What are you using for traps?

Worker 11811 · Post by **Worker 11811** » Sun Dec 02, 2007 9:31 pm

What do most people use for pellet traps when shooting in the basement?

I can just squeeze in a 30 foot range in the biggest part of my basement.

I've got a 2' X 2' X 1" thick piece of plywood. Over the wood, I've stretched a piece of indoor-outdoor carpeting then I nailed two layers of heavy corrugated cardboard on top of that. I use a staple gun to stick the targets to the cardboard. The whole arrangement is hung against the cement block wall like a picture frame.

I don't believe a pellet will ricochet. The nap of the carpet snares the pellets before they can rebound off the wood.

Plus, I figure if you can't hit a 2 foot square of wood from 30 feet away, you ought not to be shooting ANY gun, let alone an air rifle!

I don't see myself buying a trap for the amount of shooting I do in the basement. The club I shoot at has an indoor range.

What are you guys using?

daisy · Post by **daisy** » Mon Dec 03, 2007 4:05 am

New carpet offcuts between wood works great. I get the carpet for free and change it when ever it gets heavy.
.

Daisy

Bob259 · Post by **Bob259** » Mon Dec 03, 2007 5:18 am

I have a steel trap (Detroit Bullet Trap) I use for my .22 and CF hand gun. However, a wooden box with ballistic putty (Duct Seal available at Home Depot or an Electrical supply) works great and can be made to look real nice as well.

See this site for some ideas http://www.babymd.net/aa_improved_silen ... t_trap.htm
Doc made some of the nicest traps around for a few years, still available from Archer Airguns, a link to them is on his page.

Worker 11811 · Post by **Worker 11811** » Mon Dec 03, 2007 6:54 pm

I like Daisy's idea of the trap made out of carpet rems.

Looks like it'd stop just about anything. How deep is it? About 12"?
I bet that would stop an arrow if you tightened the bolts enough.

It's cheap and not too difficult to build and install. Seems like it'd be fairly quiet too. My plywood and cardboard trap is pretty noisy when the pellets slap against it.

I'd probably put a piece of heavy cardboard on the front of it just to give a flat surface to tack targets to. You could use 10-penny nails and just poke them right in. When the cardboard gets too shot up just replace it.

I used to make a pretty good trap by filling a cardboard box full of old newspapers then tying it up really tight with a piece of bailing wire.
(Twisting the wire to cinch the bundle tight.)
But that got really heavy with all those newspapers. Plus it was messy to clean up when it got all shot up.

I'm going to have to look into making one of those "Carpet Traps"!

Thanks!