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  #1  
Old 02-12-2021, 9:18 AM
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Default DIY Pellet Trap

Hi all, well this air gun hobby has taken me quite literally by storm. What started as curiosity in December has spiraled into a passion. I've picked up a few guns over the last couple of months and weekend plinking in the backyard has become something of a routine.

I quickly realized that shooting into cardboard and haybales wasn't catching bb's and pellets as well as I would've liked. Spraying lead all over the yard was not an ideal situation so I decided to build a more robust pellet trap.

Taking inspiration from some DIY projects published online, I got to work putting one together last weekend. Saving on cost of materials was the goal (so I could instead spend of the money of more air guns and ammo, duh!). That sent me scouring on Craigslist, where I found some shipping containers that were being thrown out and listed for free.



These crates were too big on their own to be readily used for a trap, so I cut one in half. This also gave me the configuration I wanted, as I planned to shoot into the face, rather than the top.



After considering various materials to use as a backstop (sand, duct seal, etc.) I decided on using mulch as it was the most inexpensive and does the job well enough. The next challenge was creating a wire mesh that would hold said mulch compactly against the back end of the pellet trap. So I built a framed screen using 1/2" hardware cloth as a screen and secured about 5" from the back wall.



Following this, I built a frame out of 2"x3" boards for the front to add rigidity to the cheap shipping crate plywood as well as keep any stray bb's or pellets in the "shooting gallery" half of the trap. A dowel rod was insert across the top behind the front frame to hang targets from. And lastly, I salvaged some wood from the original crate and created a top for the trap, making sure that the back half is easily removable so more mulch can be dumped in when needed. Here's the finished product!





I've already used it and am very pleased with the results. The mulch stops pellets dead in their tracks, and the hardware cloth can take a beating, with only the occasional split from a direct strike. Hopefully this trap will withstand the abuse for months and years to come, as I plan to make good use of it.
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Old 02-12-2021, 12:32 PM
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Very professional looking set-up.
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Old 02-12-2021, 1:10 PM
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Looks like a fun project, good job. I just fill a cardboard box with rubber mulch and duct tape it as it gets shot up. 16" will stop anything from pellets to .223 and broadhead arrows.
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Old 02-12-2021, 1:18 PM
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I like it!! Looks really nice.
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Old 02-12-2021, 3:12 PM
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We had an event years ago... we took a wood crate from shipping a lexus to USA. lined the back with carpet. carpet and 1x1 as spacers


the 3 layers of carpet soaked up thousands of pellets...
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Old 02-12-2021, 7:59 PM
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I just fill cardboard boxes with rags and cardboard. Stops up tp .25 pellets.
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Old 02-23-2021, 3:17 PM
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Nice! I may try this!

I'd be afraid the hardware cloth would get cut up. I wonder if there's a way to sort of glue the rubber mulch together into a mass so you don't need the screen ?
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Old 02-23-2021, 4:22 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Lead Waster View Post
Nice! I may try this!

I'd be afraid the hardware cloth would get cut up. I wonder if there's a way to sort of glue the rubber mulch together into a mass so you don't need the screen ?
Make a back panel mold and fill it with Flex-Seal to make a soft but solid thick rubber pad?
Or make large thinner strips all the same size so they can be layered or replaced.
Probably need several gallons though, maybe more, not cheap.

Nice pellet trap, OP.
How is it noise wise?
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Old 02-23-2021, 4:32 PM
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Old 02-23-2021, 5:31 PM
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I like it I’d maybe hang a piece of carpet in front of the hardware cloth, looks good.
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Old 02-23-2021, 6:16 PM
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"Pan shot!!!"


That's a very nice set up you built. Thanks for sharing it.
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Old 02-23-2021, 7:31 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Lead Waster View Post
Nice! I may try this!

I'd be afraid the hardware cloth would get cut up. I wonder if there's a way to sort of glue the rubber mulch together into a mass so you don't need the screen ?
Thanks! The hardware cloth can break if it takes a direct hit, but it will take a beating. I've put at least a couple hundred pellets into the trap and there have been three breaks, and a handful of bends. But its continues to do its job and holds the mulch in place.

I only screwed the mesh frame into the crate, so when it comes time to replace, I'll be able to take it out and pop in a fresh one. If figure by the time that happens, the trap will need to be cleared anyhow.
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Old 02-23-2021, 7:36 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ojisan View Post
Make a back panel mold and fill it with Flex-Seal to make a soft but solid thick rubber pad?
Or make large thinner strips all the same size so they can be layered or replaced.
Probably need several gallons though, maybe more, not cheap.

Nice pellet trap, OP.
How is it noise wise?
Flex-seal is a fan favorite among the air gunning community, but like you mention, its not cheap. I opted for a less durable, albeit much cheaper option that would serve the purpose well enough.

Thanks! Noise-wise, there remains a slight bit of impact sound when the pellet nests into the mulch (and more so when I'm plinking cans resting inside). But the way the trap is built like a speaker, its loudest from the front, otherwise the noise is pretty muffled from the sides and behind.
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Old 02-23-2021, 8:16 PM
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Thanx for the info.
I didn't know that Flex Seal was popular.
My air rifles are quiet enough, it's the pellet thwack that gives it away.
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Old 02-23-2021, 8:55 PM
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Old 02-23-2021, 9:11 PM
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Old 03-09-2021, 8:08 AM
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Saw a cool DIY trap very inexpensive.

Start with any 5 gallon bucket you have laying around, one bag of rubber mulch 7-8 dollars at Home Depot, dump the mulch in the bucket, cut out a circle of cardboard using the bucket opening as a template, push the cardboard circle into the mouth of the bucket to hold the mulch from moving, there you go.
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Old 03-09-2021, 8:34 AM
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Won't pellets eventually cut through the wire mesh? Maybe not a problem.
Otherwise, looks good, and thanks for sharing.
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Old 03-09-2021, 8:37 AM
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I like it.

That rubber mulch is another option. If you wanted to make it longer you could do it more like a traditional bullet trap and pile the mulch.
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Old 03-09-2021, 9:32 AM
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Quote:
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Won't pellets eventually cut through the wire mesh? Maybe not a problem.
Otherwise, looks good, and thanks for sharing.
The pellets do chew through the mesh, but only after repeated strikes in the same place which is rare and hasn't been much of a problem after hundreds of shots fired into the trap at this point. That steel hardware cloth is pretty dang resilient. In fact, most pellets that hit the wire will shear or stop dead in their tracks and drop down with a big imprint down their center.

Then again, I shoot only .177 into this trap which improves the chances few direct strikes into the wire simply because the pellets are smaller. And no magnum powered rifles...
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Old 03-09-2021, 9:35 AM
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Quote:
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I like it.

That rubber mulch is another option. If you wanted to make it longer you could do it more like a traditional bullet trap and pile the mulch.
Rubber mulch is definitely an option. And I considered it when putting the trap together, but it was more costly than the birch option and I wanted to spend as little as possible haha.

But if and when I swap out the mulch, it'll probably be rubber.
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