Bullet traps

[Dirty D]

I’m under contract for 5 acres in a rural area and while it’s not enough land to shoot on safely I would love to be able to find low ES/SD loads without having to drive 15 miles to my favorite shooting spot. Is there any info out there about how to make a bullet trap for rifles?

 

[roostercogburn98]

Make you a good backstop from railroad ties, and some dirt. If all your searching for is ES/SD numbers, then you only need range wise is about 50 yards or maybe less.

 

[AllenOne1]

I don't know what the terrain in like on Uranus but if you can clear a 100 yard shooting lane with a large dirt berm for a back stop you are golden. You can check you ES/SD and get an accurate zero at that range. If noise would be an issue, suppress it.

 

[oneshot86]

This is piled up pool dirt.
Pool companies need a free place to dump

 

[Mr.BR]

By the way, has anyone had any experience with the big hay bales as bullet traps, i have seen some used in PRS in Europe but never considered them a bullet trap material.

 

[Jscb1b]

Well, this thread was a let down.

 

[jetracer013]

I have a 2x3 steel bullet trap built by mgm targets. I used to live in a house with a 20yd tunnel in the basement. MGM put a second layer of armor plate in the back to stop 5.56. It has a 3” thick piece of rubber across the front that prevents ricochet.

 

[TripleBull]

I’m under contract for 5 acres in a rural area and while it’s not enough land to shoot on safely I would love to be able to find low ES/SD loads without having to drive 15 miles to my favorite shooting spot. Is there any info out there about how to make a bullet trap for rifles?

First, congrats on the pending purchase. Cool!

There is a thread or two here about backstops, and I see some below under "Similar threads". The railroad tie + dirt works well, but you may have to do some maintenance if you toss a ton of lead at it. I'd recommend a bit of overkill and based on personal experience, realize that some visitors may be interested in shooting on your home range and not be as competent as they pretend to be. I once listened in horror when my neighbor let a yahoo shoot his 270 over the top of the backstop and onto the neighboring golf course. Fore, motherfucker!

 

[gigamortis]

As far as keeping muzzle blast noise to a minimum without a suppressor, I have seen a home range where the owner set up a short tunnel of old tires in front of his shooting bench. Just make sure to have the tire tunnel close enough to the bench so that the muzzle sticks inside.

 

[my human host]

It's actually pretty simple to burn something together if you're not concerned with containing the bits of lead and copper.
I built one several years ago out of 1/2 inch plate. Mine is probably four and a half feet high and six feet wide. It's currently parked at 600 yds with a 6 inch and a 12 inch plate hung a few inches in from the opening.

I can't get to it at the moment to take pics because of snow. I posted a pic or 2 of it on this forum maybe 6 or 8 years ago, but I have no idea if they're still around.

 

[lonegunman762x51]

Is your 5 acres in a part of the county where shooting is legal?

Do you have a direction to shoot that has no homes or roads in the backstop?

Do you have an HOA or covenants that limit or prevent shooting?

Do you have a clear 100 yards? or 15 yards depending on your ability?

Are you dreaming of rifle or pistol?

Are your neighbors insane? My brother had 5 acres in Georgia and he had neighbors who called the cops over and over again for nearly 30 years, then he finally moved away. The cops simply said, "shooting is legal and he has a decent backstop."

Build a backstop, railroad ties and dirt and if possible maybe an overhead to stop ricochets from getting out.

Good luck.

 

[TurboTrout]

Pure dirt!

 

[Dead Eye Dick]

Plant lots and lots of trees all around the range. encourage undergrowth. The trees and brush absorb a lot of sound.

 

[Tempest 455]

As far as keeping muzzle blast noise to a minimum without a suppressor, I have seen a home range where the owner set up a short tunnel of old tires in front of his shooting bench. Just make sure to have the tire tunnel close enough to the bench so that the muzzle sticks inside.

Seen people use corrugated drain tube for same thing.

Sand is probably the most effective backstop. Get a bunch of sand bags. Enough sand will stop a .50 BMG.

 

[Missalot]

As tempest says, sand is going to be the cheapest, most effective backstop. You will need to figure out a way to contain it in a box.

 

[hlee]

Just some food for thought. A stack of tires (or any other contrivance) rigged to shoot through- with the purpose of diminishing the report of a firearm- meets the legal definition of a suppressor.

 

[hollowoutadime]

This is what I setup this past summer.
Wasn't cheap, but works year round, enjoyable to build.

The tiltable center plate is 3/8" AR500. Fragmented rounds are directed down to a 1/4" AR500 then into a bed of sand.
Barely visible to the left of the shooter is piece of 3/8" acrylic if a spectator or coach want's to observe the shooter.

Always wear eyes and ears, the acrylic stations also work where people talk to each and are perpendicular to the backstop.
Can't fix lapse in judgement

Under that white stuff is a poured concrete sidewalk, so even in swampy wintry conditions, nobody stands in mud.

I'll finish the shooting tables in the spring. My daughter is a LEO, so I figured the more we shoot, the better off she will be.

For a rifle trap, you could probably build something half the size.

I

 

[Sean the Nailer]

Just some food for thought. A stack of tires (or any other contrivance) rigged to shoot through- with the purpose of diminishing the report of a firearm- meets the legal definition of a suppressor.

while this may be true, in the 'factual' sense of the word.... is there not some-sort of stipulation as to whether it is 'attached' to the firearm or not?

 

[Sean the Nailer]

and also, with regards to 'traps' I have built (and prefer) the "snail-shell" design wherein there is a deflector behind the target and then a tubular (no valley-girls please) squirrel-cage type design for which the projectile simply spins around grinding itself to a stop on its own friction and impetus.

I'm not doing the description any justice, but it isn't easy to paint a picture with font.

 

[hlee]

while this may be true, in the 'factual' sense of the word.... is there not some-sort of stipulation as to whether it is 'attached' to the firearm or not?

Would you trust the ATF with this language??

Firearm Silencer Law and Legal Definition | USLegal, Inc.

The terms

definitions.uslegal.com

terms "firearm silencer" and "firearm muffler" mean any device for silencing, muffling, or diminishing the report of a portable firearm,

 

[Sean the Nailer]

Would you trust the ATF with this language??

Firearm Silencer Law and Legal Definition | USLegal, Inc.

The terms

definitions.uslegal.com

terms "firearm silencer" and "firearm muffler" mean any device for silencing, muffling, or diminishing the report of a portable firearm,

So, by that logic (and I Pray that you see the extreme here) any "indoor" shooting range already has their approved Stamp for possession and use of a silencer simply because it is in a building. To which the building itself is the silencer?

Is THAT the point of ridiculousness that we're dealing with here, or is it getting worser?

 

[hollowoutadime]

Somebody made one.

 

[hlee]

So, by that logic (and I Pray that you see the extreme here) any "indoor" shooting range already has their approved Stamp for possession and use of a silencer simply because it is in a building. To which the building itself is the silencer?

Is THAT the point of ridiculousness that we're dealing with here, or is it getting worser?

Bump stocks, pistol braces, 80% receivers, forced reset triggers, a shoe lace tied to a key ring, etc. What do all of these have in common? They are all either banned or in the process of being redefined as NFA items, or outright banned. Tax stamps for indoor shooting lanes, coming to a neighborhood near you. Of course, you’ll need an RO for each lane to satisfy the requirement that the licensee maintain direct control of the NFA item…