Building a backstop for .22s and BBs

[rob_s]

Where I live it’s legal for me to shoot in my property. That said, I’m not looking to shoot anything centerfire because there’s legal and then there’s being a good neighbor and we are close enough together that there could still be annoyance issues, as well as because I don’t want to have to build a backstop that will stop centerfire rounds. My daughter has a BB gun that we don’t get to shoot much because of lack of a suitable backstop, and I’d like to be able to at least sight in my 22s here at the house (closest range is an hour away).

Obviously “berm” is the easy answer, except that a berm takes up a lot of room and requires either machinery I don’t have, or a ton of labor.

I’m wondering if anyone has successfully constructed something out of lumber, etc that one person without heavy machinery would be able to build.

[0ddl0t]

Pellet and even rimfire bullet traps are pretty cheap to buy: https://www.amazon.com/Do-All-Outdoo...dp/B000FDSUHC/ If you can get free/cheap railroad ties they make great backstops for even rifles. I'd just as soon catch the lead in a trap though...

[mtnbkr]

Where I live it’s legal for me to shoot in my property. That said, I’m not looking to shoot anything centerfire because there’s legal and then there’s being a good neighbor and we are close enough together that there could still be annoyance issues, as well as because I don’t want to have to build a backstop that will stop centerfire rounds. My daughter has a BB gun that we don’t get to shoot much because of lack of a suitable backstop, and I’d like to be able to at least sight in my 22s here at the house (closest range is an hour away).

Obviously “berm” is the easy answer, except that a berm takes up a lot of room and requires either machinery I don’t have, or a ton of labor.

I’m wondering if anyone has successfully constructed something out of lumber, etc that one person without heavy machinery would be able to build.

A wall of railroad ties would work.

If not that, then two walls of lumber with packed sand or dirt (no rocks, could cause ricochets) in between them (like a box).

Chris

[0ddl0t]

Here's a nice pistol trap:

[BN]

Pellet and even rimfire bullet traps are pretty cheap to buy: https://www.amazon.com/Do-All-Outdoo...dp/B000FDSUHC/

I have one of these and it works great for 22. I move it around to different distances to sight in my 22 rifles.

You can make a bullet trap for BB's by packing a big cardboard box full of crumpled up newspaper. Or hang pieces of carpet or towel off a series of dowel rods sitting on top of the box. You can reuse the BB's with that. I use the cardboard box for indoor air soft. You need to be careful you don't shoot a hole in the middle of your target packing. Then the airsoft BB's will shoot through and put a hole in the window blinds behind it. LOL

[farscott]

I use railroad ties as the backstop and then place my targets on boxes filled with blocks of duct seal. Most .22 rounds are captured within the duct seal blocks, minimizing damage to the first layer of railroad ties and capturing most of the lead. I buy whole cases of duct seal and affix targets to them.

[BN]

I just want to add that BB's will bounce back off a hard backstop like rail road ties. Reminds me of the time I shot a hard hat with my BB gun in the back yard as a kid. BB came back and just missed me, but it didn't miss the kitchen window behind me.

[rob_s]

Pellet and even rimfire bullet traps are pretty cheap to buy: https://www.amazon.com/Do-All-Outdoo...dp/B000FDSUHC/ If you can get free/cheap railroad ties they make great backstops for even rifles. I'd just as soon catch the lead in a trap though...

A wall of railroad ties would work.

If not that, then two walls of lumber with packed sand or dirt (no rocks, could cause ricochets) in between them (like a box).

Chris

I have one of these and it works great for 22. I move it around to different distances to sight in my 22 rifles.

You can make a bullet trap for BB's by packing a big cardboard box full of crumpled up newspaper. Or hang pieces of carpet or towel off a series of dowel rods sitting on top of the box. You can reuse the BB's with that. I use the cardboard box for indoor air soft. You need to be careful you don't shoot a hole in the middle of your target packing. Then the airsoft BB's will shoot through and put a hole in the window blinds behind it. LOL

I use railroad ties as the backstop and then place my targets on boxes filled with blocks of duct seal. Most .22 rounds are captured within the duct seal blocks, minimizing damage to the first layer of railroad ties and capturing most of the lead. I buy whole cases of duct seal and affix targets to them.

I just want to add that BB's will bounce back off a hard backstop like rail road ties. Reminds me of the time I shot a hard hat with my BB gun in the back yard as a kid. BB came back and just missed me, but it didn't miss the kitchen window behind me.

Thanks guys!

I want more than just a trap, particularly since it’s not just for me but also for my kid(s) and while they aren’t going to shoot unsupervised, having some peripheral stoppage is pretty important to me.

Railroad ties are what I was leaning towards. Not sure about where to find them or the cost, or if they will be approved by my in-house property beautification board (aka my wife).

Going with two layers of some sort of potentially more readily available type of lumber is an interesting idea and may allow me to accomplish the whole thing in a more aesthetically pleasing way...

[0ddl0t]

Railroad ties are what I was leaning towards. Not sure about where to find them or the cost, or if they will be approved by my in-house property beautification board (aka my wife).

Search your local Craigslist for railroad ties, utility poles, dock pilings, etc. You can often get them for free if you catch a company when they are replacing sections of it, but a lot of time local landscape and aggregate places snatch it all up and resell them (still usually not too expensive, and they often deliver)

[mtnbkr]

Search your local Craigslist for railroad ties, utility poles, dock pilings, etc. You can often get them for free if you catch a company when they are replacing sections of it, but a lot of time local landscape and aggregate places snatch it all up and resell them (still usually not too expensive, and they often deliver)

When I was in HS and lived in a railroad town, the railroad (Norfolk and Southern) would give them away. That was some 30 years ago, so I'm sure that has changed since.

Chris