Rubber mulch boxes, or any backstop, use caution!

This is the dilemma we all face with guns that shoot "one hole" groups. I find I have to keep moving my POI to different points on the target, but even then after time the pellets will punch through. The steel plate is the only sure backstop for pellets.

Someone one recently posted he used a steel electrical box as his trap. I am thinking about using something similar as a trap but using the duct sealer instead as a catch instead of the rubber mulch. Also someone suggested that it get some ballistic cloth its not much for a yard as a larger back drop. As you know a springer will have a flyer.

I make a box 12 inch square 16 inch long using 1/2 inch plywood I cut and install metal channel around the front of the box so I can slide in cardboard to attach the targets. Inside of the box at the rear I install about 1/4 inch of Kevlar from a used police vest. I then put another piece of 1/2 plywood over that then fill with rubber mulch and install the top. I then install the box inside of a box with shelves made out of 3/4 inch plywood. i use several used Kevlar vests behind that . Then the whole thing in inside of a small garden shed in my backyard.

I shoot from inside of a building in the backyard from a window off of a bench it's a true 25 yard distance and no one can see me or hear me shoot. I shoot up to .30 cal have never had a pellet even hit the backstop inside of the trap. Every 3 months I sift the mulch thru a screen and separate the pellets from mulch and inspect the backstop.

The police vests are replaced every few years and the old ones are disposed of if you have a friend in law enforcement see if he can get you some of the inserts without the carriers that way they wont be giving you a vest.

You make a very good point about target traps we need to keep an eye on them and do inspections and repairs when needed. Thanks for the heads up. 

Good advice.

Mitch

Definitely an important message and I hope many people read this. I've had the pass through happening to me when I was chrono'ing some .22 19gr NSA slugs. Shot about 10 shots right in the same place at 30 fpe. The first 7-8 went Thwack, thwack thwack and then all of a sudden the thwack stopped and each shot sounded hollow. Moved the backstop and immediately saw the holes in the walls, went to the other room and saw the exit holes - and then looked across the ceiling and saw the entry holes on the other side. This was a very eye opening and scary experience for me - I only shoot when no one is home, but still WOW! My backstop in my target is made of about 20 layers of 1000 dernier ballistic fabric (hope I got that right - some seriously strong stuff. This stuff has stopped nearly 10,000 .22 pellets with barely any penetration through the 2nd to 3rd layer but those slugs on top of each other penetrated like it was butter.