by B.B. Pelletier

Many of us shoot our airguns inside the house, garage or barn and need to stop our projectiles from dissentious what'south behind the target. Today, I want to talk about what works, what doesn't and why. My sermon today is in the course of a repentant sinner, because I've made most of the mistakes I'k telling y'all to avoid.

The difference betwixt a trap and a backstop
A bullet trap is designed to finish whatsoever is shot into it. Targets are hung in front end of the trap, and it's expected to end all bullets/ammo/pellets/BBs that enter.

A backstop is often prepare behind the trap to stop the bullets that miss the trap. If there'south a trap, the backstop is only called upon occasionally; only sometimes in that location's no trap — just the backstop, in which instance the backstop, solitary, has to finish everything.

Starting with BB guns
When I was a boy, the most popular trap for BB guns was a trash tin can or wastepaper basket filled with crushed newspapers. It worked, but not for very long, so let's talk about that. Crushed newspapers are great padding for packages. The newspapers have enough resiliency to go along the contents of the package firmly in place — unless those contents are very heavy. And the aforementioned crushed newspapers will stop Bbs from low-powered BB guns — like Ruby Ryders — for a brusk fourth dimension.

Merely — and this is important — even a Red Ryder volition somewhen shoot through the crushed newspapers when one BB after some other impacts in the same spot. And, if the BB gun is more powerful, information technology doesn't have every bit long to tear through. Red Ryders shoot at around 300-350 f.p.s. But some powerful BB guns like the Remington AirMaster 77 height 700 f.p.s. They'll rip through crushed newspapers in ane-tenth the time information technology takes a Cherry-red Ryder to get through. When you're making a BB trap, consider both the length of fourth dimension you'll be shooting at the trap also as the potential velocity of the gun doing the shooting.

A ameliorate way to stop Bulletin board system is to provide a backstop that has some requite — like a piece of wall-to-wall carpeting. When the backstop moves, it robs the projectile of a lot of velocity, which prevents bounceback — the bane of the BB gun. And wall-to-wall carpet has a very tough base that seems impervious to steel BBs at Cerise Ryder velocities. I know of clubs that have made BB gun ranges with big sections of wall-to-wall carpet that non simply stop the BBs only which hang to the floor and are folded into a trough at the bottom to funnel all the BBs into a container, simplifying cleanup. A backstop like that and a large powerful magnet makes cleanup an easy chore.

Of course, you lot can buy a commercial BB trap that will do all I've described. Crosman's model 850/852 trap is perfect for low-velocity BB guns and works for depression-velocity pellets, as well. The simply trouble is that Crosman has them fabricated in China, and sometimes they're out of stock for a very long time. The UTG pellet & BB trap is very similar and will do the same things. It costs a few dollars more, but the supply is more than regular. Both of these traps have "ballistic defunction" that absorb the free energy of Bbs at low velocity. A sparse steel backplate ultimately stops the projectile. Of form, y'all'll want to put a larger backstop behind this trap for those few projectiles that miss the trap altogether.


This Crosman 850 BB trap has stopped thousands of Bulletin board system and pellets. Find how the ballistic curtains have been torn up from all the shots.

For the more powerful BB guns — those with muzzle velocities over 400 f.p.s. — I don't similar carpet. Like crushed newspaper, it'south possible to shoot through it if y'all proceed hitting in the same spot. For those guns, I prefer an actual trap filled with duct seal and use the rug as a backstop behind the trap. The few Bbs that hit the carpet won't hit in the same place, and it should work fine. If the range is to be more permanent, however, put some plywood backside the carpet and keep an eye on the carpeting and replace it as needed.

On to pellets
Pellets are made of pb, more often than not, though there's a movement to utilize other metals that are less toxic. Lead absorbs free energy when it deforms against a difficult target. Upward to 600 f.p.due south., lead continues to flatten out until a spent pellet has become a apartment round deejay with but a trace of the brim yet visible. At velocities above 600 f.p.s., lead starts to break apart upon impact. Offset, it breaks off in large chunks traveling at low velocity. As the impact velocity continues to rise, the atomic number 82 fragments get smaller and travel faster. Above 700 f.p.s., they're traveling fast enough to break lights up to 15 feet away from the trap.


This pellet was flattened at 600 f.p.s. or less, You lot can still see the pellet's brim, including the rifling that's engraved into both it and the head that is flattened.


This pellet was moving faster than 600 f.p.south. when it striking and has started to pause apart. It's a smaller quotient than the first pellet, but the breakup happens in the aforementioned manner regardless of size.

You don't want to use a lightweight pellet trap for pellets that move at college velocities! They'll even dial through steel plates if they're sparse enough. For pellet guns, some thought must be given to what kind of trap you apply.

I utilize iii traps in my work. One is the BB trap already mentioned. Regular readers of this weblog know that I shoot several hundred rounds each week. Often one test involves from 100 to 200 shots. Then, my traps (I'thousand not talking about backstops yet) have to exist upwards to the task.

Heavy Duty Bullet trap
For all my most powerful airguns, I use a Heavy Duty bullet trap designed to cease a .22 long rifle bullet. I bought mine well-nigh 20 years ago and I thought $45 was a lot to pay. Today, you'll pay over $75 for the same thing, but it's the last bullet trap (of that type) you'll ever purchase. My trap has seen hundreds of thousands of pellets and bullets over the years — and except for the pigment, information technology's withal every bit expert as new today.

My workhorse heavy-duty pellet trap hides behind the cardboard facer. The white capitalist board behind is half an inch thick and will stop pellets with up to 50 human foot-pounds of energy.

This is the trap I use when I shoot 25 yards inside the house, and over the years I've missed this trap a couple dozen times, and then I learned long ago to dorsum it with something strong. I utilize a lath of white synthetic textile that Edith gave me years ago. Information technology's supposed to be a special lath she bought over fifteen years ago for kneading bread dough, simply information technology warped only enough that it twirls and moves freely on the countertop during utilize, then now it'south mine. Since I started using this capitalist lath with the steel trap, nothing has slipped past.

The final trap I utilise is the one that blog reader Jim Contos gave me. I wrote a special blog describing how to build 1 for yourself. Jim gave me this trap after I reported shooting through my homemade silent pellet trap that I'd used for many years. After cleaning the trap and replacing all the duct seal, I was testing a Beeman HW100 S FSB, which is a 26 foot-pound PCP rifle. Within just a few shots I shot clean through the duct seal and the steel plate behind it! I've used this trap for a very long fourth dimension and with some powerful airguns. What was unlike this time was the lack of a wadded mass of lead pellets to help tedious the pellets that were shot. So they sailed right through the trap!


This is what happens when a 26 foot-pound pellet burglarize hits ii-inches of duct seal in the same identify repeatedly. At that place'due south a thin steel plate between that plywood back and the duct seal, and the pellets zipped through it!

I don't back this trap with anything. because I apply it only for chronograph testing, where the cage is a foot from the trap. I haven't come up close to missing the trap in over 25,000 shots!

How large should the backer be?
Make the capitalist large enough to positively stop all rounds that are shot in the direction of the target. If yous're the but shooter, maybe the backer tin can be smaller; simply if your range volition e'er host other shooters of varying abilities, get in bigger. When nosotros lived in Maryland, I often let others shoot on my basement range. I used a iii/4-inch plywood backer that was 4 anxiety foursquare. Even then it was only enough to stop all the wild shots. Not everyone waits to sight the gun before their finger moves to the trigger!

Let'southward review
So, you always want to cease your projectile positively. Sometimes that's washed with just a target backer, like a piece of wall-to-wall carpet. Other times, y'all utilise a trap to cease the projectile and put the backer backside it in case you miss the trap.

Shooting safe is imperative, considering in that location'southward no room for error hither. How y'all finish your projectiles makes all the difference between a safe dwelling house range and a serious accident or injury. This is one area where you always want to err on the prophylactic side!