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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.
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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