Scrap metal bullet stop

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  • Last Post 01 January 2015
delmarskid1 posted this 25 December 2014

Merry Christmas. I built this thing last spring. Mrs. Anderson gave me a camera for Christmas so I'll attempt a picture and description. The thing is built from junk in the corner of the machine shed. The horizontal louvers are plow cutters. I was going to buy hard half inch plate but found a box full of these and used them instead. The base is what is left of a home made air compressor. The whole premise was to build a cast bullet stop with the tank to catch the spent lead. It stops bullets like a charm but the lead shatters and doesn't  into the pan. I may figure it out some day. 

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delmarskid1 posted this 25 December 2014

This thing sits at the bottom of a hill 200 yards from my loading room window. This will help to explain the holes at the bottom I hope.

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Ken Campbell Iowa posted this 26 December 2014

hey at least it collects the lead that goes thru the tank ( g ) .

ok, how about next iteration has plates that are angled down like venetian blinds half pulled ...30 or 45 degrees ... overlapping...that would deflect the lead down, and also save the plates from punctures.

we had a stop/collector made from an old cast iron water heater tank, mounted vertically, fed into a angled sort of sheet plate , bullets went in at an angle and spun down. weird, but worked at 100 yards .

might mention that next i built a 200 yard range, ... big mistake ... i couldn't hit the plate always, so built a rail-tie-dirt backstop...but after walking the 400 yards to check targets, it took half an hour to calm down. now i shoot at 50 yards at water filled bean cans .. life is good.

ken

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Brodie posted this 26 December 2014

Delmarskid: The next evolution angle the plates to 12* from the vertical .  My friend who puts in indoor ranges tells me that this will drop the bullets right at the plate's feet or at least straight down from where it hit (on a level run).  He uses flat plates with a 2 ft. deep hole filled with cut up tires ( sold as garden mulch) to catch the bullets, and if quite successful with his design. Brodie

B.E.Brickey

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delmarskid1 posted this 26 December 2014

The louvers do sit at about a 45 degree angle. I can tip the whole works forward to try a different angle. I like the idea of the shredded tires.I gave the swirling drum idea some thought but let it go. This thing is a mini-me of our clubs indoor range.

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gpidaho posted this 26 December 2014

I've been looking around for ideas for a bullet trap that would be lite enough to take to the range.  Being retired I now have enough time but not an over abundance of money so why not try to save the lead.   In the special project section over at Boolits there's some pictures of a trap that uses  rubber squares cut from conveyor belts, mud flaps, old tires or just rubber mats these are indexed 2 or 3 inches apart in a box as the racks are in a bee hive.  can be put together and taken down very easily.  I'm going to make  one and see if it works to an acceptable level.  Will let you know how it goes.   Another idea was to bolt a metal plate to the side wall of a wide junk tire (think drag slick) and let lead splatter and fall to the bottom of the tire. Lucky there is no such thing as a range master where we shoot, couldn't you just see his face!   LOL   GP

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Ken Campbell Iowa posted this 26 December 2014

we were wary of back-splatter from an indoor range, so we made a frame to hold

a roll of roofing tar paper

over the opening of the trap ... after a few hundred shots, just cut raggy paper off with a box cutter, y roll down another 4 feet. also great to staple new targets into. oh, cheep at menards.

ken

yeah, what used to be free lead is 5 or 10 cents for a buffalo bullet .. shooting more 22, 6mm, y 30 carbine lately.

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Little Debbie posted this 28 December 2014

A bullet trap is a great way to recycle lead, but I've found any alloy with much antimony tends to shatter making reducing it back to bullets require good fluxing. Lead/tin alloy deforms into satisfying flat slugs that get molded back into bullets. Mine is made with an old oxygen cylinder for  the ” snail” and two 1/4 inch pieces of mild steel laminated for the side wings. The top and bottom are 1/4 and its mounted in a small trailer making it sort of portable. The steel alone weighs over 700 pounds.  The spent bullets fall into a plastic bullet at low velocity.

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Little Debbie posted this 28 December 2014

A bullet trap is a great way to recycle lead, but I've found any alloy with much antimony tends to shatter making reducing it back to bullets require good fluxing. Lead/tin alloy deforms into satisfying flat slugs that get molded back into bullets. Mine is made with an old oxygen cylinder for  the ” snail” and two 1/4 inch pieces of mild steel laminated for the side wings. The top and bottom are 1/4 and its mounted in a small trailer making it sort of portable. The steel alone weighs over 700 pounds.  The spent bullets fall into a plastic bullet at low velocity.

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delmarskid1 posted this 30 December 2014

"now i shoot at 50 yards at water filled bean cans .. life is good.”

You either eat too many beans, drink too much water, or don't shoot enough. I'm keeping my eyes peeled for a decent propane tank. The trailer is a great thought. We have a clapped out manure spreader. I can try to make the beaters whirl.

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tlkeizer posted this 30 December 2014

Greetings, delmarskid1, another option may be an old hot water tank rather than a propane tank. If you want an old propane tank, check your local propane dealer as they may have some on hand that did not check out for safety and be willing to part with them after making sure they will not hold gas. Just 2 thoughts, one for each of my pennies.

TK

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admiral posted this 01 January 2015

Out on the family farm we built a dirt berm as the main back stop. In front of the berm we set up 3 or 4 old gnarly stumps that are too much of a pain to fit on the wood splitter. The targets are placed in front of the stumps so all bullets impact in the wood. After a couple years of shooting and weathering the stumps are shot apart. Then its just a matter of picking up the bullets out of the wood chips. No shattered, splatterd bullets. And it's simple to sort the pure lead muzzleloader bullets from the wheel weight bullets as the harder stuff doesn't deform much in the wood. Then we replace the stumps.

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