Any Help With Bullet Trap Ideas

[AJGUNNER]

I live in the country where I can shoot out back. Due to neighbors with horses, I try to stick with just handguns and some 22 rifle shooting. I have no plans of shooting any big bore rifles into this. I don't really have a great backstop except for elevation to get the shooting into the ground. I have access to a great metal shop and the skilled help to build whatever I want. I am thinking about something with a long slant for the backstop with 3-4 inches of sand in the bottom to be able to salvage the lead. Does anyone have some ideas, pictures or drawings of one they have built or are using, that you would be willing to share??? Here are some of my thoughts.

Some sort of rubber for the front to eliminate wood splinters going into the sand.

Need some ideas on how wide and how tall to make the opening???

I would really like some sort of easily removal able wheels and handles like a wheel barrow, so I can pull it in and out of a nearby shed.

Any and all ideas would certainly be appreciated.

 

[tsubaki]

It probably won't suit you but (lately) when I'm trying to recover a projectile for evaluation I've been filling a 13 gallon trash container with sand. Turned sideways.
At 30 feet it stops a 240gr 44cal projectile at 1410fps.

 

[sliclee]

AJ somebody out there already makes that- specialty was for indoors.
Saw one fired into one indoors go out into the big world if I remember Ill be back

 

[contender]

Your requirements of it being mobile and being able to stop a bullet severely limit your options.
As a range owner, I see bullets that do NOT go where you think they did. So, size of the backstop needs to be much bigger than you think you need. Next, the type of steel that is strong enough to stop bullets is expensive. Big pieces cost mega bucks.
Then there is the weight of the trap, & being able to move it.
Now,,, if you are only planning on shooting at distances less than 50 feet,,, smaller could work. But again, plan for the errant bullet that could possibly leave the area & not get stopped.

 

[Mobuck]

Here's what I did: 4'x 4'x 3/8" steel plate angled about 45* with a pair of 1.5"x 1.5" square tube legs welded to the top edge of the plate. At the bottom of these "legs", I used another piece of 1.5" x 1.5" tube with the ends turned up for a runner. At the back edge of the plate, I used a bit of scrap to put an angle on the leading corner to keep the plate from digging in when moved. A couple of tow loops to attach a chain or strap and it's done.
Basically a 4' x 4' angled bullet deflector which can be pulled from place to place with a lawn tractor or atv. I'm not sure what the total weight is but it doesn't blow over in a high wind--I'd guess less than 200#.
If you want to add wood target holders to the front, that's simple.
I've shot this deflector with rounds up to 44 mag at 25 yards or less but mostly 22, 38, and 9mm. No damage what so ever. All bullets are deflected into the dirt at the back so it does tear up the grass in that area.

 

[roarindan51]

Best trap I ever seen was a log skidder tire filled with innertubes.

 

[gramps]

Go to castboolits.gunloads.com use the search function for bullet traps. Some use steel, some wood boxes filled with rubber mulch, some use sand. Lots of variations on the theme. A bunch of pages worth of reading. Good luck.
gramps

 

[Pat-inCO]

 

[powder smoke]

Pat looks pretty nice is this something you made?

 

[toysoldier]

I don't know much about bullet traps, but I could name some bait. :wink:

 

[Rick Courtright]

Hi,

Memory's a bit fuzzy, Pat, but didn't Savage make a commercial model for gunsmiths and the like quite similar to that one? I heard it called "The Snail" some place...

Oops, shoulda looked before I asked! Here's a starting point for several range systems they have today:

http://www.savagerangesystems.com/ourproducts

On one of the pages they have a drawing with some rough dimensions. It looks a lot bigger than the average guy probably needs or wants. I don't remember who made it, but we had a bullet trap in the back of the shop that looked sorta like something in their "Tabletop Gunsmith" series.

Somehow I don't think the prices they mention quite fit in with what the OP needs and wants, though!

Rick C

 

[Pat-inCO]

Pat looks pretty nice is this something you made?

I wish.
Just found some drawings that seem something that could be made
without going into AR500 steel, since all of it is at a "soft" angle to the
bullet path. I'd be hesitant to try any magnum pistols or rifles above
rimfire, but that's just me.

OR, you could go to that place advertised in Dillon's Blue Press. They
have quite a few that are mounted on trailers (iirc, $2K+)