Home made bullet trap

[mb4859]

I'm looking for any ideas or plans for a bullet trap sturdy enough for a 44 magnum. I have access to anything I need for equipment, just need some ideas.

[jbunny]

2 or 3 8 to 10 inch plates at a 45 deg angle with a sand box base with a frame to hold
some rubber belting in front of the angled deflector plateds to insure against any
back splatter.
jb

[mb4859]

How thick does the back plate need to be if a bullet is going to hit at a 45 degree.

[jbunny]

wellllllll that depends, u did state 44 mag. pistol, carbine. what range??

if your like me, free is my favorite word. i would use free used grader blades.
in our indoor range at 25 meters for 22 RF and handgun cast bullets, the plates are only 3/16 thick. i don't know the alloysteel used. i would never build that light. they shoot 44mag and 45 cal as well at reduced loads. hope this helps
jb

[Prince555]

Several years ago I took an Outer's .22 bullet trap & had a friend weld a metal
plate to the back of it. For a long time I used it outside to shoot in the back yard
with .22 LR, .22 Magnum & .38's.
I no longer live at the previous house & can't shoot much here outside except
.22 Subsonics & .22 CB's.
I have a pretty long basement here and am shooting inside at 15 yards with
.357 Magnums, .41 Magnums, .44 Magnums, .45 Auto, & .45 L. Colt plus P.
I have shot hundreds of rounds inside and believe it or not the ones that dented
the trap the most were 5 - .41 Magnum rounds loaded Hot with a 255gr cast.
All I had to do was slightly hammer the back side. It wasn't that bad. Usually
the faster, heavier bullets hitting in one small area will make slight "waves" in
the metal. All you have to do is keep moving your target impact area a couple of
inches and it will balance out the metal on the inside angle.
The angle that the bullets strike at keep from damaging the trap.
I had a friend ask if he could try some .223 fmj rounds at it.
I said you have got to be kidding and he never asked again.
The trap seems like it's going to last a lifetime.
By the way I just went down in the basement and measured the steel plate
on the back. It's slightly less than 1/4 inch thick.
The trap measures 11 1/2 in. wide---12 inches tall, and about 9 inches deep
( at the base ). After some lead builds up inside it really helps hold it steady.
I have it on a wooden stand against the block wall.
I use it to proof test loads & check different powders & bullets for groups.
Hope this helps.

[Prince555]

By the way ---All the rounds listed above are from Handguns Only.
I use a fairly thick cardboard target backing to help stop pieces of
jacketed bullets from coming back through. I rarely shoot jacketed bullets
anymore & use safety glasses and a real good grade of ear protectors,
since all the noise is inside.
It's a good idea to stay back at least 35ft or more.
I have also tested some snake shot loads for patterns.

Stay Safe.

[markinalpine]

You might try this thread from up in the Classics and Stickies Forum: http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=26627
It has close to 300 replies, so find some time to read through it.

Good luck,
Mark

[bohica2xo]

I built this trap several years ago for a commercial gunsmith. It stops anything short of 50BMG. He was worried about 4000+ fps stuff, as well as things like a .375 or .416 solid.

I tested it with the 22/284, a full auto mag full of M855 from the M16, and a mag of steel core 7.62x39 from the AK47.

Checked it with the fiber camera each time, no issues inside. It was made from .500 thick AR400 plate. None of the welds are in the impact area. The mouth is six inches square.

He shoots shotguns into it as well as high powered rifles. Nothing comes back out. Never seen even a jacket shard that did not make it to the snail. He uses a small shop vac with a HEPA filter connected to the plenum under the entry wedge. Even the muzzle blast goes into the trap.







Just my .0002 cents.

B.