Catching bullets

[Texas by God]

Gallon milk jug(s) full of frozen water will work with normal handgun rounds.
I learned this from Allan Jones when he was writing for Shooting Times.
A half gallon jug will work for some cartridges and for rifles at 100 yards a 5 gallon bucket will catch a few cast bullets.


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[racepres]

If deformation is Not desired... Snow bank is the way... Gotta wait till spring to gather results tho!!!
Nothing works better... But, I have a snow plow, and can put a Bank where I want it..Do Not pack hard tho... just push it up and Shoot!!!
Otherwise... ??? I suppose I could lay a screen in the pond... pull em off the bottom??? Water deforms bullets tho...

[Sasquatch-1]

If you are looking for a way to find your bullets in a snowbank, get a cheap metal detector.

If you are looking for an alternative, I would consider a 10' section of 4" to 6" sewer pvc stuffed with Poly Fill. Poly Fill is pretty cheap and can be picked up at any fabric store. I just checked Amazon and the stuff fairly cheap there. But I got another idea. If you see any old beanbag chairs sitting out for the trash the filling might work.

[WRideout]

If you are looking for a way to find your bullets in a snowbank, get a cheap metal detector.

If you are looking for an alternative, I would consider a 10' section of 4" to 6" sewer pvc stuffed with Poly Fill. Poly Fill is pretty cheap and can be picked up at any fabric store. I just checked Amazon and the stuff fairly cheap there. But I got another idea. If you see any old beanbag chairs sitting out for the trash the filling might work.

Fibrous stuff works better because it wraps around the bullet. Poly fill might work, but if it melts onto the bullet, it might obscure the markings you are looking for.

Wayne

[Sasquatch-1]

Fibrous stuff works better because it wraps around the bullet. Poly fill might work, but if it melts onto the bullet, it might obscure the markings you are looking for.

Wayne

Should be easily removed with an acetone soak.

[Froogal]

My steel targets are close to the ground, and the ground rises gradually behind the targets, so when I miss the targets completely, the spent bullets just dig a furrow in the sod and bury themselves. Now all I have to do is dig the bullets out of the ground.

[BadgerShooter]

I was on stage with Penn and Teller when he caught a bullet in his teeth after shooting through a sheet of plexiglass. Bullet just had rifling marks so you may want to try that.

[lar45]

We shot some high velocity cast rifle, 30cal, 2800fps, into sawdust several years ago. We filled cardboard boxes and stacked them on a plank. You could see which box didn't have an exit hole and dig for the bullets. They usually ended up around 5-6ft in. There may have been some slight deformation of the noses, but the shanks were fine.

[farmbif]

back when I was a younger man a big water tank is what was used by the guys with the white lab coats in the j Edgar hoover building. actually it wasn't all that big. ive seen semi portable version made out of ab out a 6' long section of 6" well casing with 1/2" steel plate welded to the bottom and two legs near the top made of 1" steel pipe so it sat at about 45 degree angle and a top flap made out of couple layers of thick rubber with a hole in center to shoot through. bullets retrieved with a wood pole with gob of wax on the hollowed out end

[blackthorn]

I was on stage with Penn and Teller when he caught a bullet in his teeth after shooting through a sheet of plexiglass. Bullet just had rifling marks so you may want to try that.

Right after you turn to your buddy and say---"here, hold my beer and watch this!"

[Thumbcocker]

I read somewhere that when Elmer Keith wrote about hitting a wounded Mueller deer at 600 yards with a .44 magnum revolver another gun writer, Charles Askins iirc, said he would catch any .44 magnum bullet ever made at 600 yards with a catchers mitt. Would have been interesting if he had tried.

[Texas by God]

Long ago my brother and I wanted to test some of the new Winchester Black Talon pistol ammo.
We filled a five gallon bucket with water and I shot down into it from above. I was standing on the well house roof so about ten foot down to the bucket.
Good thing that I tested the 9mm first; because the .45 broke the bucket!
I still have those wicked looking mushrooms somewhere around here….


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[Dom]

If I wish to catch a cast bullet for slugging , to know barrel dia. I only load enough fast burring powder to get it out of the barrel. Maybe 1 gr of powder. Depends on the bullet weight & barrel length. Never tried it with jacketed bullets.I fill a cardboard box full of rags, & shoot into it. Bullet comes out in perfect shape for measurement. Has worked perfectly for me for years. If it doesn't make it out of the barrel, I insert a brass rod & tap it out. Never a problem. After you have done a couple you get a feel for it.

[metricmonkeywrench]

I read an older (way older) book where a couple gentleman did a significant amount of benchrest testing on a bullets flight from cartridge to target, If i can find the reference again ill post the title. One of their challenges was devising a way to collect the bullet without damage to evaluate the projectile (length, weight loss, rifling etc) It was a extremally thorough study. The ended up building a box of a specific size and somewhat packed it with oil soaked sawdust (from a mill i think) that seemed to be effective for their purposes.

found it: Bullet's Flight From Powder to Target: Ballistics of Small Arms F. W. Mann

[uscra112]

@ Dom:
I do that, too. With a little experience, I can even make it stop in the barrel wherever I want it to, then tap it back out. If I choose to make it exit, a bucket of water does fine.

@metricmonkey.....
You undoubtedly are remembering "The Bullet's Flight from Powder to Target", by Doctor Mann. Harry Pope gave him a lot of help with special barrels and whatnot.

[Dom]

@ Dom:
I do that, too. With a little experience, I can even make it stop in the barrel wherever I want it to, then tap it back out. If I choose to make it exit, a bucket of water does fine.

@metricmonkey.....
You undoubtedly are remembering "The Bullet's Flight from Powder to Target", by Doctor Mann. Harry Pope gave him a lot of help with special barrels and whatnot.

Even though we are miles apart , we do have a bit common.Attachment 310798 The turkeys, just for fun.

[uscra112]

My land slopes sharply uphill behind the house. It was pasture, and I keep it mowed. And yes, I've seen mobs of turkeys from the kitchen windows, in season. I can't hunt anymore but my neighbor does, so there's venison and turkey in the freezer.

[ABJ]

As another member suggested using "Paul Harrell" method, I agree. I use the fleece blankets folded into about a 1' square in a 3 sided box about 30 to 36 inches long. I used 1x12x36 shelving. When testing for terminal uses I use a single 16 oz water bottle with the blankets behind them. Behind each folded blanket I put a stiff piece of cardboard. Hollow points do not go the full 36". It doesn't appear that the blankets cause any more expansion than the water bottle caused. I have not fired any FMJ, so not sure how far they would go.
Tony