ANTI-RICOCHET COATINGS FOR
SHOOTING RANGE BULLET CONTAINMENT
Springfield MO-In principle, shooting ranges are simple spaces that serve a basic function: to provide a controlled, and therefore safe, area for shooting practice. Depending on the type of shooting range, they may be called firing ranges, gun ranges, or shooting grounds, and they can be built indoors or outdoors, used for practice, competitions, or obtaining qualifications, or vary in a number of other ways. What they all have in common is an emphasis on safety, which isn’t just actively maintained through professional oversight, but purpose-built into the range. First comes space, as without enough room between marksman, and more than enough space between the marksman and their target, accidents are all but guaranteed. However, even with plenty of room, the danger that distance aims to mitigate still remains. We’re talking about ricocheting, the unpredictable bouncing of a bullet off the target surface (or another, unintentional backstop). Using the appropriate combination of target material and ammo, shooting on-target results in nothing other than that satisfying “ping.” But what if it’s a miss? Marksmen come to a shooting range to improve their aim, after all.
This is what the backstop, also called a bullet trap, of the range is for; bullet traps are the surfaces behind and below the target, and sometimes to its sides, which must be built to account for this not-so-rare alternative to a bullseye. The problem is, there’s not as much flexibility to customize the backstop or otherwise account for different firearms or their ammo. Impact angles are also more variable and less predictable, and hard and durable surfaces like concrete or steel can eject their own projectiles in addition to being capable of shooting your bullet right back at you. So, what to do? As you might expect, the solution is to construct backstops and bullet traps to absorb rather than reflect, but this is easier said than done. Using hardened steel plates or high-density rubber, or some combination of the two, is one common approach. Shooting ranges can also employ specialized ballistic tiles, ballistic blocks, flooring mats, and other high-density objects designed to absorb ballistic impact. But even with an inherently more impact-resistant, anti-ricochet surface material, the risk of ricocheting is still not zero, and often far from it. Whatever a shooting range uses to build its backstop, safety conditions can be substantially improved by using elastomeric coatings like polyurea.
WHY POLYUREA ANTI-RICOCHET COATINGS?
Polyurea is so effective as an anti-ricochet coating for shooting ranges due to its unique chemical structure and composition. Chemical bonds called urea linkages and microphase-separated hard/soft segments (tiny variations in structure that include hard and soft parts) afford polyurea chemical and physical properties that are ideal for bullet containment. This includes polyurea’s infamously fast cure, strain-rate-dependent stiffness (firming up under high-energy impacts), high energy dissipation, and strong tear resistance, which are all powerful characteristics for creating an anti-ricochet surface. Take these properties combined with high-density substrates like the aforementioned ballistic tiles, blocks, and panels, and polyurea’s shock absorption and anti-ricochet properties can reliably dissipate the energy of a bullet for maximum ricochet protection exactly where the risk of ricochet is highest (the backstop). Polyurea alone is thus not enough on its own to constitute a complete anti-riochet coating system; the density of the underlying material plays a leading role, because polyurea does not replace mass, but rather it works with it. Polyurea can seal seams, soften edges, and smooth transitions that may otherwise become hot spots for ballistic nightmares. The exact same approach also extends to anti-ricochet panels and anti-ricochet tiles, as well as flooring mats that are often placed around the bullet trap in order to catch errant rounds and fragments ejected from the substrate. Polyurea can be sprayed onto almost any substrate, including those most commonly used in shooting range construction such as concrete, timber, earthen berms, and steel plate backings. It can mitigate ricochet hazards at both indoor ranges and outdoor ranges; in shoot houses and other training environments where walls, doors, floors, and props are subjected to constant impacts, the coating’s shock absorption helps maintain a safe live fire environment in either static or dynamic layouts. The same is also true across military training facilities, civilian training centers, and gun clubs.
Firing ranges and shooting environments also benefit from polyurea’s encapsulation properties (materials are essentially stuck underneath), which help minimize fragmentation and reduce lead dust and lead splash-backs at the source. Its naturally resilient surface contributes measurably to total noise reduction and more stable noise levels, particularly when polyurea is paired with high-density flooring mats around the target line. Used in wide-ranging applications that share wear and tear as the common denominator, polyurea is used across industries to extend service lifespan and limit the frequency of repairs or replacements, such as anti-ricochet tiles, anti-ricochet panels, and flooring mats. Range operators also appreciate that many polyurea formulations, including ArmorThane’s, carry a fire resistance rating and can withstand extreme temperature conditions, high humidity, intense UV radiation, and exposure to caustic chemicals, notably without hardening or cracking. And in terms of compliance, polyurea-based anti-ricochet coatings for shooting ranges make it easier to maintain excellent safety standards and to document performance when necessary, supported by third-party data and a clear technical specification. It doesn’t matter if you’re outfitting new ballistic rubber panels over a steel plate backing, resurfacing an aging trap, or simply building a new shooting range from the ground up; using polyurea is a proven method of making your live fire environment a safer space for all.
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ARMORTHANE IS READY TO BECOME
YOUR PARTNER FOR SAFER FIREARM TRAINING
ArmorThane manufactures and supplies polyurea and polyurethane systems worldwide, and our motto is “Protecting Your World.” You can use our formulations to coat anti-ricochet components or even entire lanes and facilities. We’re industry leaders with a mastery over our manufacturing process, and our team can support range operators at training centers, military training facilities, and gun clubs with specification assistance, mock-ups, certified applicator guidance, and more. We can provide you with product details and SDS as well as with available third-party performance data to give you the confidence that our formulations are effective and safe themselves. If you’re building a new shoot house or resurfacing older firing ranges, we can help you minimize wear and tear and gain better control over your live fire space, so contact us today to learn more, and we’ll be ready to help with anything you need; we’re straight shooters, so firearms enthusiasts can be too!
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