Does anyone have an idea where I could get some plans on how to build an indoor pistol bullet trap? Looked at the internet and was not succesful. Thanks, Smoker

I hope you guys are not shooting a lot of high speed stuff, thinking that steel plate will stop it!
A 7mm Rem Mag with 139 grain Hornady Spire Points will pass through 1/2 inch plate at 50 yards +!
A 223 Remington with 55 grain Hornady Spire Points will pass through 1/2 inch plate at 25 yards +!

I don't know what it would do when the plate is at a 45 degree angle though! I'd suspect that after a good shooting session, the bullets would start ripping through the plate!

POINT: Make sure you have a safe back-stop behind the steel plate!
Also, You don't need Armour Piercing ammo to penetrate steel plate!

There used to be an old man on my paper route in the early '70s who'd been an NRA Life Member since about 1927; at any rate that's how far back his collection of American Rifleman went. Lived in town, had a basement with an unfinished end, just a dirt bank. He'd shoot all kinds of stuff down there. Once he forgot his wife had a whole bunch of little blue haired ladies over for a tea and cut loose with his .30-06 downstairs. Caused quite a cleanup job in the living room.

(That guy never learned about hearing protection, either. He couldn't hear worth a toot.)

For rifle, take a 24 gallon RubberMaid Action Packer (available from Walmart, etc.) Cut a four by four inch hole in the end.



Get a thick piece of foam rubber, maybe six inches thick. Cut the foam rubber to fit the entire inside of the Action Packer end with the hole. Double the foam rubber up. Place a thick piece of particle board inside the box between the end of the RubberMaid and the foam rubber. The foam rubber acts as a sealant to keep the sand from pouring out as holes accumulate.



Place one inch red or black target on center of particle board for aiming point.



Before adding sand, place the Action Packer on a steel framed Gorrilla Rack with at least a two-inch thick plywood top to support the heavy sand filled box.



Behind the foam rubber, fill the box to the top with sand.



Keep the lid on the Action Packer when in use to keep down the dust. Check inside the Action Packer frequently between shots to smooth out the sand as the sand will build a slope which could deflect bullets up.



Obviously, this is not for general target practice, but for shooting from a machine rest. Used this setup for over ten years when pressure testing and chronographing loads indoors.



Helps to have a brother who works for free to move the sand into the box.



Also had a sound suppression box between the muzzle and the sand box. The chronograph was between the suppressor and the sand box.



Shot stuff as big as 378 Weatherbys without a hitch.



For handgun target practice, built a similar setup using four foot by four foot inch-thick plywood for target face and back. Use two plywood sheets for front end. Used two foot wide plywood for depth side.



Used four by four inch boards (post) in the corners to connect the plywood. Screwed and glued it together. Used even more foam rubber for sealant as one does not want to have to remove sand to replace the sealant after a few years. Placed sand box on railroad ties to get desired height. Placed more railroad ties behind sandbox but never had a hole in back of box. Used this box with hard cast bullets from 44 Magnums and 454 Casulls.



Keep in mind safety, ventillation, and sound protection.



Hammer

That reminds me of the college kid (true story) that, when testing his newly sawed off 20ga double barrel, testing in in the garage of the house where he RENTED a room, missed the stack of 2x4's he was using for a backstop. He was invited to leave - something about the hole in the wall of the back of the garage - both barrels.

How long ago did you do that, Tim?

Let me add ONE more thing about bullets and steel. I consider it TOO CLOSE to shoot at any steel targets ONLY 25 yards away. Experience talking here. I have seen and 'experienced' a bullet jacket that came STRAIGHT back from hitting the steel target - turned inside out. The .303 cut a 3/4" diameter hole in the steel and the jacket just missed my knuckles. Still have the scar in my shoulder. It was the exception, but it happened.

Keep the angle to less than 45 degrees if you can afford the steel - bullets will hit, skid and end up in the sand below - most of the time. Occasionaly pieces will be thrown back. A sheet of rubber (inner tube?) could catch most of them.

Be safe.

Ricochet -
Wasn't me. I was into more dangerous things then (still in high school).

I saw an outside bullet trap made of 1/2 inch plywood. It was a "box" about 2'x2'x4'long. The target was placed on the 2'X2'end of the "box". A couple of layers of rubber sheet (rather heavy rubber floor mat material) were placed on the "inside" of the 1/2 inch thick plywood target end of the box. The opposite end of the box had a piece of 3/8" inch steel plate inside next to the plywood and two layers of 2by lumber inside that. The entire box was filled with (recycled) "ground up" tire material sold by Lowes' as "safety playground ground covering". A 1/2 inch plywood top was screwed on to the box. The individual that built the "trap" said he kept all the bullets striking the target within a 4 inch circle centered in the end of the 2'X2" "box" end. He fired at it from rather close range and used it for function firing of (only) .45 Auto and .22 Rimfire pistol. He claimed that the reclamed bullets were hardly deformed at all and that recovery of the "lead" was easy as the "playground material" was much lighter than sand. He did not use it inside. He placed it outside in front of a "berm" and used it to catch the lead bullets so he would not have to worry about cleaning lead out of the berm. I do not think that safety was a problem the way that he used it. I do not know if this approach would be safe or advisable for an "inside" bullet trap at all. Has anyone had any experience with this type of bullet trap? All of the other concerns of an indoor bullet trap and indoor firing of lead bulleted ammunition would still need to be considered. The use of lead free primers (when and if available for reloading), and bullets of brass, copper, iron, aluminum, plastic/iron matrix, or other material might be possibilities for the future.

Hello Safeshot. That box sounds interesting. Being not too creative I can't visualize it. The 4' depth would take up
quite a bit of room indoors though. You would be surprised how little information there is available for building a decent trap. Trk has been very helpful with some ideas. I'll probably be building a trap ~ 5' tall and ~ 22' square with a target opening of ~ 18x22, angled 1/2" plate with a foot or so of sand in the bottom. Only problem I still have is finding someone to do the first test shot . Phil