'Test Tube'/Firing Tube/Bullet Catcher

[303Guy]

A number of years ago I was working in a fabrication shop and was able to collect some offcut materials with which to build what I call my test tube. One sticks the rifle muzzle into the top and wraps a rag around it, and holding the rifle upright and the rag tight, one fires it. The device captures the muzzle blast and the bullet/boolit and that's it. All that's left to do is open it up and recover the bullet/boolit for inspection.

For testing paper patch boolits I would place a cloth over the catch tube to capture the patch fragments.

https://i.postimg.cc/RV2hzdkB/MVC-558-F-edited.jpg (https://postimages.org/)https://i.postimg.cc/Twfg4k5P/Firing-Tube-13.jpg (https://postimages.org/)
https://i.postimg.cc/G226Gj34/Firing-Tube-11.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

[303Guy]

https://i.postimg.cc/wMRPbTmH/Firing-Tube-8.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/SKNm1CNh/Firing-Tube-9.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/5t7bhy6F/Firing-Tube-7.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

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[303Guy]

https://i.postimg.cc/Hn1KR14y/Firing-Tube-6.jpg (https://postimages.org/)
https://i.postimg.cc/T33sZ9mC/Firing-Tube-3.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

[303Guy]

There used to be another component on top of the catch medium tube, hence the machine key step. I repurposed it as a eight on the lid. I should really make a new tube top bell mouth but the need seldom arises.

What is not shown here is that I use bunched rags top and bottom of the medium tube. The bottom rag rests on the grounds in the bottom catch pot and is where most of the boolits get caught. It's important that the bottom rag stays in place otherwise the catch tube contents falls out when removing the tube. The top rag stops the medium from being blasted out into the main body.

What the medium tube used to look like.
https://i.postimg.cc/wM3tCnq9/MVC-556-F-edited.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

I did different testing with this device. In this image is a can packed tight with water saturated wool furniture padding to simulate critter flesh to test for expansion and penetration of the hornet when developing loads for it.

https://i.postimg.cc/zf0GqpPv/MVC-012F.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

[303Guy]

Here is an interesting recovered paper patched boolit. The rifle it was fired in has worn rifling with rounded edges and it was fired at low velocity. The patch stayed on through the catch medium.

https://i.postimg.cc/kGfqNGnP/DSCF8749.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

[303Guy]

Just a description of the components.

https://i.postimg.cc/G226Gj34/Firing_Tube_11.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

The chunky pot is made up of three pieces of scrap 4140 material welded together and a bell mouth machined. That on it's own would stop a bullet. For good measure, that disc which is also 4140 goes under it. The disc is set into the bottom on rubber grounds, the idea being to stop impact noise transmission to the outer casing.

The bottom catch pot is then set inside rolled carpet and on more rubber grounds, the carpet to positions it and dampens sound and the grounds to further isolate impact noise. All this works by the way. The only metallic sound is from the lid jumping up and coming down again. There is supposed to be a set of clamping rods through the corners of the lid which I just never got around to. Instead I place a cloth over the mouth under the lid and this dempens the sound.

[303Guy]

Here we can see how well the 22 hornet bullet performs in that wet wool medium.

https://i.postimg.cc/q7zvM2fG/MVC-580F.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

The first bullet is a 60gr and the second a 55gr. Both are very accurate in the hornet. The 'test tube' made it possible to develop the loads in my workshop. The 55gr bullet does 2740fps at the muzzle.

[303Guy]

https://i.postimg.cc/KzsM9mPZ/DSCF9157.jpg (https://postimages.org/)
https://i.postimg.cc/43fBKbsj/DSCF9152.jpg (https://postimages.org/)
https://i.postimg.cc/DZm66vWg/DSCF9155.jpg (https://postimages.org/)
https://i.postimg.cc/XJh8DRd0/DSCF9154.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

[303Guy]

And one more thing. A means to compact the rubber grounds. The bullets were going all the way through into the bottom catch pot. High velocity bullets stop sooner.

https://i.postimg.cc/SKGWYD4C/DSCF9200.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

[lar45]

Sounds interesting, I'd love to see some pics of it.

[ulav8r]

No pictures visible! Using chrome browser.

[303Guy]

No pictures visible! Using chrome browser.

That's strange. It's loaded with pictures. I just checked using another chrome browser and the pics all show. I'll see if I can find the problem.

Right, your JavaScript might might be disabled on your chrome. Or it could be something else but would be a place to look.


Pictures not loading on websites Chrome – Many users reported that pictures aren't loading on websites in Chrome. To fix the problem, be sure to check your Chrome settings and disable your antivirus. Images won't load in Chrome – Sometimes this issue can appear if JavaScript is disabled in your browser. Sep 9, 2019

Another thing I found and this might make more sense since apparently some pictures show while others not.


If some images aren't loading in Chrome, then that might be because the Show all images option isn't selected. First, you should click the Customize Google Chrome button at the top right of the browser and select Settings. Select Advanced at the bottom of the Settings page.Sep 9, 2019


Chrome
Click the Chrome menu icon in the upper right-hand corner of the browser.
Select Settings.
Click Privacy and security on the left.
Click Site Settings.
Click Images.
Click "Show all images (recommended)".
Sep 14, 2020

Also check Javascript under site settings

[ulav8r]

All visible now with no change of any settings on my end.

[uscra112]

Thanks, 303guy. Mine won't look quite the same, but it will follow the principles viz control of the mulch.

I don't need so much sound absorption, since my nearest neighbor is almost a half mile away.

[303Guy]

I've always wanted to build a horizontal device but never figured a satisfactory means of keeping the catch medium in. Perhaps a change of medium or rubber end caps that get replaced when they start to leak.

[ulav8r]

I've always wanted to build a horizontal device but never figured a satisfactory means of keeping the catch medium in. Perhaps a change of medium or rubber end caps that get replaced when they start to leak.

Maybe try one of the "self-sealing" targets as a retainer if front of your trap media.