Bullet Trap Ideas

[gt6090a]

I'm looking at a design project for school (mech. eng) and I want to build a bullet trap that will catch rounds in a deceleration chamber at the top of a ramp, similar to Action Target and Savage Range Systems. What I don't know is what angle and plate thickness I want to use.

Has anyone seen info regarding angle vs. plate thickness vs. caliber, as to what's appropriate? I don't want to just stop the round, but would want to deflect it up the ramp without deforming the plate. Any ideas as to how to figure the thickness?

 

[Regen]

Energy & Momentum

Look at it from the point of view of particle hitting an boundary. Again first assume no deformation of the bullet. Conservation of energy and momentum gives you a starting point for understanding the types of materials needed. Then you need to take into account the deformation of the bullet and other real world factors. But this will get you in the right ball park.

 

[gt6090a]

But it's an inelastic collision. The round will frag if it's greater than 15-20 degrees, which puts all the math out the window without real testing. Being in school, I can't just go out on the quad and go shooting at plate, so the testing isn't really possible. I need to be at 20-30 degrees to avoid taking up a huge footprint and not blowing a ton of money on steel, but have no idea what thicknesses to use for a given caliber (which is still in the air, too). Maybe the idea is to write it around an energy spec instead....

 

[Navy_Guns]

http://www.actiontarget.com/law_bt_comparisons.html

http://www.actiontarget.com/com_bt_tct.html

Check out this site. The best angle is 15 degrees per side (30 degrees total included angle). The material needs to be a high-hardness steel, such as AR-500 abrasion resistant. They used to have cool high-speed videos on their site showing the different effects depending on plate angle but I can't find them anymore.

P.S. actually building one of these of any size is going to be very heavy - I built one with a 12" x 12" opening and it's over 200 pounds.

 

[PLRinmypocket]

here is a link to the military handbook for range facilities, I think it has plate angle and thickness specs.
http://www.wbdg.org/ccb/NAVFAC/DMMHNAV/1027_3b.pdf

I also found acopy of the air-force shooting range specs but can't find the links right now. I did save the pdf and I'll try to attach it. it has info for type of steel, and angle for many different calibers.

 

[Owen Sparks]

I saw a commercial bullet trap that a gunsmith can use for indoor test firing. It was a small table top model that was basically sheet metal rolled up like a snail shell with oil in it. This gradually slowed the bullet as it spiraled around. I think it was actually called a "snail trap"

OS

 

[Rembrandt]

This is a quicky I threw together from some scrap laying around. Material is 1/4" thick cold rolled, Four inch channel (1/4" thick) rolled to direct bullet fragments into a bucket of sand. Most of the commercial made units use a snail device to slow the bullet.

 

[230RN]

This part of it seemed to do the trick, too.

 

[Rembrandt]

This part of it seemed to do the trick, too.

Thought that might get someones attention.....If rapid fire shooting is the game, make the bullet trap bigger...(heehee)

 

[230RN]

New standard of accuracy: Minute of Bullet Trap --MOBT.

 

[USMC - Retired]

Bullet Trap Ideas

 

[tasco 74]

i like USMC retired's trap idea the best!! seriously though i designed a .22 bullet trap a couple of years ago and my little brother who's a steel fabricater built it for me.. it works pretty good and it is portable but it had to be beefed up a little in the corners of the narrow of the funnel.. it's kinda like rembrandt's but used a cylinder at back instead of the long decellorater into into the bucket...

 

[onewithgun]

Just look at the Mfg. specs and see what the steel type is. If you need any help message me. Welding and knife making are hobbies of mine. If they use funky names for their materials I'm sure I can figure out what they are.

Regards.