Want to catch a bullet..

[Gtek]

What about downloading with a fast powder, let's say down ladder loads until one does not clear and finish driving it out with a well fit and protected rod.

[Texas by God]

I'd like to know if anyone has stopped a cast rifle bullet at over 2000fps without distorting the nose? (except for snow, I don't have that option ).

I’m still trying.
I can tell you that a one gallon jug of ice laying with the bottom facing me 100 yards away…..
Won’t stop a Lee C278-135RF going around 1900 fps from my 6.8 SPC.
Maybe two gallons will
If I had a walk in freezer I’d freeze a 5 gallon bucket.
Update; two one gallon jugs of ice placed end to end won’t stop th 6.8 bullet either!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Walter Laich]

off topic.... I have a coffee mug that says "Alferd Packer, serving his fellow man..."
For those that have never been to Lake City.... googly is your friend....

the judge at his trial: “Stand up, you voracious, man-eating son of a [gun] , stand up! There was seven democrats in Hinsdale County and you up and ate five of them"

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I think the best back stop is snow. Hard too find right now. In the winter I push up a huge pile of snow too use as a back stop, and can recover my bullets for study. I saw a U-Tube video where a man made a bullet catcher out of a PVC pipe, and filled it with some kind of material, like Dacron or pillow stuffing.

Yep SNOW!

The first time I noticed this, was after a big snow storm in my area. The local club had a concealed carry class that weekend and no one plowed the snow for the pistol pit. The instructor setup an DIY target in front of a big snow drift. In the Spring, I noticed hundreds of projectiles just beyond the DIY target area. easy pickin's, and what a nice way to gather range scrap. All the jacketed bullets I picked up looked good enough to reload.

[dondiego]

When I was younger and broke, I reloaded bullets recovered from a snow bank. They worked fine.

[higgins]

Years ago a fellow turned up at the club I belonged to at the time to try to catch bullets in a flimsy plastic garbage can about half filled with water. The first shot with some variety of big bore revolver split the thin barbage can and gave him a bath. I don't know if he caught the bullet. A metal tank or drum as suggested above would probably work since some ballistic labs seen on as seen on TV true-crime shows use a rectanbular tank to catch bullets for testing. Tilting the drum on its side as much as possible might make a better catch tank , or if you happen to have access to a watering trough that's deep enough that might work too.

[Walstr]

I want to examine a cast WW bullet that has been shot, but have not been able to stop one. I tried a fairly dense pile of cloth, but my .25-20 87 gr went right through and through a 2x6 I had behind the cloth.

I tried shooting into a sand pile, but all I could find was flakes of lead. The bullet seemed to have disintegrated.

How can I stop a bullet without destroying it?

HI: What Gtek said. I use a squib load to make sure it does not leave the barrel! Then stuff a rag into the chamber & use a suitable diameter rod to gingerly tap it back whence it came. Now you save it in an empty pill jar to ID it for future reference.

So you say, what if it still has enough energy to "leave"? I've done it in my bsmt., shooting into a bucket of rags; so no deformation. Also, when it "gets stuck" there is no sound! Me thinks 3gr-4gr of anything will do fine. Let us know?!?

Wally
P.S. Most of the responses above guarantee deformation, so not what you asked for?

[35remington]

In the 25-20 use 1 to 1.5 grains Bullseye and catch in wet phone books or newsprint. Easier and less deforming than pounding a stuck bullet with a rod. Put the muzzle near the paper to minimize yaw before the bullet strikes.

If you can tolerate slight nose deformation just shoot it at 1100 fps with 2.5 grains Bullseye or similar with wheelweight equivalent. I do this at fifty yards to reduce impact velocity somewhat.

I have a great pile of recovered 25-20 bullets, so I ain’t guessing about this. Revealed are extent of gas cutting with various loadings and amendments, base integrity, etc.

At 1100 fps speeds you will need a couple of feet of wet paper to stop a 90 grain cast bullet. More than a softpoint high powered rifle like 30-30 requires, incidentally.

[Hanzy4200]

Not as far as most people think. 2.5-3.5 feet usually. Shooting dowward into a full 55 gallon drum works best, and wont rupture your test tank. Usually

[steve urquell]

I have a big trash bin I sometimes fill up with water and shoot down into to catch bullets. I think it's 4ft deep or so. Cover with cardboard or bags unless you want a bath in garbage can water. I do climb a ladder so my legs are above it. I don't want anything coming out the side into me.

[Tonto]

I have a 2x2x4’ box of rubber mulch to capture cast bullets, the front face holds the target. When sorting thru the mulch many recovered bullets look pretty good unless they hit another in the mulch. Nothing has gotten totally thru including 308 fmj.

[Wm Cook]

I’v always used a bunch of folded up bath towels in a cardboard box about 12x12x24” and a light load of bullets eye. Used it this week on a 308 and about 2.6g - 2.8g was caught nicely. Be very careful that it leaves the barrel. Bill C