I dumped the lead out of my bullet trap last week.  It always spits out some lead, and I noticed a lot of fine lead dust in front of the trap.

Got me thinking about my lungs and blood lead level.  So, decided to do something about it.

I had a slightly bigger trap that I wasn't using.  I decided to modify it to use Duct Seal putty, to stop the bullets hitting steel and causing dust.  

I'm very happy with the results.  About $30 worth of putty.  It's quieter, doesn't bounce back pellets and fragments, and no dust.

(You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)
(You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)
(You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)
(You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)

How do you recover your lead? I'm using (not very often)  a surplus bullet trap from Fort Lewis WA. Never spits lead back. Has sort of a snail thing on it the bullets go into and drop into an upside down removeable fence post cap.

At our indoor range at the gun club our trap had nothing but exhaust fans to suck dust back into the trap, so it always had some lead on the floor in front for 18"-24" ahead of the trap.
We bought 1/4" thick horse stall mat that comes in 5'x8' size and is made from recycled tires. We buy it at the local Wilco store for $109 and we installed four grommets at one end and screwed four lag bolts above each of our 12 shooting positions to hang behind our target holders. We have 12 upper and 12 lower target holders so the sheet covers it all.
We get zero lead on the floors now, and we can raise the rubber curtain and shovel out any lead that builds up behind it easily. The stuff lasts a very long time, and the vast majority of holes are behind bullseyes of each target. When it eventually does get shot out we drop it down, and cut out the area. Then we use contact cement on the backside to glue a patch over the worn hole and hang it back up.
One sheet of this for a home range would last a lifetime of shooting, and make cleanup and lead recovery extremely easy. Our indoor range sees everything from .22LR to .44 Magnums and the holes just open up as the bullet passes through, and close leaving a hole you can barely see.

Hummmmmmmmm
Flatlander

FYI, this is for target pellet guns only.  My brother used a setup like this in every apartment he lived in in the 80's.  Put a rectangle trash can below it for the trash that falls out.  Much quieter than the angled steel traps.  We always made them for the size of a pistol target using 1 x 2" and masonite or 1/4" plywood scrap for the backer.  You need to use the oil based modeling clay and you can either use thumbtacks or better use binder clips mounted to the top of the frame. 
My brother competed all over the US, Mexico City and Rio while he was in college, ultimately setting 6 colligate records mostly with FWB 65's, model 80's and then co2 guns.  I think all those guys now shoot compressed air (scuba)

The majority of lead contamination affecting shooters on indoor ranges doesn’t happen at the impact area, it happens at the firing line and the loading bench. It is primarily caused by a lack of proper ventilation (should be flowing from behind the shooter to the impact area and out) and transdermal contamination due to poor or nonexistent hygiene practices.
All the stuff you’re talking about is fine, and safer than an open steel bullet trap, but proper ventilation and some kind of latex or nitrile gloves when handling lead will be more effective.
Jamey

westerner wrote on Sep 30^th, 2026 at 9:23am:


I had a trap kind of like that one, Mr Terner.  It could be used with 45 acp.  Weighed a ton.

I haven't recovered any lead yet, other than a few that have fallen out with the cardboard shreds onto the shelf under the clay.  Recovering the lead is pretty low on my priorities.  I suspect when I get to the point where there's a of lead in it, and pieces falling off, I can pull the putty off, flex it and have a lot of the lead fall out, knead it back into a flat sheat and keep using it.