Silent pellet trap

Message

TCooper · #1 Post by **TCooper** » Mon Sep 05, 2005 11:56 pm

Most airgunners know this already but there might be a few shooters who may not.

Duct Seal is a thick grey putty that is often used in homemade silent pellet traps. The putty doesn't dry out and it lasts for many years. My trap is now over 4 years old and I'm still using most of the original duct seal. It has seen well over 25,000 shots.

Duct seal can be found in electrical supply stores and the electrical departments of some places like Home Depot. It's used to seal around conduits when they go through walls. Shop around because the price varies greatly. I found the best price at a dedicated electrical supply store. The putty is usually sold in 1 pound or 5 pound bricks.

My trap box is made from some scrap wood I found around the house. A simple chop and nail job and I had a trap that was large enough for an 8.5"x11" paper. A simple 8"x8" or 10"x10" metal electrical box would also work fine. About 1.5" thickness of duct seal is fine for non-PAL airguns. More is obviously needed for magnum power. I would also advise to use a metal plate in the back for the 1000fps rifles (safety reasons).

To empty the silent trap I use a small slotted screw driver and pop out the used pellets. I toss the lead in a large coffee can. The guys at the local gunshop are always happy to have a free supply of muzzleloader lead so I drop off the tin when it gets about 3/4 full.

Silent traps keep lead dust from forming and pellet noise to a minimum.

Todd

#2 Post by **sniper** » Tue Sep 06, 2005 1:05 am

ex:

http://www.babymd.net/aa_improved_silen ... t_trap.htm

TCooper · #3 Post by **TCooper** » Tue Sep 06, 2005 9:31 pm

Hi Sniper,

Doctor Joe's trap is a lot more detailed than my "scrap trap". I think mine cost me about $15 to make. Joe's is a wonderful piece of luxury.

I made my trap out of a few scrap pieces of wood I had laying around. I applied some stain and clear coat to the completed trap. Then I bought a cheapo handle from Walmart and found a paper clasp to hold the targets.
I found about 6 places that sell Duct Seal in my city. I think I paid $1.86 per pound back about 4 or 5 years ago. This was the best price and the highest was around $3 per pound. Most places were charging $2 to $2.50 per pound.
Look in your phone book under "Electric Equipment & Supplies". Duct seal is use for packing around electrical conduit when it goes through a wall. The duct seal is packed around the electrical conduit. It is not used for heating ducts.

I bought my duct seal from a place called Guillevin. They had a huge pallet of the stuff for $1.86 per pound.
When I was phoning around for the duct seal, many local dealers had it such as: Westburne, MGM Electric, Wesco, Eecol, etc. Places that supply major electrical products such as bulk house wire, fuse panels, conduit will all have duct seal.

I happen to have an extra one pound bar. The clear package says:

COMMANDER
Electrical Material
Division of Thomas & Betts Ltd.
Made in Canada

-non-corrosive
-non-toxic
-no unpleasant odor
-will not stain or harm hands
-temperature: -34C to 88C (-30F to 190F)
-minimum for installation -12C (10F)

Asbestos-Free
Duct Seal

The bar code number is 2253867001. It comes in a one pound bar which measures approx: 7" long, 2" wide, and 1" thick.

I have a pic of my "poor man's" pellet trap but I have not mastered how to post them yet.

Todd

airgunfun · #4 Post by **airgunfun** » Tue Sep 06, 2005 9:33 pm

I bought my duct seal at Home Depot. They looked at me kinda funny when I bought 20lbs.

#5 Post by **sniper** » Tue Sep 06, 2005 11:45 pm

wow ... that sounds good Todd, if I can make it that cheap even better. During the day the noise doesn't bother but sometime I like to shoot at night too and that pellet catcher seems to be the best thing.
Thx good info.

I_HATE_PAL · #6 Post by **I_HATE_PAL** » Wed Sep 07, 2005 12:27 am

airgunfun wrote:They looked at me kinda funny when I bought 20lbs.

#7 Post by **sniper** » Wed Sep 07, 2005 1:37 am

airgunfun wrote:I bought my duct seal at Home Depot. They looked at me kinda funny when I bought 20lbs.

how big of 20lbs, is it in a cube ?
and how much is it at HD ?

hotsky · #8 Post by **hotsky** » Wed Sep 07, 2005 7:45 pm

I use the Dact seal as well

I have a steal plate that I have coverd with a thin layer of the DS, it works great. I clean it after each shooting session

rustysdream · #9 Post by **rustysdream** » Sun Mar 18, 2007 8:46 pm

I typed "duct seal" in the search box but the only thing that came up on Home Depot's web site was 10.1 Oz. 100% Silicone Concrete & Masonry Sealant GE Silicone 10.1 Oz. 100% Silicone Concrete & Masonry Sealant. Is that the right stuff?

Mort · #10 Post by **Mort** » Sun Mar 18, 2007 9:04 pm

I just got some duct seal from a place that supplies electrical contractors. You should be able to find a local supplier in the yellow pages under Electrical Equipment and Supplies - Wholesale. It should also be available from Home Depot and stores like it. If you can't find it online go in and ask or give them a call. It should be in the electrical section.

Works great!

rustysdream · #11 Post by **rustysdream** » Sun Mar 18, 2007 9:58 pm

Thank you.

Parker_101_ · #12 Post by **Parker_101_** » Sun Mar 18, 2007 10:07 pm

Got the duct seal and a general purpose electrical utility box for the enclosure at the home depot....cheap and lasts for years....Thanks for bringing this topic back up Todd, I'm sure there are those that will benefit from these ideas....

Krazy Mike · #13 Post by **Krazy Mike** » Sun Mar 18, 2007 11:33 pm

Punch in Duct Tape...

Mike...

sirjeigo · #14 Post by **sirjeigo** » Mon Mar 19, 2007 12:17 am

does anyone have one for sale?

TCooper · #15 Post by **TCooper** » Mon Mar 19, 2007 1:19 am

Hi sirjeigo,

Just go to an electrical supply store and buy 10 bars of duct seal and a 10"X10" metal electrical box. Pack the duct seal in the box and fasten a paper clasp on top. That's it. If you want to get fancy, you can make a wooden box.

Here is my old silent pellet trap, made from wood scraps. I have been using the same trap since 2000.

Cheers,
Todd