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Originally posted by egregore:
a 5-gallon bucket filled with sand ought to contain an unintended handgun bullet.

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One advantage to having a dedicated bullet trap that’s used every time a specific action is performed, such as pulling the trigger before field stripping a Glock is that if done conscientiously it becomes a habit.

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Originally posted by nhracecraft:
Nope, never even a thought.

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Originally posted by sigfreund:
If you feel it’s necessary, an Amazon or other appropriate cardboard box filled with sand or gravel with the contents in a plastic bag to avoid leaks when handled and taped shut will stop any reasonably-powered projectile fired into it.

Answer) I think sand would work, but gravel could be a bad choice because of rock fragmentation and possible ricochet.

There are places I can point a gun when unloading it that I know would not be anything more than a minor nuisance if it discharged. I would be—and am—much more concerned about the noise and possible fragmentation that would result, and therefore wear eye and hearing protection if there were any possibility of a discharge.

Answer 2) I don't feel it's necessary to use a trap, but helpful in certain situations when having to load and unload in my house. There are not many safe directions in my house to do this safely in case of a negligent discharge, or an accidental discharge due to mechanical failure. You may have a house that you're OK with that type of accident, I am not.

I am curious, though, what sort of malfunction you believe could happen when handling a modern firearm that would cause a discharge other than pulling the trigger*. Many of us handle firearms regularly and frequently in places that wouldn’t permit using a bullet trap, so can you explain what the rest of us should perhaps be concerned about?

Answer) I prefer TDA over single action pistols. For both of them, when you first load the chamber, both guns are vulnerable because the hammer is in the firing position, until you lock it or drop it with a hammer drop lever. If you're perfect and never make a mistake, and if your gun never has a mechanical failure, you're good. But if either of these are not perfectly true day in and day out, you'd be better off with a bullet stop, trap, or safe pointing direction when doing these operations in your house vice a hot gun range.

Answer) Negligent discharge is always a possibility, unless you're the perfect human being in all matters of life including guns. I don't believe anyone is incapable of a negligent discharge. I had one about 50 years ago, but was "saved" by proper muzzle control since I was loaded and pointing down range. That one was on me, and taught me to keep my finger off the trigger until ready to shoot. Back then for pistols and revolvers, it was not taught to rest your trigger finger on the frame or front trigger guard until immediately before you were ready to shoot. Thank god that is a big thing these days, otherwise more shooters with striker guns, and particularly combined with appendix carry, could be shooting themselves in very bad locations.

Answer 2) Mechanical malfunction. I've had four accidental discharges caused by mechanical malfunctions. The first in the mid 70's and the last occurrence about 10 years ago. One was a high power rifle, two were from a 12 gauge (actually this is explainable but won't for brevity), and one from a revolver. None of these guns had problems with firing before these occurrences, and I've never used guns that were known to have mechanical issues. All these guns were good quality, but just developed issues unbeknownst to me until they malfunctioned. Fortunately in all cases I was pointing downrange, since I don't point anywhere besides downrange when any ammunition is in the gun.

* (Unless, of course, if it’s inhabited by an evil rogue gremlin that escaped from P320 captivity. And Glock owners obviously have that risk because of how their perfect design requires pulling the trigger in locations where it would be considered unsafe with any other gun.)

Answer) Not sure what you're saying here, but it sounds related to my perdeliction for avoiding striker guns, as much as I would love to own and shoot one, but I like the extra margin of "safety" with a DA trigger on the first stroke, and being able to thumb down the hammer during reholstering.

Regarding your comment about not using bullet traps in live action shooting competition and such, or normal operations on a hot range, I'm not contesting that. That's just following all the rules for operating firearms, and being willing to be present in places with normal amounts of calculated risk.

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a 5-gallon bucket filled with sand ought to contain an unintended handgun bullet.