Air Rifle (OK, don't laugh!)

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craftsman

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I'm not one for fire arms, but I picked up a break-barrel air rifle (Beeman RS2) I built a "silent" pellet trap to hold targets, (see the Instructables website, http://www.instructables.com/id/Making-a-better-soda-can-for-plinking-with-a-fitt/ and http://www.instructables.com/id/Making-a-portable-Silent-Air-Gun-BBPellet-Trap/ ) yes, got all the safety accoutrements to go with it - but I want to build a safe, inexpensive backstop before I start shooting.

I've seen references online to a "ballistics curtain", but it costs over $1.3 K (my budget is far, far less than that). Does anyone have more information on that material? Where is it available? Are there alternatives to it? I was considering canablizing two wood pallets, making them into a flat, perpendicular outdoor surface, and getting a horse stall mat (4' x 6' x 3/4" made from recycled tires) mounted in front of the wood. Placing the pellet trap in front of that.

Other suggestions? Thanks.
 
horse stall mats are awfully tough and i would say that they would work. I didnt chack out your link but they are hard enough a ricochet may occur
 
what about a rubber bed liner for a pickup truck? Haven't tried that myself, but I suspect they would stop a pellet.
 
I cut up and old flack vest I bought at a surplus store. Put several layers spaced out in the the trap. I bet I have shot 10,000 pellets into it from 10 meters away and it still looks new.
 
Thanks, all ! As always, great suggestions.

I like the ideas. I may still go with the pallets and horse stall mat. I have a pellet stove, and will get two pallets free when I order for the next heating season. The mat, not on sale, goes for $42 at Tractor Supply Co. (Was on sale a few months back for $20 ... might wait a little longer for another sale)

I'm hoping not to be such a bad shot that I need to worry if misses will richochet off the rubber ... plus it can serve as a backstop for my blowgun, and possibly pistol cross bow darts as well.
 
Hi Craft, you need Duct Seal. Please study this link to a commercial silent

pellet trap and the kits available: http://www.archerairguns.com/airgun-pellet-trap-s/6.htm

The design is decades old, but it works great. The secret is using duct seal to

quietly stop the pellets. I built one 3 years ago and use it about three times a week.

I have noisy traps and swinger targets for outdoor shooting; but I like to use the

Archer silent pellet trap indoors. I just thought I'd add a caution: Use Duct Seal

that is found in the electrical supplies area of your building supply store.

DO NOT use plumber's putty found in the plumbing area, because it has very

different characteristics and is completely unsuitable as a shot absorber.

Also check out the video on the second page.

Best of luck;

Tony
 
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2 welding blankets together works real well and they arent expensive at Harbor Freight tools.
 
If you go with the pallets and a mat, I suggest angling it with the top toward your shooting line.

For the nephews and nieces, I have a couple of plastic peanut jars hanging in front of a barn from the porch rafters. We shoot at the jars with a Crosman pump. I hung a sheet of masonite behind the jars. When the masonite was vertical, BBs would regularly ricochet straight back to the shooter. And that was with the minimum number of pumps needed to get within minute-of-peanut-jar with the rear sight all the way up.

I secured a guy line to pull the bottom of the masonite away from the shooter, and that eliminated the problem.
 
I took a cardboard box that will hold 5 lids vertically from 5 gallon buckets (old paint, kitty litter, etc.)

My RWS spits out a pellet at 1000 fps. Even inside the garage, where the distance is maybe 20 feet, NO pellet has penetrated the third lid - and they all stay in the box for easy disposal/or melt down.

I took a calender pic of my favorite neighborhood nemesis - the tree rat - aka squirrel - and tape it to the box. IF this side eventually gets too torn up, I'll simply turn the box around and use the other side. When done, it fits on a storage shelf in the garage
 
Go to your local carpet store and get remnants of Berber they are throwing away. Hang several together and the store may give them to you free.
 
I have a Beeman combo .177 (1000 fps), and .22 (850 fps) - I have a "silent" pellet trap ( http://www.instructables.com/id/Making-a-portable-Silent-Air-Gun-BBPellet-Trap/ ) I made, but still going for a backstop to catch any misses.

I still have to order wood pellets for heating the house for the winter, will use the pallets they come on for the framework of the backstop. When I went to Tractor Supply, they only had 1/4" thick matting, and it was expensive (chewing up my budget! LOL ) ... but I did pick up a nice 6 ft. lunge whip while I was there! From Home Depot, I have considered getting 6 bags of rubber mulch (ground up old tires) 0.8 ft. sq. @ $6 as my primary shock absorber, about 3.75 in. thick, but still want a cheap metal backing behind everything else as a fail safe - thanks for the angled deflection idea - I'll incorporate that into the final plan, both on the top and on the sides.

Once I get moving on it, I will post "how to" directions on Instructables, and a final photo here. I hope to be able to shoot across the back yard, up to 25 yards - and use this for more than just the pellet rifle.
 
Update

The pellets came in, starting construction of the backstop for the pellet trap. I will post photos once completed.
 
I have a steel electrical junction box filled with duct seal. Mounted a handle, some rubber feet and clips to hold targets. It will stop a .22 Long rifle round much less any thing 99% of air rifles could throw at it. Ok maybe one of those quackenbush monsters might dent it up but your beeman would barely penetrate the duct seal. Works great been using it for years.

If you want a big backstop behind it. Just get a big piece of plywood for errant shots. Maybe cover with carpet.

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A few "sample" rugs from a carpet store hung on a curtain rod or similar. It is a pellet gun, it isn't going to penetrate near as much as a rimfire.
 
A few "sample" rugs from a carpet store hung on a curtain rod or similar. It is a pellet gun, it isn't going to penetrate near as much as a rimfire.
Click to expand...

I have an inexpensive Daisy 8-pumps BB-Pellet rifle. Somewhere around 650 ft/sec using HP pellets mostly.
It penetrates two layers of heavy carpet, one layer of truck-bed rubber matt and eventually wears a hole in the 1/2"" ply trap back and damages my live oak tree at 7-8 yards.

Other than regularly replacing the ply-wood, I sure would like something that will hold up and not make noise.

P.S. Targets are 9mm de-primed brass hanging from strings in the box with white cardboard behind them. Instant gratification of a hit. :) ("97" squirrels to date- in 3 pear seasons.)

Does the DUCT Sealant sag when always outdoors and all summer in 95-102 temperatures??
 
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Duct seal will sag when it's very hot, but not as badly as you might expect. I store my trap on its back when it's not in use. It's small and not terribly heavy so it's not a big deal to set it up when I need it and put it on its back when I don't.
 
Duct Seal sags? I usually keep mine in the garage in TN where it has been known to on occasion get a tad warm and I have never noticed in 8 years the seal my trap sagging, but I do have a LOT of seal in the trap. Like I said it will stop a .22LR.

I am NOT calling you out and disagreeing just saying I have never seen it with mine and it is something I will look out for now.

Course you are in TX where I hear you occasionally get some warmer temps every once in a great while :D

Chris
 
Course you are in TX where I hear you occasionally get some warmer temps every once in a great while...
Click to expand...
I store mine in the garage. Because of the way the garage is made and the way the sun hits it, it gets very hot in there and stays that way for several hours a day when it's hot. I don't have a thermometer in there any more, but when I did, I was getting readings well over 100 on a daily basis in the summer.

I used to leave my trap upright and noticed after awhile that I was getting enough sag that I finally had to level it. After that I started putting it on its back when I wasn't using it.

If you live in a climate where you've never run your air conditioner in the winter, then you probably won't have a problem. :D
 
Another vote for a duct seal pellet trap. Mine has lasted for years and is still going strong. They are easy to build and and the cost is low
 
I use this with my Pellet Guns

I use this to shoot at with my Beeman P1 and my Browning 800 no problems.
If your not sure about your aim hang a heavy rug behind it.
 

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