Basement Bullet Traps?

[9x21]

Crazy as it sounds, I have always crony'd in my basement.

(It's so easy to get the correct load that way)

Does anyone have any good ideas or know of a manufacturer for a cheap safe bullet trap?

I have always used big logs, a slow but effect log splitter!

(with a pepper popper backstop for safety)

But they make a mess.....

Suggestions please?

Mods, I realize this may not be the correct part of the forum for this question, but, I not sure where this goes.... Please move it if need be, thanks

Edited April 18, 2007 by 9x21

[lynn jones]

googled this:

http://www.letargets.com/html/traps.html

http://www.range-systems.com/bullettraps.cfm

http://www.nationalpolicesupply.com/store/...x&cPath=291

[Patrick Sweeney]

You might want to start by scrubbing your basement, and then giving every surface down there a good coat of some hard enamel that is easy to wash. Then schedule getting your blood lead level checked annually.

[L9X25]

I am not going to comment on whether you should shoot in your basement, or not, but…

A 5 gallon bucket 80% filled with DRY masonry or pool filter sand and a tight fitting lid will stop just about anything. An old pool chlorine container with a screw on lid is perfect.

The important part is that the sand is DRY and NOT packed so that it can freely flow to fill the passages left by the previous rounds, think dry beach sand. When turned onto it’s side the bucket will provide about 14” of depth before a projectile could possibly exit. A 180+ power factor 9mm will only penetrate a few inches (maybe 6” at most) before it is stopped by the sand. The plastic lid seals the majority of the entry hole and little or no sand or dust exit the bucket. You can shoot many many times before you have to strain out the sand to remove the old projectiles.

If you miss the bucket, that is another issue all together.

BE CAREFUL!

Edited April 18, 2007 by L9X25

[TDean]

I was thinking about the same thing 9x21, chronoing in my garage. I was thinking a wheel-barrow filled with dirt?

Edited April 18, 2007 by TDean

[ExtremeShot]

I hope you guys live in the country. I'd be afraid the neighbors would call the police.

[TDean]

The man is asking a question on bullet traps, not the legalities of shooting where he lives nor the health ramifications of shooting.

[Flatland Shooter]

The man is asking a question on bullet traps, not the legalities of shooting where he lives nor the health ramifications of shooting.

But in an effort to help a fellow forum member, sometimes the obvious is overlooked and should be mentioned.

I'd rather have a few slightly off topic comments from friends than have medical or legal problems in the future.

Bill

Edited April 18, 2007 by Flatland Shooter

[TDean]

Fair enough Bill.

[9x21]

You might want to start by scrubbing your basement, and then giving every surface down there a good coat of some hard enamel that is easy to wash. Then schedule getting your blood lead level checked annually.

I seldom fire more than 20 rounds, all jacketed with proper ventilation.

Compared to some indoor matches I've shot, I'm none the worse for wear.

PS,

I do live in the country, legal to shoot town, neighbors are fine with it.

The cats aren't nuts about it though

[9x21]

I am not going to comment on whether you should shoot in your basement, or not, but…

A 5 gallon bucket 80% filled with DRY masonry or pool filter sand and a tight fitting lid will stop just about anything. An old pool chlorine container with a screw on lid is perfect.

The important part is that the sand is DRY and NOT packed so that it can freely flow to fill the passages left by the previous rounds, think dry beach sand. When turned onto it’s side the bucket will provide about 14” of depth before a projectile could possibly exit. A 180+ power factor 9mm will only penetrate a few inches (maybe 6” at most) before it is stopped by the sand. The plastic lid seals the majority of the entry hole and little or no sand or dust exit the bucket. You can shoot many many times before you have to strain out the sand to remove the old projectiles.

If you miss the bucket, that is another issue all together.

BE CAREFUL!

I like this, cheap & easy to clean up!

Thanks

[DaG]

Some time back there was a spot on Shooting USA that Jim Scouten was advertising about indoor chrony/bullet traps. It looked like large blocks of used tires that had been compressed together. If I remember, he said it would stop a 44 mag. Maybe he still has it on his website?

DaG

[ChuckS]

I just talked to my gunsmith and he said he uses sand in his function-fire box.

[RIIID]

MGM has a trap that is used in their shoot houses, I've got one 24"x36". It's not cheap but very safe to use.

Rich

[Front Man]

I just talked to my gunsmith and he said he uses sand in his function-fire box.

My builder has coarsely shredded tire chunks in his.

FM

[Paule]

These are worth a look if you do it very much.

http://www.letargets.com/html/traps.html

[9x21]

Thanks to all for suggestions!

I'll stick with L9X25 recipe,

Remember all, this is for rounds going (hopefully), into the same 3" group for crony.

It is cheap, easy to repeat & easy to clean (change)

Be safe

9x21

PS

We all recommend:

Don't try this at home!

Edited April 19, 2007 by 9x21

[DaG]

Has anyone tried chrono work in their garage/basement and had someone outside listening to see how loud it is? The bucket and sand sounds like an excellent idea since I am an hour from the range. TIA

DaG

[Sam]

For pistols I've got an old Ideal bullet trap in the barn. It is shaped like a big loud-speaker and the little end runs into a centrifuge where the bullets spin around until they get tired and fall into a coffee can for recycling.

[Joe4d]

I put sandbags in my fireplace, turned on the oven fan and would lean across kitchen counter shoot across living room, needless to say I wasnt the most popular guy in my neighborhood. Now I own a bunch of land in the sticks and have biological bullet stop producers, Horses turn grass into bullet stop material.

[Irate]

I shot over the winter in my barn because it was a little warmer in there. What I used was cardboard kept together with pieces of wood compressed with threaded rod and wing nuts. I have since replaced the wood pieces in the picture with larger ones and added a third set. I also still had some rounds coming out the back into the wood wall so I cut about 20 layers of carpet to the same size and put them behind it. 100% stopping for 9mm and 45acp ever since. I obtained the cardboard from a local general store, it was the stuff between the pallets and bags of feed.

Hope that helps

Irate

[kevin c]

Front Man:

So where did your builder get the tire chunks?

Irate:

So the pieces of cardboard and carpet are edge on to the bullet path?

[Irate]

Irate:

So the pieces of cardboard and carpet are edge on to the bullet path?

The cardboard is edge on, but the layers of carpet aren't. I put the layers together and poked holes in the corners and attached them with a loop of wire at each corner. I then leaned them up against the back of the cardboard. The key to this design is to have heavy enough pieces of wood that you can just compress the crap out of the cardboard.

Irate

[L9X25]

The problem with all of the solid methods (inlcluding wet dirt) is that subsequent projectiles get the benefit of the channels left by previous projectiles. If you are shooting a decent group (desireable for consistent chronoing) you will eventually have projectiles escape the trap. That is why the majority of efficient traps (other than steel plates) use water, loose sand, or other loose particles that do not leave a permanent channel behind each projectile. With loose particles you can fire 100 rounds into the exact same hole and there will be no degradation in performace and no projectiles escaping the trap.

[Ted Murphy]

I've chronoed a bit in my house. I had a friend walk around the house while I fired some rounds until I found a place to best stand that cut down the noise. I have not done it in a few years but know I can if I desperately need to chrono something in a hurry.

There are places that sell the tire chunks in Pennsylvania. They sell it only by the ton though.

Ted