[JoinOrDieSaidBenFranklin]

I got a welder to hook me up with a backstop that I'm going to set in front of a berm of sand. Basically the reason I want to fab up this thing is to be able to capture the bullets and so if I ever go to sell the land I won't have to contend with a big berm with 10,000 lead bullets in it. Well anyway, it's got a sheet metal backing, I think 3/8", pretty standard steel, and I was gonna bolt on 1.5 inches of plywood to that and shoot into the wood from 5-15 yards with 115 grain or so standard target practice rounds from Remington or PNR or something. 9mm. My hope is that the bullets will lodge in the wood, get way slowed down, and basically stop when they reach the metal, if they do at all, at like 100-200 fps. Then eventually I'll just unbolt the wood and toss it out. I'm obviously concerned about ricochets. My other idea is to bolt on one of those superthick horse pads - about 1/2 of solid rubber. Though I don't know how that would work re: bouncing. If the bullets lodged, I would say it is burly enough to drastically slow down the 9mm before it reaches the metal for its final stoppage. Any thoughts?

[Poink88]

If I am doing this, I would use heavy cardboard boxes in the front instead (they can be had for free at electronic stores and just trim to size. Have a slotted sides and slide them in. Depending on how many pieces you put in, most bullet should be slowed down considerably by a few layers of good box. JMHO.

[kenhesr]

If you can get a piece of flat, smooth 3/8" steel plate, you might try supporting it at a 45 degree angle to the ground.

If you are shooting straight into it, the angle of the plate slows the bullet at impact and redirects it down the plate into the ground.

Its VERY important that the plate is SMOOTH. No gouges or seams to shear off pieces of the bullet and squirt it back at you.

The one in the pic has a 1/2" mild steel plate and is built like a trailer. Its heavy to the point that we pull it around with the garden tractor.



This thing has stopped tens of thousands of rds from .22LR to .45LC & never had one come back at us or damaged the steel plate. It handles any handgun round that I shoot. At the end of the day you have a pile of bullets on the ground at the back of the stop, just pick them up!

This is just what works for me, if you try it, be careful, good luck! Ken

[c3shooter]

Problem with your plywood idea is that the plywood gets chewed up fast in one spot. Like the man said, use steel plate set at an angle. There are also spiral bullet traps (steel plate deflects into a horizontal steel pipe, bullet spins until it stops inside pipe) and there is the trailer full of shredded car tires.

[JoinOrDieSaidBenFranklin]

Thanks for the opinions. That image you attached is a neat one.