Bullet trap in my basement....

[Old Ironsights]

Basement?? Basement. Oh, yeah, there are areas of the country where you can dig a hole and not have it filled with water. Around here they are indoor swimming pools! ...

With a dry season infiltration of 1gpm, if I didn't have a 2hp sump pump AND a battery backup, AND a generator backup to the battery backup, I would have an indoor pool too.

[Charlie Sometimes]

I used to shoot with my uncle who was into shotgun card matches where they punch those large holes in small cards at odd ranges. One of the match sites used one of those very same X-Ring Centrifugal Bullet Traps to collect their shot into 5 gallon pails set underneath the exist portal. Don't try it with shotguns! The wads and card material, along with the deformed shot would clog it up after a few sots and they would have to go out and unplug the device (hard to do quickly). It did a fine job of keeping the shot in a small area (6 circular feet around the bucket), because most of the shot did not go into the bucket without additional external guidance. The shot was piled deep enough to shovel it up into other buckets. I used that stuff for years making bullets until they shut down. Took a little longer to melt due to the extra oxidization on the shot, but it was FREE!

[Harry O]

I got an e-mail with additional information. Evidently there were three sizes, 12x12, 18x18, and 24x24. The ad I posted earlier shows the smaller two, but not the third one. The smallest one was for placing on top of a table. Maybe it was not used in the basement. Maybe it was used in the dining room.

There was also reportedly an option to line the inside of the "pyramid" with another thickness of the same plate metal. That was for use with centerfire handguns. Doubt that it would take the .357 Magnum, but probably OK for anything else available at the time.

[yondering]

Turbo housings huh? Never thought of that. I work for a heavy truck manufacturer... might have to do some investigating and report back...

[cohutt]

Mentioned in "Popular Science" magazine March 1965, article which begins on page 146. Title is "Setting up a basement shooting range".

Check out the lead illustration of Ozzie & Harriet shooting in their basement with the son in balck canvas hi-tops.

hope the link works

[Mohillbilly]

I got an idea! how 'bout old truck brake drums(big ones) for the "snale" ?

[scrapcan]

cohutt,

the detroit bullet master trap is one that i looked at to see if one could be built easily. I think it can I just need to get off my duff.

I need to send that article you linked to to my wife. Our basement is unfinished and since we are at the design phase maybe extra sound deadening panesl could be put in place.

[M-Tecs]

I just purchased one of these. Very cool trap.

[robertbank]

cohutt,

the detroit bullet master trap is one that i looked at to see if one could be built easily. I think it can I just need to get off my duff.

I need to send that article you linked to to my wife. Our basement is unfinished and since we are at the design phase maybe extra sound deadening panesl could be put in place.

What about ventilation? Gunpowder and primers produce pretty nasty smoke not to mention lead particles in the air. You might have an issue trying to sell a house with any amount of detectable lead issues. I suppose you could go with lead free ammunition but the smoke would be an issue rather quickly I would expect.

Take Care

Bob

[CraigOK]

Or a big water pump shell