Steel Louvre 22LR Bullet Stop

[brown dog]

Just thinking through ideas of a thin 22LR bullet stop I could put in a couple of hedges for plinking.

 

(By thin, I mean minimal depth -eg 4ft by 3ft panel only 4 inches deep)

 

Strikes me a bunch of steel strips louvred at 45 degrees could make an excellent zero stray-ricochet backstop of minimal depth.

 

Anyone done this?

 

Anything on the market for other applications (other than an armoured vehicle engine hatch!) that could be 'mis-used' in this way?

[1967spud]

From memory i think you can get a certain type of rubber thats designed exactly for this Matt probably not cheap though.

[brown dog]

Linatex?

 

I'm thinking of a linatex front cover for the louvre to catch splatter and lead dust.

[1967spud]

Is this any help...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGcg59U8bas

[brown dog]

The one in the vid is too deep.

 

Look at this; imagine the same face (target) area, but the backsheet cut into 4, 5 or 10 sections placed one above the other.

 

[Shuggy]

I've thought about this before. My thought was to make a large box full of pea gravel as a bullet trap. The best material to make the box out of would be a closed cell foam such as Plastazote. This should 'self-seal' the holes, much like the Linatex. There are quite a few self-sealing targets made out of similar materials.

[brown dog]

I'm visualising a steel louvre, packed with sand or pea gravel and front-sealed with a layer of softwood with a self-sealing front skin - or simply the steel louvre placed as 'insurance' behind a sandbag wall.

[Tiff]

Yep there are some commercially available I've come across in the past - although not hard to make from 3/16"+ thickness steel plate for .22LR.

 

The main thing to check is that the leading edges in a louvre / venetian-blind type bullet stop are maintained 'knife-sharp' to prevent ricochets. Thin conveyor belt (loads cheaply available from quarries) is a great substitute for expensive Linatex.

[Shuggy]

I'm visualising a steel louvre, packed with sand or pea gravel and front-sealed with a layer of softwood with a self-sealing front skin - or simply the steel louvre placed as 'insurance' behind a sandbag wall.

Personally I think that the steel is overcomplicating things. All you would really need is a wooden crate, made from scrap pallets or similar, filled with sand or pea gravel. The trick would be to line the inner front face of the box with the Plastazote to stop the filler from leaking out once the bullets had chewed a hole.

[brown dog]

Personally I think that the steel is overcomplicating things. All you would really need is a wooden crate, made from scrap pallets or similar, filled with sand or pea gravel. The trick would be to line the inner front face of the box with the Plastazote to stop the filler from leaking out once the bullets had chewed a hole.

 

Part of my spec is minimal depth. You're describing a solution like Hesco Bastion

[Shuggy]

You're right. But you'd only need a very 'mini Hesco' to stop a .22LR!

[Swamp Donkey]

Celcon blocks. (Other brand 'thermolite' blocks are available.

[Tiff]

You're right. But you'd only need a very 'mini Hesco' to stop a .22LR!

More than you'd think....A .22lr at 20 yards goes through 12-18" of loose silver sand and an arrow goes in even further. Whereas most mid to high velocity fullbore rounds at that distance are stopped normally within 6".

 

Many years ago I had a similar thought about a small target box to check zero for the .22 in the garden (rural area). So I started putting in a 'small' target bunker at home for testing firearms and checking zero at 25 yards....Only thing was I quite enjoyed building it and 800 sandbags (20+ tonnes), 400 reclaimed breeze blocks, 15 railway sleepers, 3 telegraph poles and a load of reenforced concrete pads from a D-Day embarkation slipway later it was built. Certainly safe, if a little over engineered...

[Swamp Donkey]

More than you'd think....A .22lr at 20 yards goes through 12-18" of loose silver sand and an arrow goes in even further. Whereas most mid to high velocity fullbore rounds at that distance are stopped normally within 6".

 

Many years ago I had a similar thought about a small target box to check zero for the .22 in the garden (rural area). So I started putting in a 'small' target bunker at home for testing firearms and checking zero at 25 yards....Only thing was I quite enjoyed building it and 800 sandbags (20+ tonnes), 400 reclaimed breeze blocks, 15 railway sleepers, 3 telegraph poles and a load of reenforced concrete pads from a D-Day embarkation slipway later it was built. Certainly safe, if a little over engineered...

Yeah, but most people don't do load pressure testing and chrono'ing of a .338 Lapua Magnum at home either

[Tiff]

Yeah, but most people don't do load pressure testing and chrono'ing of a .338 Lapua Magnum at home either

Yeah true....just remember to use the dustbins as blast baffles - otherwise the house windows tend to flex inwards a bit even with a mod on!

[Shuggy]

More than you'd think....A .22lr at 20 yards goes through 12-18" of loose silver sand and an arrow goes in even further. Whereas most mid to high velocity fullbore rounds at that distance are stopped normally within 6".

Of course well packed sand will work much better. The boxotruth website did some tests and found that 6 inches of well packed sand will stop pretty much anything including .22LR. I'd say a 12 inch box to give a factor of safety will work just fine. I'm sure that it's no coincidence that this is about the same width as a standard sandbag.

[brown dog]

Of course well packed sand will work much better. The boxotruth website did some tests and found that 6 inches of well packed sand will stop pretty much anything including .22LR. I'd say a 12 inch box to give a factor of safety will work just fine. I'm sure that it's no coincidence that this is about the same width as a standard sandbag.

 

Trouble with us shooting for group is that we put a bunch of bullets down the same hole and effectively tunnel through. It would need to be 'stopping thickness" PLUS a 'they shall not pass' hard backstop for when you inadvertently tunnel through.

Hesco (as you know) is gravel, rather than sand, filled. Has to be a particular size of gravel (can't remember which!); but I vaguely remember Engr red faces when a tank fin found zipped through a bastion wall in a HQ - because the hesco had been filled with sand rather than the specified fill.

[terryh]

BD

 

The only problem with 'louvers' to reduce depth (good concept) but in adding multiple louvers you've added multiple edges which to me increases the splatter etc.

 

From memory of building butts for the clubs indoor range ( .22RF pistol and rifle) the backstop was louvered but with a big centre louver, the main hit area, with two smaller louvers top and bottom in the 'occasionally hit' area. Front cover was that green rubber sheet stuff, that was cut and hung with the ability to rotate it and thereby move the impact area.

 

The one thing that was very evident was not to use cooking grade steels but the 'Hardox' type of materials. Soft steel both craters and bows which sends bits of bullet back down or very close to the incoming trajectory.

 

T

[Safeshot]

I have seen a thin trap which used chains hung vertically with linotex in front of it to stop backsplash. This might work with .22. Alternatively, strips of conveyer belt rubber which overlap may also work.

[terryh]

I have seen a thin trap which used chains hung vertically with linotex in front of it to stop backsplash. This might work with .22. Alternatively, strips of conveyer belt rubber which overlap may also work.

Like it, neat concept!

 

You should be able to get hold of scrap alloy chain from lifting equipment suppliers, they would be condemning brothers etc. on a regular basis.

 

T

[Shuggy]

Trouble with us shooting for group is that we put a bunch of bullets down the same hole and effectively tunnel through. It would need to be 'stopping thickness" PLUS a 'they shall not pass' hard backstop for when you inadvertently tunnel through.

Hesco (as you know) is gravel, rather than sand, filled. Has to be a particular size of gravel (can't remember which!); but I vaguely remember Engr red faces when a tank fin found zipped through a bastion wall in a HQ - because the hesco had been filled with sand rather than the specified fill.

Agreed that might be a problem. Surely the answer then would be to fill the box with pea gravel. This would provide good stopping ability without the need to be compacted. The gravel should also 'flow' to self-fill any cavities. The trick would be to seal the face of the box to prevent it leaking out. I reckon that Plastazote might work; or alternatively you could butcher a proper self sealing target and put it inside the box. These are supposed to be good for thousands of rounds.

 

http://www.guns.gb.com/contents/en-uk/p618.html

[hunter87]

You could always try hoarse mats from ebay they are made from thick rubber thats used in stables to protect the animals feet they are not very expensive and im sure they would soak up rounds if multipul layers are used

[Dustyman]

Have you thought of trying a series of heavy vertical , rather than horizontal , angles sections side by side , heel facing forwards , no blunt leading edge , say twenty mm apart with another set offset behind ? If you are shooting groups in the centre you prob won't need to box it in on the sides , but with thick sheet steel backer and hang a single or double layer of Linatex in front , haven't tried it but could build one and try out on the farm . Or am I talking twaddle ?

[Dustyman]

OThe other system I've seen used shredded tyres in boxes that could be stacked up in layers but not the shallow depth targets you were thinking of I don't believe ?

[brown dog]

Have you thought of trying a series of heavy vertical , rather than horizontal , angles sections side by side , heel facing forwards , no blunt leading edge , say twenty mm apart with another set offset behind ? If you are shooting groups in the centre you prob won't need to box it in on the sides , but with thick sheet steel backer and hang a single or double layer of Linatex in front , haven't tried it but could build one and try out on the farm . Or am I talking twaddle ?

 

Sections of angle iron? - a left facing 45 deg surface deflecting onto a right facing 45 deg surface.... pzzzzzooow (how do you type ricochet noise?! ) I think the louvres need to be 'uni-directional'

 

Having spent the last 3 days building a log shed.....I've realised - too late!- that a simple pile of logs would be the simplest solution.

 

This has led to my new 'stealth' idea for something that'd be easy on the eye in a hedge (as opposed to a Normandy beach defence) : a target box fronted by a bunch of end-on 1/3 normal length short logs.

 

Not sure I understand the chain idea - they just free hanging and shock absorbing through movement? Firing at a round hard surface - ie surface of each link - sounds as though it may be fraught with ricochet unpredictability?