# Making a portable 100% recovery shooting trap



## pop shot

What you need:
3 old xl t shirts
1 stick 36-48 inches long x 1/2"-1" (broomstick, old fishing pole)
utility knife or sharp scissors to cut shirts
some big binder clips or small clamps
an old reusable shopping bag
fifteen minutes and a beer or two (for use as a target later)
step 1- cut the front and back of 2 shirts into 2"-3" wide strips vertically (doesn't have to be pretty)
set aside the third shirt for target making spills














step 2- tie the strips to the stick. get as much length out of them as possible i.e. tie the end of the strip to the stick,
not the middle of the strip







step 3- push the strips together at the top so that the strips are close together. Drape the 3rd t shirt over the back of it
and clip it on at the top







step 4- hang your target or whatever you want to shoot at and smack it around. hang the bag around the bottom of
the trap with the tails of the shirt in it to catch balls. you can also use it with the tentacles facing the back.
The tentacles absorb the energy of the shot and are extremely effective at preventing bounce outs. Much more effective with bounce outs than just a t shirt. the whole thing can be wrapped around the stick and bundled up for transport.


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## Rayshot

I still have to modify my catch boxes to strips of material.

Thanks for sharing.


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## Abe_Stranger

Good idea. I'll have to rig up one of my own.


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## bosh

That is a fantastic idea, absolute genius, thank you.


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## treefork

Thanks! I like the strip idea to prevent bounce outs.


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## Iryman

Outstanding!


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## jayw81

Ahh... U beat me to it!! I was going to post a similar catchbox using a metal frame and HD canvas strips. Good work old chap and thanks for the info


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## pop shot

jayw81 said:


> Ahh... U beat me to it!! I was going to post a similar catchbox using a metal frame and HD canvas strips. Good work old chap and thanks for the info


Canvas strips would work better, but not many people have canvas laying around so I used tshirts


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## THWACK!

Canvas strips?

Just cut up an old, heavyweight "painter's dropcloth". And if it has some paint on it, it'll be even thicker (longer lasting).

...but that's just me...


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## pop shot

I noticed that lighter cloths work better. Thicker fabrics tend to wrap the ammo and spit it out right in front of the trap. The strips work best at slowing the ammo down and retarding bounces off the back of the trap with heavier ammo.


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## newconvert

pop shot said:


> I noticed that lighter cloths work better. Thicker fabrics tend to wrap the ammo and spit it out right in front of the trap. The strips work best at slowing the ammo down and retarding bounces off the back of the trap with heavier ammo.


going to have to try this, you are right the lighter weight materials give more to catch and release the energy, just so happens that i have some shirts from my ex employer that would fit the bill nicely, the bag under for retrieval is also an excellent idea


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## treefork

Made one today. I used a staple gun instead of tying strips. A little faster. I'm going to make a bunch of these and place them at different spots in the woods. Ill have my own outdoor fun shoot as I hike.


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## newconvert

treefork said:


> Made one today. I used a staple gun instead of tying strips. A little faster. I'm going to make a bunch of these and place them at different spots in the woods. Ill have my own outdoor fun shoot as I hike.


yeah i like the staple gun idea............... well any idea with guns


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## LeoVonFitzy

Great ideas thanks a lot! ; )


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## ash

I found that the stripped t-shirts roll up and leave gaps, so I tried just slashing lots of little holes in a t-shirt. It worked really well, with minimal bounce-outs, but it wore out pretty quickly.

My next trick is to try tentacles of cheap rope or a kind of deeply pleated/fanfold curtain of tough speaker cloth fabric that I have a massive roll of.


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## whacko

Good one, Pop Shot. I have always found it interesting that, all over the world, a problem gradually gets solved along similar lines, then refined as the solution is put to the test. I make my catching boxes using plastic milk crates .300 x .300 x .300, lined with cheap light ply. About the time you came up with your idea I was working on the same problem of the ammo bouncing out. I finished up with the exact solution you came to, and I agree that light material seems to dissipate the energy of the missile more effectively than heavier cords or canvas, which have a tendency to be a tad too stiff and cause the ammo to bounce off them sometimes rather than letting it pass through. I've found that when the slug passes through the slotted T shirt: hits the backdrop and then rebounds on to the backs of the slotted shirt, 9 times out of ten it flops neatly onto the bottom of the box- all energy spent. Sometimes a ball will bounce off the target ( I use little corn tins, 50mm x 25mm) and out of the box,but it does not fly far.

I've fitted little inclined gutters to the front of the boxes and these direct my missiles to a tube that empties into a tin catching tin. It adds another dimension of pleasure when I hear the whack of a hit, a faint rumble, and then a lovely PLOP, as it falls into the tin. Great fun!

This forum does great work as people share their ideas.


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