Recovering lead by shooting into a wood log

[Eddie2002]

Been using a 16 inch pine log for a .22 backstop and 100 grain plinkers for about one year now. The center is about shot out and I'm nailing two pieces of 2x6 over the center. Even some of my plinkers are going all the way through the backstop now and some of my "hotter" .380 ACP loads are blowing all the way through to the second 2x6. It's about time to split the log up into kindling and see what drops out. Bet there is a good 10 lbs of lead in it.
Had a couple ricochets when shooting a black powder .50 caliber round ball with a light load into the log. The ball would dent a hole into the pine and then bounce straight back at me. Put a some nice dents in the side of the shop before I got wise. Had the same thing happen with a B B gun when I was a kid and got hit in the leg.

[1bluehorse]

Least ya' didn't shoot yer eye out kid..............

[Rusty W]

I've been shooting into wood logs for about 5-6 years. These are Hickory stumps from a tree that was blown over from a storm. I've used Oak, Cottonwood, Elm, Sycamore, Cedar, whatever else I could cut up for stumps. I've shot 22's, 30cal, 32mag, 327 mag, 9mm, 38, 357mag, 40cal, 44spl, 44mag, 45acp, 45colt from 700fps-1200fps lead & jacketed, 45/70 from mild to wild, wild being about 1900fps w/a 405jsp from a Ruger #1. I haven't had a bullet or boolit go completely through on any of them until they get about 1/2 rotten. I have found that some boolits will bounce back when there's a pile built up & another is sent in there hauling the mail. When I'm ready to collect I just use a small hatchet & split them or a wedge & hammer, I get about 75-80% back.

[Andy]

Thanks for all the replies everyone, nice to hear everyone's experience on it. Today was a range day again and the only firewood round I could get at that was large enough was a 16" long piece of beech. It was cut a few years ago and has been off the ground, so it is reasonably dry. Would have rather got something lighter/more rotten but this is all I had.

Made up a quick x-brace cradle to get the block ~24" off the ground and took it to the range. Shooting 9mm and .45 cast bullets at low-moderate velocities at 15 yards, WW+2% tin, combo of air cooled and water dropped, and with a piece of medium weight cardboard over the face of it to keep the targets nice. By the looks of the cardboard and sides of the fresh wood I didn't have any ricochets but the wood does splinter/fragment where the bullets impact and it wears the cardboard out somewhat quickly. I am shooting into end grain here so that is one aspect that might be different from other situations people have encountered with ricochets.

Interesting to hear about the ricochets people have experienced, it is a good reminder to approach anything new like this carefully.

I'll shoot into the log over the winter and see what I can melt out of it come summer.

[Jim..47]

I have bad wrists too. They are permanently swollen and stiff as as dry oak, but something that helps me alot when I want to shoot my Contender 44 Mag and my 45/70 same weapon is I wear full grain leather gloves. In fact I wear these gloves most of the even if I shoot a rifle, especially my muzzleloader. It improved your grip vastly and cuts down on the shock a lot.

[Andy]

Just a little extra data: I've been shooting into that beech round the last week and shot 100-150 9mm and another 100-150 .45 acp into a vertical area in the center of it (two vertical targets per printed sheet). After about those 250 rounds the log finally split right down the middle. There was a heck of a ball of lead right behind each main impact point which wasn't possible to remove (going to melt it this summer), and about a pound of lead in individual bullets was able to be picked out by hand right from the split easily.

For what it is worth, I'm shooting with undisturbed snow all around the block and so I can say for sure I haven't experienced any bullets exiting the wood in any direction, whether out the sides, bottom or back toward the shooter. Once it split I shot a few through it without knowing and they made very obvious trails in the snow. Nothing else to be seen for at least 50 yards in any direction. I sometimes have to look for brass by the hole it melts in the snow so it is pretty easy to notice if anything has penetrated the snow anywhere.

If I were to be cutting a round of wood just for this purpose I would make it 24" long and at least 16" in diameter. It doesn't seem like the hardwood holds up any better than the pine so I would go with softwood to keep the weight low if you are carrying it. That size would let you staple a printed 8.5x11 target to it (with multiple targets anywhere on the page) and let you shoot at least 500-1000 rounds into it I am guessing. I'm using whatever I can break free from the unsplit firewood pile right now in the middle of winter, which is wood that is too small in diameter and length, but this summer I'll set aside some proper logs and have a stash of wood to do it right from then on.

[BrianL]

I had a few very large poplars blown down in a windstorm. The larger ones were about 20" diameter. I cut them in 18" slugs and used them all summer for group muzzleloader shoots. When the faces got a little ragged we just turned them around. Nothing sucks up water and lead like poplar. At the end of the fall, I split several up and burned several. Re-smelted the lead after letting it dry out for several days due to the wood fibers mushed into the lead.

[JSnover]

Instead of sand, rubber, or logs, has anyone tried sawdust? The boolits could be recovered using a piece of screen or mesh, the media would be reusable and if some of it got into the pot it wouldn't be a problem.