by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier
This report covers:
- Trap substitutes
- Earth berm
- Why do I say “however?”
- Distance
- A bullet trap
- Why?
- Complaints
- No BB trap!
- Buy once, enjoy for a lifetime
Every airgunner needs a pellet trap — period. If you shoot indoors like I do, a trap is so essential that I just ordered my second one. My first one I have owned for 28 years and it has withstood almost a million shots, including shots from big bore airguns that approached 200 foot-pounds and lots of .22 rimfire rounds.
Trap substitutes
If you only shoot outdoors, here are a couple things that substitute for a trap.
An earth berm
Distance
Let’s talk about both of those.
Earth berm
Packed earth is the best way to stop bullets and pellets. It has been used for centuries and rifle ranges that are constructed today still use it. However, it has to be packed earth!
Why do I say “however?”
The M1 Carbine remains one of the most aggressive firearm development and production programs mankind has ever undertaken. Over six million carbines were produced in just 38 months during World War II, when severe rationing was in place.
One of the ten prime contractors, Standard Products, had an indoor test range in their factory to test the functioning of the completed firearms. Remember — they were producing hundreds of carbines each day!
Their bullet trap was constructed of 10 feet of wet sand that was backed by a concrete wall. I’m sure they felt it was overkill for stopping a carbine bullet. However, soon after the range was opened, a night watchman outdoors saw bullets exiting the wall of the building and ricocheting off a fence outside, next to the street. He went inside and stopped a group of enthusiastic Standard Products employees shooting carbines after hours. When they investigated, they discovered it had only taken a relatively small number of shots to eat through the ten feet of wet sand and then through the concrete wall behind it. Shots that hit in the same place repeatedly can eat through many materials, regardless of their thickness, and when shooting at a target you tend to hit in the same place.
An earth berm, in contrast, is constructed outdoors of packed earth. If it rains the earth gets wet. But no artificial plan of wetting it is needed. I say packed earth because if the dirt is just piled up in a heap, it won’t stop bullets well. My gun range has a new berm that we had to stop using because the bullets ate through it in one year. Every several years the other berms have to have more dirt piled on them and then packed down by a front-loader.
Distance
The other great outdoor bullet trap is distance. In Las Vegas there is a rifle range that is good for everything up to and including the .50 caliber Browning machine gun (BMG). That’s because there is nothing for 20 miles behind the targets that are placed out to 1,000 yards and even farther. There are no roads, trails or any human habitation.
In Germany, where land is at a premium, there is a tank range called Grafenwoehr that is roughly shaped like a huge cough drop, though all the dimensions are in kilometers. In the 1930s the Nazis evicted thousands of people from some 35 villages to expand a small artillery base into the monster it has become. And the ranges all shoot from the perimeter in toward the center. At Grafenwoehr the huge distances are combined with selected earth berms, to include one hill that’s large enough to be classified as a mountain. That’s for stopping the long rod penetrator from a tank sabot round.
A bullet trap
But you don’t have miles ands miles of nothing in your back yard. In fact, you have neighbors. Or you shoot inside the house and there are no earth berms there. What do you do then?
You get a .22 bullet trap — that’s what you do! Yes you can make all sorts of traps to stop pellets and I have even written several reports about that very thing, but bottom line, a .22 bullet trap is your very best bet. Like I said, mine is more than 20 years old with half a million pellets and bullets and it’s still in great shape.
Why?
Why am I telling you this? Most of you know it already, though some are still struggling with boxes filled with rags and old phone books (that are getting increasingly hard to find!). Let me tell you a little story.
Next week I will be writing Part 5 about reloading .22 rimfire cartridges. And I had to test the results of my work, which will be in Part 6. I have a silent pellet trap in my office that I have used for 12 years when I test velocity, but I would now potentially be shooting it with 100+ foot-pound projectiles, and was my little pellet trap really up to it? I thought not, so I dragged my heavy steel .22 bullet trap from the garage into my office and while doing that I wondered whether a second bullet trap was something I might use.
I went on the Pyramyd AIR website and looked at their bullet traps. Wow! The Champion Heavy Duty Metal Trap that is identical to my obsolete Outers bullet trap now sells for $76. And used Outers traps on eBay sell for $100 and up. I remember balking at paying $48 back in 1993 for my trap when I started The Airgun Letter. Ouch! Well, the times have changed and things cost more in 2021 than they did in 1993, which was 28 years ago. Has it been that long? Be careful, or I will break into strains of, Sunrise, Sunset from Fiddler on the Roof.
Complaints
Well, I did want the additional trap to make things more convenient, so I looked at the customer reviews for the Champion trap. There were 102 of them. When I read the reviews I like to read the worst reviews first, and I look for common complaints. When I look at the great reviews I’ll be watching for kinder comments that support those complaints. Here is what I saw as the chef complaint for the Champion trap. It is from the only 3-star review, which was the lowest.
“The pellets bounce back out of the trap.”
That was it. One complaint. Well, duhh! Every bullet trap that doesn’t cost a fortune has that problem. Sure you can buy a snail trap from Savage (go to Savage range systems) for as little as $590.00 and not have that problem. Or the Bullet Bunker for plinkers is a rubber trap for .22 rimfires that only costs $764.00. Pardon me but when I pay that kind of money I want to get a new stove or a water heater — not a pellet trap!
I have been cleaning up lead dust and shattered pellets from in front of my Outers metal bullet trap for 28 years because I was too stupid to know that some fraction of the pellets and bullets aren’t supposed to bounce back out. Why didn’t “they” design it right?
Oh, there was one other complaint from someone who gave it 4 stars. I’ll let him tell you what it is.
“Stand back if you’re going to use this for BB guns. Mine hasn’t trapped a single BB yet. I shoot my CO2 BB pistol from 15 feet, and I have had BBs sail back past me. So far every BB I have fired at it are somewhere on my basement floor. I’m going to try placing shims under the back of the trap to see if I can find an angle that will work better for the BBs. They don’t come out with enough force to be dangerous, for the most part, so I still recommend this to the indoor shooters out there.”
Does anybody read this blog anymore? How many times have I told you to NEVER shoot steel BBs into a bullet trap (please, Siraniko — this is not a test.)? We call the Champion a pellet trap because Pyramyd AIR sells pellet guns, but in truth it was made to stop .22 rimfire bullets and Pyramyd AIR doesn’t even call it a pellet trap on their website. It’s a bullet trap that works well for pellets. But it ain’t no BB trap!
No BB trap!
Today’s report is not about BB traps. If that is what you want here is a blog that tells how to make one. If you would rather buy one, I recommend the Air Venturi Quiet Pellet Trap with a steel backstop. You will be buying the same thing that I show you how to build in the other report. There is a Quiet Pellet Trap for ten dollars less that has no steel backstop, but I prefer the insurance of the steel. I have a hole in my office closet door that was put there by a 30 foot-pound pellet rifle that shot pellets in the same place ten times and blasted through a 2-inch layer of Impact Putty and then a cookie sheet backstop. Get the steel! I retired that pellet trap and went to a much stronger one that has thick steel plates inside — see Stop that pellet! But when shooting .22 long rifle rounds I wanted a wider trap to preclude any small aiming errors. So I used the steep bullet trap and decided to switch to it for everything except BBs.
Buy once, enjoy for a lifetime
Stuff like a bullet trap isn’t at the center of what we do. We want to see the latest pellet rifle or perhaps some vintage BB gun. We will sometimes tolerate an accessory like a scope, a chronograph or a dot sight. Well, bullet traps are like washing machines. You don’t sit and stare at them for hours like a flat screen TV, but when you need them that TV will not suffice. When was the last time you proudly showed off your hot water heater to your best friend? But I bet you like a hot shower!
B.B.,
Whoopee! We have a blog! RidgeRunner WAKE UP! Doesn’t seem much different though. Maybe the technicians just didn’t want the peanut gallery breathing down their necks if they break the blog while updating the site. And the answer to the rhetoric question: Infinity ad nauseam! 🙂
Siraniko
PS: Section No BB trap! First paragraph second sentence, “If that is what you want here (You forgot to include the link: /blog/2012/04/safe-backstops-and-bullet-traps/) is a blog that tells how to make one.”
The blog appears to be the same; don’t fix it if it is not broken, I guess.
GF, I’ve stopped by to say hi to ya.
I hope everyone is doing good.
Fish
What’s up. All doing good here. How about you?
Doing good. Obsessing about sailboats lately.
By the way, I think they started to import synthetic HW30S. If my memory is not mistaken, I once watched a video where BB said that the perfect springer would be a synthetic, 600 – 700 fps, iron sighted, 2 stage triggered air rifle.
Anyhow, good to talk to you again, buddy.
And hi to everyone.
Take care.
Fish
That does sound like a nice gun. Synthetic stocks are good for out door weather and maybe don’t get dinged up as easy. But I still like a nice wood stock.
Speaking of wood stocks. Did you see the new Diana 54 Air King pro. It can be had with a nice laminate stock now. Check them out when you get a chance.
Siraniko,
Wow! That is impressive!
I did make that link (to a different report than the one you suggested) but for some reason the link didn’t publish. I have corrected it. Thanks,
BB
Siraniko,
Have the day off so I slept in late. Woke up to a blog. It is old stash, but it is still good. The shakes are gone now.
B.B.
Welcome back on-line!
-Y
PS I think you learn more about a product by looking at the poor reviews than the 5 stars.
Yogi,
That’s always been my feeling, as well.
BB
I agree with and use this strategy too whenever I research products, but the new changes on the PA site no longer seem to allow this! I see no links or ways to sort the reviews in any way other than straight chronological order (with most recent first). I hope this is only a temporary situation and that it gets corrected soon.
Alan
Alan,
I will send your comment to the IT team.
BB
Alan,
The team has noticed that too and has plans to change it. They are dealing with thousands of issues with the new site and they are working off a list of things to be corrected.
BB
Yogi,
Ditto! When I do peruse the reviews, I like to start with the worst and work my way up. Sometimes they even know what they are talking about.
I never get above 2 stars….
4 and 5 are just cheerleaders, wink.
-Y
Yogi,
It does seem that way most of the time.
BB,
Good article. I am not sure I see anything different on the blog. Maybe it is just the way you interact with it behind the scenes? Hat’s off to the IT crew for not screwing the blog up! 😉
Chris
Amen!
-Y
PS Never mind…We will see next week.
BB
Glad the blogs up and running.
And I have the Champion rimfire trap. I have shot airguns as well as .22 rimfire rounds at it and it has held up great. Thinking about getting at least 2 more and putting them at different distances.
GF1,
I did buy a second trap and my plan is to use it in my office and also in my bedroom as the need arises. Then I can put back my other trap in the garage and leave it alone.
I’ll still use the quiet trap in the office for BBs and also when I record sound readings.
BB
BB
I would really like to get more than 2 more but that will be good for now.
And forgot to say. Been patiently waiting for the rimfire reloading report. Haven’t got the reloading kit yet but definitely going to pretty soon.
GF1,
Monday.
BB
BB
Ok good.
Everyone,
Yes, the blog is back and no — nothing has changed — yet. The team was so busy with the main website update yesterday that they decided to hold off updating the blog site, so I was given the go-ahead to publish in the old format. The new blog format does exist, but we will wait until the main website is running smoothly before we update it.
BB
Uh-oh,…….. we are not out the woods yet,………. 😉
BB
Oh no. Not the new blog yet. Well hope it goes ok.
Welcome back! It’s been a looong four days. Did RR make it? If it was going to be much longer , he was going to need an intervention.
Rk,
It was rough, but I made it.
BB-
Glad you and the blog are back! I also want to add a big thumbs up for the Champion Bullet trap. We have 6 of them in our training program and they do shrug off tons of hits. The target holding binder clips do need periodic replacement. The trap itself is a forever piece of kit. They also make an excellent temporary jack stand. Don’t ask how I know that.
Paco
Yes about the clip. I been thinking about drilling two holes and using a bolt with a wing nut on the back side so it is more protected from getting hit. Then I can still change out the target paper pretty quick.
I use a cardboard backer behind my target paper to kind of strengthen the paper.
Plus what I want to do is hang a coupe tin cans and such from a coat hanger in the two holes I drill in the trap where the clip goes. So then I can have a swinging target if I want when my daughter’s come over.
Paco and GF1,
I loose a clip about every 500 shots. I buy ’em at Office Depot by the case.
BB
BB
Really. How much is a case and how many do you get in a case?
GF1,
There are 12 in a box and I think 6 boxes in a case, so 72 per case.
BB
BB
How much does it cost?
GF1,
I don’t remember. Twelve bucks?
BB
BB
Not bad.
BB: It is good to know that I am not unique in permanently mangling a spring steel H/D large paper clip/clamp on my venerable Champion Bullet/Pellet Trap. Mine was bought ca. 1990 just after I purchased my first WEST German RWS 1989 Diana Model 36 (still the best after all these years!).
I have stated elsewhere that one likely can NEVER wear out the Champion with usual pellet guns and ammunition (no steel tips or projectiles). In fact, I have a subtle lead “coating” in the impact points behind the 12 bull targets by National. Six of them to be exact (one has to flip the paper for the last three. The trap gets slightly thicker, to a point, as it is used. Just an occasional spritz of WD-40 is needed during the warm months when cycling takes over from shooting, and the rust “worms” are held at bay.
My only complaint of my Champion Trap is that it could have two (costly) improvements: 1.] be increased in size to accommodate the whole face of the (10 bull + 2sighting bulls) target paper in its aperture, and 2.] perhaps a deeper well to accommodate more pellets. Beyond cost, of course, the problem would be the likely significant increase in weight of the trap. This would require obtaining the services of another man and a boy to lift it off the shelf and empty it into the re-purposed coffee creamer canisters that go to a black powder re-enactor for his purposes – no use wasting good, high quality soft lead when they can be re-cast into miniballs.
Maybe when the annual marathon of “The Christmas Story” is running on the TV, a commercial needs to play about BB’s and steel traps? Right after Ralphie takes a near miss to the cheek (blamed on an icicle), the commercial could come on with Tom Gaylord saying, “Don’t let this happen to you….You’ll shoot your eye out! Buy BB Brand BB traps at Pyramyd AIR (just down the road from Cleveland in Solon, OH.” LOL
Question: My Champion is a single welded steel unit. It looks like the recent ones are bolted together? Is that true or am I seeing things dimly on the website pages.
LFranke,
The Champion trap is still welded. There is a cheaper trap that is either called the Do All, or the Highwild trap that is held together with bolts. That one is just as heavy as the Champion, but has a few places where the lead can escape — though not at any velocity.
BB
GF1,
Make a clip from a strip of steel that is spring loaded to close. It could be made to be pellet/bullet proof and angled down and in so if you do hit it, you do not have to duck.
RR
I could do that with some scrap pieces of banding strap that they have on the bundles of bar stock we get at work.
The banding strap would work, but I don’t think I’d want something stout enough to actually resist a pellet. The advantage of the spring paper clips/clamps is that the errant pellet DOES mangle it and thus loses energy so it doesn’t come back after the shooter.
Occasionally, a hit “just right” on the rounded lower nose of my Champion Trap can remind me to be more attentive to the target bulls as the errant round dings off my jeans at ankle level. I’d rather not have a spent round get any closer. I’ll buy, as BB says, a carton of the spring steel clips/clamps periodically and avoid a “Ralphie” cheek insult (c.f., “The Christmas Story,” or, “How I almost did shoot my eye out!”).
LFrank
True.
GF1,
LFanke is right about the thickness. You want it to deflect and not be damaged.
RR,
That steel banding is some tuff stuff. I could see many shooting applications. I have cut many a band,… from 1/2″ to 1 1/2″. Folding it up to toss is no easy task.
Chris
Chris,
That 1 1/2″ wide strapping is worth its weight in gold for anyone still making their own 02 blade broadheads. Used to get mine off bundles of railroad ties.
BobF
Chris,
Oh, I do understand. We have it at work also. We are also talking about making something that will not bend or ding or whatever after repeated shots from everything up to and including .22 LR. That is a considerable amount of force focused on a small point.
B.B.
I like cold showers! lol.
I have used 3/4 inch free hanging rubber gym mats as a slow down back stop. I have a 1/2 inch aluminum plate behind it.
-Y
Happy Friday! The blog post is a welcome sight, new format or old format – all good. Now you’ve given me another reason to spend my money B.B. but since FM is not authorized by the Treasury folks to print Monopoly Greenbacks, still have to carefully prioritize…so many fun hobbies and pasttimes, so limited $$. Thank God for a pension and part-time job. And for a live-and-let-live lady CEO.
The description of the Grafenwoehr range was interesting. That’s also where the artillerymen of the Spanish 250th Volunteer Division, AKA the “Blue Division” trained before heading off to Russia. It is amazing it is still in use, given the limited open land available in Germany.
Basil,
Well, given the billions of tons of ordnance that have been deposited there I doubt it will ever be used for anything else. Too many potential problems.
BB
BB: My son was stationed there for three glorious years in Europe. He’s now a major in the Army Engineers. His military service gave his three kids (who may or may not have appreciated it at the time?) a rich cultural exposure: Notre Dam before it burned, Paris, Madrid, Portugal, London, Bavaria, the Netherlands, Belgium, Rome, Pompeii, and so much else.
He’s now at Ft. Leavenworth, and not, so far, in the federal military prison! LOL I remind him periodically that he still owns a time-honored RWS Diana 24-J in .177 that I purchased for him in 1990 or so. That little 700 fps rifle still shoots straight and true and is a real Rastatt piece. It gets “exercised” periodically as I rotate through the pieces to keep things lubed and moving.
So far, he hasn’t wanted any personal arms of any kind in his home on Ft. L base. That’s probably a good idea with three teens in the house and a duplex neighbor that plays the sound system too loud.
AAAAAAH! Oh yeah! Feels good now! Even the old blog does good! The DT’s are rough!
I am one of the few that have distance, though I may put up a backstop in the near future as I have not been shooting my “big bore” at my new range yet. Where I was shooting it before, the very Earth was my berm.
Not too far down the road is a company that sells heavy duty “rubber” conveyor belt material. A couple of slabs of that should work fine unless I get something bigger.
My Outers is about 25 years old, has been used heavily [including .22LR], been outdoors a lot, and my only gripe is that hitting the target holder clip destroys it. Best purchase ever [my Steyr LG100 is right up there, too].
joem5636,
There you go! 🙂
BB
BB,
Something missing on the new PA site is a search window. I found that very helpful at times, though others may not have utilized it much.
RR,
I saw that. Like every other website in the world, just click on the magnifying glass and a search window pops up. I like it better, and it saves them room!
BB
BB
My phone shows the magnifying glass and the search window pops up when I click on it.
GF1,
Yep. Just like it’s supposed to.
BB
BB
Yep.
BB,
Oh yeah. Well, now you know how much of a troglodyte I am.
B.B.
So how about a blog series on the new nerf gun.
https://www.cnet.com/news/nerfs-rival-curve-shot-lets-you-blast-around-corners/
Lots of shooters are locked inside this time of year. Seems pretty cool to me?
-Y
PS Isn’t being able to shoot around corners every artillery man’s dream?
Yogi,
It does seem cool. I’ll think about it.
BB
That is all that I can ask.
-Y
BB
I would like to see a blog on it.
HAPPY FRIDAY!! BB IS BACK!
Yeah, you don’t think about a a backstop until you are looking for a safe place to shoot. One of the best things about airguns is that it is relatively easy to find something suitable.
To help minimize the lead getting into the environment I like to use a (softwood) log as a backstop – the bonus is that I can reclaim the lead for making jigs and sinkers.
It is not too difficult to find a dead pine or spruce and a couple of minutes work with a chainsaw will yield a number of suitable pieces ready for adding legs.
Cheers!
Hank
Hank,
That could work. I was thinking of using some of my dead and down for a backstop.
I like my outers bullet trap. The champion bullet trap looks identical. Don’t have any idea how many shots it’s taken but I dump lead out of it regularly.
Like many have said here, the weakness in design is the clip that holds the target. Years ago I attached a magnetic strip (like the ones used to hold knives and tools) to the top of the ceiling of the bullet trap using JB Weld. The roof of the bullet trap is slanted so it took a large bead of JB Weld to make the magnetic strip level. Now I use thick magnets about the size of a quarter to secure the targets. Once in awhile they get shot but rarely hurt or even fall off.
I didn’t like the noise of a bullet or pellet hitting the back of the trap so I smashed some duct seal on the slanted roof of the bullet trap to deaden the sound. This works well for awhile but I have to repair/fill in the duct seal too often. Anybody have a better idea?
I tried, with limited success two things; 1.] Setting the Champion trap on old carpet scraps to minimize the sound of the trap on the dense plywood shelving. 2.] I took a silicone caulk tube and cut the tip to produce a 1/4-3/8″ round bead of caulk. I then took the caulking gun at an acute angle and laid a 1″ square grid on the back of the target and let it cure in place. It, the silicone rubber grid on the outside of the trap, damps the impact sound and eliminates any ringing (which was scant to begin with). It makes the noise acceptable in my ballistic closet that encloses the trap and has hardened protections for vulnerable house plumbing in it, the closet.
If I really wanted to damp the sound, I’d get some of that rubber mattress foam with the grid of teats and glue it to the side walls (flat side glued to the walls) of the ballistic closet leaving only the “Opps! Area” immediately behind and around the Champion Trap bare painted masonry. To me, the juice wouldn’t be worth the squeeze at this point.
Unlike duct seal, when the silicone rubber is cured, it doesn’t come off on things. I could also double the grid and maybe that would cut a bit more sound out, but I’m happy with the reduction as it is.
LFranke,
Thanks for the reply.
Interesting fix. You’re putting a sound dampener on the outside of the bullet trap and I’m putting it on the inside. Think you are smarter than me. I like the silicone caulk idea since my bullet trap stays outside.
“the juice wouldn’t be worth the squeeze at this point”. I’m going to steal that phrase.
Kevin: you can steal the phrase at will. I stole it from someone else!
An additional note: the sound produced by pellet impact is a “thunk” rather than a louder “bang-and-ringing” sound.
The caulking method won’t eliminate the sound, it just damps it. Let us know how your modifications turn out, if you would…
LFranke,
Roger. Wilco. It will be awhile since my bullet trap is at my second home and it’s currently ten below.
You left the A/C running.
It’s a balmy 20 here in NW Ohio by Lake Erie. Then the wind blows….
It is good to have the trap in a basement air gun range. Central heating is a wonderful thing!
The Champion trap works ok. But yeah, I was using it to figure out my scope POI at close range (10-15 yards) and had shards of pellets whistling back past me and pinging off the house siding. Not cool.
So, being an engineer I looked at how to build a snail trap, and made a couple different versions. Somebody could make these in volume production, for .22 and lighter caliber, for about the same cost as the Champion style trap. Maybe it will be me…
Ben,
The cheapest snail trap I have seen sells for $140. It’s more of a gun clearing trap than a target trap.
Maybe you should start a business making them?
BB
BB, what about a hanging, kevlar curtain as a bullet/pellet stop? TAP plastic has kevlar cloth in a few weaves,
it’s like fibre glass cloth. A shower curtain of kevlar, with weights hanging from the bottom edge of the curtain.
This would work for bb’s too. Hemming the cloth is an issue, and it might need some sort of backing material,
like a BPV uses. No need to heat treat the cocking slot on the Synergis, a little er70 did the trick. Heads up:
an R10 mainspring is too wide, but about 32 coils of .128 wire @18.5 mm diameter should work just fine instead of the gas ram. An HW 97 mainspring might drop in for a 12 ft/lbs gun. I think that spring is less than 3/4″ diameter. The preload on a spring is easier to compress than a gas ram.
The only issue left is compressing the gas ram a little more than a 1/4″ to get the end cap on. Bar clamps, but we’ll see. To bad about the trigger, but it’s simple and it does break clean.
A easier spring would be a nice option for this air rifle, it has a nice barrel. The compresion cylynder and the piston are nicely made. It will never be an HW97, but it’s cool to see what $160. gets you. It just needed a blueprinting.
Rob
Rob,
I’ll look into a Kevlar curtain for BBs. I need a good BB trap, as I shoot them up all the time. For pellets I still like these steel traps the best.
BB
Rob,
I have given the Synergis in .22 some very serious consideration. I started my airgun life with a Gamo CFX. I have always liked an underlever.
What is the stock like? Is it substantial or does it sound/feel cheap? Gamo is pretty good with their syn stocks and the one on the Maximus/Fortitude is absolutely awesome.
There are a few airgun places that can customize sproings for you. IMMHO, replacing that gas ram with a sproing is a real good idea. What little experience I have had with a gasser has not been pleasant. There are a bunch of sproingers around my house. I think I will just stick with the steel.
Ridge, The Synergis was a shot in the dark for me, but its not a bad rifle at all. Mine is accurate.
I’m comparing it to my R10 with a Vortek kit in it. The main thing is hard cocking, but for a hunter its not a issue. For extended shooting, it could be. I modded the stock a little. The back end of the stock is solid,
the forarm is ribbed. I was going to cut the forarm off, I like the look of the linkage. The shroud needed to come off, the threads are inside the receiver for that, so applying heat to the locktite was an issue. It’s the only way to get the barrel off too, for cleaning. Bar clamps worked fine for getting the end cap back on, plus a few pieces of flat bar lying around. It’s a little smoother now, but a spring is the thing to make this one an easy cocker . I did not take the barrel out of the action, it needs a 9 mm wrench at the magazine end of the barrel, plus a grub screw underneath. There may be an oring in there. I saw a sudden loss in velocity of about 100fps after a few mags.
I ditched the antibeartrap mech, now it can be de-cocked. Diana has the right idea about gas ram or spring as an option.
The R10 beats it in every catagory except low price!
Rob,
That is really good stuff to know about the Synergis. I may have still given it consideration, but I just had another underlever move into RidgeRunner’s Home For Wayward Airguns. This old gal may not hit as hard as the Synergis, but she sure is pretty.
RR, this one is on the back burner now.
Rob
Rob,
Yep, you have certainly done her up some. I bet it feels good to shoulder.
I just bought one of these traps last month. It is so easy compared to my old ground up rubber tire trap with a steel sheet backup safety.
The ground rubber tire trap is much more quiet but requires mining the lead about once a year because it gets too heavy to carry. It also requires replacing rhe cardboard/1/4″ plywood facing that holds the rubber chips in place.
The Champian steel bullet trap can just be dumped into my lead bucket once in a while. I don’t hear much without my hearing aids so noise is not a problem for me. It is so simple. A great buy.
Don
B.B. and Readership,
I have been following Dykstra of Primal Rights Precision for a while and shared a few tidbits from him from time to time. This year he has stepped up big-time:
“(www.primalrights.com) I’ve been pursuing the discipline of precision rifle for my entire adult life. I have a body of work going back in the industry over 15 years, which seems a blink of an eye looking back on it. Long before precision rifles were as trendy and “cool” as they are now. I encourage you to head to the library section of our website and peruse the articles I’ve written over the years, as that will give you some basic idea of my experience and direction. During Christmas, we were blessed to find many of you participating in our Competition Primer Seater Christmas give-away efforts. The number of people that came in support of Jesus was very impactful. In keeping with that message, we’ve begun a new program for 2021 which I think some of you may enjoy, and I’d like to share that with you.
Starting on Jan 1, 2021 my good friend and biblical mentor Daniel Dalton of Primal Finish (www.primalfinish.com) and I began Bullets from the Bible. It is a faith-based program streamed live on instagram (@primalrights) we do each morning during the week. Daniel is a preacher, full time, and does outstanding cerakote work on the side. The covid era has made in-person training difficult for some, and while we did always enjoy the classes we put on… it is time to evolve. The training we used to offer for $500-$1000 per 2-day session is now being given to you, for free! All you need to do is tune in, grab your rifle, and follow along. We will lay out the building blocks of an unshakable foundation of skillsets which can help you perform honest shots, every time you approach your rifle. Yes, the production quality of an instagram live stream leaves a lot to be desired, but if you can look past that… the training you can receive is assured to help you in becoming the rifleman, and the person, you always wanted to be! We also have a mentorship program which is in “beta” right now, that you can also call me to discuss if you’d like some more individualized instruction.
Each episode begins on instagram at 7am Mountain time, and is subsequently saved to IGTV as well as uploaded to our youtube channel for later viewing. If you’re interested, please subscribe and use the bell icon to turn on notifications wherever you prefer to watch! Please do share it with your friends as well. Viewership is the only thing that will keep this alive, so every person you send it to or forum you post it on will help!
Feel free to ask questions and engage! I’d love to help each and every one of you become better!”
You may, or may not, be interested in the religious tie in as well. Or please be warned NOT to pursue their efforts so you will not to be offended by their obvious Christian Values.
shootski
B.B.,
Good to have you back! My wife noticed I was starting to get a bit edgy. But now I have you and the gang back! Aaaah. Feels good. Feels . . . right. :^)
Michael
Michael,
I am with you, man. The DT’s are rough. The weekends can get things right tight. The bad part is we will have to go through it again. I am not looking forward to that. I may have to save up a little stash between now and then.
RidgeRunner,
DTs are bad. What’s worse is when you start seeing things like a Girandoni air rifle in your house waiting for you to shoot.
Siraniko
Siraniko,
That is one hallucination I would like!
New PA web site:
Off topic. I bounce in and out of GTA all day and I see a new thread with comments regarding changes to the PA site. About a dozen so far. One even e-mailed PA, got a response and said that they are working on it.
I have not been there except for a quick 1x the other day. Complaints so far seem to be,.. not smart phone friendly, navigation, pop up images/ads, images too big. I can not say either way. Tom (BB) pointed out a few new advantages. That seemed good.
I like change (not) about as much as anyone. The old site worked for me for navigation and browsing and shopping. The pop up “can I help you?” gets annoying and was real bad for a few. They seemed to have fixed that, at least then.
I assume PA had their reasons. Customer suggestions? Increased sales through “quicker? and better?” navigation? A new program that forced a redo?
For me,… just do NOT force pop ups and ads and stuff I have to X off of,… in order to move on.
Anyone else been there yet and have anything good or bad to say?
Hi,
Had a quick look yesterday. Bold print works for my old eyes. Lots of large, clear photos, nice. I can appreciate that the site may be difficult when accessed on a small screen. I’m usually using my desktop or a keyboard-equipped iPad. I can’t “type” fast enough on a phone so I wait until I’m able to use the larger screen and a keyboard.
Having spent time on the other side of the screen, I do appreciate the quality of the initial rollout of the new PA site. When creating an all-new site there are ALWAYS so many things to adjust. Starting out, one works from a list of items to be accomplished for the project. When those are done, then alpha testing and make adjustments. Then you hand it off to a group of beta testers, make adjustments. Then finally you go live. Another level of adjustments. Appearance, usability, controls and so on.
I think that because this is not making physical changes, people assume that all is simple or easy.
Not like, “Honey, could you just put a window in that wall in the kitchen.” The magnitude of the job is understood, move cabinets (where?), relocate wiring, plumbing, refinish the brickwork on the exterior wall and on. That is “real” and requires time, material and labor. Web site changes do not usually require material, but the labor and cost is not insignificant. I learned to be wary of sentences that contain the word “just.”
“You can’t predict problems and you can’t schedule creativity.”
Dan
I had a long, slim box show up at RidgeRunner’s Home For Wayward Airguns this morning!
RR,
Very early Christmas??
Dan
Dan,
No, it was sent to me by a very good friend.
RR
Really. How about that. I’m surprised. 🙂
What did you get?
GF1,
It is a Diana 50.
RR
What kind of shape is it in.
GF1,
Pretty nice really. My BSA will no longer be my only tap loader underlever.
RR
The one BB talked about I suppose.
Boy you got two new ones to wring out now.
Let us know what it’s like when you get a chance to shoot it.
GF1,
You know I will. 😉
RR
Will be waiting to hear.
GF1,
First I am going to have to dig the range out. Eight inches and still falling.
RR
You got a snow blower?
GF1,
Snow blower? For what? If the snow is too deep, I don’t go. Period.
I actually came off the hill a bit ago and went to the store. The new tires on my truck are awesome. I did not even have to put my chains on to get back up the hill.
I thought about one of them things a while back. We don’t get that much snow and that money would take away from my airgun allowance.
RR
What tires do you have on your truck?
GF1,
Kumho Crugen HT51 Highway All Season
RR
All those little cuts in each tread is what makes them work.
That’s what the Presa 101 Ice have too.
They separate and make places that try to grab when the tire rotates.
Pretty cool design.
GF1,
I really do not care why these tires do so well. I am just very pleased. I have been coming up that hill for many a year and these are the first tires that allow me to come up it with eight inches of snow and not even spin once. I know what tires I am going to buy from now on.
RR
Ain’t it nice when something works.
Same with me. Nice having a good tire that works.
RR,
A pic(s),…. or it did not happen! 😉
Chris
LOL! OK.
BB
I noticed something today. When I go on the PA home page and scroll to the blog it still shows a picture of the RAW part 2 blog.
Shouldn’t that update to the current days blog? That way when they click on the “see all” it will be the same as that days blog.
No big deal it’s just something I seen.
Also noticed the AirArms pellets went up in price.
GF1,
Yes, it should be the current page. But I reckon they are dealing with much larger problems today.
BB
BB
I thought that. Just figured I would mention it.
BB,
I have not seen much (any?) gripes about actual function. More the layout/format, from what I gather. Oh well,..it is human nature to resist change. I am sure we will all be just fine in the end.
Chris
Chris USA,
Are you certain of this? “I am sure we will all be just fine in the end.”
End. Interesting word that! As in: The End, the living End, Bitter End (of a rope,) Dead End, BagEnd, Short End, come to an End, come to a bitter End, End of Days, End of time, End (as in behind,) End ( as in the last of it,) means to an End–so many ends, so little time!!!
Time to End…
shootski
Shootski,
Well,…. since you put it in THAT context,…. I am not certain! 😉
Chris
Sometimes you size up a situation and end up surmising,….. “This is probably not going to end well”. Hopefully the log ins will get saved over without hiccups.
B.B.,
I would suggest finding some metal that you could bend to a 90º angle and then use some J-B Weld to attach them to the outside of the trap on each side at the top. You could then use the binder clips to hold the cardboard backer and thumb tacks or tape to attach you targets to the backer. Just an idea.
Geo
Noticed something strange today reading the blog. When I open the blog there is a nice photo of the Champion Trap. Then when I click on the button “Read More”, the photo disappears. The only way I found to get the photo back is to click on “Home” which takes me back to the page with the “Read More” button. Just kind of quirky.
Geo
George,
That is a featured image and I guess it does that.
BB
Geo791,
Look like B.B. put his ByLine below the Trap Photograph; looking back a few articles the photos stay when his ByLine is above.
shootski
BB,
What about a bullet/pellet trap that had 4 “spikes” sticking out? Take a piece of corrugated cardboard (with target attached) and just jam it over the spikes? (like 16 penny framing nails).
Thought being,… a LOT less harder to hit with pellets or .22 bullets.
Just tossin’ it out there,……… Chris
Shucks! I was hoping to get a little shooting in today..
RR
Come on man. That’s a perfect way to range your guns for your hold overs and such.
I like shooting when it snows. 🙂
GF1,
The problem is the POA is not visible. I am going to have to wait a few days for the melt.
RR
Don’t know what you mean. Why is Point Of Aim not visible?
I mean just shoot out into the snow at different distances with the center of the cross hair. That pellet hole in the snow then becomes my target or as you say aim point.Then watch were the pellet lands and see how many dots low the pellet lands. Then that’s the holdover you need at that distance below the horizontal cross hair on your next shot if you want to hit that same spot.
So if it hit 2 dots low then aim at the pellet hole in the snow with 2 dots below the horizontal line and you should hit on or close to the pellet hole with that shot.
GF1,
LOL! I usually am shooting open sights. Today the 3/4″ spinner is visible. If it was not for the hurricane force winds I would give it a try. Maybe tomorrow.
RR
It’s been windy by me for the last 4 days. Today was nice and calm. Real nice shooting today for me. Guns seemed to shoot overly accurate today after doing all that wind shooting the last few days. I like when that happens. 🙂
Right breezy today also.
RR
The wind is good practice too. And the snow makes it easy to check your windage holds also.
The only thing that would probably stop me from going out to shoot would be how cold it is out if I’m shooting outside. Or rain.
Rain is no problem. I have covered porches. Cold is.
RR
That’s why I said if I shoot outside.
If I shoot from inside I have the breezway to shoot out of so don’t deal with the cold or heat or rain. Basically 24/7 shooting is available if I want to.
GF1,
Mrs. RR insists I must go outside to shoot. She will not even let me shoot from an open window.
RR
Well you know what happens if you don’t listen to the boss. 😉
I’m glad my wife doesn’t care what I do out there. Now if I was shooting out a bedroom window she would probably have a problem with that. 🙂