Anyone build a bullet trap from a 55 gallon drum?

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No.

I used to use a steel 55 gallon drum as a target holder when shooting my flintlocks (muzzle loading rifles).

Even a pure lead .31 caliber ball from my squirrel rifle would go through both sides of the barrel and be long gone.
 
No.

I used to use a steel 55 gallon drum as a target holder when shooting my flintlocks (muzzle loading rifles).

Even a pure lead .31 caliber ball from my squirrel rifle would go through both sides of the barrel and be long gone.

I was referring to a water filled or rubber mulch filled design. Was yours filled with anything?
 
I have 3 filled with sand clay mix. Been using them 5 yrs with no pass through. I shoot them from 25 to 300 yards . 22 thru 300 weatherby mag.
 
Military uses them filled with sand outside a publicly located armory. Like, Ft Benning, for use by the MP's working on post. They have legs welded to the outside of the drum so that they are tilted to one side about 15 degrees. Before entering the armory you clear the weapon, as as part of that process you point the muzzle into the barrel and pull the trigger on what is supposed to be an empty chamber.

End of every shift. That means you will likely dry fire the weapon hundreds of times a year, too.

There was one or two exit holes near the base of the drum. Point the weapon down concentric with the axis of the barrel or the penetrative ability of the ammo will run out of sand and exit the side of the drum. On concrete located in the basement a round could get squirrelly should that happen. The drums were always located on mowed ground. We never gave it a thought about standing around it while the other guy was safing the gun - because we assumed that he knew how to remove a magazine and check the chamber to see if it was clear before dropping the hammer. Yes, that is kinda optimistic but that's how we handled it for the 6 months we were on post. We never had any problems.

YMMV.
 
A little scary.

With my air rifles I use an old computer box filled with rubber mulch.....(I live in the boonies and have a range out back) but for the fun of it I shot it with powder burners just to see. I would guess the box it about 6" deep....I was pretty shocked at what it stopped.

But shooting a powder burner into my house....not sure that would be a good idea.
 
I don't know how much rubber mulch it takes to stop a - Hey, just what caliber are we talking about? - bullet, but that is a popular material for indoor shooting ranges these days.

There was once a pistol/rimfire bullet trap comprising a box full of gravel. Nicely made, of course, but functionally a box of gravel. The heavy cardboard front face would take a fair amount of shooting before it got ragged enough to leak gravel, and was readily replaceable. A piece of heavy rubber, like conveyor belt, would last even longer.
So I visualize the barrel laid horizontal in a sawbuck type cradle, full of (something) and capped with a cheap and/or self sealing material.
 
Dirt or sand is cheap and available and works. I was working the gate into the DMZ and had an NCO shoot ours with a .45. Failed to eject the magazine when he cleared it. Scared the epitaph of choice out of all of us. I'm yelling the magazine is in, its still loaded as he raised the gun looking confused and shocked after it went off.
 
No Sir, it was not.

I believe that filling one with water may prove a bit messy.

Perhaps one filled with sand?

I just had a mental image of a 55 gallon drum dumping a ton of water all over the OP's garage floor when getting shot at! :D
 
Looking to build a trap to use in my garage. Anyone do this?
For what purpose? For safety use when un/loading semiauto pistols?

If so ...

I have a couple of 5gal buckets + lids that I bought at Lowes. Into each I emptied the contents of a 50lb sack of Play Sand purchased during the same shopping trip.

BTW, the in-place lid will help a LOT if you ever have an OOPS and shoot into that sand (thru the lid) ... it will keep most of the violently displaced sand IN the can ... maybe. ;)

One can is parked in my basement "gun area" and the other is in my garage.

If my routine included the possibility of un/loading such a handgun in my bedroom (from posts, a real situation for many here), I would add a can to my bedroom closet.

HTH ... :)
 
We used them at work, filled with sand, or rubber chips. My suggestion is to cover the opening with clear plastic sheeting and duct tape it in place. Otherwise it turns into a gigantic ashtray/garbage can, and people stop using it as a reloading barrel.
 
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