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Thread: Reusing recovered boolits

  1. #1
    Boolit Buddy 6string's Avatar
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    Reusing recovered boolits

    Hi guys,

    Have any of you used something like a centrifugal bullet trap to capture your fired cast boolits?
    Those old bullet traps seem to have been fairly common at one time. I'm just thinking they'd be quite helpful in allowing us to reuse the lead that we've so carefully alloyed.

    I'm already using a trap to capture airgun pellets, but that only provides so much.

    Thanks,
    Jim

  2. #2
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    MaryB's Avatar
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    Many use range scrap, either dug from the dirt or from traps at local indoor ranges. If you look down in the special projects forum there is a thread on bullet traps right now.

  3. #3
    Boolit Buddy 6string's Avatar
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    Thanks for the reference to the special projects. I wouldn't have found that!
    The main club I shoot at has a steel baffle/water trap. It's easy to get to the slugs, but it is messy. Plus, there's lots of jagged shards of jacketed slugs that can be quite hazardous.
    I'm looking for a way to get the cleanest slugs of the best quality alloy. Looks like I might try to build a snail pattern trap for my gallery range.

    Thanks,
    Jim

  4. #4
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  5. #5
    Boolit Master daloper's Avatar
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    For my trap, I made a 3'X3' box out of 2X10. I closed off the back side with a piece of stable mat then a piece of plywood. While it was laying on the ground I filled it with rubber mulch the I picked up from Lowes. Closed up with stable mat and 1/2" plywood and stood it up. This spring I will make one that is a deeper box because my .480 and my hot .44 mag go through it. If I load the 44 mag light it stops fine. The stable mats will self seal for a while. The .38 and the 9mm catch fine. I am shooting at about 25 yards. I did lay it down and pulled the front off and recovered the lead out this last fall. Did not go to bad. Got a lot of lead out. I will that pictures and post when I make my new one. Still working on how to best recover the lead. Found just sorting through it to work O.K. The plan is to find out how much I need to catch the magnums with out going through.

  6. #6
    Boolit Grand Master

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    The title sounded like you were thinking of shooting the bullets again! After reading more, I understand that you are talking about recycling range scrap! Many guys on here do and several have bullet traps. There is even a pretty good thread about bullet traps. I'm thinking about one myself!

  7. #7
    Boolit Master
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    I use 3ea 5 gal buckets with rubber mulch to recover my lead, I get around 30 lbs of bullets out of each bucket by the time the lids are shot up and need to be replaced.

  8. #8
    Boolit Grand Master

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    My snail trap I made works well and is useable. Mine the bullet spins in the catch pipe until energy is expended then rolls back out the front into a tray on the ground. It is 1/4" steel plate and sch 80 pipe 10" dia. The opening is 12" X 12" I use this indoors with 22 and light pistol loads. Its loud and the bullets do spin for a few revolutions in the pipe. It also produce more powder or dust due to the grinding effect of the spinning bullet. A water mister in side might help with this or at least contain the dust. I also covered the outer surface with carpet to help deaden the noise. It easy to use and somewhat self cleaning.

    I have seen some commercial ones that had a low speed auger that removed bullets as they were shot and as the day went on. These also had a water oil mister in them ( water soluable oil more for corrosion resistance than lubrication)

    The tube on a snail type trap has a small opening and the plates act as funnels into it. Once in it follows the tube around and around until its expended the energy and gravity allows it to roll out. A good desighn and with a welder and torch not hard to make.

  9. #9
    Boolit Grand Master
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    I reuse spent boolits all the time! It's called re-casting! Just melt them down and recast in whatever style/cal/weight of the day you need.

    I NEVER try to reuse/reload spent AS-FOUND Pb boolits. NEVER. I have re-used FMJ's that found their way down range and ended up in almost pristine condition, but never re-used for accuracy.

    Banger

  10. #10
    Boolit Master


    Walter Laich's Avatar
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    ^ agree with BJ on recasting them.

    Have shot a couple 'just to prove it would work' but enjoy casting/PC too much not to do it to all scrap lead
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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check