There comes a time in most air gunner’s lives when they finally step up to a higher powered PCP.  When that time comes, one can sometimes find that traps and targets used with lower powered guns, may not suffice anymore.  When I received my Daystate X2 from the raffle at the AZ State FT Championships, I thought nothing of how much more powerful it really was.  The gun puts out about 18-19 FPE in .177.  I was shooting a target one night with a sheet of ½” plywood as a stop (hey it had worked for my other guns).  Not so this time.  Ended up going right through it and into the house, literally!  After a 10 shot group, I had a hole through the house!  Time to build a better trap.

I began sniffing around work for material that I could use to for the project (other than wood).  While designing a dial table one day, I spec’d out a static dissipation brush and mounting bracket.  The bracket comes in 8-10 ft lengths, and we usually need about 4”.  So, knowing we had used the stuff in the past, I sniffed out a 7’8” piece in the aluminum pile. I cut a couple of 12” pieces to use in my project.

            The trap is a very simple design.  I used 2x4’s to frame out the box, and used a piece of ¾” MDF board for the backing.  I attached my aluminum pieces to the front and cut out a section of the top piece of 2x4.  I added a handle I had lying around for ease of transportation.  Inside I put a couple steel plates for extra security.  Inside I use a phone book, but you could fill with Duct Seal or another medium.  The end result is a trap that stops most of what you can throw at it, and is extremely portable.  Plus the brackets hold a piece of cardboard with a target on it absolutely perfectly.