Building a >>> LEAD MISER BACKSTOP <<< for Practice / Load Workups

I'm using this old steel drum but don't need that depth, so...I made that plug on the sawhorse to to take up space in the bottom of the drum.

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Here I cut away the center of the steel lid and left enough room around the edge to screw on this plywood front.
All that black stuff on the tarp in the next picture under this one is the rubber garden mulch that I put into the drum. Eventually the center of the plywood will shoot out so I layered the plastic bags the mulch came in on the top of all the mulch...the plastic will keep the mulch in the drum when a hole develops in the center of the plywood.

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Here the lid is on, mulch and plastic bags will go inside under this...this is the rubber floor tiles I get from the Home Depot, I cut them to fit the lid and staple the rubber mat to the plywood...this makes a great target backing for paper targets, just use 1/4" staples for the paper targets...when it eventually shoots out in the center, I start mounting the targets on a small piece of cardboard and that provides backing for wadcutters and SWC's to cut clean holes. Even the RNFP's will punch clean holes the size of the FP.

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Here it is mounted on this old wagon. This helps when I need to mow in that area...this is a heavy target.

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More than practice, I constantly use this behind my shop...place the Chrono in front, get the speed readouts and see if your load will group all at the same time.
Very handy....when I took the old target down I got back 18 lbs. of good boolit metal...not range scrap, good tin rich metal.

Taking bets as to how long it will take him to shoot out a tire with a flier[smilie=l:

Nice job OS I also like to see peoples projects and how they overcome obstacles.
I store it in memory and hopefully will be able to retrieve it later.:groner:

I have similar rig only I use old conveyor belting hung from angle iron ( bed frames ) tack welded
in drum, 1/4 plate in drum bottom, 3" sand in drum. Belting takes a lot of rounds in group before
you have to shift bullseye . We put target on first " curtain" of belting. Used for 22-32-38 target
loads.

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:kidding: nice going Charlie bet you save a bunch of lead

I used a large trash can, plastic...it held together ok but an errant shot next to the edge and the round would escape through the side. This old steel drum should solve most of that problem.

My backstop behind this will be RR ties stacked on one another horizontally 6 foot high. That'll stop any fliers.

Nice build and write-up! Thanks for sharing it.

I built this for a local ammunition manufacturer so they could test ammunition. There are two doors in the side at the rear and a 3/4" AR500 plate set at an angle and a few sections of horse mat the bullet passes through. Right before the plate. Stops dust and such that might interfere with the chronograph that mounts on the bottom. It comes apart in sections because it had to be installed in a sound insulated container out side the loading area.

I wasn't there when they tested it but it was loud as hell at my shop, they said outside the container, a book falling on a desk is louder.

I swear morris...is there anything you haven't built thus far in your young life...Old Noah ain't got nuttun on you!
That's awesome..

What I do in my shop is pale by all the stuff I've seen you post.

Well...I did get a little accomplished today...my brother here in Greenwood gave me a hand today erecting this backstop for the Miser Barrel Lead Scrounger.
I live on a ridge above a little valley and I constantly worry about one of my casts getting away and landing on one of the ranches below me...this will give me some comfort when it's done. Of course it's limited to pistol practice and work ups but I'll feel better when it's done...got two more RR ties to set and pin down. Still have to drive two metal fence post on the backside and tie them to every RR tie with plumbers strap and 1/4" X 3" lags.

I'm encouraged, but...I'm worn out today lifting these ties...they have gotten much heavier since I worked with them 35 years ago!

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Nice job Charlie!

I like the idea of using a wagon to hold the barrel and making is easy to move.

Thanks OS, I have dabbled in a little bit of everything and I'm not the type of guy that can just do nothing so it's either something constructive or destructive at that point.

On the "getting away" point, one of my favorite ranges was closed down because they used cross ties and bullets were getting through cracks every now and then.

There are ways to solve the problem like two layers of ties with earth between them.

I don't have a good way to move dirt at home so I just built a backstop out of steel and get the bullets out of the dirt inside it.

Thats what I call a nice backstop...only that's a lot of steel too! Was it costly or did you come by it horse trading?

I was looking at the cracks between my RR ties this morning, the place where the fishplates were nailed are all worn in/out about 5/8" deep. It leaves a slot about 12" wide X 5/8'ths in a stack from top to bottom on each end...
Was thinking of a way to plug them...hmmm? I suppose I could cut white oak on the big bandsaw to hammer in there, would take about a day fiddling with it but if I plug it the whole 9" width I don't think a pistol round would get through...I hope not anyway.

Any ideas?

On my rifle range there will be a double row with dirt in between, only thing is these dang RR ties that used to cost $12 some 35 years back are now $30, the longer I wait the worse it's gonna get too!

You know...to have a safe range you gotta do some backflips to get it right.

Stand a tie on end over that row of cracks where the plates were... they should be in about the same spots on many of the ties. Or add a second later staggered half a tie higher to start. That would handle 22lr easily, maybe 7.62x39, a double tie might stop most 223 rounds too. Ties are pretty dang hard if older ones!

And use a sacrificial target layer in front to slow anything that would hit the ties. Double layer of waterproof sheet rock for example will slow or fragment bullets hitting it.

I picked up the steel plate for mine as "drop" from an outfit that made over passes. It was an 8 ft wide 30ft long sheet when I picked it up,right around 4000 lbs. Even as scrap it cost me $1000 not including my time to cut it up and weld it back together but it won't erode like a dirt berm, don't have to figure out how to mow on top of it, etc and I can move it anywhere I want easy.

Easiest way to eliminate the gaps in the cross ties is to double them up like a board on board fence but if you want something more fool proof spread the two layers apart by a foot or two and fill the area between with gravel and or dirt.

I wouldn't want to use the wood as the backstop rather a safety net. Shoot one enough with a .22 LR and it's going to have a hole in it at some point.

Even though steel is a lot tougher than wood I still made special target stands that would hold some of my AR 500 plates behind paper targets, so I am not banging away at the exact same spot on my backstop over and over.

That plate is a good idea.

My backstop is a safety measure, not a bullet stop. It is behind the barrel I use for testing and practice at 10 yds.

I just want the added insurance that when I have a hiccup that round isn't out sailing over the valley below.

I understood what you are doing, just added that with MaryB's comment on the sacrificial layer, in your case the drum on the cart.

Had to see the Eye Dr. yesterday, so...while I was in the neighborhood I stopped and ordered 100' of 3" X 3/16" flat stock.
I'll screw that on the backside with plenty of screws, especially in the fishplate areas. Then from the front I'm going to mix a batch of sawdust and thinned out wood glue to where I can tamp it in the slot like you would grout the foot of a machine.
When I'm done I'll hit it with a little flat black and it won't be an eyesore and the wifey won't complain.

I've had an idea for a bullet trap for airguns, and maybe firearms. I think I know that most steel targets are either hanging so they move and absorb energy, or attached to springs for the same reason. My idea is to use a series of chains to form a sheet, and then multiple sheets of chain offset to fill gaps in rows behind the first sheet(row). The thought is that the chain will move and contact the row of chains behind, and allow the bullet to lose energy and drop. The weight of chain and number of rows would be dictated by whatever energy(caliber) bullet being shot into it. Anyone tried this? Anyone think it's worth the money and effort to try it?

I made a small sand hill that was 4' tall and 6' wide....I excavated a "cut out" in front of it by about 1 foot. I tested it out last month and shot 1,400 pistol rounds (over 40 pounds). Using a 1/4" hardware cloth (12" x 30") frame: I recovered all the bullets. IOW 100% recovery rate. recovery. It's best to cover the sand hill to keep it dry. Cover with plastic and then cover the plastic with sand when not in use. You use 2 5 gallon buckets to hold the frame and shovel the sand onto it...the sand sifts through leaving the bullets. If the sand is wet you will have to shake the frame...it is a great workout.

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Originally Posted by second chance

I've had an idea for a bullet trap for airguns, and maybe firearms. I think I know that most steel targets are either hanging so they move and absorb energy, or attached to springs for the same reason. My idea is to use a series of chains to form a sheet, and then multiple sheets of chain offset to fill gaps in rows behind the first sheet(row). The thought is that the chain will move and contact the row of chains behind, and allow the bullet to lose energy and drop. The weight of chain and number of rows would be dictated by whatever energy(caliber) bullet being shot into it. Anyone tried this? Anyone think it's worth the money and effort to try it?

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Here's a unique idea...after all, it's about absorbing energy without self destructing too soon...or, not at all. I would use something like the truckers use to bind their loads. All boolit stoppers have to have a maximum caliber you can use but these chains just might be the answer to longevity.

I hope you build one and do a picture layout as you proceed...this sounds promising.