free bullet trap comes up trumps

[sthwestvictoria]

This is my most recent simple bullet trap/alloy recycler. My first trial was with steel belted radial tyres - is it possible to cut them up with a metal blade in a hand held jigsaw but it is not much fun! I have also trialled old magazines stuffed in boxes and wood. The wood blocks just splinter, the magazines get cut to confetti.

my most recent iteration has been the most successful. I approached a local hot-rod shop for some old drag racing slicks. These do not have steel in them (except for the bead) and I was able to easily cut them up with a wood blade in the hand held jigsaw and a knife.
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The pieces (around A4 paper sized) were stacked into a handy box and the lot taped up. It took two small tyres to fill a box. This box has stood up to shooting from 22lr to 30-30, 35 whelen cast and jacketed and 540grain 12ga slugs. The weight helps hold the box there during impact although the full steamjacketed 35 whelen loads will tend to make the box fall over after a couple of shots! When the box starts to fall apart it is easy to pull out the rubber A4 pieces, most of the projectiles will be at the bottom of the box, some stuck in the rubber. When I used radial tyres the wires would either cut your or trap the projectiles. These no-steel slicks are far superior.

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Happiness is smelting down your own alloy to re-use!

Pros:

Free
Effective at soaking up significant loads
No-wire slicks much easier to cut than radials and easier to remove lead from.
lead is left in mostly whole projectiles, not in dust or fragments
Heavy enough to withstand moderate impacts, not too heavy to lug about.

Cons:

Small target size - A4 only. Conveyor belt would be a great way to make a larger target.

[BNE]

Cool idea. I am wrestling with how to make a trap also. I have access to a 1/2" X 5' X 8' sheet of steal. I will need at leat 4 guys to help me place it. The rubber is a lot easier.

Did you get any bounce back?

[sthwestvictoria]

Did you get any bounce back?
None. Even the 22LR and 1400fps cast bullets penetrate at least the first rubber piece or so.

[bigjake]

Just get a big oak log. about 2 foot in dia. its not easy to retrieve the lead but it makes a great stop

[Menner]

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this is what I came up with can be taken apart and setup in a few minutes

[sthwestvictoria]

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this is what I came up with can be taken apart and setup in a few minutes

Looks great Menner - what are the large black tiles? What way did you find to cut the tyres?

[Eddie2002]

I've been using a big old pine log with some 2x6's nailed to it. The 2x6's slow the slugs down enough so they only go 4-5 inches into the log. Really like the race tire idea, got a speedway just a few miles down the road and I bet they would love to get rid of a couple tires.

[Buck Neck It]

You maybe "borrowed" those tires from Lord Humungous...He seems a reasonable man!

I just use a rotten spruce stump. It is big enough that I can hit it.

[44man]

Can't stop my revolver boolits in a 55 gal drum full of rubber mulch, shot in the end. many exit holes.

[dilly]

Can't stop my revolver boolits in a 55 gal drum full of rubber mulch, shot in the end. many exit holes.


If you fit a hard piece of steel at the end I bet you would be able to catch them all that way.

[44man]

I suppose. Need to find some.

[olm911]

I am collecting up old mud flaps to use in a similar fashion. I am going to hang around ten separated by about two inches each and see how that works.

[leadman]

The rubber "mulch" available at Home Depot and other places is what another member here used with a box similar to the one pictured above. This is ground up tires so same basis idea, just don't have to source tires and cut them.

Good idea from the OP if one can get the tires.

[Green Monster]

Make a false bottom with chicken wire or old chain link fence so the boolits fall down and you can sweep out with out taking the whole thing apart

[dolang1]

I have a six gallon bucket on my wall in the garage filled with rubber mulch. I cut a square out of the lid and replace it with cardboard to hold the mulch in. I shoot at the lid end. 45s go 15 inches and 9s go 12 inches. The bullets look almost good enough to reload.

[wmitty]

I went the mud flap route several years ago... they stopped most everything but they were badly shot up within 50 rounds of .44 mag. I found a 90 degree ell of 14" diameter schedule 40 pipe - the curve on the back directed all deflected shots downward; thought this would be the way to go.

[GL49]

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this is what I came up with can be taken apart and setup in a few minutes

I've got access to 5 ply conveyor belting, I was going to hang 2' squares from a long rack and just let the boolits fall. I like the box idea better. Any guesses how many layers of 3/8 thick conveyor belting would be required to stop a rifle boolit at about 1850 fps?

[303Guy]

Great idea! I'm looking for a horizontal trap. One I can take to the range. Your trap looks like the answer. Will it stop a rifle boolit?

My trap requires the rubber mulch to be compacted to work. Even then if the boolits are too slow and don't expand they go right through into the catch pot at the bottom.

[Menner]

The Black tiles are Stall mat from Tractor supply That was the first gen I got a mat and cut the squares and stacked them they worked great at first by they did not heal up like the tires do and the added benefit is the tires are free. I have a piece of 1/8" steel bolted to the back of the box (note use bolts and nuts to attach steel to back of box do not use screws to attach it a 200 gr 35 cal boolit at around 1700 fps WILL unscrew it for you) and a few boolits have introduced themselves to it mostly during gen 1 when using the stall matts but the tires really work well I shoot a 7mm-08 pushing a 150gr er at around 1800 fps and have no problem stopping them with the tires the boolit will tend to tumble inside the trap and have found boolits stuck in tires backwards and have had boolits exit out the side I have made a few changes how I set it up I will be at the range today I will take some pics and post them later tonite As far as the conveyor belts I would stack up as many as I could stack loosely and the boolits will tell you how many you need when new the stall mats stopped most with 5 or 6 tiles they are about 3/4" tick but are not as tough as conveyor belt I am sure on my way to the range will post more later
Tony

[Shooter6br]

same here .I will split and burn the log in my metal fire pit some day to recover the lead

[Menner]

Went to the range and there were to many people there to use the built trap usually I have the place to my self but not today I will set it up in the garage later and take some pics and post.

to cut tires I use a course tooth narrow blade in the sawzall to cut the side wall and I cut the side wall as close to the tread as I can once you have the side walls cut off I take a couple of pieces of 1x4 and clamp across the tread I then put it in my vise the boards keep it from bucking and shaking oh and I use a demolition blade to cut across the tread because of the steel belt. My local Tire shop will give me all the tires I want I look for the widest tires with the most tread I can find in the pile

[Duckdog]

I use a box full of rubber mulch with a 1" rubber paver on each end and I have yet to have one shoot through it. I shoot everything from pistols to 30/06 and 45/70 into it. The 06 is running at 2150 FPS.

The box is 24" square and 18" deep. I had it bigger, thinking that I needed it to stop a rifle bullet, but I did not. It just makes it heavier. The bullet come out intact and it is nice to see how the alloy is mushrooming out.

I get the rubber pavers and rubber mulch from Menards, but I would bet Lowes, Home Depots, etc, will all have them.

[rbertalotto]

Why not just have a piece of hardened steel cut to fit the round opening of the tire. Bolt it to the back of the tire and all the lead splatter will be found in the bottom of the tire.

[reloader28]

Another log splitter here.
I have 4 right now that I need to split up for the lead. My big pistol target log weighed about 70lbs when I started. I lifted it from my shooting pit with the trac hoe since it now weighs about 350lbs. ALOTTA boolits in that one. Had to be careful moving it as the boolits are literally falling out of it, it was that shot up.