Mega pellet trap

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stoutblock

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Jan 30, 2022
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Washington, United States
I decided I‘m throwing enough lead in my backyard to justify stepping up my level of safety with an effective pellet trap. I’ve been using large cardboard boxes filled with rags but that is a bit of a hassle in the long run (plus I got a few escapes). Also tried some truck mud flaps but they were noisy and I was starting to get penetrations. Way too expensive in the long run.

I listed my requirements:

Safely captures pellets up to heavy .30 and potentially slugs (800-900 fps)
No ricochets.
Large enough to capture most strays without a backstop at 35 yards.
Stable.
Minimum noise emitted from impact.
Retain targets securely.
Easy replacement of sacrificial target mounting surface.
Allows reclaiming most spent lead.
Weather resistant.
Transportable.
Rebuildable.
Built from readily available components.
Cheap.

Seeing many of the concepts on this site and watching several YouTube videos I settled on the storage bin with rubber mulch concept. In my case I stepped it up with the large 40 gallon bin. A word of warning though is this thing is f#%king heavy so a smaller bin with a large backstop may be a better choice for some. In my case I’m only going to move it about 20’ and I like reducing the need for a large backstop.

I used three bins. One to hold the mulch. One to hold a thick rubber mat. One to hold a sheet of 3/4” plywood. I could have used just one bin with all three items but the thing is so damn heavy one bin is not strong enough not to bulge and deflect. This rubber mulch is heavy! Plus with three bins I can take advantage of the three lids. One to contain the mulch. I decided to let the pellets decide over time what minimum openings are needed on this lid to minimize mulch escaping. One lid to retain cardboard to tack target to. One lid to use for storage to minimize impact from weather etc.

This beast took over 7 bags of mulch!

Side note: I am constantly amazed how respectfully accurate the short 250mm alfa barrel Is on my L2. Trigger is the only challange at 35 yards with this air rifle.

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I was using a card board box, courtesy of Amazon. Filled with rubber mulch, HEAVY. Got a heavy mother of all steel bullet traps, actually for PB's. Still needed mulch. Then I heard about the Big Bang here on the forum. LIGHT, excellent construction. Did have to put a layer of rubber mulch and carpet in it, just a smidge too loud for back yard urban use IMHO. But it's WAY lighter than the mulch box or the solid steel trap.
 
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stoutblock said:
I decided I‘m throwing enough lead in my backyard to justify stepping up my level of safety with an effective pellet trap. I’ve been using large cardboard boxes filled with rags but that is a bit of a hassle in the long run (plus I got a few escapes). Also tried some truck mud flaps but they were noisy and I was starting to get penetrations. Way too expensive in the long run.

I listed my requirements:

Safely captures pellets up to heavy .30 and potentially slugs (800-900 fps)
Large enough to capture most strays without a backstop at 35 yards.
Stable.
Minimum noise emitted from impact.
Retain targets securely.
Easy replacement of sacrificial target mounting surface.
Allows reclaiming most spent lead.
Weather resistant.
Transportable.
Rebuildable.
Built from readily available components.
Cheap.

Seeing many of the concepts on this site and watching several YouTube videos I settled on the storage bin with rubber mulch concept. In my case I stepped it up with the large 40 gallon bin. A word of warning though is this thing is f#%king heavy so a smaller bin with a large backstop may be a better choice for some. In my case I’m only going to move it about 20’ and I like reducing the need for a large backstop.

I used three bins. One to hold the mulch. One to hold a thick rubber mat. One to hold a sheet of 3/4” plywood. I could have used just one bin with all three items but the thing is so damn heavy one bin is not strong enough not to bulge and deflect. This rubber mulch is heavy! Plus with three bins I can take advantage of the three lids. One to contain the mulch. I decided to let the pellets decide over time what minimum openings are needed on this lid to minimize mulch escaping. One lid to retain cardboard to tack target to. One lid to use for storage to minimize impact from weather etc.

This beast took over 7 bags of mulch!

Side note: I am constantly amazed how respectfully accurate the short 250mm alfa barrel Is on my L2. Trigger is the only challange at 35 yards with this air rifle.

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stoutblock, I have built one very similar to yours , AND I'm downsizing ! Mine was used in the Man Cave on an elevated platform . Man did it get heavy !! I've had both shoulders replaced & my days of heavy lifting are over . My Son was visiting over Labor Day ,so he kindly lifted it off the stand for me. I'm going to purchase two shallower containers & split the 3&1/2 bags of mulch between them so I can better manage them. As a side note , when I first put mine together I took it out to the farm for field test to "proof load " it . I fired multiple .22 long rifles into it at 20- 50 yrds , High velocity & standard round nose that would be representative of ultimate penetration rounds . No plywood base/ backer was used. Upon opening I found bullets no more than 4 to 5" deep. The mulch does a great job . I probably will not put a backer in the new builds ,as I deem them unneeded for my PCP's power levels & it will save on weight .
 
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I use a big cardboard box filled with rags. Jeans and old coats work the best. Easy to staple and remove targets. When the box is shot up, I pull the rags out and dump the spent and reusable ammo back in the box. If steel slingshot ammo or bbs mixed in I use a magnet. I then dump the lead spent ammo in a bag for later salvaging and reuse the rags in a new box. Also I like it as a way to recycle boxes and clothes that do not make good rags.
 
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stoutblock said:
Dolly is pretty much mandatory to move it as this thing must weigh over 100lbs! I may have to make a smaller one to take on the road?
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I have a rectangular plastic feed tub (was horse supplements I believe) that had a bail handle and snap top lid. Cardboard sheets in front, rubber mulch, and a hard plate in back. I cut a rectangular opening in the lid so that it was basically a frame to hold the cardboard in place. Worked well.
 
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Contndr35BB said:
stoutblock, I have built one very similar to yours , AND I'm downsizing ! Mine was used in the Man Cave on an elevated platform . Man did it get heavy !! I've had both shoulders replaced & my days of heavy lifting are over . My Son was visiting over Labor Day ,so he kindly lifted it off the stand for me. I'm going to purchase two shallower containers & split the 3&1/2 bags of mulch between them so I can better manage them. As a side note , when I first put mine together I took it out to the farm for field test to "proof load " it . I fired multiple .22 long rifles into it at 20- 50 yrds , High velocity & standard round nose that would be representative of ultimate penetration rounds . No plywood base/ backer was used. Upon opening I found bullets no more than 4 to 5" deep. The mulch does a great job . I probably will not put a backer in the new builds ,as I deem them unneeded for my PCP's power levels & it will save on weight .
Click to expand...
Agree this is probably overkill. They make a 27 gallon version of the same style bin that would probably be sufficient. The 17 gallon version would probably work at close range?
 
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Nice pellet trap! I stole Michael’s idea where he showed his 5 gallon bucket full of rubber mulch he used behind his chrono. Works great. I’m guessing it will stop 1000’s of shots before needing service. One 7.xx lb bag from Home Depot was the perfect amount for one bucket too. New bucket lids are two dollars and some change at Home Depot so I just buy a new lid and slap it on the bucket every few weeks. If I need to elevate it I just lay the mulch bucket across another empty bucket. Works like a charm. I already had the bucket so the trap cost me less than 8 dollars.
 
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Nice trap!

For years I used a Ductseal trap, still have one but don't like that I can't recycle the lead.

On the outdoor shooting range I use 12 inch sections of large diameter softwood (white pine or cedar) as a pellet stop. They work well, are good for several thousand shots and it's pretty easy to split out the wads of lead for recycling.

After reading/hearing about the rubber mulch traps I did some research and made one out of a tote and a cookie sheet. The backing cardboard takes a minute to change and a fresh target put inplace (held by a magnetic bezel) in a few seconds. It's much smaller than the one the OP shows but works well.

I did a detailed guest blog on how I made my trap and will provide a link here in case someone would like to check it out and make something similar.

www.pyramydair.com

A new pellet trap | Pyramyd AIR Blog

Vana2 talked about a more permanent rubber mulch pellet trap that will last longer than my cardboard box trap and I asked him to write this guest blog about it.
www.pyramydair.com

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Bullpupone said:
where did you get the dolly? link?
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They sell these at Costco but I bought mine at a garage sell at 20% cost. It actually does not work well in my situation because of where I need to move the trap to and from. The ground is too uneven and soft so now I am using my Rubbermaid wheelbarrow which works much better for moving it from where I store it and where I use it.

They make a version of this bin that has wheels but it is even bigger and the wheels are too small for my application. Something to consider though. I may also fabricate a way to put some big wheels and handle directly on this beast. Did I tell you it is heavy?

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MysticalDragon said:
Thanks for the feedback. I was concerned with the noise. Especially since i hope to do some shooting in my basement at about ten yards. Oh well I can always send it back to amazon
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Wrap it up in a beach towel and put it inside of a box. Should cut down on the noise. I have a wooden box stuffed with duct seal and a plate of steel for the hard backstop. It can be a PITA to get the pellets out but it is silent. I shoot pistols in my basement and the pellets stick to the duct seal or hit another pellet and they fall to the bottom of the box. Winters in Michigan can really suck, have to be able to shoot inside safely.

 
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I don't know how well my trap would work if you were well over the 40 fpe of my biggest airgun. I am sure 50 would be OK but 100 might be a bit much. But for me an electrical subpanel box filled with rubber mulch and fronted by a piece of cardboard works great. The depth is just under 4 inches which might not be enough for the big guns. But it is pretty thick sheet metal, mine is old but I think it's 16 gauge. The back of mine gets dented at the top when the mulch slumps down. But nothing has come close to coming out. I screw 3/4 by 3/4 wood around the opening to fasten the cardboard to. The front of a 100 amp subpanel box is a little bigger than a 8.5x11 inch paper target. Doesn't allow a lot of room for misses but works for me. It is light enough to carry in and move for shots at different ranges. I have a 4x4 post with a brake rotor on the bottom that I can move from spot to spot. The trap goes on top. You can easily get boxes with bigger fronts but I think the depth is pretty standard so they can be put in a 2x4 stud wall. Mine only gets a bit heavy to move with one hand when I need to recycle the pellets. I took about 11 lbs of lead out last time.

You can get a small box like I use for about $30. I made a box out of 3/4 plywood I used for awhile but It got hit sometimes and eventually it had to be retired. Hitting the electrical box at most makes a dent.
 
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