you posted that Dave. I was going to go to Home Depo to buy some duct putty tonight and look for some lumber to build a wooden box. I 'll definitely be looking for an electrical 8" junction box now. I was going to build ~10" wooden box, but 8"x8"x4" will do fine. I heard HomeDepot has the putty for around under $10 for 5lbs. I 'll see Tue. or Wed. what they have. Tomorrow we 're suppsoed to get 4-6" of snow so i doubt I 'll be going anywhere soon.
Is not a bad idea for a pellet trap, I would be concerned with a metal box though but other than that pretty good, thanks Dave for posting this. Harry are you going to give it a try then? Let us know how it turns out.
I have one of those "silent" pellet traps. It looks like a deep wood picture frame with a a clipboard clip scavenged for hanging the targets. I would recommend a piece of sheetmetal behind the putty if a person is not going to use an electrical box to start with.
Be careful of the putty settling. If you miss the putty with the pellet it'll keep right on going through the back of the trap.
I want to build a slanted metal box so that all the pellets ricochet down into a box. No more duct seal to dig the pellets out of, or duct seal to replace.
Well I went to get the duct seal from Home Depot and a metal junction box.
They only had the 1lb block (sticks I call them) for $2.22/lb. So that's $11 for 5lbs. The 8x8x4" box was $24.50, not $20 as someone said in that other forum, maybe in their area. They also had a 10"x10"x4" box which was $34.95! Not sure why the cost is 43% more for only 25% increase in dimensions (not square area or volume - that's 40% increase but it's all air..).
Anyway after spending a few minutes checking things out, I figured I need at least 10lbs of duct seal to get close to 3" of thickness and cover up the entire 8"x8" surface area. These 1lb sticks were only about 7" in length and about 1.25" deep at the most. The putty also felt too soft but I guess it has to be so you can mold it into whatever you want. The sticks are about 1.5-1.7" wide. So I would need at least 2 layers of 5 sticks accross to cover the 8"x8"x4" and that would give me about 2.5" thickness. So now we are talking 10 1-lb blocks + 8" metal box which comes out to $46.50 + tax (8.125% here in expensive upstate NY) so that's >$50!
So don't believe much of what your read, ie: that people are getting 3" thickness with only 5lbs of duct seal and are spending $20 for a metal 8"x8" box and all that. Maybe they got some bargain but there is NO WAY you can fill up an 8"x8" box with 5lbs. The stuff is dense it's small. You need a lot more than you think.
I really want the 10x10x4" box and I figured I need at least 15lbs to get a min. of 2-2.5" thickness and cover the entire frontal area of 100 square inches. So if you want the 10" box you will have to pay almost as much as the PA one with the cheap wood but I think that's 10"x8". BTW, the 10x10x4" metal box was pretty heavy by itself! I think that's because it has metal on all 4 sides. Once you remove the front panel, it should lighten up a little but not much. I can see why that guy got the 8x8x4 one. The 10x10x4 one felt way too heavy. Add 15lbs of putty and you have 25+lb heavy trap, more than my rimfire/pellet steel trap that weighs 20lbs.
Now how do I handle the putty? Do I have to push it in and condense/compress it more? Like the way my grandmother used to make bread, by putting her fists in the dow?
Oh didn't buy the stuff. The HomeDepot guy that showed where the stuff is, said that I may get 5lb blocks cheaper at an electrical supply store. So I left empty handed hoping to get a better deal somewhere else. Well I called 2 stores that are within 10-12 miles or so in either direction, and they do have the 5lb blocks but they were only .25-.50 cents cheaper! One was $10.50 and the other $10.69. One of them also did not have any large metal junction boxes (said he had plastic) and the other did have the 8x8x4" but it was only $1 cheaper! So it's not worth the gas for the round trip. I also learned today that HomeDepot is expensive. Why can these smaller mom & pop stores offer better prices and compete with such a giant? Shame on Home Depot. They should have been way cheaper. Their profit margin must be something to behold.. Well I guess it's back to HomeDepot when I think about this again all over again more carefully and put into perspective.
All I did was take some scrap 3/4 inch plywood, made a box 8x11x3 with two thicknesses on the back (one piece screwed onto the back after assembly so as not to reduce the depth), screwed it together with drywall screws, stuffed 5 lbs of putty in it and taped a target on! Total cost $12.00. The 46 only sent .22 pellets in as far as the skirt. The putty is only about 1.5 inches thick, and I do need a little more to reach all the corners, but it works fine. If you wanted to shoot a thousand pellets before cleaning it you might want more thickness, but this stuff is dense! Throw a piece of scrap 1/8" sheet iron in before the putty and even a PCP won't get thru. The putty is easily cut and molded, just like Play-Do. Boy I'm dating myself there.
for that info Duncan. I was only going by an article by Tom Gaylord about silent pellet traps from about a year ago. He said for 20+FPE Magnum guns, 3" of thickness should be used if you 're going to shoot indoors or at shorter distances. I wouldn't worry about the thickness as much if I had a scope and were target shooting at 30yds or had a 12FPE gun. I do have a Diana 350 .22 that shoots most pellets with 22-24+ ft-lbs of energy through my Chrony. I would like to get the entire box filled and achieve about 2.5-3" of thickness. I have no doubt at least 10lbs of duct seal are needed, believe me. I might have under or over-estimated by 1lb or so but not much more than that. Those 1lb blocks I was looking at were only 1.3" thick at the most and 1.75" wide. I would need 2 rows of 5 blocks, or 10 1lb blocks. $22 and change. I was thinking of building a wooden box and were going through my tools and wood I have laying around but just found out my drill doesn't work anymore! argh@#$%! Well it is ~20yrs old and it's been dropped a few times. Now I have to decide, spend $250 on a new drill to build the wooden box or spend the $25 and get the 8x8x4 metal box? I don't have any lumber or enough around the house either, so I might as well buy the junction box and use the $250 to get another airgun
Duncan - I would need 2 of those 5lb (1.5" thick) blocks to get 3" thickness and fill up an 8x8x4 box. More for the 10"x10"x4" I really want to get so I can shoot out farther (40+yds) without risking hitting the metal on the smaller 8x8" box. I would probably need 3 5lb blocks for the 10x10"box because 2 of them would leave a 4"x3" uncovered - that's about 4 more pounds on top of the 20.
I also suggest you buy a couple more 1 pounders to fill in the entire area in your box (with 1.5" thickness).
I made a temporary trap out of a Plastic oil filler that I bought at the dollar store. One with a long funnel. I then bought about 2 bags of the rags they were selling and about 2 bags of the rubber bands. I then was able to place the funnel into a bush. I put the rubber bands in filler, first and then the rags. It worked great. I can shoot into bushes, or I can place this in a tree. No one can even see it. No need for sheet metal or wood. The heaviest pellets cannot penetrate the rags and the rubber bands. Cost about $5.00. The rubber bands and rags are only $1.00 a bag and you can use any type of container to place them in. I have a canvas cooler my wife was tossing, that I will use next. It even has a handy travel strap and will zip up.
I like the ideas put forward on the pellet trap. I plan to build one this spring and will build it out of wood. I am trying a new twist as I have access to used kevlar vests inserts. I am going to try the kevlar inserts as the back stop. They should stop pellets no problem and the pellets should just drop dowm from the back stop and be easy enought to clean out. I'll let you know how it works out.
I used 2 different brands of duct seal. One form Home Depot and another from a electrical supply house. Ideal and Panduit were the brands. Same stuff different color. I keep an extra pound to fill holes now and then. The 350 can not penetrate it. Used 12.5" pieces of wood on sides and top/bottom. backed with OSB and about 18 deck screws and glued. 2 1/4" round dowels run horzontally between the sides 1/2" from osb back to aid putty staying put but the stuff is basicall packed in and smushed flat. Aprox.
Stops even the 350 with no problem. Pellets never make it to the osb in the back. Stained it with red deck stain left over.
You say you know a little about group buys, them maybe we should start using this forum for a club pricing like BS etc. Here is the best bullet shop available. How about getting us some?
I covered the putty in my old ARH #679 Executive Pellet Trap with two sheets of 6 mil poly vapour barrier.
It is held in place with a total or eight 1" roofing nails at the corners and sides.
This has virtually eliminated cardboard target particles trapped in the putty.
are it Dave, why do order some bomb blankets, body armor, and a couple of armored cars?
I don't know if that will be better than putty. The pellets will still stick to this material and think it will be harder to get them out of the ballistic fabric than the putty. With the putty if one pellet gets shot with another, they just go further into the putty. With this material I don't know what happens when you land 5, 10, or 20 pellets on top of each other.
Too bad it's only good to 1,600 ft-lbs. I was hoping I could shoot my centerfire rifles at it, but those go up to 3,400ft-lbs
Come on Harry, you only shoot a little ole 350. Not some big Quackenbush. Hell, Harry,your not pushing much more power than my little ole 34. Ok, here is what I just bought! http://www.pyramydair.com/cgi-bin/accessory.pl?accessory_id=232 and it works great. This target has one of the screens I mentioned above and folded over. The pellets hit the screens and fold in before hitting the back steel plate. It works great! And Quiet. I took the trap and place it exactly 30' in my house and started shooting my 850! Bravo! I now have a quiet way to shoot inside my house. Put a piece of cardboard under the trap and there is virtually no clean up! Ok, now to really test it. I went and got my 34. 177 and started shooting. Bingo, it works great. The curtains fold on each Shot Harry, you do not pick out anything. No mess, no fuss! The front curtail will take a little wear, but you can buy a replacement for $6.95. Now go take one of Warrens Valiums and tommorrow go order one of these!
I went to home depot today. They did not have the duct filler in a large container so I ended up buying the sticks at $1.95 a piece (bought 5). Then I bought a smaller electric box and remove the interior brakers and stuff. The box was about $20.00 for for thirty bucks I got a very nice silent box. I really appreciated the hint on this one! I used to shoot a lot inside using a beeman trap but the .22 caliber adult rifles would just destroy them. I soon had holes in it, especially when I am doing crhony work at 10 meters. The noise was bad too and the smashed pellets would just not be trapped at all at those speeds so it would shower it back to me and all over the room. This trap is beyond fabulous and silent. I decided to place a book right inside between the metal and the putty. I went to my book case and I chose some meditation book called "calming your anxious mind" I thought that it would be very appropriate since nothing does the trick better than air guns! No book needed!
nice! Can you post a pic? So your trap is only 1.5" thick? How big is the junction box? 8"x8"x4" or did you get the 5"x5"? $1.95 per pound is pretty cheap. They 're $2.22 at the Home Depot here. I gotta visit that electric supply store and get me some 5 pounders.
Dave:
I appreciate the info. I was looking at those a while back and decided to get one. On the Yellow forum and others a while back I was reading posts that those curtains don't last long and they are not for big Magnum Springers. They may be ok for the 850 .177 that you have though. This is what one owner wrote at PA in the review section in that link you sent:
"One more thing, I'm discovering that my .22 AirMagnum 850 (655 fps) packs a little too much punch for the curtains to absorb."
The 850 I 'm getting is a .22. My 350 will probably just shoot right through that thing and the wall behind it
Harry, the trap works great with the 177. in both the 34 and 850. The curtain is one sheet, and is folded over over a rail, so that you can use both sides. The steel back plate works well and the cutains just are meant to slow the pellet down before hitting the plate. You should be able to put a lot of pellets through the trap before you have to replace the curtains. I will try and see what duck tape does on the curtails, when they where down. I am also going to the Kevlar website and maybe buy some of the material and make my own curtains. It is so much more cleaner and not nearly the messy as Putty. You never will have to pull pellets out of that stuff and cleanup takes about 5 secs. The trap is great at 33". Beyond that, it is too small. 22.cal would be pushing it. I will not even attemt to shoot the 460. into it at that range. I do want to look at building a big target with the Kevlar sheets. They work so well, I am surprised to one has made a big trap yet, from that material.
glued to the bottom of a metal file cabinet drawer and full of
duct seal. Magnet clip board clip at top edge of file cabinet
drawer. Probably stop/absorb dozens of .22 rimfire but the most
I've thrown at it was lots of high 20s FPE when I first made it.
Please not that if you have kids the duct seal is a great way to go. The pellets are stuck whole and you don't have dust from impact or any fragments as well getting all over. I seldom remove pellets although when there is a great big bunch in teh bull area I sometimes take them out in those spots. When you stack pellets in the same spot they stick together and do not really drive deeper and deeper like one might think since they widen and fuse toghther. You should try this system if you don't mind the expense of about 15 pounds of material. I don't really think theat steel backed or steel junction boxes is all that necessary. I prefer the larger wood one I have to accomidate large and varied targets to spread the shots around and utilize more surface area for adsorbsion.
later. Watching the packers play. I live in Wisconisn so I don't have too much time to type Did not proof read above. Sorry.. See you.
That's the main concern I read everywhere - the pellet fragments and dust with a steel pellet trap which is why I mostly shoot outside now until I build the silent putty trap.
Kevin, the Curtain Pellet trap that I use is placed in a box and with 2 curtains I have not see much dust. However, why take a chance, expecially with a 7 year old in the house. I will only use it out side. Thanks for the Heads up!!
I have 2 traps. I got a $75 heavy-duty steel pellet/rimfire trap but it's noisy as hek.
Harv, (Warren or anyone):
Do you know if after several hundred pellets, can you take the old putty and just flip it over? You said you needed to get some "fresh putty". How often do you do that, and why? Does the old putty go "stale", or lose its properties? What warrants putty replacement, etc.? I have not bought it yet but was ready to go to Home Depot when I read your post.
Meh, chalk it up to laziness lol. I flipped, dug out old pellets and reformed mine so many times its gotten heavy with the stuff. I suppose I could take it out to the garage and roll it a few times until the pellets all dislodge but its bitterly cold out and my garage isn't heated. I'll keep the old one and do that when it warms. Plus we have a metal recycling place not far from here and they take lead. I guess they have to? Anyway, the duct seal is secondary to needing to get that other thing I mentioned.
If you clean it more often than I do you shouldn't have to worry about the thing getting so plastered full of fired pellets they fall out in front of the trap. Oh they hit and lose their ennergy alright, but I haven't picked through my trap in way too long is all.
is what i've been using shooting inside lately. its slightly bigger than a sheet target and about 5" thick. i filled it with carpet i had laying around, cut them roughly the size of the box and laid them in thefe flat. cost... basically zero. I originally used it with my 1377 but this weekend it stopped all my R9 shots at 15 yds. just put a new piece of coardboard on the front once in a while.
Ok, I must Admit I got a little shook up with the mention of dust and the fact that putty will not create any and was ready to can my Crosman 850 pellet trap. Anyway, since my wife is out of town, I place the trap by the closet, put on a fresh target and secured the 4 corners with the snaps. I fired about 50 pellets with my 850 in 177. Then 50 pellets with my Diana 34. Guess what?? No mess. Nada, Nothing. This is a great little trap, that is quiet, clean and just works great. I place a small area rug around the pellet trap just in case I do something stupid and miss the target. The rug can actually surround the trap. This works great! No putty to mess with! Just take the trap over to the trash can and empty!! All for $27.00!
