Bullet stop/Trap

[NC308]

Looking to make a bullet stop/trap for 100 yards 308 and 223. I have a range out to 325 but no 100 yard back stop. I don’t want to recover to bullets just deflect them into the dirt. I was thinking 1/2” AR400 plate on 30 degrees or so with 1/4” mild steel sides. The side would only function to keep the round from spiting out the sides after it impacted the 1/2” plate.

Any thoughts or ideas/ experiences????

Thanks.

 

[antelopedundee]

Sounds like you have it figured out already. Since the angle of incidence equals the angle of reflection why 30 degrees instead of 45? 45 degrees should reflect it straight down into the ground.

 

[NC308]

Sounds like you have it figured out already. Since the angle of incidence equals the angle of reflection why 30 degrees instead of 45? 45 degrees should reflect it straight down into the ground.

Do yo think it might penetrate the plate of 45?

 

[antelopedundee]

Do yo think it might penetrate the plate of 45?

I think that the worst that could happen in either case is that over time the bullet impact may start to dig a hole so to speak and maybe eventually break through. More likely to happen with the .308s if you keep hitting the same small area. I assume with your setup that it wouldn't take much to change the plate angle and see which works better.

 

[Harvey McCraw]

this is what I did I used a 4‘ x 6’ Piece of half inch plate and then I had to put and 36 in.² piece of half inch armor plate on the front because you will still shoot through it anything over 3000 ft./s hundred yards or less will go through regular half-inch steel even on the angle
And I put a 12 inches of sand in the bottom to collect all the copper

 

[farmerjohn]

Here's one of mine

 

[Rsadams]

AR 500 plate is really hard I don't think even .308 would do anything to it.. might scratch it..lol Regular steel is completely different...

 

[NC308]

Here's one of mineView attachment 1194600[/

what is your back plate made of?

 

[farmerjohn]

AR 400 and a steady diet of 1/4" and less bench guns and 5 shot groups will eat a hole in it, thus the need for the AR 500 plate on the back. This is at 100yds, the 300yd sled works fine with the 400, just get a shiny spot....

 

[farmerjohn]

I just replace the target frame once a year with cheap 2×4 studs and a 4x4 sheet of plywood, I leave the 100yd sled in place and can move the other sled from 2 to 6 and shoot from my shop beside my realoading bench...

 

[Rsadams]

Just a thought... Since most rifles these days even factory are pretty accurate... If you have already built your AR 400 back simply put piece of AR 500 over the strike zone...a 10x10-12x12 piece would insure no damage even a smaller piece depending on accuracy and distance... We sometimes shoot AR 500 with .233 and .308 and it does nothing to it...

 

[X-Caveman]

I would go with 1/2” 550 if only at 100 yards. .22 centerfire is hard on steel. Speed kills.

 

[ricco1949]

About twenty five years ago I was helping a friend who was a part time logger. I had my 22-250 with to put the fear of man into any four legged carnivores that were hanging around the deer that were browsing on the aspen slash from the logging operation.

At lunch one day my friend said "Shoot my old county V-Plow, from the 50's, over there and see what it does to it. That 40 grain V-Max @ about 4000 fps plowed right through that steel plow like it was butter. Not only once but two or three times. I don't recall exactly how thick the steel was.......probably 3/16 inch maybe 1/4 inch.

I had expected those 40 V-Max , designed to vaporize praire dogs, to disintegrate on that steel ....... ...I learned a lot about bullet penetration that day.

 

[NC308]

AR 400 and a steady diet of 1/4" and less bench guns and 5 shot groups will eat a hole in it, thus the need for the AR 500 plate on the back. This is at 100yds, the 300yd sled works fine with the 400, just get a shiny spot....View attachment 1194656 View attachment 1194657

This is one reason why I was thinking putting the back on 30 degrees rather than 45? Be more of a glance blow than the 45?

 

[farmerjohn]

I would go with 1/2” 550 if only at 100 yards. .22 centerfire is hard on steel. Speed kills.

What he said!!

 

[farmerjohn]

This is one reason why I was thinking putting the back on 30 degrees rather than 45? Be more of a glance blow than the 45?

That would be much better, I just didn't have a big enough plate to start with..

 

[Tempest]

All that and sand bags. Sand is good!

 

[farmerjohn]

About twenty five years ago I was helping a friend who was a part time logger. I had my 22-250 with to put the fear of man into any four legged carnivores that were hanging around the deer that were browsing on the aspen slash from the logging operation.

At lunch one day my friend said "Shoot my old county V-Plow, from the 50's, over there and see what it does to it. That 40 grain V-Max @ about 4000 fps plowed right through that steel plow like it was butter. Not only once but two or three times. I don't recall exactly how thick the steel was.......probably 3/16 inch maybe 1/4 inch.

I had expected those 40 V-Max , designed to vaporize praire dogs, to disintegrate on that steel ....... ...I learned a lot about bullet penetration that day.

That's how a tornado sticks pine needles 2in deep in a tree, seen that with my own eyes...

 

[farmerjohn]

All that and sand bags. Sand is good!

Think we were getting prairie dog guns ready in the picture....

 

[RGRobinett]

Funny thing about the angle of incidence equaling the angle of departure/refraction - at least, in Iowa, that formula doesn't work! I believed in that, until I received my 4'x 8'x 1/2" 550AR plate from Field & Cave (thank you, Travis & Co.), got a frame built, and began shooting at it . . . it turns out that mass and momentum TRUMPs the angle of departure/refraction . . . and NOT by just a little bit! I have attached (i hope) some pics - yep, I was dismayed!!

Not a single bullet (not even 22 rim-fire stuff) glanced off at the reciprocal 45 Deg. angle, thus straight down into the "trap"! The bullets impact the plate, leave a small mark of some sort, "slide" right along the face of the plate, and impact the ground, cutting a narrow "rut" behind the plates lower edge. Due to some health issues, and shooting mostly rim-fires, to keep neighbor sane, the grass is a little taller that it should be.

Regarding penetration on steel vs animal tissue - never confuse these: there are two completely different processes taking place!P.O. Ackley demonstrated this nicely - way back when!

When relying on a steel plate bullet stop, small diameter, and velocity make for bad JuJu - again, see the pics. The fairly deep pock-marks - about 1/3 the depth of the plate - were the result of 20 Cal., 40gr bullets at MV of 4040fps. The large 'yellowish' stains are paint - the smaller "whitish" stains are the leavings of 160gr bullets, which departed the 7mm DAKOTA muzzle at about 3250fps, and 88 &110gr bullets which,respectively,exited the .257/300WSM @ 3950 & 3540fps - not even a "ding".

No more 20BR shooting - especially "groups"! I thought/believed that the AR550, at 45 Deg. would prove immune to even the 20 Cal. - wrong again. Oh, the .204 Ruger, same 40gr bullet, at about 3800fps roughs it up some, while the VarTarg (probably about 3300fps) is pretty forgiving. RG

P.S. Not clear in pic, but like farmerjohn's, it's on a sled, for relatively easy re-location: the plate angle is adjustable, and also lays "flat" - low CG - for transport in trailer.

P.S. again: After some thought, the only time the angle of departure would equal the angle of incidence, would be if the bullet impacted surface at an obtuse angle, as opposed to our acute angle set-ups.