Safety precautions when cleaning a leaded bore

[tacotime]

Never paid much attention, but I suppose it's a risk - cleaning a bore that uses cast bullets if any lead deposits are present, especially if you have to scrub it a bit with a brush... do you guys take any safety steps here?

I suppose particles go everywhere - in the air, on clothing, furniture, the floor, the dog. etc.

[Jim Flinchbaugh]

Wear rubber gloves & don't eat the patches and you'll be fine.
the liquid will keep any dust confined.

[Blammer]

don't use your barrel like a smoke pipe, should be fine.

[Shiloh]

No different that any other gun cleaning chore. There is lead in residue from the primer compound.
Like someone said, don't eat the patches of anything else while you are gun cleaning. Ed's Red will spoil stuffed mushrooms in a hurry.

Shiloh

[MtGun44]

Don't eat, drink or smoke with lead contaminated hands. The mouth is the
primary path into your body. Wash hands afterwards.

Bill

[jcwit]

Ya, those light weight lead particles will fly all over the place.

Wait, light weight lead??????????????????????????????????????

Use some common sense, and a little copper Chore Boy, and you will be fine. Yes, wash your hands.

[NSB]

Lead is in the air is from solder pots, indoor shooting ranges, etc., not from scrubbing out a barrel. Your single biggest hazard is from not washing your hands after handling lead. Ingestion is the number one cause of lead poisoning, children and adults. Smoking and handling lead is bad and eating and handling lead is bad. Don't nibble at the loading bench and don't handle lead and smoke at the same time. In fact, smoking by itself is bad so quit that at the same time. At one time I supervised a very large lead coating operation for the auto industry. All 90 employees were tested twice yearly for lead exposure. The only ones who were ever high were the smokers, the ones who refused to keep the door shut on the solder pot they were standing next to, and the ones who ate food in their work station. All three of those reasons were against the rules and these employees were either written up and/or let off the job for refusing to follow safety rules on a repeated basis. Wash your hands after handling lead and again, don't eat or smoke while handling it.

[s mac]

Maybe clean your leaded bore outside, or don't lead your bore would be best.

[geargnasher]

20-ounce soda bottle taped over the muzzle works if you have to do it in an enclosed space. Helps stop brush spatter, too.

Gear

[btroj]

The bore solvent is far more hazardous. I don't clean guns at the kitchen table and wash my hands well after handling anything gun related.

Use common sense

[GP100man]

I bet you watch Lock&Load Monday night ????

& saw the OTIS gun cleaning commercial where they dry brush a shotgun bore & show all the crude flying around ???

Well ,I can not remember ever dry brushing a bore of anything I ever cleaned, I always wet em down & let em soak for a few minutes, on rifles I hang a bottle of sorts (2 liter cut to fit over sites or such)to catch the splatter/drips & patches.

Other than that , good ventilation, gloves , imediate clean up & common sense !

Handguns are alot messier & closer to my face so I limit the use of brushes , i use a good jag/patch & choreboy around the brush to prevent splatter & try to keep it as far away from my face as far as possible.

I`ve cast since`83 & shot probably more than the average person, but not as much as a few, had blood checked bi-annually & heavy metals have never showed up.

I`m also an avid believer in not eating/smokin drinkin(sodas or adult beverages) & washing hands when finished casting or reloading.

& I don`t eat patches or lick boolits !! LOL

[JWFilips]

Well it is only metallic lead not the "salts" of lead....... Big difference.... Just like mercury metal Vs. the "salts" of mercury .....There are a lot of stuff out there that is worse for you....Tobacco Alcohol and processed foods! ( however there are a few of the latter I take my chances with:-D)

[leeggen]

Why does so many try to over think this lead poisoning? Have you washed your hands after shooting a couple hundred 22's, or after handleing a few boxes of shells? Your chances of catching the flu is far greater than catching lead poisoning. Just follow the same sanitary processes and you will probably servive.
CD

[Love Life]

No special safety measures required. I wear gloves when using solvents, but that's it.

[prs]

No gloves, no dry brushing. First patch is soaked in Ballistol. Then copper or bronze gauze or wool is draped over the next Ballistol soaked patch. Then a third Ballistol patch and a fourth dry patch. All used patches and materials are in trash, hands washed. I wear Rx glasses, but would wear plane-O lenses otherwise. Its like avoiding flu or colds: Not hands to mouth, eyes, or nose; wash-up when done.

prs

[mdi]

Lead isn't the evil demon lurking around waiting to destroy a child's brain. There are many, many substances around the house that are more dangerous. Sudsy Ammonia is a liquid, but do you drink it? Lead can be a toxic material, but do you chew on it? (have you ever cleaned a fuzzy battery terminal? Waaaay worse then any casters use/work with lead). Plain old everyday, God given, common sense is all that's needed to melt, clean, shoot, even be in the same room with, lead...

[45-70 Chevroner]

According to the Liberial invironmentalists, just being in the same room with lead is going to contaminate you and our liberial government is right in line with that and that is why lead is not being produced in this country any more. I have read right here on this web site of casters using breathing masks and resperators and that is ok if you don't like the smell off the burn off. I am not chastizing any one for being cautious, but personally I think it is over kill. I am almost 73 years old and have been messing with lead and melting lead since I was 9 or 10 years, (I have even chewed on it when I was that age) old and my blood tests have never shown any problem with heavy metals. Sorry about the rant, but I just had to get it off my chest. By the way breathing the air in rush hour traffic in Phoenix is more hazardous than casting lead and cleaning your guns.

[rodsvet]

Get a Foul-out II and you don't have any problems and your bore will be cleaner than any other method. My .02, Rod

[smokeywolf]

I don't let the wolf in the machine shop/loading/gun cleaning/gunsmithing room. Dogs are like a two year-old child; they may put anything in their mouths. You wouldn't let your toddler into the reloading room and not watch him/her every second.

smokeywolf