I purchased one of the ThomasT Big Bang Pellet Traps from one of the forum members who had it listed in the Member Classifieds. It worked well but I wanted to make some changes to make it more quiet and to take higher FPE shots. I purchased a horse stall mat at Tractor Supply on the recommendation of another member in a previous pellet trap post and I got to work.
My plan was to cut a rectangular piece to put inside of the trap in front of the steel backer plate and use some heavy duty 3M double sided tape to hold it in place. I measured out my pieces and got to work cutting the mat. Be sure and use new razor blades and make several cuts going deeper with each pass (no need to force it). Here is a picture of the rubber mat that fits snug on the inside (folded forward/down):
You can see the mat folded forward in the first picture above before adhereing to the steel backer plate. It fit tightly enough that it probably didn't need the double sided tape but I used it as an added precaution.
Next I cut a piece of the mat to cover the full frame of the front of the trap and I used clamps to hold it in place:
I drew an "X" as a makeshift bullseye and I tested it at an angle to make sure it wouldn't ricochet straight back. Two shots later and it seemed to be much more quiet and no bounce back. I pulled the flap back and found both pellets neatly expanded and compressed:
It looks like they had enough energy to pass through the first mat, but not make a mark or embed themselves into the second mat covering the steel backer. An added bonus is you can use thumb tacks to post your targets.
Overall I am pleased with how it turned out. A final note, if you decide to do a similar upgrade be sure that the pellet rifle has enough energy so that it goes into or through the first mat and not ricochet back and injure you (wear eye-pro).
-PJ
My plan was to cut a rectangular piece to put inside of the trap in front of the steel backer plate and use some heavy duty 3M double sided tape to hold it in place. I measured out my pieces and got to work cutting the mat. Be sure and use new razor blades and make several cuts going deeper with each pass (no need to force it). Here is a picture of the rubber mat that fits snug on the inside (folded forward/down):
You can see the mat folded forward in the first picture above before adhereing to the steel backer plate. It fit tightly enough that it probably didn't need the double sided tape but I used it as an added precaution.
Next I cut a piece of the mat to cover the full frame of the front of the trap and I used clamps to hold it in place:
I drew an "X" as a makeshift bullseye and I tested it at an angle to make sure it wouldn't ricochet straight back. Two shots later and it seemed to be much more quiet and no bounce back. I pulled the flap back and found both pellets neatly expanded and compressed:
It looks like they had enough energy to pass through the first mat, but not make a mark or embed themselves into the second mat covering the steel backer. An added bonus is you can use thumb tacks to post your targets.
Overall I am pleased with how it turned out. A final note, if you decide to do a similar upgrade be sure that the pellet rifle has enough energy so that it goes into or through the first mat and not ricochet back and injure you (wear eye-pro).
-PJ
