Quieting a metal pellet trap

[Fenian]

Thanks for the reply. I am just getting started, so it helps to hear about what works and what doesn’t. That’s great advice. I think I will check it out.

I guarantee you it works 100%
Look at Duct Seal or Duct Sealant, at like a Home Depot, it’s also on Amazon, and it comes in like bricks
It’s incredible for pellets there will be zero sound, and it’s sticky so it’ll stick perfectly to metal it’s like putty

 

[allinssd]

I guarantee you it works 100%
Look at Duct Seal or Duct Sealant, at like a Home Depot and it comes in like bricks
It’s incredible for pellets there will be zero sound

I've never used it - how hard is it for lead retrieval with this stuff?

 

[Fenian]

I've never used it - how hard is it for lead retrieval with this stuff?

You can pluck it out of the putty, you see where it enters, sometimes depending on the angle it’s just sitting in the putty stopped dead mid flight

 

[EncoreUneFois]

From an eco point of view how would you recycle from duct seal? You would be there with an exacto knife for a month. If you are planning to just put bricks of putty chock full of lead into landfill then perhaps a little think should take place? Sorry, don’t mean to be harsh.

 

[allinssd]

From an eco point of view how would you recycle from duct seal? You would be there with an exacto knife for a month. If you are planning to just put bricks of putty chock full of lead into landfill then perhaps a little think should take place? Sorry, don’t mean to be harsh.

You're right - I wasn't sure what duct seal was and didn't google it - but when Fenian told me it's putty I was like oh hell no I'd be there for hours trying to get my lead out of that shyte!

I'm not an eco guy, I just care about the amount of work I'd have to do.

I don't judge or care about what anyone else does, and I 100% agree - if you're trying to be eco friendly it's not the move for you.

I also don't care or judge the people that want to use it, it sounds like an awesome medium if you don't care about reusing your lead.

So use it if you want a super solution.
Don't use it if you care about the environment or you want to reuse your lead.

 

[Fenian]

The OP asked for a solution to quieten the metal trap, that’s what they got

You didn’t stipulate that you wanted a method also for recycling lead, and also most environmentally friendly

Like give me a solution that’s
Silent
Environmentally friendly, and
Recycles your lead
??

If you want to recycle the lead, just use the metal trap with the lead going back into the trap and just empty it as needed, but, it won’t be silent or quiet.

I’ve tried ballistic rubber also, with angles, and it tends to bounce a lot of lead back out into the environment too, how’s that any good?

It’s like these environmental people telling us not to use our vehicles yet they are decked out in the latest clothing, phones and appliances which all have a big environmental impact

If you really want to reuse the lead to make pellets again, the duct seal will burn off at 350f, and the lead around 650, so you wouldn’t need to separate them all day with a knife. Another thing is you will tend to pile them on top of each other as you aim for the same spots so your not digging with a knife all day, and, you can reuse the putty, it will separate from the pellets

But the cleanest method, is using the trap as is and putting up with the sound.

Another option, the rubber mulch box, tried it, not anywhere near as quiet

It’s easy to throw stones at suggestions when you don’t have a solution

 

[Fenian]

From an eco point of view how would you recycle from duct seal? You would be there with an exacto knife for a month. If you are planning to just put bricks of putty chock full of lead into landfill then perhaps a little think should take place? Sorry, don’t mean to be harsh.

Duct Seal blocks are non-toxic, they are used in the HVAC air supplied to buildings

I was providing a solution for the OP.

If someone really wanted to reuse the lead simply heat the lead (with minimal amounts of duct seal) to 650f, and the duct seal burns off at 350f anyways.

There’s no issue here unless you really look for one

But for the OP, this is still the best method to create the most silent trap!

 

[Bigragu]

I’ve worked 35 years in commercial hvac and not once have I ever used duct seal in anything I’ve installed and our shops in our area that made all the ducts and fittings never had that stuff around. To label that putty duct seal was wrong, whoever named it that when it was made. Ducts are sealed with a brush on duct sealer goop like Iron Grip(one of the popular duct sealers used).

Where I’ve seen that putty used mainly in my years out in the field are on electrical outlet and switch boxes. The electricians would wrap the switch and outlet j boxes before the sheet rockers would install drywall, to help prevent drafts coming in from attics and out these boxes and as a way to be energy efficient so conditioned air wouldn’t seep out thru the boxes into the attics. All Title 24 stuff, geared towards energy management.

That putty should’ve been named “anti draft seal”, cause that’s what it’s mainly used for. It’s also why it’s in the electrical isle at Home Depot, same isle where all the outlet boxes are at. I’ve never seen that stuff in the isle where all the hvac stuff is at.

Now, to get back on topic as a sound deadener for pellet traps, yes, it’s good for that, but, take it from me as I’ve tried all kinds of different media from old clothes and rags to phone books, my suggestion is what I offered earlier- dense, close cell neoprene pad, 2” thick or stack 1” and 2” to get up to 3” in thickness. Very quiet, last thru a decent amount of shots before needing replacing. Duct seal is expensive, and when packed full of pellets, is just a lump of a mess to have to deal with. Old clothes and layers of old books and paper all end up on your lawn, bits and pieces all over. Rubber mulch is an awesome sound deadener and when combined with the neoprene padding, it’s the best combo I’ve ever used. My pellets punching thru the target and cardboard backer are the only sounds you hear

 

[Fenian]

That’s right it’s used around electrical outlets, usually exterior. I’ve had great experience with mine.

That looks like a tidy trap you got there. Any photos of the neoprene pad you mention?

 

[jt-outta-cali]

Rubber mulch filling with horse mat on top. Super quiet. Or use all duct sealing but once the pellets stack they hit each other and make noise,

 

[rcs9250]

Watched a video this afternoon where a guy made a trap (wooden box) out of 3/4” thick boards closed on five of the six sides. On the front face he attached a portion of a clipboard (cut most of the clipboard off) and attached one at the top front and one at the bottom front. The clips hold the top and bottom edges of a target sheet.
The maker packed the inside back of the box with a layer of duct seal about 3” thick. The guy said it took about 15 pounds.
I went to Lowe’s this afternoon and bought three 5 pound blocks.
The three blocks would amount to 246 cubic inches. With that quantity you could make a target box with an inside height and width of 9” and duct seal 3” thick.
I’m going to go get a fourth block so I can make a box with interior dimensions of 8 1/2 x 11 so I can use standard copy paper for targets.
Four bricks of duct seal is 328 cubic inches. An 8 1/2 x 11 x 3 1/2 = 327.5 cubic inches.
The video showed the guy shooting a .22LR rifle at his 3” thick block with subsonic ammo and it did not go through the duct seal. He claimed the duct seal he was using was six years old and still working fine. He just uses it for pellets. He just wanted to see if the .22LR would go through the back board.

 

[Fenian]

I have always used duct seal.

Gardner Bender 1 lb. Plug Duct Seal Compound DS-110 - The Home Depot

Gardner Bender Duct Seal Compound Plugs is a dough-like material that is easy to handle. This material helps seal and protect gaps, holes and conduit openings against dust, moisture, drafts and noise.

www.homedepot.com

Lol not allowed to mention it’s use on here or the environmental police will be after you for no reason lol
I second the use of this stuff

 

[rcs9250]

From an eco point of view how would you recycle from duct seal? You would be there with an exacto knife for a month. If you are planning to just put bricks of putty chock full of lead into landfill then perhaps a little think should take place? Sorry, don’t mean to be harsh.

So what if it takes a while to pick the pellets out. If one is concerned about “eco”, get involved. Don’t just talk about “eco”, do something. When you’re sitting there watching TV grab a pair of needle nose pliers and pull pellets out.
Then throw them in the trash.

 

[Fenian]

So what if it takes a while to pick the pellets out. If one is concerned about “eco”, get involved. Don’t just talk about “eco”, do something. When you’re sitting there watching TV grab a pair of needle nose pliers and pull pellets out.
Then throw them in the trash.

I totally agree! Complaining for the sake of it but not making any suggestions. There is no “Eco” issue. It’s non-toxic in itself, you tend to pile the lead in the same spots so it’s easy to remove, then, just burn-melt it, the putty remnants burns off at 350 and the lead melts at 650f. So you don’t even have to clean it off

There is no, I want it quiet and I want it eco friendly and I also want it easy to remove!

 

[mrwarren71]

Go to tractor supply and get a horse stall mat cut it up to desired sizes they last forever

 

[alpineboard]

Industrial conveyor belt material, for mining, wood chip power plants, firewood processing, etc.
I came across this at a swap shop. Looked it up, and is very expensive, not sure a minimum can be purchased.
Thinking it is north of $30 per square foot.
However , it is the best material that I have used so far, for indoor 10 meter. 8.4 grain at 540 fps.
Have 10,000 shots on the left one, and when cleaning , there is "not any sign at all" of rubber damage
at the continuous firing at the same spot. I cleaned the impact spot off with an alcohol wipe, and
absolutely no way of telling that I was even firing at that spot. Amazing.
The pellet hits and does not fragment at all , the wad cutter/flat nose pellet I use gets perfectly rounded
and drops to the bottom.
The first unit worked so well, now I have 2. with 3 positions of fire. Standing and benchrest, prone, or kneeling to.
At first , I was smearing a thick layer of grease on the cookie sheet pan, but after it gets a layer of pellets, it totally quiets down, and zero bounce around, was thinking at first again, a very soft foam sponge like material layer?, bubble wrap? Or another method, approx 1 inch of small aquarium stone, (have this already), will stop the internal bouncing. The bounce is not a deal breaker, just a little noisy for the first 1000 rounds.
The right new one was an old homemade linen chest, that was going in the dumpster at the dump.
To original poster, this material is silent when pellet has impact. I can get the manufacture name and product #.

 

[rcs9250]

As soon as I can motivate myself, I’m going to build a trap like shown below. It will be like the typical deflector style with rubber lining but the bottom will have a round opening for the pellet to exit into the half full pail of rubber mulch.
I’ve been shooting into two different traps, one of duct seal and the other one the storage bin with rubber mulch and in both cases the rifle is clearly louder than the impact of the pellet.

 

[Hateful McNasty]

As soon as I can motivate myself, I’m going to build a trap like shown below. It will be like the typical deflector style with rubber lining but the bottom will have a round opening for the pellet to exit into the half full pail of rubber mulch.
I’ve been shooting into two different traps, one of duct seal and the other one the storage bin with rubber mulch and in both cases the rifle is clearly louder than the impact of the pellet.

View attachment 401281

Try the folded jeans in the bottom . Heck of a lot easier to clean out pellets then dealing with mulchs or whatever. I'm pretty much gone exclusive on the jeans in my newest traps .

 

[alpineboard]

I have something from the PlyLok family.

Wood, Log and Paper – Fenner Dunlop Conveyor Belting

Conveyors play an important role in many of the different processes found within the wood, paper & pulp industry. These different processes and applications can place very different demands on the conveyor belt. For example, enormous damage can be caused by logs as they are loaded onto the...

fennerdunlopamericas.com

 

[rcs9250]

Try the folded jeans in the bottom . Heck of a lot easier to clean out pellets then dealing with mulchs or whatever. I'm pretty much gone exclusive on the jeans in my newest traps .

Ya, know, you’re probably right. The pellet has probably lost enough energy at that point that jeans or similar are entirely adequate to stop the pellet. If I make a couple pairs of Daisy Duke’s for my wife out of her jeans I’ll have enough to make the trap.