[J0hn0b0dy]

I am considering buying a high quality commercial trap. I will be using it near a friend's explosives bunker, and storing it inside one of the weathertight bunker buildings.

We are planning to set up a marked range with a 16 yard line, etc.

I am stuck on the idea of how to build a semi-permanent trap enclosure. The trap will not "live" in the enclosure, so it isn't planned to be weather-resistant at all. It must only protect the launcher from stray shot.

We are planning to limit it to #6 shot. We have also planned to build the wall that will be facing the shooters at a 45 degree angle

How thick must a piece of standard grade plywood sheet be to protect the launcher from
#6 birdshot
At 50'
At a 46 degree angle
?
Would coating the wood with Rhino-Liner help?
Would facing the plywood with thin gauge sheet metal help?

Again, this is not intended to be purposely shot AT. It is intended to prevent damage from errant rounds.

The expense of the launcher, of course, justified the expense of a block bunker, but that will be phase II. Phase I will be getting somewhere a few of us can shoot.

 

[rapid86]

I can't answer your question directly but, take a piece of plywood, set it up, shoot at it and see what happens.

 

[likemybrownings]

Plywood if left out doors will only give you a couple years. go to local metal supplier get a 4x8 x.125 sheet steel. will last forever, and when you decide to install block bunker , cut it to make a real nice splatter board.
just a thought,

 

[Ravenanme]

It would be cheaper just to use Cinder-Blocks facing the shooters , just build a 3 sided enclosure with the blocks and fill with sand . This is another Great idea ......

 

[ChetH]

Hi,

My father considered this many years ago and performed an experiment. His conclusion was that you couldn’t have enough plywood to be safe.
Concrete blocks are the answer.

Chet

 

[Pull & Mark]

I too say use standard 8X16 concrete blocks and build your wall, on a good concrete slab. You'll need a thickened deeper footer under the walls. Not just a 4 inch slab all around. You must get under the frost line in your area with the footer!!!!

If you don't want to do this? A nice 4 inch deep concrete slab with thickened edges to start. Then Frame a 2x4 wall with studs. Cover the studs with a heavy gauge corrugated metal. Paint on a waterproofing product to keep the water out & create a barrier to keep rust from forming. Then backfill the entire wall with dirt slopping away from the trap house to cover it. Leave only a few inches of metal exposed at the top. So the roof can extend over the wall and metal siding. A sliding metal roof that slides toward the shooters will allow easy access to the machine to service, load the machine and to off load cases of targets, and repair and replace machine as needed. The exterior framework for the sliding roof will be a very heavy gauge along both sides, and front and back.

If you want to get real cheap. Just 3/4 inch plywood. Just add another layer of 3/4 plywood as needed for the back wall. Set pressure treated lumber down and cover with 3/4 plywood. Keep all the PT 2x floor joists off the dirt with 1 1/2 in thick concrete pads spread about 3 to 4 ft. apart in the dirt. Cut the pads to 10 x 10 inches or so in size for the 4 corners. About 6 x 6 inches in size for the interior sections.

LImit your shot size to #7 1/2 shot. There is no need in the world to use #6 shot. I was breaking every target coming out of the trap house at the South Florida Shooting Club, on there Wednesday night trap games. They cranked there trap machine down all the way. Then raised the throwing arm as high as it would go. Then we shot miss and out games, set up this way. I broke many targets at 90 yards with #7 1/2 shot fired at 1,300 fps Win. AA shells. While the target was still flying. The targets were flying over 100 yards set-up this way. The targets would disappear at night sometimes they flew so far. A standard Sporting Clay load from Winchester was all that was needed. The gentleman who ran the shoot said. All you needed was a 1,250 load. I did try some of my Rio Sporting Clay loads at 1,250 fps. They did not seem to preform as well as the AA's. Even though these shells were suppose to have 5% antimony shot in them. These were the green shells, not the blue ones. Maybe it was the speed, or maybe it was the better shot in the AA's. Not sure, and don't care now. Trust me 7 1/2's will break any target you want in Trap. break em all Jeff

 

[rickster308]

I used railroad ties above and below the ground held in place by 4x4 treted posts, and they have worked very well. I staggered the ends like you would when building a log cabin and cut the ends off.

 

[bt-99mm]

I think railroad ties or block would be best.

when I read about metal the first thought I had was being blinded by the glare.

 

[sawman372]

We built the back of ours just like a stud wall with 3/4" plywood sheeting both sides and filled the cavity with sand. It has been shot several times with no penetration. The 7.5 shot is not big enough for the sand to leak.

 

[acss]

i built this trap house 15yrs ago on a slight slope on land , throwing arm elevation was close to level of 16yd line ground level
i have since moved and dont have better pictures— we painted twice and caulked corners ( shud have done it again a few yrs ago ,as edges started to rise)

we used 3/4” exterior plywood screwd to 2x4 wall studs - then lined inside with 2x12s horizontal
TO ANSWER YOUR QUETION- - over the years - the house was shot twice 71/2 shot- they penetrated the first 2 layers within plywood and none seem to stick and gun choked for trap
wasnt even close to going through
— if this ever happens - repaint to seal plywood , as moisture gets in

the house was built to specs of a standard trap house blue print - w/ front hinged to fall down for shooting and loading
goodluck

 

[acss]

heck, i got to thinking about penetration - my other concrete trap house had that plastic poly holder for cantebury receiver that sits on back you see —last year a kid shot it and no injury to cantebury and that clear plastic is 1/8” thick

 

[Spanky]

3/4" marine grade plywood. I'd probably spring for the pressure treated 2x4 to frame it. Use a quality sealer stain on the outside. I don't think I'd sealer stain the inside right away.

 

[skeeljc]

You might check out a shot curtain. The key to preventing penetration is displacement. A shot curtain will absorb the shot energy. It is like stopping a fast ball with a catcher's mitt.

 

[perazzidave]

I think you should PM our in house test expert Tim and ask him to conduct a test and post results here. Thank You in advance Tim and I hope you get right on this so you can share the information.

PD

 

[Ram Rod]

I am considering buying a high quality commercial trap. I will be using it near a friend's explosives bunker, and storing it inside one of the weathertight bunker buildings.

We are planning to set up a marked range with a 16 yard line, etc.

I am stuck on the idea of how to build a semi-permanent trap enclosure. The trap will not "live" in the enclosure, so it isn't planned to be weather-resistant at all. It must only protect the launcher from stray shot.

We are planning to limit it to #6 shot. We have also planned to build the wall that will be facing the shooters at a 45 degree angle

How thick must a piece of standard grade plywood sheet be to protect the launcher from
#6 birdshot
At 50'
At a 46 degree angle
?
Would coating the wood with Rhino-Liner help?
Would facing the plywood with thin gauge sheet metal help?

Again, this is not intended to be purposely shot AT. It is intended to prevent damage from errant rounds.

The expense of the launcher, of course, justified the expense of a block bunker, but that will be phase II. Phase I will be getting somewhere a few of us can shoot.

I built one using 3/4" treated plywood covered in roofing metal and the two times that it's been shot wasn't a problem.
The shot didn't penetrate the metal.
Only knocked the paint off.
Henr

 

[likemybrownings]

Lead shot will come back at you from plywood or end grain of logs, do as you please. Just rember you were pre informed about wood. Personally shot into end grain firewood logs, and had shot hitting garage siding we were shooting in front of.

 

[J0hn0b0dy]

I learned about shot, and what it does when it encounters barn siding when I was a teenager. Fortunately, one of my buddies was a field medic and picked the four pieces of shot out of another friend for us. Otherwise, we would have had to answer a lot of uncomfortable questions, if we'd taken him to the ER. (He'd shot at a rat, at extremely close range. The rat did get the worst of it.)

The 45 degree angle might mitigate the direct ricochet. Some corrugated tin should do the rest. Thanks, guys. 3/4" it is!

 

[john h ashcraft]

3/4" pressure treated plywood with a 1/2"x3' piece of conveyer belt bolted to it has worked for the last 5 yrs. It is tilted on about a 22 degree angle.