my bullet trap

[Lloyd Smale]

been shooting into this for a couple years works pretty slick

[dubber123]

My brother came up with a smaller version somewhere, only 1/4" plate, and we gave it to a friend who uses it in his body shop with .22's when the job gets too stressful. Works great.

[Cayoot]

What kind and how thick is that Plate Lloyd?

I'm wondering if I can get one made at the local welding shop!

What calibers do you use on it? I know that you are a big bore shooter.

Do you tame them down alot for this?

Thank

Bary

[Lloyd Smale]

3/8s boiler plate. It will take a hit from about anything. Ive shoot thousands of full power linebaughs into it and centerfire rifles. Even ball 308s dont even put a dent in it. Only problem i had with it is i put two peices of angle iron on the front to slide a board into to staple targets through and made it out of hardened steel too and the bullets bent it up so bad that target boards wont slide in anymore and its so dammed hard that i cant pound it back into shape with a 2 lb hammer. Im going to have to cut it off and figure a differnt way to hold the plywood target board.
What kind and how thick is that Plate Lloyd?

I'm wondering if I can get one made at the local welding shop!

What calibers do you use on it? I know that you are a big bore shooter.

Do you tame them down alot for this?

Thank

Bary

[45 2.1]

Only problem i had with it is i put two peices of angle iron on the front to slide a board into to staple targets through and made it out of hardened steel too and the bullets bent it up so bad that target boards wont slide in anymore and its so dammed hard that i cant pound it back into shape with a 2 lb hammer. Im going to have to cut it off and figure a differnt way to hold the plywood target board.

If you weld a couple of flat plates, top and bottom, then drill some holes (to match the nail size you will use) in each corner, you can put a piece of plywood on it and use a 30 common nail. Drive the nail thru the plywood into the hole and bend the nail on the backside of the plate. Easy to unbend the nail when you change out the plywood. Works great.

[Lloyd Smale]

great idea. thanks pal!
If you weld a couple of flat plates, top and bottom, then drill some holes (to match the nail size you will use) in each corner, you can put a piece of plywood on it and use a 30 common nail. Drive the nail thru the plywood into the hole and bend the nail on the backside of the plate. Easy to unbend the nail when you change out the plywood. Works great.

[testhop]

these guys missed one of the best points lead recovery it looks like all you have to do is
grab the bucket

[Lloyd Smale]

that bucket is made from 1/4 inch steal pipe with a 3/8s stee plate welded on the bottom when its filled with lead you dont just pick it up and walk away. I have to get my neighbors tractor and pick it up with the bucket to haul it home. I probably weights in the neiborhood of 4oo lbs when about 3/4s full.

[Gussy]

3/8s boiler plate. Only problem i had with it is i put two peices of angle iron on the front to slide a board into to staple targets through and made it out of hardened steel too and the bullets bent it up so bad that target boards wont slide in anymore and its so dammed hard that i cant pound it back into shape with a 2 lb hammer. Im going to have to cut it off and figure a differnt way to hold the plywood target board.

Either you need a bigger target or need to learn to shoot in middle of it not around the edges. Couldn't resist a lead in like that!!!

Actually, weld an angle on top, lip up. Put a couple of hooks on the target board and just hang it in place.
Gus

[scrapcan]

Lloyd,

What happens if you use something other than you super container to catch the slugs? Do they retain enough energy that you have to have the wonder basket to catch them? I have been trying to put together a trap like this but have been trying to scrounge a turbocharger housing from a diesel engine to help slow the velocity. More snail trap like. Your method looks more straigh forward as it uses a common 90 degree weld elbow. That elbow should be available in most places where pipeline or oil fileds are present!

Thanks for sharing.

[targetshootr]

I need something like that to carry to the range but it would have to be lighter. Maybe a light gauge with two pieces of plywood to slow down my puny loads and a couple of wheels on it. Although picking up range lead is pretty good exercise for the ol' back bone.

[fivegunner]

that looks like a nice setup Lloyd.:Fire:

[Lloyd Smale]

gussy my only excuse is that it holds 6 targets made out of standard sheets of paper on the printer and im to lazy to put only one in the middle and change it every time. and each of my targets has 5 spots to shoot a group on so sometimes im aful close to the edge. THAT AND I CANT SHOOT!
Either you need a bigger target or need to learn to shoot in middle of it not around the edges. Couldn't resist a lead in like that!!!

Actually, weld an angle on top, lip up. Put a couple of hooks on the target board and just hang it in place.
Gus

[Lloyd Smale]

[first tried a plastic bucket that was a joke. Then went to a galvanized steel pail and the lead fragments blew through that to. The bullets comming out of the elbow are usually about dust and small pieces and there still going at a real good clip so you need something pretty strong to contain them. Couple other heads up on some headaches with this design. When you go to smelt your lead you are going to have wood from the front board mixed in. It is not a big problem but does slow melting. What really gave me the problem on the first year using it is that i was putting new targets up by just stapling them over the old and at times there were a 1/2-1 inch of paper on the target board. I got alot of paper in the lead container and smelting was a crappy job. What might work great with a design like this is a roll of targets that a guy could mount on it. I havent been shooting much this year because of my back but i think next year im at least going to try swithching from a wood target board to a thin cardboard one made out of cardboard boxes and change it more often and dont allow the build up of old targets to get so carried away.QUOTE=manleyjt;239678]Lloyd,

What happens if you use something other than you super container to catch the slugs? Do they retain enough energy that you have to have the wonder basket to catch them? I have been trying to put together a trap like this but have been trying to scrounge a turbocharger housing from a diesel engine to help slow the velocity. More snail trap like. Your method looks more straigh forward as it uses a common 90 degree weld elbow. That elbow should be available in most places where pipeline or oil fileds are present!

Thanks for sharing.[/QUOTE]

[Lloyd Smale]

I may not be pictureing your tubo housing right but all the ones ive ever seen feed from the side and discharge out the pipe. What wont work is anything that is going to cause the lead to hit it directly. My buddy once made one with a squared discharge pipe and it would plug solid with lead. I think you about have to live with the bullets comming out at a pretty good clip because if you slow them to much your going to have lead building up.

[Newtire]

That is a great idea for a recycler. Maybe if you could rig a door on the front side a bit above the bottom of the catcher container you might be able to open it and pull out the lead a cake-pan at a time instead of having to wait until it gets full?

[scrapcan]

Lloyd,

The turbine house has the exhaust coming in on the tangent to the curve (the side as you have said). The are then cirles in the housing (and turns the turbine fins) and exits out the cenet of the housing. The good this is the side where the turbine mounts in the housing is generall larger hole than the exit.

My idea is to find one and weld or bolt a piece of plate over the exit side and leave the larger side open. When the bullet is fired into the trap (turbine housing) it will spin down and should roll out the bottom opening. It would be very similar to one posted some time back under the following thread. Look at the one that Waksupi posted also. It looks like his has a flat SNAIL made of of plate. I bet he would share info if we ask.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=3049&highlight=bullet+trap

I think it would work, I just need to get things lined out and find a bit of free time.

[crowbuster]

i think you could take a piece of thick walled pipe, cut appropriate size hole in top, cap off end, 4 or 5 inches from hole, angle it down to unload in your bucket, low end being open, and that would work as a decelerator of sorts, looks good on paper anyway, and cheap. downward angle would dictate deceleration rate and you may need to monkey with that before final weld.

[tommag]

Lloyd, what about a plastic bucket filled with water to catch the lead? Maybe the water would slow it down enogh to protect the pail and the wood and paper would float to the top? If that would work, you could empty the pail without the aid of a tractor.

[Reacher]

Instead of wood you could use coroplast [like corrugated cardboard except it's made of plastic). People campaigning for office use it for their yard signs. Use the little thumbtacks with the plastic ends instead of staples. When you get really good, or think you are, you can shoot at the thumbtack thingies.
Reacher

[KTN]

This is my future leadmine.It's still under construction.


Kaj

[melw]

This is my future leadmine.It's still under construction.


Kaj


I think that we need to have some details! Like Private or public? How many lanes 25 or more yards?
Looks good though.

Mel W.

[Lloyd Smale]

now thats a bullet trap!!!
This is my future leadmine.It's still under construction.


Kaj

[Lloyd Smale]

the bullets will not come tumbling out. They come out more of a splatter or a dust. They would chew up a plastic pail no matter what you did unless the pail was completely full of water and that would be a mess. Back to the turbo housing. If you have any groves or radical turns its going to turn into a ball of lead. My buddy made one once and had to beat and melt the lead out of his. You have to try to keep in mind when building it that you dont want to slow the bullet down all that abrubtly. All angles should slope as gently as possible to the container.
Lloyd, what about a plastic bucket filled with water to catch the lead? Maybe the water would slow it down enogh to protect the pail and the wood and paper would float to the top? If that would work, you could empty the pail without the aid of a tractor.

[KTN]

now thats a bullet trap!!!

I want to make sure most of my boolits will hit the trap.:mrgreen:

This will be our local gunshops indoor range with 10 lanes and 25 meters.
I will post better pictures when we get it finished.


Kaj

[KTN]

Bullet trap #2,on the other end of tunnel.


Kaj

[Nueces]

Blimey, you could put on the fourth-grade Christmas pageant there!

Nice!

Mark


"If it's worth doing, it's worth overdoing." :mrgreen:

[scrapcan]

Kaj,

Is that a clamshell style trap? What do you think will be the limit for power in that trap?

I wish I had one of those in the basement or backyard.

[KTN]

manleyjt,
I have never seen clamshell trap,so can´t say about that.
This trap has about 4" gap between the plates at the back and top plate curves down and forms a hook,and that´s where bullets end up before dropping down to collection box.
This trap is made for rifle range so I tested it with .416 Rigby and Hornady 400gr FMJ at about 2300 fps and all it did was little brass stain on plate (and nice shower of sparks :mrgreen: wish I knew how to post a video of that test shoot).Final test will be with .50 BMG just to see if it can take it.:twisted:


Kaj

[scrapcan]

Kaj,

It osund like you have a trap made in a similar fashion as the clam shell I have seen. I don't know if that is the proper name or a proper design name, it is just what they told me it was called. When I saw the range they were shooting 7.62 nato armor piercing rounds. The result was the same as you described, just a smudge of jacket on the sloped plates.

I still say I would like one close to home, too bad you are half a world away.

[fiberoptik]

3/8s boiler plate. It will take a hit from about anything. Ive shoot thousands of full power linebaughs into it and centerfire rifles. Even ball 308s dont even put a dent in it. Only problem i had with it is i put two peices of angle iron on the front to slide a board into to staple targets through and made it out of hardened steel too and the bullets bent it up so bad that target boards wont slide in anymore and its so dammed hard that i cant pound it back into shape with a 2 lb hammer. Im going to have to cut it off and figure a differnt way to hold the plywood target board.


great idea. thanks pal!

OR.. just have billary hold the cannon at arms length from it and shoot the lip back into place for ya.....

[fiberoptik]

3/8s boiler plate. It will take a hit from about anything. Ive shoot thousands of full power linebaughs into it and centerfire rifles. Even ball 308s dont even put a dent in it. Only problem i had with it is i put two peices of angle iron on the front to slide a board into to staple targets through and made it out of hardened steel too and the bullets bent it up so bad that target boards wont slide in anymore and its so dammed hard that i cant pound it back into shape with a 2 lb hammer. Im going to have to cut it off and figure a differnt way to hold the plywood target board.


great idea. thanks pal!

OR.. just have billary hold the cannon at arms length from it and shoot the lip back into place for ya.....:Fire::Fire::Fire::drinks:

[MakeMineA10mm]

that bucket is made from 1/4 inch steal pipe with a 3/8s stee plate welded on the bottom when its filled with lead you dont just pick it up and walk away. I have to get my neighbors tractor and pick it up with the bucket to haul it home. I probably weights in the neiborhood of 4oo lbs when about 3/4s full.

No, no, no, Lloyd... (I'm really surprised you haven't already thought of this...) -

That "catcher bucket" - that's too heavy and you have to go through all that work to haul away - should be left right where it is! All you need to do is carve out a space underneath, re-mount the bucket atop a bracket you could fabricate out of angle-iron, and slide your burner and LP can underneath there, and it's a "built-in smelter"!!!!!! (I'd just wait to light 'er up until after you've finished shooting... High velocity lead dropping into your smelt could be bad...) [smilie=1: That bucket looks plenty heavy-enough looking to smelt your "savin's" (or "recovereds", if'n you're a northerner) in.

That would truly be the ULTIMATE boolit trap for guys like us! :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

:cbpour:

[spurrit]

I have been trying to put together a trap like this but have been trying to scrounge a turbocharger housing from a diesel engine to help slow the velocity.

I used to work in a foundry where we made tubo housings. I wouldn't even consider them for this application. There's a seam right down the middle of the piece, and the thickness of the material varies quite a bit. Plus, cast is very brittle. I tried using skillets for gongs with my cowboy loads, and only succeeded in blowing a hole right through. At the foundry, when we had pieces with voids or cracks in them, they were simply smashed with a sledge hammer.

..........but then, I COULD be wrong......

[Lloyd Smale]

contianer is made of 1/4 steel so it would no doubt work and ive thought of it. But its easer to just do at home. My neihbor has a tractor with a bucket and is only a 1/4 mile from the house so its a quick trip once a year to drag it home and ive done the smelting in a waterheater cut in half over an open fire and got sick of fighting the smoke from the fire. Its just easier to do it a batch at a time on the turkey fryer.
No, no, no, Lloyd... (I'm really surprised you haven't already thought of this...) -

That "catcher bucket" - that's too heavy and you have to go through all that work to haul away - should be left right where it is! All you need to do is carve out a space underneath, re-mount the bucket atop a bracket you could fabricate out of angle-iron, and slide your burner and LP can underneath there, and it's a "built-in smelter"!!!!!! (I'd just wait to light 'er up until after you've finished shooting... High velocity lead dropping into your smelt could be bad...) [smilie=1: That bucket looks plenty heavy-enough looking to smelt your "savin's" (or "recovereds", if'n you're a northerner) in.

That would truly be the ULTIMATE boolit trap for guys like us! :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

:cbpour:

[MT Gianni]

Lyman makes a bullet trap that ends in a cylinder with a cut out on the bottom and a slight ramp in front of it. On their web site the bullet spirals around the trap until velocity slows and it drops into a bucket. If a guy could find some heavy wall 12"-16" pipe and taper a box in to it out of 1/4" plate, the cut out and a hammered ramp should not be that hard to reproduce. Gianni

[scrapcan]

Try these links to old threads for pictures of traps. One of them has a cast iron snail type deceleration chamber that does not look like it is very thick. I am still lokking for a turbo housing to try. I may have to make do with well casing or heavy pipe and build one like several of those shown in the follwoing old threads.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=3049&highlight=bullet+trap&page=2

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=11313&highlight=bullet+trap&page=3

[scrapcan]

There is a Detroit Master bullet trap on Ebay currently I am not flush with cash at the moment even though price is reasonable i am going to pass. some of you may be interested in it. here is the link.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Detroit-Bullet-Trap-Gunsmith-Target-Shooting-2000-fps_W0QQitemZ230207579443QQihZ013QQcategoryZ73978Q QcmdZViewItem

[spurrit]

Manleyjt,

I've seen complete turbos for 6.5 Chevy Diesels go pretty cheap on E-bay.

[georgeld]

You guys are saying the bullets richochet anywhere the side's are hit directly into the center??

I'm waiting on a day it's warm enough to work in the shop and my back's not working me over too.

Have a 20" section of 9" pipe I had planned to just weld a 2" thick disk to one end and shoot into it with anything desired. Hadn't planned on having a funnel in front. but, wouldn't be any big deal and would make it much better for wider shots, or more targets.

I do like the idea of a 90% corner weld funnel into a container though.

I've also thought of a catcher like Lloyd's with the bottom side steep enough they'll slide into a trough along the front edge to just scoop them into a bucket. This could then be put back under the upper deck out of the way and not take up any floor space in the shop.

Thank you,

[Lloyd Smale]

George i left a small slot in the bottom of my bucket figureing on using it to drain the lead if i put the barrel on an open fire but found that the lead hits that bucket at an alarming rate and the lead finds its way out of the hole. Velocity of the lead was still high enough that it perferates a plane steal mop bucket like butter. i think next summer i will weld a 12 inch piece of 3/4 inch pipe on the side at the bottom and try that on a fire. Smelting that lead thats full of wood from the shooting board is a chore and id like to be able to just sit the thing on an open fire and let it go.

[ozbornm]

I have a new project now. that is a great setup.

[seabat0603]

[first tried a plastic bucket that was a joke. Then went to a galvanized steel pail and the lead fragments blew through that to. The bullets comming out of the elbow are usually about dust and small pieces and there still going at a real good clip so you need something pretty strong to contain them. Couple other heads up on some headaches with this design. When you go to smelt your lead you are going to have wood from the front board mixed in. It is not a big problem but does slow melting. What really gave me the problem on the first year using it is that i was putting new targets up by just stapling them over the old and at times there were a 1/2-1 inch of paper on the target board. I got alot of paper in the lead container and smelting was a crappy job. What might work great with a design like this is a roll of targets that a guy could mount on it. I havent been shooting much this year because of my back but i think next year im at least going to try swithching from a wood target board to a thin cardboard one made out of cardboard boxes and change it more often and dont allow the build up of old targets to get so carried away.QUOTE=manleyjt;239678]Lloyd,

What happens if you use something other than you super container to catch the slugs? Do they retain enough energy that you have to have the wonder basket to catch them? I have been trying to put together a trap like this but have been trying to scrounge a turbocharger housing from a diesel engine to help slow the velocity. More snail trap like. Your method looks more straigh forward as it uses a common 90 degree weld elbow. That elbow should be available in most places where pipeline or oil fileds are present!

Thanks for sharing.[/QUOTE]

I have the fix for hanging targets on your boolit trap, and cost effective. Weld a ( L ) shaped bracket on the top in the center, same on bottom of trap as well. Then do the same on both sides. Drill a 1/2" hole for a pin and cotter key. Now all you have to do is cut the sides out of a cardboard box of the correct size and place it over the opening. Mark your holes and press the pin/cotter key into place. Now staple your targets to the cardboard and you'll never have to worry again about wood shards in your spent boolits. The cardboard burns off really quick when you remelt those fired rounds. seabat0603:Fire:

[Spector]

Just a thought. Maybe a very limited application. I cast a 7/16'' +/- thick sheet of pure lead as the backstop for my pellet trap. The pellets mostly stick to the lead backstop, but after repeated hits in one area the fused pellets just fall off the lead sheet to the bottom of the box.

I cut channels in the 2x4'' frame so the lead sheet slides in and is supported by the hinged top, the bottom and sides. There is another channel for a cardboard cover and target holder though I had similar problems as Lloyd described. I'd hit the wood at the channel and splinters would try to lock the cardboad in place. The pellets are wasp waisted and fired at 1100 FPS from an RWS Model 48.

For some lower velocity cast bullet pistol loads this may work well especially if you cast the lead sheet from the same alloy you are shooting. Might not cause so much dust and small fragments.

My lead sheet is not supported anywhere but the edges and it does eventually bow in the middle from repeated impacts. I simply tap it flat and reinsert it in the channels.

It should probably be fully supported in the rear and thicker for lead pistol bullets........Mike

[cumminsnut76]

This is just a thought but here at the local range that is run by the conservation dept they just stretched a piece of rubber belting in between two old grader blades. you could do this with your trap and put a piece of this wide belting up in front. It works very well and all you need is a stapler to attach your target to the belting. Gravel quaries are a good place to find old belting.

[MtGun44]

Lloyd,

What if you rotated the whole trap 90 so the outlet is pointed horizontally, then add
another 90 elbow to redirect it downwards again. Seems like this might slow things down
enough to keep from blasting the bucket. Great idea, by the way.

Bill

[44fanatic]

George i left a small slot in the bottom of my bucket figureing on using it to drain the lead if i put the barrel on an open fire but found that the lead hits that bucket at an alarming rate and the lead finds its way out of the hole. Velocity of the lead was still high enough that it perferates a plane steal mop bucket like butter. i think next summer i will weld a 12 inch piece of 3/4 inch pipe on the side at the bottom and try that on a fire. Smelting that lead thats full of wood from the shooting board is a chore and id like to be able to just sit the thing on an open fire and let it go.

Plug it with lead or leave lead melted in the bottom. Once it gets hot enough to melt, your spout will be open and pouring.

[hiram1]

rubber belting works real good to

[nornorcasts]

Back stop made with grader blade, each section 8" high with side walls 1/4 inch
Opening 24x24 . Bullets hit the 45 Deg. angle and than each section of the 8" blade
has more angle to send the bullet it down.

[koehlerrk]

Just my experience, 45 degrees is okay for pistol calibers and rimfires.

A 30 degree incline (from horizontal) is better for centerfire rifle.

Should be okay though. Did you overlap the sections? Hope so.

Rick

[TCLouis]

Lloyd Small
Build something into the bottom that could be used to tap the melted lead and then just burn wood picked up around the place to melt the lead.

ALL of my serious batches of lead are smelted over in wood fire.

A couple pf inches of saw dust on top forms a carbon blanket during the smelting.

Imagine a container with 400 - 500 lbs of lead to be smelted.

Enough wood limbs and shop scrap to make a good funeral pyre sized blaze.

Set it on fire and chek on it about every 1/2 hour till all the lead is melted.

Pick a cool day and plan to be busy casting for the 2nd half of the day.

Cast into 1 1/2 X 1 1/2 Angle iron molds.

Sheer luck not design that mine average a pound over a batch.

Fit perfectly in my Lee 20 pounder too.

I am amazed the one of the more fugal (tight like me) among those in rural settings have not build a smelter fired with one of the used oil burners.

Sure would beat Propane costs.

Farmers or hobbiest should generate enough used oil to take care of all their fuel needs

[Wayne Smith]

Or - find the center balance point of that bucket just as it is, weld on short pieces of 2" or so rod on each side, build a frame and mount the bucket to it on the rods. Now it balances, every other or so time you shoot just tip the bucket and dump the lead into another container. You don't have to worry about large quantities of lead to melt, do as little or as much as you want.

[DCM]

May want to look at traps here also. http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?26627-Bullet-trap-ideas-for-recycling-lead

[gunoil]

Spray some Ospho on it! Get some at sherwin williams. Kills rust and turns it black carbon hard shell on it. Affordable, looks like blue koolaid. Spray and leave it. You can brush it and spray another coat on day or so later and then the quality comes out.

[Snakehunter]

There is an indoor range in Thunder Bay, Ontario that has a neat lead recovery system. The back of the range is an angled steel wall that directs bullets up into a curled pipe that drops the resulting metal into a metal tray. When I toured this range and looked into the tray, the lead looked almost molten. The angled wall is mopped with old engine oil periodically and it and the tray are scraped with a metal scraper, like an ice scraper. Very efficient system I think.