Pellet traps & air gun safety

[PBJ]

The “Improved Silent Pellet Trap” designed by Joe Matusic, MD is now available from Archer Air Guns (arcerhairguns.com). I waited too long to buy one from Joe. I have several kinds of traps, I have an indoor 10 meter range and they all leave lead dust all over the place and makes lots of noise. I have shot apart every metal trap I have bought, I only use them now on my portable outdoor target stand (a metal roiling scaffold set up with sight-in targets and action targets as well as five traps). If you have kids at home, you should think about lead dust control, it does not take much lead to really mess up a child's health. If anyone has other leads on good traps the forum might start a safety section. Many new shooters do not know how much lead the powerful guns put in the air when shooting against a metal plate or how important it is to wash your hands after you shoot (I had to give up thumb sucking when I started shooting sir guns). I check the GTA Forums every day and am really enjoying the chance to "met and talk" with other shooters!!   Bob Jarrard (PBJ)

[Gene_SC]

Hey PBJ

That is a very good post. Safety is one of Bob's biggest concerns with handling of air guns, working on them, as well as shooting them.

I have been also thinking of putting up a Safety Gate Forum. Have not discussed it yet with Bob but I think it is a very important part of air gunning. Especially for new air gunners.

Thanks again for you post PBJ and we hope you keep contributing to our GTA.

Sincerely
Gene

[PBJ]

Thanks for the encouragement Gene. I installed the spell checker and see that I still have one typo ("sir" instead of "air"). Having a spell checker is great as older eyes do not see the typos like they used to when I was younger. I was thinking of posting about my target carrying rolling stand. Where on the site does it tell me how to post pictures?? Have a great day! Bob Jarrard (PBJ)

[Gene_SC]

PBJ

I was going to mention that you should post pictures. You can post individual pictures here in your posts, by checking the box at bottom of your post box. "Attach a file after posting"  It is just above your submit button on your post. Make sure you check the box befor you hit submit. Then it will let you add a picture or file.

Also there is a "Album" section to the far right of where you would log in. You may build your own Picture Album there.

Good Luck

Gene

The Outers unit, designed for .22rf. It is made out of 10 gauge or heavier steel, and will handle magnum class airguns with ease. What I do is fasten a piece of heavy cardboard across the entire front opening, using duct tape all around the outer edges - effectively "sealing" the trap. The cardboard face provides a surface to tape the targets to, and most importanly, contains the lead dust and pellet splatter. Every so often, remove the tattered cardboard, empty the trap directly into a plastic trash bag, and reapply the new cardboard facing. The cardboard also tends to muffle the sound of the pellets hitting the steel a bit, but if you want it real quiet, fold up some old rags and tape them across the back of the steel backing plate.

[PBJ]

Leonard, I have a Champion trap that is the same as the Outers. I use cardboard across the front and I use ballistic putty in the  back. As the putty tends to slide, the trap gets noisy if you start shooting through to the back wall. I also shoot 22 longs and shorts into this trap and they are very noisy and will punch through more putty than will fit into the trap. Dr. Joe's pellet trap gives you much cleaner holes with .177 wadcutters (easier to score/determine the point of aim). Anyone else have some new pellet trap ideas? Bob Jarrard (PBJ)

I built one out of white pine and lined the back with about an inch of ductseal.  The ductseal stops everything cold.  I use a clipboard to hold the target with a couple of sheets of paperto back it.  Its quiet and foolproof. No dust.  Just empty into the trash when the bottom resevoir gets full.

After a couple hours of shooting at it, i soon realized i had to do something to save it.
So i put a layer of Lepage blue FUN-TAK + one piece 7"x9" on top of the FUN-TAK + some more blue FUN-TAK and when piece of cardboard is in front of all that everything stays in.
I have been using this set-up now for 3 years and it is holding up real good but all my airguns are under500fps.
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b42/renethepellethead/DirtyTrap.jpg
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b42/renethepellethead/2289target001.jpg
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b42/renethepellethead/CR60target001.jpg

I've been using a 1x6 pine frame with a 5/8" marine plywood back filled with Duct Seal for years.
My neighbors would freak out if I tried a steel plate to stop pellets!!!  But Duct Seal in a townhome basement is just the ticket. No noise (the pellet hitting the target is louder than it hitting the putty), no lead dust, it's easy to refresh the putty when it gets to loaded with lead, and it stops anything I've thrown at it from a Career 707 on down to a Daisy model 25.
Jack

[PBJ]

I ordered one of the new traps that Archer Air Guns is making under license from Dr. Joe. I shot the bottom off a Gamo cone trap yesterday and am looking forward to a quiet and efficient pellet trap on my indoor range. Pictures of homemade traps would be great - gives others the incentive to build their own. I buy my duct seal putty at the local electric wholesale and it is not expensive. You can take you spent lead to a tire store if your local bullet caster does not what it.