.22LR and steel backstop

[Pete E]

I want to introduce my 10year nephew to shooting and I will be using a .22LR bolt action shooting subs.

Initially I want to give a few lessons under tightly controlled conditions and I am therefore going to set up a target on a farm yard using a open sided barn filled with large round bails as a safety backstop.

Obviously I don't want to pepper this with lead, and while scouting around the yard I found a 3" square of 3/8" steel plate.

If I angle this down at say 45 degrees would it make a safe bullet deflector?? I am hoping it would deflect bullets down into the loose and raked soil, rather than sending them back towards firing point...

Range will be about 40 yards to start and probably move back to 75yards as he gets the hang of things...
.

 

[Strand]

Re: .22LR and steel backstop

A bunch of old phone books would probably work better/safer.

 

[Pete E]

Re: .22LR and steel backstop

Funny you should say that, but I plan on using a couple of phone books as the main backer for the actual target.

The steel plate is only meant to catch the odd flyer to save the bales being peppered with lead....

 

[clodhopper]

Re: .22LR and steel backstop

Angleing it down would probaby be pretty safe. I have been hit and cut by fragments of .22 bullets hitting perpendicular steel at ranges up to 40 meters.
Pretty minor untill you get one in the eye.

 

[Strand]

Re: .22LR and steel backstop

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Pete E</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Funny you should say that, but I plan on using a couple of phone books as the main backer for the actual target.

The steel plate is only meant to catch the odd flyer to save the bales being peppered with lead.... </div></div>


Ah well then you should be good to go. Unless he misses the entire target.

 

[frog5215]

Re: .22LR and steel backstop

Look, lead .22 bullets will just melt/shatter on the 3/8" steel.
We use something under 1/4" (for portability) on the target stands for Smallbore Silhouette at my club.
Some years ago NRA determined that over 40yd there's not much danger even from centerfire (under that, jacket fragments are a problem, so the minimum distance for pistols was moved out to 40yd-or maybe meters).
The spatter just goes down into the dirt.
As noted above, splatter from the silhouettes can wind up several yards away, and the reset cords get cut up pretty readily.

 

[TOP PREDATOR]

Re: .22LR and steel backstop

seeing as you have a farm, i imagine you have access to some tools that could be put to good use.

i'd try a large livestock feeding tub filled with sand. angle that iron at 45, the sand will catch most of the splatter, you can even sift it if you want to get out the major chunks of lead and / or jackets.

the sand would be pretty good to anchor some targets in too.

most of the "snail type" bullet catchers catch the bullet and direct in a semi circular path (the resistance slows the bullet down), then ends up in a pool of water at the bottom to further safely slow / stop the bullet down.