Yes these are the exact systems we are considering. Full air curtain from behind the line and the snail style deceleration chamber with plumbed HVAC on each lanes trap to mitigate dust from impact and pull it into the trap and into the hepa filter. Overhead target retrival with digital target projection with the option of standard paper.
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No. The Savage Snail is
wet. There is Zero dust at the trap and no need for a HVAC system there.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgx5bivAiuU
I have not been involved with these for 20 years. I assume they still make them. They were made in Mississauga.
I found this on Google. It is not written by Savage.
"The “wet-to-floor” system where stopped being built by Savage over 12 years ago. Now only the upper half of the ramp, and the deceleration chamber is sprayed.
Savage Range Systems (SRS) is the manufacturer of the original Snail Trap, which features circular snails which gently decelerates projectiles with centrifugal and friction forces in round deceleration chamber: The system was invented by Ron Coburn, President of Savage Arms and Savage Range Systems. The “snail concept” was born out of the necessity to minimize gun manufacturing factory employees’ exposure to airborne lead dust which resulted from testing the firearms produced with large volumes of ammunition at the Savage Arms factory on prior smash plate designs. Mr. Ron Coburn’s use of low angle impact ramps and large circular deceleration chambers revolutionized bullet trap technology. Today you will find Snail Traps in use at virtually every firearms and ammunition manufacturer in the United States, where wet snails are used as well as in military, law enforcement, and commercial shooting ranges throughout the world.
The Wet Trap is the safest, cleanest, lowest-maintenance steel bullet trap available. It utilizes clear water combined with a light solution of water soluble oil as a ramp and snail lubricant. This water is spayed uniformly over the bottom ramp where the majority of the bullets are designed intended to strike, and is also sprayed inside the circulation deceleration chamber to lubricate and keep it cool This wet medium serves four purposes: (1) to cool the steel, (2) to cushion the impact, (3) reduce friction forces of the bullets against the steel and (4) to contain lead particles which in dry systems would otherwise become airborne. The result is reduce bullet fragmentation in general and eliminate it for 100 grain and above bullet travels less than 2900 fps, resulting in less airborne lead dust, cleaner air, and less time and cost associated with maintenance and housekeeping in the range.
Some dry trap only manufacturers “do not try to understand” or have sought to mislead their clients about the Wet Snail Trap. I would like to take the opportunity of addressing some of the arguments that have been posed.
“You can use any type of ammunition on any steel trap.” No manufacturer of any steel bullet trap should ever be so foolish as to make such a claim about any bullet trap. There are many factors which determine the type of ammunition which can be fired into any given bullet trap, including the type and thickness of the steel used, the angle of the ramps, and the diameter of the deceleration chamber. This argument is put forth because wet/dry competitors know that all things being equal, a Wet Snail Trap will last longer and show less wear under heavy use of large caliber firearms than a comparable dry trap.
“It captures all bullets whole and eliminates splatter and ricochets.” The fact is that Wet Traps do indeed produce pistol bullets that are less fragmented than any other type steel trap, and the majority of the bullets recovered from wet traps are indeed largely whole. Wet traps protect the shooter from splatter or ricochets, when shooting at point blank range. This issue is raised as an by dry trap only manufacturers which produce more fragmented bullets. The benefit of the Wet Trap is to minimize the fragmentation of the bullets when they strike the lower ramp (which is where the vast majority of bullets are designed to strike), and during deceleration inside the large circular chamber (which is where the majority of the lead dust is created), wet traps minimize that lead particulate created from becoming airborne and necessitating an individual dust collector.
“Wet Traps are more environmentally friendly than dry bullet traps.” The lead particulates that is captured in the water settles to the bottom of the recirculation tank in the form of heavy sediment that is safely removed and recycled after evaporation along with the recovered bullets. The water in the wet trap itself is recirculated many times, over. It does evaporate out of the system as clean, pure water vapor and it’s then made up. The water will regularly need to be replenished, but needn’t be replaced or discarded.
Lead that is removed by dry dust collection systems must also be disposed of as hazardous material. The difficulty associated with lead disposal spillage from dry traps is far greater than wet sediment.
The wet trap manufacturer as far as we know only recommends the Wet Snail Trap for indoor or enclosed applications. The fact is dry taps may be better for outdoor use does not diminish the fact that Wet Traps are the ideal bullet traps for indoor use.
“What is better, one-piece welded funnel plates or modular funnel plates.” Welded ramps are an integral component of the Wet Trap. Interestingly this is criticized because “you
nd up with a bullet trap that is much more difficult to service or repair should anything go wrong but it does not.” The observation come from manufacturers of traps which frequently do have things go wrong and require repairs to their traps, up to and including complete removal and replacement. Their ramps feature cover strips to protect the joints of their ramps, which creates an uneven surface that may result in dangerous splatter or ricochet, especially when training at close range. Wet Traps can be serviced with no need to remove the heavy, bulky steel ramps, and require no cover strips which result in splatter or ricochets.
Claim and argument that funnel plates mounted at a 15 degree angle function significantly the same as funnel plates mounted at a 12 to 13 degree angle.” The use of steeper ramps does save on the cost of materials and economizes on space, but it can’t be claimed that it doesn’t make any difference in performance. The flatter the better, 12º is optimum. Conversely flatter requires more floor space.
The SRS Patented Low Angle Ramps are placed at the optimum proprietary angle, and imitators are forced to excuse their inability to infringe upon the patent by using steeper angles. If the claim is that “the ramp’s steeper angle is irrelevant” are true, why not place them at seventeen or twenty or twenty-five degrees instead of fifteen? Because a lower angle is better, but they cannot infringe upon the SRS Patent.
Claim and arguments that “26-inch deceleration chambers are as good as 30-inch.” Using the same logic, if a 26-inch chamber is as good as a 30-inch chamber, why not make the chamber 24 inches, or 20 inches? Because other manufacturers know a larger deceleration chamber is better, but they must justify their smaller product by claiming “space savings”. Some manufacturers also claim to produce circular deceleration but the chambers are actually octagonal chambers or even semi-circular chambers with smash plates hidden inside. These bullet traps are significantly inferior because they create much greater bullet fragmentation and increased lead dust. SRS Traps are large, smooth, 360-degree circular deceleration chambers, resulting in much less bullet fragmentation. The use of smaller deceleration chambers results in increased friction between the bullets and the inside of the deceleration chamber, creating more lead dust. Savage utilize even larger chambers and lower angle ramps, for SRS’s largest traps which are meant to handle a steady diet of .50 caliber ammunition, Savage utilizes deceleration chambers which are a full 48” in diameter, and ramps which are set at 7 degree angles.
The SRS trap does results in a larger foot print because SRS insist in delivering the right bullet trap for the customer’s needs, not a trap that is expedient and economical from the trap manufacturing process.
SRS claims that Wet Steel Traps don’t require much maintenance. This is indeed true. Safety, cleanliness, and low maintenance are among the greatest benefits of the Wet Snail Trap. Of course routine maintenance should be expected with any bullet trap whether it is a wet or dry trap, and it may be considered deceptive for one to show pictures of poorly maintained shooting ranges and present them as though they are representative of the quality of the wet bullet trap.
The components of the Savage Wet Snail Trap are simpler, more reliable, and require less electrical energy and maintenance that those of a dry trap. In addition, routine maintenance on a Wet Trap can be performed with no need to wear specialized protective gear. However, the U.S. Department of Labor requires personnel to wear Respirators and special Hazardous Material Protective Suits to perform routine maintenance on dry traps. The Savage Wet Snail Trap is indeed cleaner and lower maintenance than any dry bullet trap available.
The SRS WET “Snail Trap” is safe, clean, low-maintenance indoor steel bullet trap."
