Trap for Pellets to save lead

Alexx1401 · May 14, 2023

A bit ago I bought this trap:

Sold for using to shoot rim fire into. I figured it would contain the shots from my new .30 PCP. The gun has been so much fun I was burning a lot of money on ammo. So figured this thing I could at least save the lead and sell it for scrap. Damn thing has been working great. I put a sheet of cardboard in front of it to help keep lead from flying back out since it is thin as ribbon after going in the trap. Is working great. Cost should pay for its self before long with what scrap lead sells for.

Yarome · May 14, 2023

That looks sharp.

I do the poorman's method. A cardboard box and stuff it with recycled rubber mulch from the DIY'ers Playground (Home depot/Lowe's) for about $7-$8 a bag. Every so often I dump the box on a table, agitate the mulch to drop the lead out of it, repack it for reuse then brush up the lead.

An advantage I see is the bullets/pellets remain pretty much intact with very little deformation.

Just an idea.

AirgunAce · May 14, 2023

Yarome said:
That looks sharp.

I do the poorman's method. A cardboard box and stuff it with recycled rubber mulch from the DIY'ers Playground (Home depot/Lowe's) for about $7-$8 a bag. Every so often I dump the box on a table, agitate the mulch to drop the lead out of it, repack it for reuse then brush up the lead.

An advantage I see is the bullets/pellets remain pretty much intact with very little deformation.

Just an idea.

+1

ilikegunspdx · May 14, 2023

My airgun and 22 rimfire trap. Other wise known as a giant blob of duct seal. It's pretty darn silent. Every once and a while I beat it into a different shape with a dead blow hammer which makes all the pellets/bullets dissappear. Must be many hundreds/thousands? in there. Not a way to collect lead I don't think but good if looking for silent trap.

Alexx1401 · May 14, 2023

Yarome said:
That looks sharp.

I do the poorman's method. A cardboard box and stuff it with recycled rubber mulch from the DIY'ers Playground (Home depot/Lowe's) for about $7-$8 a bag. Every so often I dump the box on a table, agitate the mulch to drop the lead out of it, repack it for reuse then brush up the lead.

An advantage I see is the bullets/pellets remain pretty much intact with very little deformation.

Just an idea.

When I was looking at these they sold some higher end models that used that rubber stuff a lot of ranges use. They were rated to stop and catch rifle rounds so impressive stuff. This thing I figured that even if I sell the scrap at a buck a pound will not take long for it to pay for its self. If I ever get around to buying a can for my .22's I can even shoot them into it

Alexx1401 · May 14, 2023

ilikegunspdx said:
My airgun and 22 rimfire trap. Other wise known as a giant blob of duct seal. It's pretty darn silent. Every once and a while I beat it into a different shape with a dead blow hammer which makes all the pellets/bullets dissappear. Must be many hundreds/thousands? in there. Not a way to collect lead I don't think but good if looking for silent trap.

View attachment 1421997

Now that is a cool little idea. Seems the damn thing will end up being pretty damn heavy as the lead builds up.

ilikegunspdx · May 14, 2023

Alexx1401 said:
Now that is a cool little idea. Seems the damn thing will end up being pretty damn heavy as the lead builds up.

Yea very heavy. Not something you want to move around much. I used to have one of those pyramid boat anchors for river fishing. Feels about like that. Just a big chunk of lead.

Member 34319 · May 14, 2023

I want to say they called them snail traps. Essentially a trap but with a cylindrical tube at the end. That way the bullets went in, spun, then dropped straight down. You could put a coffee tin under the cylindrical part and after a bunch of bang, you'd have a tin full of lead.

Yarome · May 14, 2023

Alexx1401 said:
When I was looking at these they sold some higher end models that used that rubber stuff a lot of ranges use. They were rated to stop and catch rifle rounds so impressive stuff. This thing I figured that even if I sell the scrap at a buck a pound will not take long for it to pay for its self. If I ever get around to buying a can for my .22's I can even shoot them into it

I'm not sure what stuff they use at ranges. Like sheeting to absorb impact and drops the lead or mulched stuff?

The mulch I use you have to compress it into your box. Just by hand and nothing fancy, but I've thrown a mag of 5.56 at my box for testing purposes. That particular one is about a 2' square box. Caught them all just fine, but I wouldn't make a habit of anything over .22LR. It really just depends on how big you want to go and and how much material you pack into it. The ones I have strictly for pellet are much thinner boxes and will still handle .22LR with zero penetrations with 50rnds, but it's always better safer than sorry and restrict .22 to the 2ft'er.

Going on the cheap has some advantages too. Like multiple target sizes, distances and heights without having to fork out bucks on multiple steel catchers.

Mixing up the types works too! "Options" are cool.

Dungannon · May 14, 2023

My trap is stuffed with old towels. Unroll and shake out the lead.

fishpoem · Jan 28, 2024

Alexx1401 said:
A bit ago I bought this trap:

Amazon.com
Sold for using to shoot rim fire into. I figured it would contain the shots from my new .30 PCP. The gun has been so much fun I was burning a lot of money on ammo. So figured this thing I could at least save the lead and sell it for scrap. Damn thing has been working great. I put a sheet of cardboard in front of it to help keep lead from flying back out since it is thin as ribbon after going in the trap. Is working great. Cost should pay for its self before long with what scrap lead sells for.

Where do you sell the lead?

Capn Jack · Jan 28, 2024

Coldwell Shootn Gallery.

This is a stock picture of the gallery set up for rimfire using steel targets. A friend of mine with an aluminum fabrication shop made me a set of aluminum, "Rabbits" that a pellet gun will knock over. I also added a $10.00 wireless remote to the motor so you can start and stop it from you shooting position.