Looking for the perfect pellet trap, QUIET
- Thread starter Goldwing
- Start date
I am using an alu beer keg, took out the bottom, and filled it with alpaca wool (from a local farmer who discards it otherwise). Super silent. Pretty sure 1000FPE does not come through. The cracking of your paper target? Dunno, I hang a target on a paperwriting board -took out the back- within the keg …
Upvote 0
The slap of a pellet hitting the actual target itself is probably hard to get rid off, well unless you change the material the target are made off.
But for regular cardboard targets i assume the only way to quiet that down is to have the target holder at the end of a pipe that is then fitted with sound dampning on the inside.
That way i assume the impact slap will be reduced some before it get out of the pipe ??
A pipe NOT terrible larger than your target papers, i dont think i 3 foot length of 2 foot diameter pipe will do much.
I am thinking the regular ???? is it 5X5 " papers, anyway that and then a pipe that is 15- 16 " diameter, where some are lost to sound damping on the inside.
This will probably necessitate a light source on the paper, but that should also be quite doable.
Of course that in turn will make it a little harder to change target, though if in consideration when setting the things up, it should be a minor nuisance.
On the other hand if the setup is totally legal ASO and it is just the worry of a neighbour that’s not friendly, and of course American police having to react as they must.
I would just leave a MSG with the police, so they know if there is a call about "gunfire" at so and so address, they can be relaxed in their drive and arrival, which is probably NOT what the neighbour want.
Also if neighbour is fully aware it is a pneumatic air rifle, and call in a firearm discharge complaint, shouldn’t you go after him for filing a wrong complaint. ( Swatting attempt maybe )
My favourite papers are those 5 dot ones, i think for shorter range with pistols, but i use them out to 75 M
But for regular cardboard targets i assume the only way to quiet that down is to have the target holder at the end of a pipe that is then fitted with sound dampning on the inside.
That way i assume the impact slap will be reduced some before it get out of the pipe ??
A pipe NOT terrible larger than your target papers, i dont think i 3 foot length of 2 foot diameter pipe will do much.
I am thinking the regular ???? is it 5X5 " papers, anyway that and then a pipe that is 15- 16 " diameter, where some are lost to sound damping on the inside.
This will probably necessitate a light source on the paper, but that should also be quite doable.
Of course that in turn will make it a little harder to change target, though if in consideration when setting the things up, it should be a minor nuisance.
On the other hand if the setup is totally legal ASO and it is just the worry of a neighbour that’s not friendly, and of course American police having to react as they must.
I would just leave a MSG with the police, so they know if there is a call about "gunfire" at so and so address, they can be relaxed in their drive and arrival, which is probably NOT what the neighbour want.
Also if neighbour is fully aware it is a pneumatic air rifle, and call in a firearm discharge complaint, shouldn’t you go after him for filing a wrong complaint. ( Swatting attempt maybe )
My favourite papers are those 5 dot ones, i think for shorter range with pistols, but i use them out to 75 M
Last edited:
Upvote 0
I went with the Champion Range and Target Champion Traps and Targets .22 Bullet Trap from Amazon, packed the inside with rubber mulch and used gorilla tape to hold it in. Seems to work fantastic - there is virtually no pellet slap.
Upvote 0
I am a cardboard box stuffed with old clothes and wrapped in duct tape target box kinda guy! They are the best.
However, So here is my newest target. It is very unique. I got it here on AGN about 2 months ago. What makes it unique is that it has a shock absorber spring! I will clean it up and use duct seal with cardboard against a plywood backstop. I am only shooting 10m with it, so it should stay quiet! I have enough Pro targets to last awhile...
However, So here is my newest target. It is very unique. I got it here on AGN about 2 months ago. What makes it unique is that it has a shock absorber spring! I will clean it up and use duct seal with cardboard against a plywood backstop. I am only shooting 10m with it, so it should stay quiet! I have enough Pro targets to last awhile...
Upvote 0
I think you need to capture the paper slap sound . A hood / tunnel type of catch in front of the target .
Another idea is use nylon window screen instead of Saran wrap on the box ( i think the wrap is transmitting the paper slap sound , much like a radio speaker ?.
Another idea is use nylon window screen instead of Saran wrap on the box ( i think the wrap is transmitting the paper slap sound , much like a radio speaker ?.
Upvote 0
This seems to be coming around to the right idea. I tested many ways of making my pellet trap quieter a year or two ago. There should be a long thread here on my trials. I used a cheap sound meter to quantify the results not trusting my fallable perception. That instrument eventually failed but I think it gave useful data for awhile. The bottom line is just the pellet hitting the paper target makes a noise of about 85db. The only way I found to mute this effectively was to hang bath towels on a rack I made over and in front of the trap. Two was better than one. I only went about a foot in front of the trap although I briefly tested going further and decided it was not worth it. I got a measured 3db reduction. That is not huge so I don't still do it. But I am confident it works. There might be something better than bath towels but it has to be a soft surface. logically a longer "tube" is better but then you will have lighting issues and I think it is one of those decreasing benefit things where the first foot buys you much more than the next foot of enclosure. I really doubt you could get more than 6db out of this unless you pretty much enclose the whole path of the pellet to the target. But it would be interesting to see somebody try. My shooting in my backyard is legal where I live and my neighbors do not mind so I kind of lost interest.
Changing the material that catches the pellets does close to nothing. Old clothes work but the pellet hitting them or mulch is not the main source of noise so changing that material does not measurably reduce noise. Old clothes also get shreaded quickly and are a mess when you open the trap. Rubber mulch holds up very well so that is what I use now. I periodically filter the mulch and reuse it. I get tired of carrying a 15 lb trap with 10 lbs or more of pellets in it.
I wet targets and if you get them wet enough it helps a little but I had a cardboard backer behind them and didn't want to get it too wet or it would not contain the mulch. Getting the target wet enough kind of eliminated it's usefullness as a target.
If you just want a plinking target you can put small things in a foam holder and not make a lot of noise but what do you put behind it?
I started looking at the pellet trap and target because I was testing moderators and noticed that I could not get below about 85db. Then I tried shooting into the large lake behind my house and the noise measurements went down. So I knew the target and pellet trap were creating the noise I was measuring at that point.
You are all welcome to try whatever you want. It is a free country (relatively anyway). But my "solution" is a thin wooden box with about 6 inches of rubber mulch and 1/8th inch think metal on the front edges to protect the box and clamp the target in place. Cardboard goes behind the target and has to be replaced eventually. The rest of the box may last indefinitely. One of mine is several years old and has absorbed tens of lbs of pellets. You probably need more like 8 inches of mulch if you go over about 40 fpe. I don't know what you need over 60 fpe. If I wanted my traps quieter I would put them into an enclosure I could cover with bath towels.
Changing the material that catches the pellets does close to nothing. Old clothes work but the pellet hitting them or mulch is not the main source of noise so changing that material does not measurably reduce noise. Old clothes also get shreaded quickly and are a mess when you open the trap. Rubber mulch holds up very well so that is what I use now. I periodically filter the mulch and reuse it. I get tired of carrying a 15 lb trap with 10 lbs or more of pellets in it.
I wet targets and if you get them wet enough it helps a little but I had a cardboard backer behind them and didn't want to get it too wet or it would not contain the mulch. Getting the target wet enough kind of eliminated it's usefullness as a target.
If you just want a plinking target you can put small things in a foam holder and not make a lot of noise but what do you put behind it?
I started looking at the pellet trap and target because I was testing moderators and noticed that I could not get below about 85db. Then I tried shooting into the large lake behind my house and the noise measurements went down. So I knew the target and pellet trap were creating the noise I was measuring at that point.
You are all welcome to try whatever you want. It is a free country (relatively anyway). But my "solution" is a thin wooden box with about 6 inches of rubber mulch and 1/8th inch think metal on the front edges to protect the box and clamp the target in place. Cardboard goes behind the target and has to be replaced eventually. The rest of the box may last indefinitely. One of mine is several years old and has absorbed tens of lbs of pellets. You probably need more like 8 inches of mulch if you go over about 40 fpe. I don't know what you need over 60 fpe. If I wanted my traps quieter I would put them into an enclosure I could cover with bath towels.
Upvote 0