Pellet Trap plans

[Jim B.]

Does anyone have plans, drawings or photos of a simple pellet trap suitable for plinking in the gagage at low velocity? Thanks, Jim

[savageT]

Yes........I've used an approximately 12 inch square cardboard box filled with old sheets or blanket....whatever you have and tape the box front with duct tape.  Works great and the cost is next to nothing.

Seriously, I asked the same question a year or two ago and there are wooden ones you can build lined with acoustic foam, but nothing works quite as well as a cardboard box loaded up with scraps of blanket mtl.!

Jim

[big6x6]

Here are some pics of mine.  I really didn't have a "plan" of sorts.  I looks like a cabinet.  You shoot thru the opening in the front.  I used duct seal for the material that stops the pellets.  It has a clip to hang targets.  The rear of the cabinet lower to replace the duct seal when necessary.  I used some pretty thick sheet of steel as the back plate with a piece of plywood on the outside.

[Jim B.]

Chuck,

I am unfamiliar with "Duct Seal".  Is it a compound for sealing air ducts?  Where can it be found and is it expensive?  I like the idea of solidly stopping the pellets and my wife would prefer something that looks like your cabinet.

Jim

[Deaf Smith]

My homemade trap is relativly simple to make. I buolt a 1 foot square box out of pine but you could use plywood as well. I used 1 inch boards. I also put a 2-21/2 inch lip on thr open front of the box (you leave 1 side of the box open during construction) The lip is to keep pellets and other debree inside the trapYou can use a shoot of steel of 1/4" lexan for the back of the box and then put a phone book or two as pellet stopping material.
On the top lop of the trap I put the top of a clipboard which I cut the majotity of the bottom off I then screwed that part left with the clip to the top og the box Using a piece of cardboard for a stifiner place the target on top of that and using the clip put them up and shoot away. The cardboard stiffiner last for a lot of targets. Then what I did was get a rubber target stamp and ink pad so I can make my own targets from any type of paper even zerox paper. Works great and I have a lifetime suppily od free targets. I got the stamp and pad from Sinclair INc. They sell a lot of target shooting suppilies.  I wish I could post a photo on here but I don't have that capability. Oh yes i also painted the bare wood bright fire engine red.
I plan to someday replace the phone books with duct seal but I am not in a great hurry.

[Lawdog]

Chuck,

While the pictures are great, could you or would you post some figures and such to go along with the pictures?  I use an old cone style trap(similar to a Gamo but somewhat larger and strong enough to stop .22 WMR ammo).  BUT the drawback to it is the noise and weight.  With every shot it rings like the Liberty Bell and it weights a bit over 50 pounds.  Also it doesn’t just deflect the projectiles into the bottom, it deflects them into a spiral trap that doesn’t allow for the projectile to come out(like the Gamo cone does(I got one of them too)).  Small groups and tight lines to you.  Lawdog
 

[big6x6]

Duct seal...
MORE THAN LIKELY you can get it at Lowes, Home Depot, etc.  You can certainly get it at a air conditioner/heating supply store.  It's kind of like putty but doesn't splatter.  

Dimensions..
Cabinet
30 inches from floor to top.
20 inches across
11.5 inches deep

Steel backing plate(.25 inches thick) that holds the duct seal
17 inches wide
14.5 inches tall

I've shot up to 35ftlb airguns with nary a problem.  The pellet just goes "splat!"

On thing...with all the materials involved...this thing is HEAVY..about 35lbs!!!!

Any more specifics and I'll be glad to help.

[Deaf Smith]

and your is by far the nicest and most well thought out I have ever seen. I mean the shelf on top to store targets and the trapdoor on the rear to acess and replace the duct seal are great ideas than I don't think anybody has thought of befour not even me. My trap while nice is nothing compared to yours. If and when I build another i may resort to coping some if not all the aspects of yours. Very nice trap. Very nice.

[big6x6]

Thanks for the compliments, Jim!

[mjfa]

Sorry, but don't know how to insert an image.  May somebody explain?

Finally I learned how to insert images, so now I am able to show you my pellet trap pictures and plan.

Front and Side view


Sliding Target Frame removed


Back and Side view.  It may be placed on a table or hanged from a wall at any desirable height.  Note the two keyhole slots at the top of the sliding back lid, for hanging the trap if desired.


Sliding Back Lid removed


Inside Trap removed.  This inside box is made out of 3/4 plywood with an inside back lining of 1/8" steel plate and filled with 18 lb of Duct Seal.


In addition to paper targets I may hang some reactive targets and build different sliding target frames for more posibilities.


Pellet trap shop drawing

[mjfa]

I am using it on a stand that places the center of the B40 10 m Air Pistol Target at the official height of 54 inches.  It weights close to 25 lbs so if it is going to be hanged from a wall, two heavy duty anchorage are required.

[VictorLouis]

I'm almost embarrassed to post this here under such detailed, and beautiful work that's been shown already.

What I've done, on the cheap, is pretty simple. I've duct-taped an old phone book of several inches thickness, then placed that inside a properly sized cardboard box. For that matter, you can also just lean the book up against a solid wall and past the targets directly to it, rather than across the mouth of
the box.

The duct tape keeps the book from opening up more and more with successive impacts from each pellet.

There, I posted it anyhow.

[mjfa]

Here is another style of silent pellet trap I designed and built some years ago.  It uses 3" of corrugated carton as filling material backed by a 1/8" steel plate.  The carton and the steel plate are trapped between an inside frame and a sliding back lid.  It incorporates a paper clip for hanging targets and shelf space to place plinking targets.

Front view


Front & side view


Back & side view


Trap with plinking targets


Shop drawing


I hope these pictures gave you some ideas to help you design and built your very own pellet trap.  If you don't feel the desire of craft a pellet trap there are some other effective and easier solutions.  One is to get an old metallic electrical circuit breaker panel box, fix a large paper clip using sheet metal screws, and fill it with duct seal.  Good shooting to you all!