Lead backstop

[Thewildething]

Hi everyone,
Have any of you ever fired a pellet at lead sheeting before? I am just trying to find out how much lead a .22 pellet will punch through when fired from a 12ft/lb ish rifle. I like the idea of having 2 sheets of lead as a backstop, the first one being just thick enough to allow the pellet through at greatly reduced speed and the second (around 15mm thick) to totally stop any pellet. I know a 15gram lead pellet will punch through 4 mm of lead at 130fps but have no idea what a pellet from a airgun will do. Lead also makes hardly a sound when it is struck compared to other metals which is another reason I like the idea of lead backstop.
Overall I want something that will safely remove the energy from a pellet with out the chance of a dangerous ricochet, i think a suitably thick piece of lead will do the trick nicely, what do you all reckon?

thanks in advance

Marcus.

[draftsmann]

Plan A would be to scrounge a couple of decent sized offcuts of Code 5 sheet lead from a roofer - that is the thicker stuff used for valleys and gutters which comes on rolls in 18" and 24" width.

I'd be inclined to screw it onto some 3/4" ply, although that may well still result in a loud thwack on impact.

Plan B would be to scrounge a couple of bucketfuls of offcuts, pick up a cheap old saucepan from a boot sale and cast your own lead ingot, which could be thicker than 2x code 5 but would be bl00dy heavy if it is any size at all.

IMHO a piece of 1/4" steel plate would be a much better idea all round!

Adrian

[Thewildething]

Hey adrian,
thanks for the reply, quick too! I have a few hundred pounds of old lead and i can cast it reasonably well, I reckon a 1ft square piece of 15mm lead sheet would last an age and i rekon it would accept pellets rather than bounce them back off, trouble is it would weigh around fifty pounds, but it should be quiet and safe. I wont be carrying it far though thats for sure.

Marcus

EDIT: the steel would be a good idea and I will try it if I can get hold of any, its just that i have loads of lead lying around here and for me it would be alot easier.

[Geordie]

I used to use lead sheeting glued (with silicone sealant) to a steel sheet (old washing machine lid) - worked a treat!

[Saton]

I use a large lump of stone works great, i also have a piece of slate about 20mm thick pellets make a mark on the slate as well.

[icarus]

I use a thin brass plate, maybe 3mm and an old piece of chipboard shelf that was in the garage.

The pellets penetrate the chipboard but by the time they hit the brass plate their energy is mostly spent giving just a quiet 'ting' as they hit.

The only trouble is that the chipboard is now only held together by the lead embedded into it.

Might try a lead sheet myself.

[chub]

i use an oblong bucket with nice bit of timber at the back.fill a supermarket bag with folded daily mails
.clip the target to the front with a clip and when the wood is marked change the paper.about 6 folded mails
12ft lbs cant go through the paper and the wood.it is cheap.
albert

[RepkaX]

Originally posted by chub
i use an oblong bucket with nice bit of timber at the back.fill a supermarket bag with folded daily mails
.clip the target to the front with a clip and when the wood is marked change the paper.about 6 folded mails
12ft lbs cant go through the paper and the wood.it is cheap.
albert

Plus you'd get the satisfaction of blowing the hell out of the Daily Mail too!!

[franktheferret]

I've used lead like this, a long time ago. IIRC, I used to cast it in an old enamelled meat tin! - not a very good idea as the enamel can explode if it has any fissures in it. At somewhere between 15 and 25mm thick, and probably 25 x 40 cm, it weighed around 25 to 30kg, I suppose. I do remember that it was a very quiet backstop, and self-replenishing!

Steel plates do "ring", but they can be quietened by sticking four to six layers of roofing felt to the back with a bitumastic roofing repair adhesive. This is a technique I use to damp panel resonances in loudspeaker enclosures.

[Tony.T]

Best place to get lead is from a tyre centre!

Ask them for a bucket of old wheel weights- they'll usually give them to you free, especially if you're a regular customer.

Chuck a load in an old biscuit tin and put it on the barbie.

As it melts fish out the steel clips with an old pair of pliers. When all melted remove the tin from the heat and let it cool.

Voila- a backstop with a rim to fix targets.

HTH

Tony

[Thewildething]

thanks guys for all your replies, im gonna give it a bash with some sort of lead backstop.

thanks

Marcus.

[clubshot]

Sand bags are easier and cheaper , no fear of getting burnt and also quite when hit.

And can be sieved out every so often

Lead price are still rising for Lead Ingots

BOB/R

[woosty]

Several carpet tiles, hung in front of each other, about 1" appart, with a 1/2" chipboard backstop. I haven't tried this, but I bet that would take the energy out of the little buggers!

[JJSTEALTH]

hi woost,
how are the last mods on your stealth doing ?
not heared from ya in a while

i use news papers taped together about 4" thick,with a wooden backstop behind that,
just throw away when done with,very satisfying especialy when shooting the "mirror"

JASON..

[RochdaleLad]

Originally posted by clubshot
Sand bags are easier and cheaper , no fear of getting burnt and also quite when hit.

And can be sieved out every so often

Lead price are still rising for Lead Ingots

BOB/R

Hi Bob,

I've got the sand, but where do you get the hessian bags from? There are a few sand bags holding down some temporary road signs around here, but I think the council would be upset if I ... ahem, liberated them

David.