21 replies to this topic

[ShooterJohn]

I'll save you guys some time and money on building a pellet trap. There used to be plans for a silent pellet trap on the web but the guy sells them now. His were made of wood and I made a couple I still use. But I found something that works even better and can stand up to even my PCP airguns. You can get all of the materials from Home Depot. I print my own target on a 90 pound weight paper so that the pellets cut clean holes. So you can take a standard sheet of 8.5X11 paper to the store and go to the electrical department. Find the cheapest metal electrical circuit box (breaker box) that the paper fits closely over. The box fronts come off and you'll get rid of it when you get home. Then find or ask the sales person to get you to the Electrical Duct Sealant. It's a gray putty that comes in stick blocks and get enough to make one layer of it inside your box. Take your materials home and take the top off of the circuit box and throw it away. Take your duct seal and stuff it into the box. Go find a refrigerator door magnet or I use a magnetic paper clip to hold your target to the front of the metal electrical box. There you have your silent pellet trap. These are very quiet that don't splatter lead or lead dust around and you can shoot almost indefinitely into them without worrying about removing the pellets. Plus since it's a metal box you never have to worry about your pellets making a hole out the back like I did with my wooden version.

[D-Man]

Nice one SJ!Darren

[wannakillacoyote]

Sweet! I just went to Lowes (I said I wasn't going out in the heat today). I picked up a 100A Power box for $15.xx and 8 bars of Electrical Putty for $2.xx for a total of $35. Very simple idea I would have never thought of.Thanks John.

[ShooterJohn]

Sounds like the price has gone up? Oh well what hasn't lately. You have yourself a great pellet trap now and it's safe and quiet.

[capitol]

This is my silent pellet trap. It's filled with the putty SJ talked about plus I have a steel plate mounted in the rear. It fits a standard 8 1/2x 11 sheet of paper held by a clip board.Works great and will even stop a 22LR, but dont ask me how I know

[ShooterJohn]

I have a few of the wooden ones like yours with the clipboards. But hit that clipboard and you have to make a new one. I like the circuit breaker boxes because they're already metal and a magnet works so much easier to hold the target. If I let anybody shoot at mine I bring out the plate a 2 foot by 2 foot 1/4 inch steel backup. I don't like extra holes in my wall.

[Hot Brass]

Thank you for the idea. I usually just bound two or three old phone books together with duct tape and shoot till the first book is done. I then remove the first book and tape another one on and shoot. It takes a lot to go through a 1 1/2" phone book.

[Bone]

I made your pellet trap and must say it works perfect! Cost about $60 maybe $70 to make but this thing will last a lifetime.Thanks much!

[ShooterJohn]

Glad it worked out. There's a bit of up front cost but not as much as the commercial wood ones they sell. Plus you'll never accidentally shoot through it like some of us have the wood ones.

[Bone]

This is how it looks.  pellet_trap_sitting_on_desk.jpg   67.9K   151 downloads  pellet_trap_45_degree_angle.jpg   32.34K   82 downloads

[Bone]

Just to let you guys know. The trap above that ShooterJohn designed stopped a 230 grain slug going 781 fps. Also, it stopped a 143 grain round ball going 910 fps. Although one of the slugs went into the wood as well (I had a 1 inch piece of plywood behind the putty), it made it half way through. Two inches of that putty will stop any airgun. I shot it with 22 LR and even those 60 grain 22's. The only thing I could see happening is that if you were to shot at the same spot with a big bore there would be problems. Or if you used 22 LR then a couple shots in the same hole and you might want to move to new spot. My magnum airguns PCP's where going in over 1 inch and my ar6 1 1/2 deep plus. It was neat shooting this trap and then dig them out to see expansion and the damage to the lead. For shooting target guns it's perfect. No noise and I could shoot 100's in the same spot and the lead just keeps sticking to lead and doesn't leave a hole or build up. Kind of pushes the putty around.Thanks again John for the idea!Bone

[CBR400RR]

I went to Lowes and Home depot and I could not find the stick putty and nobody had any idea what I was talking about.

[ShooterJohn]

It's called electrical duct sealant (Google it) and is found in the electrical department. I bought 10 sticks of it the beginning of the week from Home Depot. I guess they don't have to be smart to work there. I'll see if I can locate a part code for it. But I picked it up off of the shelf.

[CBR400RR]

I will go back tomorrow and look again.

[Bone]

Yeah I'm going to get more of it. 2 bucks a stick is a good deal for what it does. Yeah it's in the electrical section and I had to go to 3 stores and bought everything they had so it's not something they keep a lot of. Each store had about 10 sticks. Although this material works good for stopping bullets and good to see the mushroom action of shot bullets. I don't think it would be good for ballistics unless you make it the same temp each time and the same consistency each time you fill the tube or box of material you shoot. I might get some any try. Sounds like a fun test.

[atto]

If you want ballistics, make ballistics gelatin!

[sixgun]

great idea shooter john ... makes a nice pellet/trap for those of us trying to save some money ...

[Johnny]

I will go back tomorrow and look again.

I know this is an old post, but since others still look at them (including myself), i thought i would add my findings in hopes it would help someone. Home Depot's website calls the putty... Gardner Bender Duct Seal Compound Plugs (10-Pack)Model # DS-110Store SKU # 593567Good luck!BTW: Great Idea!

[Bennie]

Finally finished my target today. This is how I finished the inside.This is what it looks like with the cover on it.This is what it looks like with a target on it. The target has 4 five shot groups shot at 19 yards. That is as far as I can shoot where I am staying now.Here is what a five shot group looked like in the Duct Seal.Here is a 18.1 grain JSB one shot one not.Thanks for this post and idea. The target is silent and the Duct Seal stopped pellets better that what I thought it would. They were going in about an inch. I think it would stop a .22 LR no problem. It looks like to me that my groups are smaller in the duct seal than they are on the paper. I am going to have to print my targets on thicker paper or get some cardboard backer.

[ShooterJohn]

Bennie go to Staples or a similar store and get some 70lb paper stock. It makes great targets, nice and firm so they cut real nice when the pellets hit it.

[Bobby B]

It's called electrical duct sealant (Google it) and is found in the electrical department. I bought 10 sticks of it the beginning of the week from Home Depot. I guess they don't have to be smart to work there. I'll see if I can locate a part code for it. But I picked it up off of the shelf.

So true I used to work at Home Depot when I was a kid and things are much different then when Bernie and Arthur owned it. They actually trained us, to this day i still help people find things at Home Depot when I'm there shopping for myself. Sad.

[IamChase]

This type of pellet trap with only one layer of putty stopped a 9mm. I wont say on youtube what kind of round it was, but it is a law enforcement only round and is extremely powerful. I'm assuming any regular 9mm would be stopped dead in its tracks (I'm actually going to be testing this theory out tomorrow!) Heres the proof!When I have time I'll edit the video and make it look a lot nicer (I'm still trying to learn how to use this new thing, its got a lot of options and stuff that I'm not familiar with, its a nice camera xD)Also: It stopped .22lr 20 grain blazer ammo at point blank with 2 different .22 hunting rifles and a winchester model 22a-1. The pellets and bullets fired from similar ranges both penetrated about the same.