I am considering building a bullet trap so that I can shoot in my basement. It would be used exclusively for .22 cal.

Would 1/4" steel plate be thick enough or do I need 3/8"?

jeff

I am considering building a bullet trap so that I can shoot in my basement. It would be used exclusively for .22 cal.

Would 1/4" steel plate be thick enough or do I need 3/8"?

jeff

Be careful - you could open up a whole world of mess when you try to sell your house if you contaminate it with lead from shooting in the basement. Also considering adding proper ventilation.

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NRA Benefactor Life Member

You could get an air rifle.

I bought a do-all bullet trap off Amazon.com. It was the best price I could find(less than $60 shipped). I bet it is only 1/8 inch steel. It says not to use HV .22 and only use SV .22. But I can't say that HV's have damaged it. I use it sparingly for HV .22 but my son uses it extensively for .22 air rifle. It makes a decent mess by covering the trap area with lead power. I use a vacuum to clean up around it every time use. My son shoots the air rifle at 10 meter, while I shoot the .22 at 50 feet. I won't use it for .22's when anyone is home. The bottom of the stairway is between the target and where I stand. I think it is not safe.

I tried a steel trap for the .22 in my garage. The noise of the bullet hitting the trap is louder the the report of the rifle and the lead dust is much worse than anything discharged when firing. I built a wooden box approximately 2' x 2'. I placed a phone book in the front of the box and filled it with sand. The box is totally enclosed with the exception of the front. I installed a truck mudflap over the front. This is the replaceble part and it lasts about 5000 .22 rimfire rounds. The sand never leaves the box. Believe it or not this trap will stop a .44 magnum, 30-06, 45-70 and similar large caliber rounds. I have my chronograph set up for indoor use and have fired test rounds when working up loads. Generally I shoot .22 cb caps or shorts along with my Sheridan pellet rifle due to the smoke. I also have an air filter that exchanges the air but I usually only shoot 20-30 rounds at a time.

A friend of mine built one of these for his basment. Of course he works in a metal fab shop. With this type of trap there is little to no lead dust. www.snailtraps.com

JEFFJ13 you can do it just fine with the 1/4" plate. Angle it 45deg to the ground, place 1/2" plywood sides to catch bullet splatter. Have sand or pea gravel on the ground to trap the bullet. Have at least a 2x4 as the front lip. Get a high velocity fan or blower at your back and have an in/out ventilation system that will carry the lead dust away from the shooter and out the building.

Here in Alaska many people have 25ft shooting basements. Mine is a 3x3ft 3/8" mild steel plate, and can stop any jacketed non-magnum round no sweat. Hard cast magnum rounds are OK too.

A friend uses a different system which is a two foot thick hopper of pea gravel, no steel at all. Pistol bullets cannot penetrate 1 foot of pea gravel. The bullets impact the gravel and the energy converts it to dust. The pea gravel level continually falls, so it must be constantly refilled. The backing is plywood and the front is plywood with a double thick cardboard cutout over the target area. With a fresh piece of cardboard in place, very little of the gravel comes out. Its very safe, and deadens the noise.

A house vaceuum to pick up lead dust?? No ventilation?? I strongly recommend testing for lead poisoning.

A container (steel drum would do) filled with ground tires, aka rubber mulch, stops the bullets dead with no fragmentation dust. Also, a sonnotube of adequate diameter with a length of flex ducting going to a windo fan will take care of airborne particles from the gun discharge. Cheap and easy setup to make. In the process of doing it now having a 58' basement.

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Lost in Penn's Woods

I believe that lead is also released during ignition, not just from impact with the backstop.