My high-tech bullet trap

[Hooda Thunkit]

I shoot some here at my place. Max is 80 yards, but that's okay. I cast almost all my projectiles, so I'm jealous of the lead, it's harder to find now than it used to be.

To that end, I built a trap. High-tech materials and engineering:


Just a 1' by 1' box, 2' long. Both ends open; I cut some horse-stall mat to screw over the opening.
Sort of a self-healing thing.


As can be seen, I staple cardboard (old cut up cereal boxes) on the front mat, usually staple rifle targets to that.


It's filled with crumb rubber:


2 trapped bullets can be seen on the front lip, 205gr clone of a 312499 at about 1700fps. The effect of the crumb rubber can be seen.



To empty it I merely scoop out the rubber, sort out the lead, put the rubber back.


The flap hanging down the back is heavy wood, lined on the target side with 3/8 steel. The back wall is more horse mat. The heavy flap is hinged, to help absorb any energy from an escaped bullet.


So far nothing has gone through the back of the target, including when a friend brought over his 7mm Mag to sight in a new scope.

If I build it again, which I'm going to have to (somebody keeps missing the foot-square target area, and hitting the frame), I'll make it a bit bigger.

I built this out of leftover wood, and some broken down pallets. Cheap ol' leftover paint. The only expense I had was the horse mat, which isn't especially cheap, but lasts a long time. And the bags of crumb rubber, which is certainly not cheap, but indefinitely reusable.

The lead captured makes the trap pay for itself.

 

[Mark_Mark]

I shoot some here at my place. Max is 80 yards, but that's okay. I cast almost all my projectiles, so I'm jealous of the lead, it's harder to find now than it used to be.

To that end, I built a trap. High-tech materials and engineering:
View attachment 1083497

Just a 1' by 1' box, 2' long. Both ends open; I cut some horse-stall mat to screw over the opening.
Sort of a self-healing thing.
View attachment 1083498

As can be seen, I staple cardboard (old cut up cereal boxes) on the front mat, usually staple rifle targets to that.


It's filled with crumb rubber:
View attachment 1083496

2 trapped bullets can be seen on the front lip, 205gr clone of a 312499 at about 1700fps. The effect of the crumb rubber can be seen.

View attachment 1083494

To empty it I merely scoop out the rubber, sort out the lead, put the rubber back.


The flap hanging down the back is heavy wood, lined on the target side with 3/8 steel. The back wall is more horse mat. The heavy flap is hinged, to help absorb any energy from an escaped bullet.
View attachment 1083495

So far nothing has gone through the back of the target, including when a friend brought over his 7mm Mag to sight in a new scope.

If I build it again, which I'm going to have to (somebody keeps missing the foot-square target area, and hitting the frame), I'll make it a bit bigger.

I built this out of leftover wood, and some broken down pallets. Cheap ol' leftover paint. The only expense I had was the horse mat, which isn't especially cheap, but lasts a long time. And the bags of crumb rubber, which is certainly not cheap, but indefinitely reusable.

The lead captured makes the trap pay for itself.

There a place back home in North Carolina that we shoot into a clay cliff pit. Everyone shoots at the same spot. So in the Summer my brother digs a buckets of bullets for melting. I think a clay dirt pile makes a great Low tech bullet collector

 

[bullseye308]

That’s a great idea and very effective. What’s a good source for the crumb rubber if you don’t mind me asking?

 

[Hooda Thunkit]

I think a clay dirt pile makes a great Low tech bullet collector

It certainly catches the bullets. But, my trap yields clean, clay-free scrap. The only thing that sticks to the bullet is a light smear of rubber, which burns off in the pot.

That’s a great idea and very effective. What’s a good source for the crumb rubber if you don’t mind me asking?

I don't know of a good source, but I get mine at a big box home store. It's sold as mulch, usually in 40-50 lb bags.

It comes shredded or crumbed. Crumbed is easier to deal with, but either will work.

 

[Odd Job]

That's a fine trap! Before I got my dedicated crossbow target, I used the rubber stoppers from empty contrast media bottles. When put into a plastic container, they stopped any crossbow arrow.

 

[Blue68f100]

I made something like that 15+ yrs ago using an old propane bottle tank. Works good. If I remember the fine rubber chips will float in water, lead sinks to the bottom of the tank for easy separation.

 

[barnfrog]

Me likey. Gonna have to build me something like that.

 

[Goofball84]

I made a similar one last year. I made it 3' long. But I split into two compartments thinking the majority will be pistol rounds and caught in the first half of the box. I tested it with my 5.7x28. I haven't cleaned it out yet.

 

[Hooda Thunkit]

I made a similar one last year. I made it 3' long. But I split into two compartments thinking the majority will be pistol rounds and caught in the first half of the box. I tested it with my 5.7x28. I haven't cleaned it out yet.

View attachment 1083570 View attachment 1083571 View attachment 1083572

One would think the handgun rounds would not penetrate as deep as rifle, but I have some 32 SW Long that penetrate just as deep as the rifle rounds.

The rounds with the flatter fronts - wfn or wadcutters - penetrate the least. Except for 223 softnose. Those just pretty much disintegrate. All I find is the jacket and some flakes of lead.