Home built bullet trap/catcher

P

Pahoo

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Hard pressed to find the best place to list tis thread, so thought "Smithing" is as good as any. ????

I routinely do trigger work on a few firearms and often have to go to the range to test the functionality more so than test the accuracy. One of these firearms, is the Ruger 10/22 family as well as the MK,s. The last time I went to the range, it was closed. I decided I needed a better plan. So I made my own test trap. Started out with stacked news-paper and then decided to go to YouTube just by chance they had a video and sure enough, I found some good ideas. Won't go into detail here but basically used Rubber-Mulch and it works pretty good. There is practically no noise as I insert the muzzle slightly into the trap. Have not gone higher than a .22WMR. According to the video, that fella also shoots a 9MM into his. ..... :)

Oh course there are a number of safety guidelines, to follow ...... :rolleyes:

Be Safe !!!
 
I've found a parked Volvo with an intact engine to be a pretty good backstop for anything short of a .50 AP round. :)
But on a serious note, there is a local range here that uses several yards of rubber chunks as a backstop and it works well for anything up to a .338 round.
 
A very simple bullet trap can be made with large diameter pipe with a thick piece of steel welded on the end. Fill with 10" of sand.
 
My neighbor the gunsmith put his lathe on a concrete base, block "legs," slab top. He just continued the base to the concrete block wall, dumped in some sand, and covered it with a board, just a small gap to shoot into.

There was a commercial bullet trap that was just a heavy cardboard box for the user to fill with gravel. When the gravel started leaking out the shot up front face, it was time for a new front face. When the gravel was blasted into grit, time for fresh gravel.
 
I've found a parked Volvo with an intact engine to be a pretty good backstop for anything short of a .50 AP round.
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Airport long-term parking anyone?
There was a commercial bullet trap that was just a heavy cardboard box
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I remember something like that. We used to have a Ponderosa pine crotch log about 30" tall and 24" in diameter that served as our bullet trap in the first shop I worked in. Stopped everything up to and including 458 Win Mag.

On a more serious note, there are commercial "snail" or baffle style bullet traps available. Just google "bullet trap".
 
If you are just testing trigger function, wouldn't a primed cartridge sans bullet and powder work just a well? Easier on the ears, I would think.

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Not always !!!

If you're just testing trigger pull and function, dry firing is all that's needed.
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That is true but in some cases, not enough as in Semi-auto action which cycle themselves. ..... ;)

Aguila,
As a curtesy, let me give you another example; I have a beautiful Rolling-Block rifle. The first time I took it to the range. I had a miss-fire. I check the case and it had a good strike, I changed ammo and still had miss-fire. Went home and went back to the range with some CCI-Mini Mags. This time I got a couple of rounds to go off. Not good enough and it went back on the bench. Finally fixed the problem and test fired into a stack of news-papers. I would not wish this one you as you go through your learning-curve. ...... :rolleyes:

Be Safe !!!
 
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In my shop, I use a 6' length of 6", schedule 40 steel tube with a 1/2" steel cap welded onto one end.
Filled to about 6" from the open end with compacted rubber mulch and capped with a couple of snugly fit 1/4" rubber sheets to hold the mulch in place. Not lightweight at around 125 lbs or so but I wanted beef.

I've run .300 WM into it, no problem. Rubber mulch is widely used as bullet stops at ranges and solid rubber blocks in clearing devices; ballistic rubber sheets as target backstops.
 
Impressive

Not lightweight at around 125 lbs or so but I wanted beef. I've run .300 WM into it, no problem.
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That is impressive and I'm making mine out of an empty cat-litter bucket. Mine will never see a .300-WM. .... :)

Be Safe !!!
 
Home built bullet trap/catcher
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Home made: Bullet trap or something to catch bullets. Most of my fabrication friends are gone, I am thinking no one could afford the one I was thinking of.

F. Guffey
 
I've seen home made ones utilizing a 55 gallon drum and rubber mulch. The user shoots into the end of the barrel with the removable lid and retaining ring.
 
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