Nonpermanent bullet catcher?

[am44mag]

I'm wanting to build a bullet catcher that can be moved with relative ease (I can't really have a permanent catch on my range). Here's what I was thinking. I can build a box out of 2x4s and plywood. It'll be 24" tall, 18" wide, 24" deep, and filled with rubber mulch. I can build a stand for it to sit on, and the whole thing can be moved into the barn when I'm done shooting. The most powerful thing I plan on shooting it with right now is a 44 mag out of a 20" rifle. Should 24" of rubber much be enough to stop 44 magnum (I shoot a pretty good amount of it as my username would imply)?

[daloper]

I use a box made from 2X10 filled with rubber mulch and it did not catch my .44 mag from my SRH. I was loading them hot and shooting from about 30 yards. I changed the load over to a .44 light load and they caught fine. I would think that the 24" of mulch should catch them. On mine I put a rubber stable mat on the front and back before putting on the 1/2" plywood backing. the stable mat made it self sealing after I shot the plywood out. I will be watching this as I need to build another one that is deeper so that I can go back to my normal round and also shoot my .480 SRH. I took mine apart just before winter and recovered alot of lead and melted it down ready for the next run.

[Lloyd Smale]

I know you cant do it in texas but what ive done in my yard is take a cardboard box and fill it full of snow and pack it down a bit and it will stop most bullets. When your done dump the snow in a wheel barrow and bring it into the garage and let it thaw out and recover your bullets. It will stop most pistol bullets.

[Smoke4320]

Plastic 55 gallon drum filled with conveyer belt
chips will stop almost any RIFLE bullet i shoot at 50 yds
You willwant some hand trucks if you need to move it much distance

[Artful]

Post removed by user

[dverna]

I know you cant do it in texas but what ive done in my yard is take a cardboard box and fill it full of snow and pack it down a bit and it will stop most bullets. When your done dump the snow in a wheel barrow and bring it into the garage and let it thaw out and recover your bullets. It will stop most pistol bullets.

This post reveals the difference between a true Yooper and the slightly less demented Michiganders, of which I am one. If it is cold enough to have snow I do not shoot enough to justify reclaiming the lead. LOL

Back to the OP. If you have a barn, you likely have toys like an ATV or SxS or a tractor...even a garden tractor. Consider getting a garden wagon and building your bullet trap on it. Then it will be easy to tow around. Sand is a very effective medium to stop bullets but it is heavy. 12 inches deep will be plenty. Coupled with the stable mat idea it should not leak out too badly. I am looking at something like that for my range.

I also have some rounds from a maple tree I had to cut down. 12 inches of maple should take care of the calibers I shoot but I do not know if it would handle .44 Mag. loads.

[am44mag]

No snow to speak of, but I have started getting used to the 20-30 degree weather. :D We don't have a garden cart, but we do have an old Ford tractor from the 50s, and a couple ATVs. Not sure exactly how many pounds of sand I would need to fill a target as big as I'm wanting, but I think it might be a little more than I'm bargaining for.

[JBinMN]

I use an approx. 18x18x18 inch box made up of 2x2s & 7/12' OSB on the "tunnel" sides/bottom, with insulating foam as a top with cardboard across, stapled to keep it down, a 1/2" plywood front & a 2x4 + 2- 2x8s stacked for a back. All screwed together to make for easy repair/replacement if necessary for some reason.
Also on the front I put a 16x16" rubber paver screwed to the front so I can use thumbtacks to hold targets rather than staples ( Thumbtacks into plywood will work though) as well as it helps keep the rubber mulch inside as it sort of "self seals" behind the holes the boolits/bullets make in the center.

{ of course you eventually have to replace the paver & front plywood after enough use & dependant on where ya hit the box, but you can also just add a 2x8 or so "backing behind the plywood in the center if need be to get ya by a little longer if ya like.}

Inside I put rubber mulch to fill. I have 2 of them & one I ran out of mulch to put in it, so I put a couple cedar 4x4s inside to make up the difference. When I plan to shoot anything more than 357Mag or 45ACP at 15yds I also have a couple of 3/8 inch steel plates I put inside against the 2x lumber back and place another 2x chunk in to hold it tight & for extra stopping ability.

IIRC, it has stopped my 44mag at 15 & 25 yds without issue with steel inside ( using suggested load data to Max.), and also worked for 12ga shotgun out to 100 and also 30.06 has not made it out of the box yet.

I do not shoot over Max. suggested loads, so if you do, that should be considered, & the steel backing with extra 2x inside would certainly help.

I am guessing it weighs approx. 40-50 pounds & I have no trouble lifting it up to the hitch mounted carry rack on the Jeep & /or into the back of my 3/4 ton Pickup. Should not be an issue if you can lift that much from ground to about waist high.

I will also add as a separate light weight stop, that I also use 3- 6x6 cedar chunks about 16-18" long stacked & screwed together with 3" screws as a bullet trap for handguns @ 10, 15 & 25 yds, but I have not used a 44mag on that one. Only up to 357Mag/9mm & 45 Auto rounds. Worked fine...

It obviously is the lightest of all & recovering boolits/bullets is easy enough. Either pry them out or just splinter the chunks when done, more than they end up being splintered from getting hit & get the lead that way & you can always burn out if ya need to do so. The scrap splinters make good fire starter kindling as well...

BTW, I also put a short section of rope on both ends of the top of the box, & a paracord handle on the 6x6 stop to help carrying & setting up.

That 6x6 one is proly good for maybe up to 300 rounds shooting, but could be more and you can always replace the middle chunk with one of the others f you are pulverizing the middle/center a lot.
;)

I can supply pics if needed, as I have offered before here, although I have to make a new 6x6 one as the other is now sitting on my picnic table under snow, as I was waiting to get some more 6x6 to make another and that one is pretty well shot up.

G'Luck! whatever ya decide to do!
:)

[JBinMN]

BTW, I "downsized" from a 18x18x 24" deep due to the weight & awkwardness when lifting the box. & BTW, that steel is best placed in the box after you set up the box. to save lifting weight in one lift & that is also the reason for the lightweight top on the box.
;)

YMMV on that sort of thing, but I don't think "I" will ever need a portable one bigger than the one I mentioned above...

Once again... GLuck!
:)

[35remington]

Rubber mulch packed in a container works very poorly especially with small group shooting. The repeated impact in the same place makes a tunnel in the mulch and the bullets whiz thru unimpeded.

Ask me how I know.

[dverna]

Rubber mulch packed in a container works very poorly especially with small group shooting. The repeated impact in the same place makes a tunnel in the mulch and the bullets whiz thru unimpeded.

Ask me how I know.

Most of the pistol shooters I see will not have that problem LOL.

When I build mine, I will use sand as the medium. I literally have tons of sand so I will dribble more into the top as the level goes down. I am fortunate in that I have a huge back stop that came from the excavation of my pond so I have no worries about a pass through anyway. My goal is to reclaim lead.

[JBinMN]

Rubber mulch packed in a container works very poorly especially with small group shooting. The repeated impact in the same place makes a tunnel in the mulch and the bullets whiz thru unimpeded.

Ask me how I know.

We shake ours up when we change targets by tipping on its sides a few times. So, I reckon "my" experience(s) with these, is not the same as yours... And when the steel plates are in there with the 2x "backer" between it & the front, the boolits/bullets have not bounced back yet, far enough to hit the front, nor obviously, gone thru the steel. That is another reason for the rubber "paver" in the front. To help "seal" the rubber in when the groups around the bullseye tear up the plywood, but the rubber keeps the mulch in for a longer time.

I guess I do things a bit different than others do when I experience issues, as I try to solve the issue(s) instead of no longer trying.
Just a lil :kidding:
LOL
;)

------------------

Here is a pic of the one I have sitting at my house. Side view so you can see the construction method & materials used. There is a new "front & rubber paver on this one. The other is at a friends house for the last few months as he has been working on some 38spec. loads & using it there at 10 yds.

211943

Do as ya like, but these types I mentioned has worked for me so far. Even though some folks don't seem to like & use them...
;)

BTW, the pic is sideways & I have not yet figured out how to turn it here. I will work on that... Right now the "back" made of the 2x lumber is at the top of the pic...

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

This sounds like a special project.

PS, I moved your thread from Our town, to Special Projects

[am44mag]

How about a hybrid catch? Hear me out on this. From what I've read, 6" of sand will stop just about anything you shoot out it, including 45-70. The problem is that it's heavy though. What if I was to make the box so that the front part is rubber mulch (18" cube), and the last 6" was a separate, removable box filled with sand? The two boxes would be lighter than one big box, and I would have extra insurance that all my lead would stay in the box.

211958

[JBinMN]

Try it. Sand would likely replace the 3/8th+ steel plate I have used.
:)

"The world is your oyster!"... It depends on "you", to find out if ya have a "pearl" in the oyster, or not.
;)

GLuck! I wish ya the best!
:)

BTW.. I forgot to add...

"We" use snack or dessert paper plates as targets @ 25 yds. or less, since they are about the same size as a mans head.... & if someone is worried about the "center" of the "box" getting torn up, you might think about how 4 paper plates placed in the 4 corners that makes things last a bit longer & doesn't form just "one" tunnel just right in the center..

But.. YMMV, once again.
;)

LOL
:)

[am44mag]

Try it. Sand would likely replace the 3/8th+ steel plate I have used.
:)

"The world is your oyster!"... It depends on "you", to find out if ya have a "pearl" in the oyster, or not.
;)

GLuck! I wish ya the best!
:)

BTW.. I forgot to add...

"We" use snack or dessert paper plates as targets @ 25 yds. or less, since they are about the same size as a mans head.... & if someone is worried about the "center" of the "box" getting torn up, you might think about how 4 paper plates placed in the 4 corners that makes things last a bit longer & doesn't form just "one" tunnel just right in the center..

But.. YMMV, once again.
;)

LOL
:)

This is my favorite type of target. As you can see, I have plenty of places to aim, so they won't all be dead center. :D

https://media.midwayusa.com/productimages/880x660/Primary/712/712957.jpg

[JBinMN]

:drinks:

:)
It doesn't take that long, nor do ya need a lot of skill to make one & if ya go to some jobsite where they are building a house & ask for some scraps & tell them what you are building.... I would bet that you will get more than what ya need to build just one. ( I use to be one of those guys & I would have loaded ya up... ;) )

You just have to get the screws( fasteners) and the rubber stuff & do the work to build it.
;)

Get 'er done & try it out. If ya need to figure out a better way to make things work.. try some more things, but don't quit...
;)

[Lloyd Smale]

211984 heres the one I built but it isn't light and easy to move

[rosewood]

Lloyd, that is more what I was thinking. Is that armor plate you made it out of? Or just heavy gauge steel? The pipe out the back, is that a steel pipe? Do you shoot rifles at this or just pistol? Jacketed or only cast?

Thanks,

Rosewood

[Good Cheer]

My catchers tend to be temporary constructs fabbed from castaway materials.
If a sample needs to be recovered for examination something gets cobbled together like milk jugs of water backed by either soaked bundles of waste paper, shredded paper or whatever it takes to catch the slowed down projectile.
Something that works for the final "catcher" assembly can be an unsecured (free to move) container filled with shredded paper that can absorb the boolit and translate the bollit's movement into motion of the container.

In testing a .458 muzzleloader with a heavy boolit I used multiple water jugs lined up in front of a cardboard tube filled with shredded paper. The water slowed it down and then the tube filled with shredded paper flew across the yard in catching the boolit. Have also used a big box filled with shredded paper so that the paper builds up in front of the boolit to create an ever increasing deceleration. But, what works is a function of diameter, weight and FPS.

[Harter66]

I talked to a fabrication shop and got some 22" hrs steel cutouts . Nice 3/4 " circle . Then I stuck them in a worn 20" tire from a tire shop junk pile and bolted it through the sidewall just above the bead shoulder . I added a plywood facer and backer and legs to support a vertical deflection the ideal would of course be down . With so many 20-22" LT tires available a nice 8 ply would be better than the HS rated 4 ply I used . The tire selected was about 10-12 " wide .

On reflection filled with rubber would be wise .
As a note on capture rounds approaching 950ftlb and above will punch through 1/4" hot rolled with a 1/2 plywood in front . The Facer stopped all of the splash . Mulch will be added to the new ones after my move to add more deceleration and lower deflection risks . The life span wasn't good on the 1/4 but the 3/4 held up well .

[Lloyd Smale]

1/4 inch boiler plate I got from work back in the day. Steel pipe out the back and a large steel pipe with a plate welded on the bottom to catch the lead. Ive shot a lot of rifle into it. Only thing ive had trouble with are bullets like the barns x our of mag rifles. 223 ball barely scratch it. Where the big mags gave me problems is at the weld seams where it transitioned from straight to angled. hit right on one and after a while the welds started cracking and I had to reweld it once. Probably didn't really have to but it bothered me. I don't know how many bullets ive shot into it but that containment pipe is 18 inches across and 30 inches high and ive emptied it at least 6 times. Only problem is the lead about turns to crumbs and packs in that pipe so tight that if I let it get full it have to use the buddys tractor to lift it and bring it home and it can be a bugger to get the lead out. What I ended up finding as the easiest way is to put it upside down on a tarp and beat the boot with a big sledge hammer. probably end up between 200 or 300 lbs of clean lead out of it when its full. .
Lloyd, that is more what I was thinking. Is that armor plate you made it out of? Or just heavy gauge steel? The pipe out the back, is that a steel pipe? Do you shoot rifles at this or just pistol? Jacketed or only cast?

Thanks,

Rosewood

[am44mag]

1/4 inch boiler plate I got from work back in the day. Steel pipe out the back and a large steel pipe with a plate welded on the bottom to catch the lead. Ive shot a lot of rifle into it. Only thing ive had trouble with are bullets like the barns x our of mag rifles. 223 ball barely scratch it. Where the big mags gave me problems is at the weld seams where it transitioned from straight to angled. hit right on one and after a while the welds started cracking and I had to reweld it once. Probably didn't really have to but it bothered me. I don't know how many bullets ive shot into it but that containment pipe is 18 inches across and 30 inches high and ive emptied it at least 6 times. Only problem is the lead about turns to crumbs and packs in that pipe so tight that if I let it get full it have to use the buddys tractor to lift it and bring it home and it can be a bugger to get the lead out. What I ended up finding as the easiest way is to put it upside down on a tarp and beat the boot with a big sledge hammer. probably end up between 200 or 300 lbs of clean lead out of it when its full. .

Your kind it what I'd like to eventually build for myself, but it's unfortunately not feasible right now. Hopefully it will be in the near future when I have a permanent dedicated range.

[Lloyd Smale]

Wish you were closer. I lost the range I was set up at. It had a locked gate. the new place I'm shooting can be accessed by anyone and I hate to put it out there and have it stolen. So its sitting behind the barn right now. I also have enough lead and enough bullets that I could probably shoot for 40 years and at 62 I doubt that's happening.

[am44mag]

Got it done, and it's friggin HEAVY. Well over 200 pounds. I'm going to have to get a yard cart to attach it to. I finished it too late to test tonight, so I'll try a few loads and post the results tomorrow.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180120/845c92df69783106701cd02fd705a7b2.jpg

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

[Duckdog]

Looks good. I built mine many moons ago and it will work good. I have a rubber paver in the front and back and nothing ever reaches the back rubber paver. I have a lid off a plastic tote screwed on as a top. Without it, this stuff will fly all over. I also use 5 gal pails and empty some of it out when I am done shooting. Like I said in earlier posts, you found out they get very heavy, real fast. Emptying it out into pails has to be done anyway to recover the bullets, so ding it when your done shooting just ends up saving your back!

The mulch you have looks different than the stuff I get here. The stuff we get has bigger chunks of rubber, but it should all work.

Keep up posted!

[JBinMN]

Looks good!
:)

Heavy? Yep, looks like it. That is why I downsized to 18" cubed.... So I can lift it without help.
;)

Looks to me like you could lift the sand "box" out & that might help a bit with the rest when moving though.

Glad to see you are on the right track though.
:)

Like said, ya may want to put some sort of a cover on the top before ya start shooting into it. I used foam board then some strips of wood/cardboard across to hold it down when I transport it & when I shoot into it. but even some cardboard will help instead of foam to cover & keep from adding much weight..

G'Luck!
:)

[am44mag]

I don't have the lumber for a lid yet, but will pick up some and another bag of mulch. Testing went well. Nothing exited the box, and I learned a few things.

The first round I tested was a 200gr LFN 44 mag out of a 20" barrel (10 of them). These were getting around 2000 FPS, and is not the sort of thing I will usually shoot at the box. All the rounds were grouped relatively tightly, and as a result created a channel in the mulch. I think this was mostly due to the airspace in the top of the box. I'm going to add another bag of mulch and pack it in tightly. This should stop that from happening again. Most of the rounds did stop in the mulch. Usually around 15-16" in. The channel ended up creating a direct path through the box, so some of the rounds never touched the mulch. The sand did it's job though. Some of the rounds did make it to the back of the sand box, but none touched the back board. It's nice to know that 6" of sand will stop something as hard hitting as this round.

The second round I tested was some 158gr LFN 38 Special (6 rounds). These made it about 7-8" into the mulch and that was it.

Overall, I'm happy.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180120/6d6ea7a81253276743fb149698ea0703.jpg

[reddog81]

That's crazy that the 38's only made it 7-8 inches in. If you limited yourself to the common handgun rounds it sounds like 1 foot of mulch and 4 inches of sand would be sufficient and much easier to move.

[am44mag]

That's crazy that the 38's only made it 7-8 inches in. If you limited yourself to the common handgun rounds it sounds like 1 foot of mulch and 4 inches of sand would be sufficient and much easier to move.

I found a good garden wagon for about $50. It's rated for 1000 pounds, so a 250 pound box should be no problem. The 44 mag out of a rifle is definitely overkill. That was a hot load with a light weight bullet. I don't shoot that load a lot because it's not a lot of fun after a few rounds. The rifle is light weight, and the buttplate is crescent shaped and made of steel. My plinking load is about half as fast. The fact that the box stopped it tells me I did it right. I'm not sure how well 12" of mulch and 4" of sand would hold up to heavy magnum rounds, but it would definitely be sufficient for stuff like 9mm, 45 acp, and possibly even 357 mag that's loaded to factory levels.

[Handloader109]

Guys thanks for all the information... I've a good backstop, but I really want to be able to easily recover most of my lead. So I'm building one of these. Got a bunch of throwaway ply and a few 2xs got to decide on mulch or sand.... I can set up and leave in place, so sand is no issue, would just have to make a sieve... Hmm

[am44mag]

Guys thanks for all the information... I've a good backstop, but I really want to be able to easily recover most of my lead. So I'm building one of these. Got a bunch of throwaway ply and a few 2xs got to decide on mulch or sand.... I can set up and leave in place, so sand is no issue, would just have to make a sieve... Hmm
Rubber mulch is easier to dig through, but sand is definitely more efficient and is cheaper. a 12" cube of sand would probably stop anything you shot at it.

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[JBinMN]

I am just happy to see that others are having the satisfaction of doing something themselves... Not spending a whole lot of time... Or, $$..... & getting what they are looking for..
:)

That is worth more than you might think! Just from over here & looking... LOL
;)

Have fun! & G'Luck!
:D

[ravelode]

24" x 20" round piece of cottonwood will stop almost any bullet, shoot it until you almost can't lift it, then burn it on a slab of concrete and pick up the melted lead. simple

[JBinMN]

Here are a couple pics of the 6x6 stacked one that I use & described in the post back earlier in this topic. It is the most portable of all. I use it for 45ACP or less at 7-10, 15 & 25 yds. I just made this one yesterday.
The other one I was using before is now shredded enough it is time to splinter out the lead inside it & burn out the rest.

Cheap & easy to make. Particularly if ya know fellas that build decks & have scrap to give away.
;)
212444
212445

[MyFlatline]

Here's mine. It is 2x2x3 , I had a torso target I put in the back for added safety. Used a 3/4 rubber mat for the front, as it somewhat self seals. So far at 75 yards it has not failed to stop a 444, 375 win., 41 mag or 35 Rem.

Thanks for all the input that helped me make this happen.

214457214458214459214460

[McFred]

I'm wondering if anyone's got any long-term feedback on these rubberized lead catchers. Does the rubber get chewed up by VMAX, or other high velocity varmint rounds? What about 'modern' high velocity cartridges like 7mm Rem Mag, or maybe something like 700gr at 1400fps running 3000ft/lbs ME?

I dug these formerly 700gr projectiles out of the back side of a 2' x 2' x 2' box of loose damp sand after 120 yards:

https://s13.postimg.org/z04c1ehon/lead.jpg

Given that the 700gr are 1/10th a pound of lead apiece it makes sense to collect the material. I shoot enough that I might as well collect all the other stuff while I'm at it. I just don't know how well these designs hold up to frequent, heavy use.

Sand catcher:
https://s4.postimg.org/ytzzc7lhp/group.jpg
6 on top starting with a cold clean bore, and 5 more on the bottom. The cardboard just won't hold up to the elements or to a 1/2" hole-punch though.

http://s32.postimg.org/bmchix1vp/700gr_WSM.jpg :D

[MyFlatline]

Try and find conveyor belt for your front. It will last a long time, I am searching now myself. As for the rubber breaking down, I can't really say, work reared it's ugly head and I haven't had a lot of time to see. I have found the the mulch settles, so it needs to be topped off. So far , the 45 colt 255 gr. has penetrated the deepest. Odd in a way because it is the slowest.

[Oklahoma Rebel]

what caliber and cartridge is the 700 grainer?!?! ik have a feeling its 45/70, but the boolit makes it look more like a pistol round! definitely cool!
nope, not 45/70, I just noticed the recessed rim, is it a 460 or 458 bushmaster?

[McFred]

.510 wsm.

[am44mag]

I'm wondering if anyone's got any long-term feedback on these rubberized lead catchers. Does the rubber get chewed up by VMAX, or other high velocity varmint rounds? What about 'modern' high velocity cartridges like 7mm Rem Mag, or maybe something like 700gr at 1400fps running 3000ft/lbs ME?

I dug these formerly 700gr projectiles out of the back side of a 2' x 2' x 2' box of loose damp sand after 120 yards:

https://s13.postimg.org/z04c1ehon/lead.jpg

Given that the 700gr are 1/10th a pound of lead apiece it makes sense to collect the material. I shoot enough that I might as well collect all the other stuff while I'm at it. I just don't know how well these designs hold up to frequent, heavy use.

Sand catcher:
https://s4.postimg.org/ytzzc7lhp/group.jpg
6 on top starting with a cold clean bore, and 5 more on the bottom. The cardboard just won't hold up to the elements or to a 1/2" hole-punch though.

http://s32.postimg.org/bmchix1vp/700gr_WSM.jpg :D

That is a massive boolit...

I can't speak for high velocity jacketed rounds, but I've shot over 150 rounds of 44 special and 44 mag into mine so far, and the only thing that has been really chewed up is the backer board for the target. If was to want to shoot a lot of high velocity rounds, I'd probably just use sand. It's going to almost be like hitting a solid rock for the bullet, and they're not going to go in very deep. That 700gr monster of a round would probably need quite a bit of mulch to stop if it's going through two feet of wet sand.

[am44mag]

Finally got around to finishing my bullet catcher. I attached it to a garden cart and now it's easy to move around. I also added more mulch and compacted it down so that's it's pretty dense and there's no room for air at the top. I had a few rounds that hit towards the top of the box end up going into the sand at the back because the mulch was just getting pushed out of the way. Nothing has come out of the box yet. That issue should go away not. I'll have to try it out tomorrow.