me and use it for my target. You guys have any thoughts or better ideas?

[williamwaco]

I've been thinking about building a bullet trap so I can just recover my bullets and melt them back down. My thought was to build a 2' cube and fill it with news papers to stop the bullets. Then I can just take it to the range with me and use it for my target. You guys have any thoughts or better ideas?



Two foot cube? Full of news papers?

Not unless you are shooting .22 shorts.

I once built a backstop from highly compressed 70 pound bales of hay, two bales thick. Shooting targets with .38 special. Before I finished the first box of 50 they were coming out the back.

[Mk42gunner]

There is a very long thread in the clasic and sticky section regarding homemade bullet traps. From what I remember rubber crumb mulch works the best, and you will probably need more than a two foot depth if you are shooting any kind of centerfire.

Robert

[R.M.]

I built a 2X2X2 box and filled it with the rubber chips. So far, anything I've shot into it hasn't come out the back. I've shot .22, target 38 and 45's and a 32 BP rifle with 30gr loads and RB, all from 25 yards.
The box holds 10 bags of rubber, and weighs a lot. Definitely not portable.

[stealthshooter]

I have access to rubber belting. What I really want to do is build a 4x4 target and mount it on a trailer with a winch to stand it up and lay it down.

[geargnasher]

HERE: http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=26627

Gear

[303Guy]

A replaceable rubber belting front (more than one layer), sand fill and a high tensile steel plate behind. One foot of sand should stop a boolit but the steel plate must be able to finish the job. Build it onto a hand truck/trolley and you're done. The trailer idea is even better but the hand truck/trolley principle would make it easy to tilt up and down again. Melt down the sand-lead mix when it gets too heavy!

[Bret4207]

I've seen the boxes filled with everything you can imagine and you still end up having to sort through stuff. The snail type avoids all that, but it's more expensive to construct. JMO.

[44man]

I use a plastic 55 gal drum filled with rubber mulch. I screw rubber belting front and rear to shoot through.
Believe it or not but my .500 JRH has exited the rear belt. It is time to dump it out on a large tarp and clean the boolits out.
I tried a wooden box but the plywood shattered and internal pressure pulled 16D nails and screws. The big guns really have a lot of thump. :lol:

[btroj]

I have a very large dirt bullet trap. Hard to recover everything from it but no bullet will ever get thru it. It isn't very portable so I leave it at the range. Wait, that is the berm.
I have thought about a trap of some sort but having to haul it back and forth each day gets to be a pain. I also shoot at various ranges so it might need to be moved multiple times during a range trip.
I have decided that unless you shoot on private land, your own preferably, and can leave a trap in place it just isn't real feasible.
I have just learned to be better at picking up range lead from the ground. I don't get all I need but figure on a 50 percent recovery rate.