22lr bench rest bullet trap

[Harry Tobin]

Well shooting season has been done for awhile since winter set in. Last year I was in quest of getting good at bench rest shooting and getting the Savage MKII to work well. Now shooting bench rest with the tight groups it tore holes in the back stop in no time. For some time I have been thinking of a bullet trap for the 22lr bench rest. I have looked at all different designs and found one I did like and I think it came from cast boolits. I like how it curved at back to the collecting cylinder, so that’s what I went with. First with the mock-up I did out of cardboard, once that looked good I went into building. Now I didn’t have any thick plate for the build nor the money, but I did have a source of heavy sheet metal. With 3 layers I could get 1/4 out of it that was good for 22lr, just more work each piece need to be cut 3 times and spot welded. So here's my journey into building it
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[Harry Tobin]

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[Harry Tobin]

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[BLAHUT]

Caswell in Minneapolis has built something similar in the past, but for high-power centerfire guns.. There's were built out of jelloy ( spelling ? ) steel. There were angled deflection plates in the swirl chamber.

[Harry Tobin]

I do have a deflection plate in the swirl chamber, it was longer but powdered the bullet. I cut it down at made small and now the lead is staying together much better
https://i.imgur.com/pjwdmt7.jpg

[TNsailorman]

Great post with pictures and dimensions too. Excellent work and well thoughtout piece. Thank you very much for sharing. james

[Harry Tobin]

Great post with pictures and dimensions too. Excellent work and well thoughtout piece. Thank you very much for sharing. james

Thanks James. just got a chance to weigh it today. That small trap came in at 120 lbs, can't wait till spring.

[OS OK]

That's a pretty cool machine you built Harry!

I heard you shoot bullets in one end and pull these things out of the other?" :bigsmyl2:

https://i.imgur.com/97GyJHW.jpg

[dverna]

Harry, you did a most excellent job.

[ulav8r]

Can't tell if you hung the targets correctly. The very first drawing shows the correct orientation of the pipe. Looks like you left off the cone at the bottom, which should be OK. I would probably add a cap on the top end of the pipe so no lead could go out the top or rain down through the top.

My plan was for a similar trap of heavier material, to be placed under a shed to keep the rain off. Might also need something to cover the openings when not in use to keeps wrens from nesting in it.

Jalloy is an abrasion resistant, heat treatable steel, available in various hardness grades. In the mid 1970's, Gate City Steel-a small steel warehouse with a fab shop in Commerce City, Co, stocked Jalloy 360. When the NRA first acquired steel silhouettes, that was their source.

[Harry Tobin]

Can't tell if you hung the targets correctly. The very first drawing shows the correct orientation of the pipe. Looks like you left off the cone at the bottom, which should be OK. I would probably add a cap on the top end of the pipe so no lead could go out the top or rain down through the top.

My plan was for a similar trap of heavier material, to be placed under a shed to keep the rain off. Might also need something to cover the openings when not in use to keeps wrens from nesting in it.

Jalloy is an abrasion resistant, heat treatable steel, available in various hardness grades. In the mid 1970's, Gate City Steel-a small steel warehouse with a fab shop in Commerce City, Co, stocked Jalloy 360. When the NRA first acquired steel silhouettes, that was their source.

Yes the targets are hung correctly, this is a horizontal collector tube style. As far as the end caps, I am making them now. Now if you look at Jerry Miculek’s bullet trap he also uses a horizontal collector tube style.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifknjDTGl2k&t=75s&ab_channel=JerryMiculek-ProShooter

[Harry Tobin]

Harry, you did a most excellent job.

Thanks Don, it'll be a pleasure not replacing boards this coming season.

[Harry Tobin]

That's a pretty cool machine you built Harry!

I heard you shoot bullets in one end and pull these things out of the other?" :bigsmyl2:

https://i.imgur.com/97GyJHW.jpg

So if I put some ingot molds in the tube they come out as bars, learn something new everyday (hehe)

[FrankJD]

Super trap!

I use a small Champion trap for .22LR rounds.

[Harry Tobin]

Super trap!

I use a small Champion trap for .22LR rounds.

Thanks Frank, this is going to work out very well for me. Just need springtime to show up. Did run some rounds thru it and didn't get any ringing sound from it, that's what I was hoping for

[TNsailorman]

I bought a Champion .22lr trap and it was a disappointment from the get go. It has some fairly wide gaps around the top and bottom side and if you shoot much you will find a layer of lead fragments on each side of the trap. I don't know why they would make a trap with openings like that but they did. The only cure would be to take the trap to a wwelder and get him to tack weld some pieces to close up the gaps. That will add to an already fairly expensive trap. james

[OS OK]

Thanks Frank, this is going to work out very well for me. Just need springtime to show up. Did run some rounds thru it and didn't get any ringing sound from it, that's what I was hoping for

“Empty target butts…

https://i.imgur.com/qPbq5RQ.jpg

and empty benches...

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leads to heavy drinking and chasing wenches!"

[dverna]

Like a few others, I invested in the Champion bullet trap and so far it has been subjected to thousands of pellets from my PCP's. I have been reasonably happy with it. It is nowhere near as nice as what Harry fabbed up, but I have zero metal working skills, so it has been good enough.

But it has one advantage. Very easy to move from the 25 to 50 yard target points.

[Harry Tobin]

Like a few others, I invested in the Champion bullet trap and so far it has been subjected to thousands of pellets from my PCP's. I have been reasonably happy with it. It is nowhere near as nice as what Harry fabbed up, but I have zero metal working skills, so it has been good enough.

But it has one advantage. Very easy to move from the 25 to 50 yard target points.

Don I weighed it yesterday and it was 120 lbs plus it will be mounted in the back stop. So yours has more portability, how is that PCP going anyway?

[Martin Luber]

Beautiful job there mister.

311102. I like this too

[Harry Tobin]

Beautiful job there mister.

311102. I like this too

Thanks Martin, now I like that ferris wheel design. It looks a lot simpler than what I did, if I saw that when I was looking I may have gone that route.

[dverna]

Don I weighed it yesterday and it was 120 lbs plus it will be mounted in the back stop. So yours has more portability, how is that PCP going anyway?

The Daystate is shooting well. I have found that adding 20 drops of Ballistol to a tin of Crosman Premier 14.3 gr pellets gives me a slight improvement in accuracy. 10 five shot groups at 50 yards came in at .65" with quartering 5 mph wind. 15 ten shot groups at 25 yards averaged .491" with an 8 mph crosswind.

I am not good at shooting in the wind, so I am pleased with that level of performance. Economical fun at a penny and a half per shot. The gun does better with JSB and Air Arms pellets, but I cannot justify spending three as much for the marginal gain in performance.

I think our friend OS OK would cut my groups by 1/3 or more with the setup he has to gauge wind. I am too lazy to go there but I admire those who do. Plus, it is "nice" to have an excuse for mediocre results...LOL!

[Harry Tobin]

The Daystate is shooting well. I have found that adding 20 drops of Ballistol to a tin of Crosman Premier 14.3 gr pellets gives me a slight improvement in accuracy. 10 five shot groups at 50 yards came in at .65" with quartering 5 mph wind. 15 ten shot groups at 25 yards averaged .491" with an 8 mph crosswind.

I am not good at shooting in the wind, so I am pleased with that level of performance. Economical fun at a penny and a half per shot. The gun does better with JSB and Air Arms pellets, but I cannot justify spending three as much for the marginal gain in performance.

I think our friend OS OK would cut my groups by 1/3 or more with the setup he has to gauge wind. I am too lazy to go there but I admire those who do. Plus, it is "nice" to have an excuse for mediocre results...LOL!

I'm sure if you had a light wind day you could get .5 at the fifty

[OS OK]

The Daystate is shooting well. I have found that adding 20 drops of Ballistol to a tin of Crosman Premier 14.3 gr pellets gives me a slight improvement in accuracy. 10 five shot groups at 50 yards came in at .65" with quartering 5 mph wind. 15 ten shot groups at 25 yards averaged .491" with an 8 mph crosswind.

I am not good at shooting in the wind, so I am pleased with that level of performance. Economical fun at a penny and a half per shot. The gun does better with JSB and Air Arms pellets, but I cannot justify spending three as much for the marginal gain in performance.

I think our friend OS OK would cut my groups by 1/3 or more with the setup he has to gauge wind. I am too lazy to go there but I admire those who do. Plus, it is "nice" to have an excuse for mediocre results...LOL!

I doubt I could do that Don. Something I've just recently realized is that no matter how tight I manage to get a group together there is always that wind factor of error included. Once I started trying to understand how the wind works on my range it became even more fun to work on grouping.
It is frustrating too but the more you work at it the more satisfaction there is in any shooting session and especially so when you get acceptable results.

When you get your first tight group using Kentucky Windage...where your POA is not on the 'X', yet you see them grouping in & around the 'X'...you will be elated!
It seems at first like there's too much grey area around calling the wind but with practice you get better & better.

One of the guys over on RimfireCentral <(? - JAIA ?) said...to shoot with precision you not only need small groups but you need to hit what your aiming at. That's where the small green spots came from...if I group on that spot, I have shot with precision...if I group off the spot, regardless of group size...it is a fail. Set high expectations of yourself and your auxiliary equipment and your sessions will become much more rewarding.

[Harry Tobin]

Finally had the chance to make the end caps for the tube, it’s held together with a 1/4" thru threaded rod
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[Harry Tobin]

I bought a Champion .22lr trap and it was a disappointment from the get go. It has some fairly wide gaps around the top and bottom side and if you shoot much you will find a layer of lead fragments on each side of the trap. I don't know why they would make a trap with openings like that but they did. The only cure would be to take the trap to a wwelder and get him to tack weld some pieces to close up the gaps. That will add to an already fairly expensive trap. james

Hi James, now could you bolt some angle steel in the corners to cover the gaps?

[OS OK]

Harry ... that FORD BLUE color alone is going to knock .100" off your groups!

[dverna]

Harry ... that FORD BLUE color alone is going to knock .100" off your groups!

You BASTARD!

Keeping essential secrets from us.

[TNsailorman]

Harry that is the plan right now. AS soon as I can go angle hunting but first I have to decide whether I need the 30-06 or maybe the .41 magnum will do. I haven't hunted angles before. lol, james

[OS OK]

You BASTARD!

Keeping essential secrets from us.

https://i.imgur.com/kN5lvFT.jpg

[Harry Tobin]

For the last thing I wanted was a clean out tool for the tube, that I can just hang that on the backside of the back stop

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[OS OK]

No wonder they call you 'BACKYARD INVENTOR' Harry...you think of everything! ...:bigsmyl2:

[Mickster]

Nicely Done.