Homemade steel Target Trap - Input/opinions -

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JCD

JCD

Member
Sep 1, 2016
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MD, United States
I've had a piece of 3/8ths steel (2' x 2') sitting in my garage from a project that never got off the ground and certainly wasn't airgun related. I've also had a pile of scrap ,treated 4x4's.

I've started turning the combination of the 2 into my 100y target trap.

I've got the base ready to get bolted together but want to position the uprights so I can verify dimensions. 

I want to mount the steel at an angle to drive the majority of the lead down (mostly) into a catch tray. But since it's 'only' 2ft I want to keep it as vertical as possible for max target area. 

Current plans are for a 20 degree down angle from vertical. Is that enough to concentrate the lead toward the back rather than have more splatter than recoverable lead? 

I'm tempted to spend some new $ and line the whole thing but while the stuff I'm using wasn't free originally, the target trap is, or the stuff that's been sitting here for years would have been trash. So I'll call this all free but for my time. 

I'll have this done this weekend regardless, room for 12 of my 'approximate' EBR targets up top and some steel plate targets on the lower half (and a lot less stress about where my neighbors cows are).

EDIT - no wonder your guys were teasing me on the plate.... I wrote 5/8th... it's 3/8ths. Still much thicker than my .22 bullet traps though. I corrected this post.
 
Rodeo, A tire is actually one of the things I've been considering as my catch tray, cut to size to fit at the bottom, want to leave as much of the plate as possible as a backstop. I hate cutting tires up but I do have some to choose from.

Just thinking that this will be a perm install at 100y so the pellet is already dropping quite a bit. Not smart enough to determine the downward angle of the pellet at 100y but the pellet will be dropping and therefore adding to the angle of the steel plate. 

Just want to catch as much lead as I can while investing as little new money as possible, Other than the steel plate this is all wood so far. Maybe I'll shoot it a bit and see. Heck. I have targets at 55y and 75y made from treated posts / 4*4's that have been in place for many years and they will last for many more, still the lead is not currently recoverable from those. Trying to be a better caretaker.....
 
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Definitely NEVER going to need to replace the plate. I don't know your setup but as an example a .25 / 25.4 JSB @ 880fps has an arc that tops off at about 9.5 inches @ 55yds (quick numbers plug into Chairgun). The drop from 55 to 100yds even with a bit more of a curve at the end won't add much to the plate's angle. How big of a tire do you have available? Tractor trailer size?
 
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could you have found something a little thicker, maybe 3/4 or an inch LOL
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I figure I'll be covered if I ever start shooting .50 cal PB's in my back yard... you know, to get rid of the few squirrels..... The plate has been in my garage for 5 + years. A buddy and I were going to build some reinforcement for our rusting offroad jeep frames. My jeep broke down and I ended up selling it for pennies and he wrecked his before ever bringing his plasma set up over to the garage so... I have a metal plate and no other us for it so why not shoot it....
 
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Definitely NEVER going to need to replace the plate. I don't know your setup but as an example a .25 / 25.4 JSB @ 880fps has an arc that tops off at about 9.5 inches @ 55yds (quick numbers plug into Chairgun). The drop from 55 to 100yds even with a bit more of a curve at the end won't add much to the plate's angle. How big of a tire do you have available? Tractor trailer size?
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Most of my current shooting (at 100y) is with a .25 34g JSB at about 870 muzzle fps. Your right, the plate will out live me and maybe my kids..... I don't have a TT size tire but I do have some crazy wide muscle car street tires that I mistakenly offered to dispose of for a friend. I think I will stick with the high angle (20d ish). The base is 7inch deep, made from 4x4's (3.5 inch each) . It will be set on pavers so I should be able to see 'splatter' impacts. Then I'll go back and figure out where to put a 'baffle' to catch the splatter of the sides and bottom. I figure I can use lower grade (thinner) metal in those areas, the energy dump will be on the big plate.

I lost the socket I was using to drive the bolts (blame the beer) but I should be done in time to post a pic in the morning. (I don't shoot when I drink but I sure build some oddball stuff when the mood strikes).
 
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Are you planning on reusing the lead or just want to keep it out of the yard? A rubber mulch trap does an excellent job of catching (and holding) pellets but not the easiest job to sort pellets out of the rubber. My mulch trap has been outside for a couple of years now. It has thousands of pellets in it and still stops everything. It just might be better with all of the lead in it. My only concern is what to do with the lead filled rubber mulch if I ever do decide to replace it.
 
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Blubberboy…. The goal on this on is simply to stop / reduce downrange risk. But if I'm (and I am) putting up a 2'x2' steel plate I figure I shot try to capture some of the lead.

Not really relevant but I will use the lead to create something at some point. But I already capture the lead at my 10m Pistol/Rifle range and my 30y range (my zero point for my fav... 20FPE .177's)

But a simple tray with sand is going to be much easier that anything I've been thinking. Thanks for the idea.



jarmstrong - yup but I want as much target area as I can get from THIS piece of steel. a 45d angle would give me 12" (vertical) of target. I need/want more.

Rodeo - I've never used the rubber mulch but it seems like a great solution in a lot of cases. Don't think it's for me though. Once the fall weather sets in, I'll have a good deal of water on the ground for the 100y between me and the target. Changing targets will be sloppy enough without having to worry about the mulch bucket, I have the supplies, going to build something more permanent, when I cant easily change the paper targets, I'll still have the steel "AR" plates to shoot at. 

I'll have this in place tomorrow and will put pics. 

Thanks for the input.

Jeff
 
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A rubber mulch trap does an excellent job of catching (and holding) pellets but not the easiest job to sort pellets out of the rubber. My mulch trap has been outside for a couple of years now. It has thousands of pellets in it and still stops everything. It just might be better with all of the lead in it. My only concern is what to do with the lead filled rubber mulch if I ever do decide to replace it.
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I believe it was crusher that showed this about a year ago - just fill another 5 gal bucket with water pour your rubber mulch in it - lead goes to the bottom & the rubber mulch floats simple & reusable both ways that's what I do Darell
 
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Kayaker, I did try floating the rubber mulch once as a test for separating out the lead. Maybe it is just the brand of mulch I used (bought at Home Depot) but it did not float. 

1567302115_734534825d6b21e3ecfeb5.60491894_15673020759705223089982632188589.jpg


I just tried it again with mulch from my indoor trap (same mulch). A few strands floated but the majority of it sank. Recycled tire rubber??
 
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Sorry its been a long time old man brain fart . Just took mine apart & tried it ,I use 1/4 plywood & that 1/4 stuff they use on the bottom of drawers with duct taped wrapped around it . Behind that a 11/2 " piece of memory foam that helps to keep all the debris out of the mulch . Yes I stand corrected sorry But I strain the top off with a cheap strainer from wall mart (All the wood & paper stuff) then just run my hands thru the bottom of the bucket to get the mulch . Most of the pellets stay on the bottom as you know then I pour it on the concrete & use my blower & skim over the top to blow the rest of the small pieces off (I let it dry off for a while before the blower) Sorry my mistake That's old age but maybe my wife is right I'm losing it LOL But it did come back to me after I poured it into the water BTW same stuff My apologies Darell Might be easier to make a 2x4 frame then I/4 wire mesh & sift it then a blower for the small stuff just got that idea lol 
 
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If you want, I can take a few measurements off of my bullet trap designed to take 22lr and under. It was a commercially made unit, by Gunslick, and designed to direct the lead to the bottom "trap". PM me if interested.
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I have a couple of the .22 bullet traps with about a square foot available target area and that's what is out there now and I don't have a welder so I'm going to stick with my scrap plate and 4x4's. Thanks though. 

I got pulled on to something else late yesterday so I didn't finish. I'm close though.
 
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Every situation is different. At 100 yards if you are just shooting air guns the angle of deflection is probably not at all critical. The challenge is really separating the pellets (lead) from the junk . I’d suspect a farely large holed sieve made up with screen or maybe chicken wire would separate the larger pieces of target and backer board from the pellets sand and small stuff. Then run it thru a smaller strainer to get the sand and the pellets separated. I’ve done this at a range and it’s a messy job but one you don’t have to do often. It’s best to capture the lead and recycle and keep it out of the ground. I don’t but I should and plan to do so.
 
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Are you planning on reusing the lead or just want to keep it out of the yard? A rubber mulch trap does an excellent job of catching (and holding) pellets but not the easiest job to sort pellets out of the rubber. My mulch trap has been outside for a couple of years now. It has thousands of pellets in it and still stops everything. It just might be better with all of the lead in it. My only concern is what to do with the lead filled rubber mulch if I ever do decide to replace it.
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Check out my method. You can technically used incrementally smaller mesh. Short, crappy video (no Oscar for me) but you will get the idea. Hope this helps. 

https://www.airgunnation.com/topic/get-the-lead-out-short-video/
 
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