Canadian Airgun Forum
https://www.airgunforum.ca/forums/

Modeling clay "cheap alternative to duct seal" is it good?
https://www.airgunforum.ca/forums/topic80183.html
Page 1 of 2

Author:  leadslinger [ Thu Aug 02, 2018 5:15 pm ]
Post subject:  Modeling clay "cheap alternative to duct seal" is it good?

Ive been using Duct seal for years.

I was skeptical about modeling clay being a cheap alternative. I said once it dries it will be easier to shoot thru.

So I went to the dollar store. Picked up a brick for 2$. Placed it at 24ft, longest I can shoot indoor. Found the flattest pellet I got, which are 8.3grn Grizzly domes. More like wadcutters with a slight dome.

Used a Diana 240C that I chrony 445 fps with 8.2 RWS.

I placed the 1.6" thick brick of modeling clay end up. I shot it and it fell over. I went to inspect the new brick of modeling clay and well I could feel a bulge on the other side. I used my calipers depth gauge and found out it went in 1.3"

Tested it with my Beeman P17. Same pellet, I say chrony around 395 FPS and went 1.3" thru.

Not looking good for the modeling clay.

Tomorrow I'll grab a plug of duct seal if my local store has it. Do the same tests and measure how deep it penetrates.

Author:  YepYep [ Thu Aug 02, 2018 5:38 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Modeling clay "cheap alternative to duct seal" is it goo

I have been using duct seal so far and my Daisy 953 shooting from less than 10 yards can't bury the whole pellet into it... Say maybe 1/8 to 1/4 inch?!

And I remember the first time I heard this and bought some bricks and shot the first time to test was using a Hatsan mod 25 .177 shot less than 1 foot in front of it and the pellet was able to bury itself completely into the duct seal, as the pellet was transformed a little bit, I think it's still around 1/4 surely less than 1/2 inch?!

Sent from my LG cellphone

Author:  leadslinger [ Thu Aug 02, 2018 5:47 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Modeling clay "cheap alternative to duct seal" is it goo

Less then 1/2" is much better than a 1.3"

Author:  MyCrosman [ Thu Aug 02, 2018 9:48 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Modeling clay "cheap alternative to duct seal" is it goo

Interesting...however I didn't say anything about shooting a 1.6 inch brick......A Starbucks cup is 3 inches across
at the top...2 3/4 in the middle and 2 1/4 at the bottom...Whole brick packs in neatly to the top.....It will stop any nonpal gun at 24 feet.....duct seal is tougher....great.....use it then...... :D

Author:  leadslinger [ Thu Aug 02, 2018 10:24 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Modeling clay "cheap alternative to duct seal" is it goo

MyCrosman wrote:
Interesting...however I didn't say anything about shooting a 1.6 inch brick......A Starbucks cup is 3 inches across
at the top...2 3/4 in the middle and 2 1/4 at the bottom...Whole brick packs in neatly to the top.....It will stop any nonpal gun at 24 feet.....duct seal is tougher....great.....use it then...... :D


Well since you brought it up. You said its a cheaper alternative to duct seal. 1.49$ difference. With duct seal, a sub 500 FPS airgun only launches them a pellet length in. Using modeling clay it went thru 80%. Now that 1/2 the thickness of your filled coffee cup. What if it was 22? I'm sure it would go almost 3/4 thru the cup.

So needing twice as much modeling clay to stop something that does it better.

I use proper pellet traps with duct seal. Not trusting my walls with a clay filled over priced coffee cup.

With duct seal, It also stops higher power airguns. 1" thick plug will stop 800FPS 22 cal 14grn pellet at 6".

So sure modeling clay will work, you need 3 to 4 times more if you want to use anything bigger.

Author:  YepYep [ Fri Aug 03, 2018 6:11 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Modeling clay "cheap alternative to duct seal" is it goo

The unit price of duct seal looks not expensive, I remember when I found it in Lowes, I was surprised the small size of each pack / brick of it ~ lol

And I bought about a box, not a full box, but I bought every pack I saw on the rack.... Maybe a dozen something...

And I asked for a contractor discount when I ckecked it out... The smart guy replied 'nope... But you can refund the unused pack individually...'

So far I have 3 or 4 packs unopened, and used the others to make myself a bigger and a smaller back traps with sheet metal cookie boxes.

Although it not a cheap way for back trap liner, and other good thing about the duct seal is durable, and worry free. You never need to worry about dry out, being shot through, need to refill... anything once you done. I just clean out the pellets to recycle every two sets of the sticker targets, about 200 to 300 shots, and use a 2x4 to press it to remove the holes and flat it out again after I dig out the pellets and keep shooting...

Sent from my LG cellphone

Author:  YepYep [ Sat Aug 04, 2018 8:11 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Modeling clay "cheap alternative to duct seal" is it goo

No photo then it's not true ~ [emoji16]

Time to replace new target sticker and take a photo to show how deep my pellets can shoot into the duct seal...

Various guns includes 953/1322/2240/ HW45/HW40 from about 8 to 10 yards... Image

Sent from my LG cellphone

Author:  CBS shooter [ Mon Jan 14, 2019 5:18 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Modeling clay "cheap alternative to duct seal" is it goo

leadslinger wrote:
Ive been using Duct seal for years.

I was skeptical about modeling clay being a cheap alternative. I said once it dries it will be easier to shoot thru.

So I went to the dollar store. Picked up a brick for 2$. Placed it at 24ft, longest I can shoot indoor. Found the flattest pellet I got, which are 8.3grn Grizzly domes. More like wadcutters with a slight dome.

Used a Diana 240C that I chrony 445 fps with 8.2 RWS.

I placed the 1.6" thick brick of modeling clay end up. I shot it and it fell over. I went to inspect the new brick of modeling clay and well I could feel a bulge on the other side. I used my calipers depth gauge and found out it went in 1.3"

Tested it with my Beeman P17. Same pellet, I say chrony around 395 FPS and went 1.3" thru.

Not looking good for the modeling clay.

Tomorrow I'll grab a plug of duct seal if my local store has it. Do the same tests and measure how deep it penetrates.


You wont have to measure under 500 fps just sticks to surface to duck seal it is the way to go :drinkers:

Author:  CBS shooter [ Mon Jan 14, 2019 5:19 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Modeling clay "cheap alternative to duct seal" is it goo

YepYep wrote:
No photo then it's not true ~ [emoji16]

Time to replace new target sticker and take a photo to show how deep my pellets can shoot into the duct seal...

Various guns includes 953/1322/2240/ HW45/HW40 from about 8 to 10 yards... Image

Sent from my LG cellphone

same results i get great stuff :D

Author:  nowhere [ Sun Nov 08, 2020 11:37 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Modeling clay "cheap alternative to duct seal" is it goo

Duct seal isn't cheap - but I built my pellet trap over a decade ago and I'm still using the same duct seal that I first lined it with back then. Still have two sealed bricks of it too!

Author:  leadslinger [ Mon Nov 09, 2020 8:14 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Modeling clay "cheap alternative to duct seal" is it goo

nowhere wrote:
Duct seal isn't cheap - but I built my pellet trap over a decade ago and I'm still using the same duct seal that I first lined it with back then. Still have two sealed bricks of it too!


Oh I only use duct seal. Been using my stuff for over 5 years. This post was in response of another member saying that clay is a good alternative to duct seal. I wanted to test that he is wrong. I'm not a fan of make shift or cobbled together pellet traps. After seeing what damage happens in an apartment when you miss, or it fails.

Author:  nowhere [ Tue Nov 10, 2020 3:00 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Modeling clay "cheap alternative to duct seal" is it goo

leadslinger wrote:
nowhere wrote:
Duct seal isn't cheap - but I built my pellet trap over a decade ago and I'm still using the same duct seal that I first lined it with back then. Still have two sealed bricks of it too!


Oh I only use duct seal. Been using my stuff for over 5 years. This post was in response of another member saying that clay is a good alternative to duct seal. I wanted to test that he is wrong. I'm not a fan of make shift or cobbled together pellet traps. After seeing what damage happens in an apartment when you miss, or it fails.


I made a couple of holes in the wall of my "shooting gallery" (aka the big, long room over the garage) from the days before I made myself a good, big pellet trap, so I know what you mean! Non-PAL guns and in my case they didn't quite penetrate the drywall but still... I've moved all my shooting down to the basement crawlspace since then. Cool in the summer, warm in the winter, quiet and with thick concrete walls backed by the Earth all around me.

I built my trap based on the one that Archer Airguns used to sell. I would have bought one of theirs but they didn't sell outside the US so I had to break out the tablesaw and get working. I don't have a router so in order to hold the clipboard target-holder I made the functional equivalent of the grooves they used for that purpose using four pieces of half inch by half inch wood attached to the sides.

Author:  leadslinger [ Tue Nov 10, 2020 6:31 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Modeling clay "cheap alternative to duct seal" is it goo

nowhere wrote:
leadslinger wrote:
nowhere wrote:
Duct seal isn't cheap - but I built my pellet trap over a decade ago and I'm still using the same duct seal that I first lined it with back then. Still have two sealed bricks of it too!


Oh I only use duct seal. Been using my stuff for over 5 years. This post was in response of another member saying that clay is a good alternative to duct seal. I wanted to test that he is wrong. I'm not a fan of make shift or cobbled together pellet traps. After seeing what damage happens in an apartment when you miss, or it fails.


I made a couple of holes in the wall of my "shooting gallery" (aka the big, long room over the garage) from the days before I made myself a good, big pellet trap, so I know what you mean! Non-PAL guns and in my case they didn't quite penetrate the drywall but still... I've moved all my shooting down to the basement crawlspace since then. Cool in the summer, warm in the winter, quiet and with thick concrete walls backed by the Earth all around me.

I built my trap based on the one that Archer Airguns used to sell. I would have bought one of theirs but they didn't sell outside the US so I had to break out the tablesaw and get working. I don't have a router so in order to hold the clipboard target-holder I made the functional equivalent of the grooves they used for that purpose using four pieces of half inch by half inch wood attached to the sides.


Well my basement is now concrete in the house I bought. So if I miss, oh well. But the apartment, the wife put a pellet into the wall, because of the heavy trigger on the buckmark, and I put a hole thru the wall, with a full power phantom, it was zeroed at a different range, and decided to shoot it at 20ft. Well shot over the at the time, 8x11 shooting box I had at 25ft. Actually twice it hit the lip of the box and richoet, I lucky to not hit the medicine cabinet and hit wood. But 3rd time I wasn't lucky.

These were older apartment, that just had regular house hold divider walls. So why I don't recommend shooting in apartments.

Author:  Tail Air Gunner [ Tue Nov 10, 2020 11:14 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Modeling clay "cheap alternative to duct seal" is it goo

So I guess for my under 500 fps guns, dollar store modeling clay should be just fine?
It's a buck a brick

Author:  leadslinger [ Tue Nov 10, 2020 11:19 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Modeling clay "cheap alternative to duct seal" is it goo

Tail Air Gunner wrote:
So I guess for my under 500 fps guns, dollar store modeling clay should be just fine?
It's a buck a brick


Well with my testing. I nearly blew thru a brick with a sub 500 FPS airgun. Which you would need to stack a few, and then sooner or later you will blow thru that, if you stack pellets, or shoot in the same area. Then it could dry out and become brittle. Pay 4$ more and get duct seal.. That will last you forever, and don't have to upgrade because you got more powerful airguns.

Page 1 of 2 All times are UTC - 5 hours
Powered by phpBB © 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007 phpBB Group
http://www.phpbb.com/