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suggestions on bullet traps

bobskibobski Member Posts: 17,868 ✭✭✭
edited August 2004 in Ask the Experts
any suggestions on old fashioned snail trap bullet traps or...? do they still make them or are we left to making our own these days? all my smith friends have those nice little traps in their corners and you just drop the tray out to empty them. any brand names out there? thanks!
Retired Naval Aviation
Former Member U.S. Navy Shooting Team
Former NSSA All American
Navy Distinguished Pistol Shot
MO, CT, VA.

Comments

  • MooseyardMooseyard Member Posts: 2,541 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    www.snailtraps.com
    These are made by Savage, they are the only ones I know of. I'm planning on getting one soon.
  • bobskibobski Member Posts: 17,868 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    holy cow...20 grand for 36"'s of steel? geesh...its time to get some welder buddies together for a cookout and start welding! anyone else got blueprints for one? wow....im still recoiling![:(]
    Retired Naval Aviation
    Former Member U.S. Navy Shooting Team
    Former NSSA All American
    Navy Distinguished Pistol Shot
    MO, CT, VA.
  • TRAP55TRAP55 Member Posts: 8,270 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    5' long piece of 14" gas main set on a 45 degree angle. 4" of sand in the bottom, filled with water, and a drain plug. Good for test fires but a real PITA if you wanted to recover the slugs!

    "Aim small...Miss small"
  • perry shooterperry shooter Member Posts: 17,390
    edited November -1
    Hello I had one when I used to cast my own bullets out of linotype and did vaste amounts of ransom rest testing . I put it "SOME WHERE" if I can find it I will contact you I will be at the location where I think it is Aug 4th. I shoot STAR bullets now and no need on saveing them have not used trap in YEARS. Karl quote:Praise the HARDBALL gun"
  • bobskibobski Member Posts: 17,868 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    jack s. down in petersburg has one in his garage. calls his neighbors and then fires....now thats a great neighborhood! dont we all wish....hey perry, email me! thanks!
    Retired Naval Aviation
    Former Member U.S. Navy Shooting Team
    Former NSSA All American
    Navy Distinguished Pistol Shot
    MO, CT, VA.
  • STRIPPER-TIPPERSTRIPPER-TIPPER Member Posts: 323 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Depends on the purpose. If you are shooting targets it is one thing ,if you just need to function check look at the APC-100 & APC-50. WWW.FIREARMS-SAFETY.COM About the size of a coffee can and it will stop a 50 BMG ! Saw these at the SHOT show in Vegas.
  • bobskibobski Member Posts: 17,868 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    gotta be at least 36" x 36" for a 5yd indoor range.
    Retired Naval Aviation
    Former Member U.S. Navy Shooting Team
    Former NSSA All American
    Navy Distinguished Pistol Shot
    MO, CT, VA.
  • pickenuppickenup Member Posts: 22,844 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Not a snail trap but, how much room do you have to work with? Ever consider old carpet? You can make it any size you want (2'x 4' or 8'x 10' whatever you can find.) You can make it small, or big enough to use multiple targets at the same time. And the setup is pretty cheap. (except for the steel) A couple of sturdy rails along the side, and some 2x4's and your good to go. Just hang the carpet over the 2x4's (now it is double layers of carpet) and set them on the side rails. Pack them together, and with enough layers it will stop most handguns for quite a while. With a piece of plywood tacked up in front of the carpet, to hold your targets, you will think you are at the range. Around here, old carpet can usually be had for free.

    Keep track of how many layers the rounds are going through, and change the positioning of your target(s) in front of the carpet, when it starts penetrating close to the last group of layers. (we put old aluminum signs, between the layers of carpet, about a dozen layers from the back so that we can "hear" when it is getting close to the back.) Put a nice piece of steel, leaning "out" at a slight angle, on the wall behind the targets. If you don't happen to keep track of "penetration" through the carpet for some reason. The sound of it hitting the steel will remind you, real quick, that it is time to either move your target or get some more carpet. (and the steel will save your wall)

    With any bullets that "bounce" off the steel, because of the "slight" angle of the steel when you put it in place, it sends the bullet back into the carpet. Same principal as the high priced traps, deflect bullet downward. That should not happen "too often" if you are keeping track. A couple of layers of carpet under your "trap" will keep the floor in good shape, which also makes it easy to pull the carpet out, to get your lead back. Of course you can set this whole thing up on rollers, so you can move it around, and/or out of the way, if need be. Depends on how elaborate you want to get, and how much room you have to work with.

    Make SURE that you have a fire extinguisher handy. Just in case you are too close, with too hot of a load, and the flames "reach out and touch" the carpet. Never had it happen (don't shoot hot loads) but you can NOT be too careful. When you set this (or any) trap up, set it up so that you can put a fan in a window "behind" the target to draw away the smoke etc. Don't want to get lead poisoning while having fun.

    The gene pool needs chlorine.
  • bobskibobski Member Posts: 17,868 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    interesting!
    Retired Naval Aviation
    Former Member U.S. Navy Shooting Team
    Former NSSA All American
    Navy Distinguished Pistol Shot
    MO, CT, VA.
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