new .25 cal monster

4×4″ posts with 2×8″ sacrificial front – just swap it out the 2×8″ when it’s all shot up to pieces or add another one to the front of that and nail it down. I don’t nail them into the 4×4″ all the way so they are easy to remove. I have gone through several 2×8″‘s with just my 70+fpe .22, but now I got a .25 (and a 2nd .25 on the way) so I ‘m going to stack up. I buy them at Home Depot for very cheap, like 79 cents a piece (usually 6-6ft long). They ‘re always pressure treated and last forever outdoors in the rain, snow, etc. I get them from the “throwaway” section because sometimes they ‘re slightly dented or something is wrong with them, but most of the time I can’t find anything wrong with them.

Just so you know, the .22 rimfire trap can be very loud. I stopped using mine but like others said, put a 2×4″ or 3/4″ plywood in the front of it to slow down the slugs, or fill it up with duct seal (electrical putty). Stuff it in there at least 6-7″ thick.. it will get pretty heavy. I use that for indoor shooting, but outside some cheap 2×8’s is the less expensive way to go, and you can put 8.5×11″ paper targets no problem. I rest my setup on a big tree so there ‘s more backstop power there, but I have not had any problems with anything going through the 4×4’s yet.. 2×8’s sure – they get penetrated, but the 4×4’s have been holding up pretty good behind the 2x8s, even though they ‘ve been shot up pretty good too. Also remember, the farther out you go (like 40yds or more), the harder it will be to penetrate the 2×4″ or 2×8″. What I do now for my 20 & 30yd targets is I keep the power low (~50fpe) so most pellets just stick out slightly out the back of a 2×8″ or not at all. Anyway, lots of options and ideas..

Use a .22 rimfire trap. I pack mine with duct seal, keeps the noise and splatter down.
Go the extra bucks and get the one piece trap.

I take it you are happy with the setup…

Tony

271867,
Are you shooting outside or in? Either way steel at least 1/4″ thick is the best insurance. If you have room and are shooting outside, you might do what I did and build a wall. I made a 4×8′ wall using 4x4s stacked up and then placed 3/4″ plywood on both sides and fastened it all together with screws. That was the basic fail safe wall. Then I placed a sacrificial layer of 3/4′ plywood on the front face of the wall. Next was a couple of 2x4s across the wall. On top of that was a 3/8″ sacrificial target backer that I replace when it becomes hard to find a spot to staple a target to. I just rip the 3/8″ facer off the 2x4s and toss it. I pull the old lead out of the next layer and replace it if required.

Oh, the nice thing about a big back stop is that you can put a big or a bunch of targets up. I once had a full size silhouette target up and the property tax guy came by. He didn’t even take a lap of the house, he just looked at the target with a bunch of holes in the head and got back in his car!

Went to the local metal supply and got 2 8X8 inch steel plates and glued them to the back of my target box. I think the plates are 3/16ths thick. The .25 even makes indentations in the steel, and the plates are becoming deformed, but it stops them. Some pellets actually seem to ‘weld’ themselves to the steel, and I can’t get what’s left of them off.

Yeah you learn pretty quick that something like a 2X4 isn’t a very good backstop at all for the .25 lol. 😈

Don’t use concrete foundation blocks as a backstop unless you check them often. Just a 55 fpe .25 Condor. 12 inch barrel broke through one side of the block in the first day. Each shot just blows a little more of the concrete out of the way and then you have a hole that just keeps getting bigger..