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Bullet Trap Design

10/16/2009 1:39 PM

I worked at a shooting range that burned down. Total loss. The owner is rebuilding and wants me to assemble the trap.

We used commercial conveyor belts cut into pieces and hung by wire and nails. It was high maintenance. I have looked into various steel configs like snail, louvres and other impact deflectors but all are high dollar items.

Is anybody familiar with an easier to maintain option that will contain .44 cal. @ 40 feet?

Thanks for any cool ideas.

Vic

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#1

Re: Design for bullet trap.

10/16/2009 1:56 PM

A row of politicians strapped together, with a row of bankers in front should stop the bullets nicely.
Del

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#3
In reply to #1

Re: Design for bullet trap.

10/16/2009 2:19 PM

Don't forget lawyers.

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#4
In reply to #3

Re: Design for bullet trap.

10/16/2009 2:33 PM

That's a common misconception. It turns out that most species of lawyer are far too slimy and the bullets slide right off.

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#13
In reply to #1

Re: Design for bullet trap.

10/17/2009 2:32 AM

And where should the lawyers be stacked? Next to the Paedophiles, or on top?

I prefer them personally as a front row, just to slow up the bullets a little.......they are not very substantial.....

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#14
In reply to #13

Re: Design for bullet trap.

10/17/2009 4:33 AM

This level of detail is getting decidedly gruesome....
But funny
Maybe if they are baled together edge on and head to toe? It would also stop the irritating chatter as they offer to represent eachother.
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#15
In reply to #14

Re: Design for bullet trap.

10/17/2009 8:41 AM

Why won't snakes bite lawyers?

(Posts #11 and 12 sound good to me.)

Professional courtesy

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#2

Re: Design for bullet trap.

10/16/2009 2:09 PM

Earthen mounds and /or straw bales work well and are the cheap way out(sounds like cost is a major issue)

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#5
In reply to #2

Re: Design for bullet trap.

10/16/2009 2:38 PM

Earthen mounds and /or straw bales work well and are the cheap way out

... except most eyes today look for GREEN. That includes (no kidding) recycling of fired bullets. Was involved in construction of Target Club range not long ago, and the club was pestered constantly by some Recycling activist group during construction regarding (no I'm not joking) their embrace of recycling the fired bullets! Most trap systems I have seen do exactly that anyway... trap the slugs, and they can be gathered up and melted, seperated into components, and cast into new slugs.

Wow...

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#6

Re: Design for Bullet Trap

10/16/2009 3:37 PM

How about old carpet? Folks throw it out all the time. Hang it so it can flex and absorb the impact. I would put the shag side to the bullet, the bullets would cut up the matt just like they probably cut the conveyor belt. You can attach area rugs over spots that get hit a lot. When the area rug is done, pin up another.

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#7

Re: Design for Bullet Trap

10/16/2009 3:50 PM

LCD monitors - Do you have any more Del?

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#8

Re: Bullet Trap Design

10/16/2009 4:23 PM

The belts actually stop many rounds in the first layer. The longer they are exposed to impact the less effective they become, and need to be replaced. Having a space betwixt them does improve stopping capability.

I am considering copying a hopper style feeder for the belt pieces so as they get shot up the debris falls to the floor for sorting.

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#9

Re: Bullet Trap Design

10/16/2009 11:32 PM

We use Rubber Chips,ground up rubber like wood chips, piled up in front and rear. Were able to buy it in large quantities in plastic bales.

If placed against a concrete wall the lead can be separated out.

Good luck

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#10

Re: Bullet Trap Design

10/16/2009 11:40 PM

I don't know if this will help, but when I did a google search a while back on this subject, the NRA (of course) had some relevant information, as did the US Department of Energy (surprised me they did).

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#11
In reply to #10

Re: Bullet Trap Design

10/17/2009 12:48 AM

Trying to contain cal .44 Magnum fire should not be attempted on the cheap. Depending on the size of your range, your best bet may be minimum .5 inch armor plate oriented at less than 30 degrees from plane of bullet travel diverting the bullets downward into dry sand at least 3' deep. Don't forget to armor the sides, as well. Monitor erosion of the plate behind the targets; you might need to add more thickness to the wear surface periodically.

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#12

Re: Bullet Trap Design

10/17/2009 1:56 AM

half inch plate, angled into sand. Works perfectly. Its what we used for the indoor range in Summerside. For rifle bullets, you need a berm (a dike) of sand piled up against a concrete wall, outside would be best for that of course. We found old used carpet is a cheap way to keep the sand (and toxic dust) from spraying up in both cases. For indoor ranges, you MUST Vent thoroughly, pushing the air at the butts through a good dust collector...the lead oxide is really dangerous. A public range will have a hard time keeping its licence if the level of lead oxide dust in the air gets too high.

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#16

Re: Bullet Trap Design

10/17/2009 9:52 AM

You might clarify whether this is an indoor or outdoor range. Because the old one burned, it sounds like it's an indoor range, however, in my part of the US no indoor range permits firing 44 (or any other) magnum ammunition. To get a good answer you need to clearly describe the problem.

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#17
In reply to #16

Re: Bullet Trap Design

10/20/2009 9:00 PM

Here in Tampa are indoor ranges that allow rifles and handguns to .50 cal. and machine guns (fully auto.), but no reloads, black powder or tracers. They also use the Snail capture method which is not cheap. The new structure will be on a concrete slab, so I will find it difficult to deflect the rounds into a sand pit.

Vic

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#18

Re: Bullet Trap Design

11/03/2009 3:25 AM

Scrap steel or a mountain backstop.

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