Bullet Trap

[jchapm9]

Built myself a bullet trap this week and was very disappointed in the amount of of lead that was recovered. Most of it in my catch basin was dust or very small chips. Seemed not worth the trouble. How do I recover my lead?

Any ideas would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Cork

 

[Steve C]

Built myself a bullet trap this week and was very disappointed in the amount of of lead that was recovered. Most of it in my catch basin was dust or very small chips. Seemed not worth the trouble. How do I recover my lead?

Any ideas would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Cork

Don't know what type of trap you built. If its a hardened steel plate set at an angle and you are shooting hard cast bullet at high velocity they'll do just as you found and fragment when hitting the hard surface. You can try reducing your velocity if you reload to help reduce the fragmentation or you can use something in front or incorporated in the trap to slow the bullet down before it reaches the plate.

The indoor range I shoot at has a snail type trap where the bullet deflects and goes through a snail like set of baffles that decelerates it till it drops into a trough at the back of the trap. This has aged over the 20 years its been in service and they have added a loose fill that looks like rubber pices probably from shredded tires, you see this type of product in some play grounds that is used to replace sand. Its supposed to be easier on kids when they fall.

Anyway, such a product may be to slow the rounds down or it may just be there to prevent fragment bounce back or lead dust from coming back into the range.

A sand barrier would normally stop the bullet and you could recover the lead using a sieve or another way is to throw the sand and spent bullet mix into a cement mixer and run water into it to wash out the sand, the lead being heavier will be left, similar to a sluice to mine for gold.

 

[My Eye!]

I've been thinking of doing the same thing. Mine was basically going to be sheet steel angled down into---?

I'd be interested to know what alloy you're shooting. I use straight wheel weights, and when I shoot my steel gongs out at the gravel pit, I don't find the remains of many bullets.

Maybe a bullet trap works best with low power loads.

Anyone got any good ideas.

Jim

 

[NKJ nut]

I have a bullet trap and have experienced the same problem. I put an old inner tube in the bottom of mine and this helps to some degree. In order to remelt the lead you will need to clean the trap out frequently because bullets entering the trap further pulverize the lead already in it.

Powdered lead is like dross it wont melt at typical lead melting temps.

 

[OKFC05]

Sand catches lead bullets, but as the lead piles up, subsequent shots hit the bullets and send them flying every which way. I've seen them land behind the firing line.

A lead bullet hitting a steel plate does not leave much bullet to pick up, just a little disc.

 

[canoe on the yukon]

I once fashioned a bullet trap in order to salvage bullet metal but experienced the same thing.Found it was more trouble than it was worth.

 

[pps]

You guys are over thinking this. I'm uploading some pics into photobucket of my trap. It's cheap, simple, reusable, and bullets are recovered in one piece....no dust.

Trap, front view

Top/side view with top door open. Inside is 90# of rubber mulch

Back view with arresting plate (old umbrella stand 1/4" thick) dented from my 185gr Beartooth bullet round I use on boars...dents occured after bullet penetrated 24" of mulch

Overall view. The target would equate to a head shot on a 6" person. You can make it whatever height you wish.

Bullets are collected via using shop vac without attachment. The mulch gets sucked, most of the bullets drop out. You could just dump the mulch into salt water to make the rubber float and lead sink. The mulch does a decent job at predicting expansion and penetration, so long as there are no other bullets to crash into each other.

Here are what some of the recovered bullets look like.

 

[NKJ nut]

PPS , I know some people who have built something similar except they used sand for filler. Of course this made it necessary to have an angle iron frame around the thing to hold it together.

The rubber mulch is a much better way to go.

 

[imashooter2]

For a plate type stop, you need to have sides to catch the splash when the bullet splatters on the angled back plate. Dust and chips melt into ingots just the same as whole bullets.

 

[Rule3]

PPS, what a great idea/invention!

Can you explain the front a little more? Is the front wood or cardboard. How often does it get replaced and what happens to the mulch? By the pic it looks like the front slides up and down for replacement??

Thanks

 

[pps]

The front is cardboard. It gets replaced when it will no longer accept staples to hold the paper targets.

 

[Rule3]

The front is cardboard. It gets replaced when it will no longer accept staples to hold the paper targets.

Thanks, I also meant to ask what are the rough dimensions of the box itself?

 

[pps]

Mine is 18"x18" and 24" deep

 

[Rule3]

Thanks again.

 

[oldRoger]

I have made a similar trap for garage shooting .22lr, I use 12" of rubber mulch. You will obviously need more for higher calibers. I posted it on the lounge a couple of months ago.
I use a commercial self sealing target backer made by justshootmeproducts.com, works like a charm.

 

[duckloads]

The target would equate to a head shot on a 6" person.


That would be pretty good shooting. That's shooting a nickle sized target.

 

[pps]

The target would equate to a head shot on a 6" person.


That would be pretty good shooting. That's shooting a nickle sized target.

lol...yep...used a macro lens for the pictures. Sorry about the typo...supposed to have said 6 FOOT person.

 

[tops]

After reading what you all have posted I will agree with my wife that I am dumb as a clam. I want my bullet trap to bust the bullets up so they won't ricochet and be dangerous. I didn't know the purpose was to save bullets. Larry

 

[ENH]

Great trap and explaination. Where does one buy the rubber multch?

 

[Rule3]

Great trap and explaination. Where does one buy the rubber multch?

You can't. Must have a rubber trees and shred it up

Most Home Centers have it. Supposed to be Eco Friendly