So I decided to clean out my pellet trap...

[Rallyshark]

And the result is:


That is 7.2lbs of pellets I got out of it!  I just used a home made sifter to separate them from the rubber mulch.  By my calculations that is about 2750-2800 pellets if I assume the average weight is 18gr.  There is everything in there from 14.3 to 25.39.  I built that trap a bit after I got my AT-44, so I guess I've put a few pellets through the Hatsan, ha.  I can't complain one bit about it, since the only problems I've had with the gun are a result of me monkeying around with it   Now, what to do with all this lead??

[Monkeydad1969]

Forget what to do with all that lead, show us the homemade sifter. 

[Rallyshark]

Forget what to do with all that lead, show us the homemade sifter. 

I made it out of a sugar container.  I drilled 1/2" holes in the bottom.  They key is the lid, which allows you to shake it, and the heavier lead makes it way to the bottom.  Most of the pieces of the rubber mulch are bigger than the holes.  Some mulch comes out, but it is really easy to pick the pellets out then.  I just did it over an un-opened trash bag.  It still took a little bit to do, but it worked surprisingly well

[scottyhazzard]

Nice, now let's see how to build that trap that held 7+ lbs of pellets.

Oh- what to do with the pellets, melt 'me down and cast your own.

[marty2]

IIRC someone posted a while ago the easiest way to separate is to dump everything into a tub of water. The rubber floats and the heavier pellets sink to the bottom. The sifter method looks good too. The Maxwell House plastic coffee containers would work well for making a great sifter.

[FuzzyGrub]

Now, what to do with all this lead??

Time to get into lead casting.   Cast some bullets for you next high powered airgun.     Myself, any excess lead goes to the pot for pouring fishing jigs. 

[Monkeydad1969]

Nice, now let's see how to build that trap that held 7+ lbs of pellets.

Oh- what to do with the pellets, melt 'me down and cast your own.

Go to the hardware store, buy a 5gal bucket with lid and a big bag of rubber mulch. 

[Onebaddj]

Jackpot! I turn mine into fishing weights also.

Thats an easy sifter, i would have over thought it and added a motor or some other contraption.

5 gallon bucket full of rubber mulch. Now thats a cheap target. Could throw one down at each yardline and not have to walk down to move my pellet trap all the time.

[wormbobskey]

I scrounge all my lead out of my back stop and use it to cast my 50 caliber round balls for my T/C pa hunter. Most pellet lead is very soft and makes great round balls. Will have to try some for my conical mould as well. I like the idea of using a 5 gallon bucket as a pellet trap.

[454 Big Block Chevy]

as great as this is, (and trust me i'm taking notes) i'm slinging this over to the general Airgun gate.  as this is more useful to everyone than just the PCP guys.  my question is however, how high of a FPE can the rubber mulch handle before it starts showing a lot of wear?  duct seal stops FPE but 4 or 5 shots at 50+ fpe and it starts blowing through the back of my target and its 4 inches thick.

[Rallyshark]

I went a bit more complicated with my pellet trap, but a 5 gallon buck is a quick and easy thing to do, and it will work just fine.  My trap is 13x13x10", and has a hinged front so I can put the foam squares in it to mount the targets.  It also makes it easy to swap out the foam face when it gets worn out.  I put a nice little handle on it to make easily transportable.  I made it that size to hold 12" targets, and the mulch is packed in good and tight.  It has been shot with everything up to a .25, and no pellets have come close to going through it.  It has been shot quite a few times with my .22 at over 50fpe at point blank running over the chrony with no issues. 

[jus Tom]

I too use the rubber mulch in my homemade trap, similar to Rallysharks yet not as deep, only 7" of mulch and always find the pellets just 4 to 5 inch penetration. But I'm only shooting .177 and .22 break barrels also.
The mulch does break down somewhat,, I dump my trap contents into a wheel barrow and allow the lead to sift down while hand scooping the mulch back into the trap. Once I'm satisfied I get all the lead separated I'll throw away the smallest bits of mulch.

[Jr_Explorer]

I like that sifter!

IIRC someone posted a while ago the easiest way to separate is to dump everything into a tub of water. The rubber floats and the heavier pellets sink to the bottom. The sifter method looks good too. The Maxwell House plastic coffee containers would work well for making a great sifter.

I read this and tried it.  The rubber mulch I got at Lowes sinks like a rock!  LOL!  It was sort of effective to swish the mix around as let the lead migrate to the bottom but I probably won't do the water trick next time.

[Monkeydad1969]

The rubber mulch, in a proper sized container, can take pb pistol rounds.  I have shot over 50fpe with only 6-10" of penetration at 20'.   That's on a regular basis.  Have done 90+fpe at same distance with about 10" of penetration.  Rounds start to mash up and slow down faster at that fpe.

YouTube base some good vids with rubber mulch stops and pb's.

Joe

[Tater]

Jackpot! I turn mine into fishing weights also.

Thats an easy sifter, i would have over thought it and added a motor or some other contraption.

5 gallon bucket full of rubber mulch. Now thats a cheap target. Could throw one down at each yardline and not have to walk down to move my pellet trap all the time.

     

[scottyhazzard]

I went a bit more complicated with my pellet trap, but a 5 gallon buck is a quick and easy thing to do, and it will work just fine.  My trap is 13x13x10", and has a hinged front so I can put the foam squares in it to mount the targets.  It also makes it easy to swap out the foam face when it gets worn out.  I put a nice little handle on it to make easily transportable.  I made it that size to hold 12" targets, and the mulch is packed in good and tight.  It has been shot with everything up to a .25, and no pellets have come close to going through it.  It has been shot quite a few times with my .22 at over 50fpe at point blank running over the chrony with no issues. 

That's just pretty. Very nice work and classic lines.

[Rallyshark]

I went a bit more complicated with my pellet trap, but a 5 gallon buck is a quick and easy thing to do, and it will work just fine.  My trap is 13x13x10", and has a hinged front so I can put the foam squares in it to mount the targets.  It also makes it easy to swap out the foam face when it gets worn out.  I put a nice little handle on it to make easily transportable.  I made it that size to hold 12" targets, and the mulch is packed in good and tight.  It has been shot with everything up to a .25, and no pellets have come close to going through it.  It has been shot quite a few times with my .22 at over 50fpe at point blank running over the chrony with no issues. 

That's just pretty. Very nice work and classic lines.

Thanks!  It works amazingly well too.  I was just trying to make it as portable as possible, and make changing targets/front baffle quick and easy as well.  I made it so the 12x12" squares of foam you can get from Home Dopot were a perfect snug fit.  It was definitely one of the most useful things I've made.

[BushWacker]

It's a bit too pretty, looks like you never miss!   

[sixshootertexan]

I made me a new rubber mulch holder today. I cleaned out the old one made of a cardboard box and got nearly 3lbs of lead out of it. I plan on using it to cast bullets for my .308.

[wwonka]

And the result is:


That is 7.2lbs of pellets I got out of it!  I just used a home made sifter to separate them from the rubber mulch.  By my calculations that is about 2750-2800 pellets if I assume the average weight is 18gr.  There is everything in there from 14.3 to 25.39.  I built that trap a bit after I got my AT-44, so I guess I've put a few pellets through the Hatsan, ha.  I can't complain one bit about it, since the only problems I've had with the gun are a result of me monkeying around with it   Now, what to do with all this lead??

Curious...when you clean out a trap like this, or let's say even a rubber-mulch trap that's been shot at a lot - do any of you guys worry about inhaling airborne lead dust? Do you wear a mask or something - or not something to worry about?