Are powdercoated boolits allowed in your indoor "no lead bullets" range?

[kryogen]

My indoor shooting range plans to have a "no lead bullets" rule to reduce exposure to lead. Only plated or jacketed.

I want to be able to use my PCed bullets.

Any decent arguments for it? Is it as good as plated bullets to prevent lead exposure? I would say it is.

Are bare lead bullets really worse anyway, in a properly ventilated range with filtration, etc?

They have a full wall air flow, very good air system, is there really an issue with lead bullets anyway?

[Beagle333]

I guess all you can do is to powercoat some completely, shoot em, recover em and take those in there and show that the coating remains intact throughout, so where does the danger come from? You might not win the argument, but I don't know how to present your case any more simply.

[kryogen]

no lead as in plated are ok.

I'll probably get my point across because I don't see how it would be worse than copper plating, but if I cant, I will probably just use a copper PC color and not bother arguing I guess.

[2wheelDuke]

I think they are just as good as TMJ bullets from my experience. These were recovered from a sand berm. The one on the right is unfired.

[flyingmonkey35]

Most indoor ranges want you to buy there ammo.

Also cast and lubed bullets are known smokers.

Bring them a PC boolit. And have the RM watch you shoot it. No smoke. No lead in the barrel. Then he will say you should patten that.

I shoot indoors my RM bought a bunch off of me after seeming what mine do. I'm out shooting a lot of old timers and they can't believe its a cast book it.

[mdi]

It's becoming more prevalent now-a-days to protect us from that evil lead, by banning lead bullets in an indoor range. I've heard some is from local regulations, some from insurance companys, and some just being politically correct. It ain't the smoke nor selling ammo, it's the supposed lead in the air from shooting lead bullets. I don't have medical statistics, nor air pollution statistics (but I did live in LA!), but I shot at an indoor range about twice monthly for mebbe 12 years and I cast my own bullets and the last annual check up which included lead levels in my blood were normal...

[hickfu]

I would worry more about the primers then I would the actual lead boolit at indoor ranges...

Doc

[Artful]

I would worry more about the primers then I would the actual lead boolit at indoor ranges...

Doc

Ding Ding Ding - we have a winner

The majority of ammunition uses lead sulfuric primers and bullets made of alloy of lead.
Even jacketed bullets typically have exposed lead at the base.
When the ammunition is fired only a very small amount of the lead from the bullets,
along with the lead and other chemicals in the primers, are vaporized and can be inhaled by the shooter.
Which is why correct ventilation is important.

The other potential sources of lead exposure include lead dust in the air from bullet impacting backstops
and lead exposure through the skin from handling fired brass or cleaning dirty firearms.

http://www.corneredcat.com/article/f...lead-exposure/

Precautions on the Range

Simple precautions can be taken both on and off the range to reduce lead exposure to shooters and their families. Good hygiene and limiting exposure times go a long way towards preventing problems.

No Smoking, Eating or Drinking
You should never smoke during or immediately after shooting. Lead on your hands is transferred to the cigarette where it is drawn in with the smoke. The best practice is to leave everything that is not going to be used for shooting outside the range so it can’t be contaminated with any lead that may be present and that includes your ‘smokes’.

Lead dust on hands and face can be ingested through contact with food or by touching the face. Airborne lead can settle on food and drinks kept on the range or that you consume before washing up. Sealed water bottles may keep lead out of the water, but any lead on your hands and face and on the outside of the container can easily transfer to the mouth if it isn’t cleaned off first. Controlling this hazard is as simple as leaving all food and drinks off the range and washing hands and face before eating and drinking.
Lead on Fired Brass
Many shooters collect spent brass for reuse. The same brass that just came out of their firearm with lead deposited on it. It’s easy to put the brass in pockets or range bags or even caps. This further contaminates the clothing we’re wearing with lead. Using boxes or bags for the brass can help prevent this.
Lead on Face, Arms, and Hands

Hand Sanitizers:
Good for Germs, Useless for Lead

Alcohol-based hand sanitizers, like Purell or Dial Anti-Microbial, do absolutely nothing to remove lead from the hands. All they do is kill germs. Lead (and most other particulate matter) is most easily removed with running water and some soap; in a pinch, a wet cloth will do the trick.

Shooters should wash hands, forearms and face thoroughly with cool water and plenty of soap. Use cold or room temperature water because warm water opens the pores of the skin helping lead to enter the skin. If no water is available, shooters should consider using wet hand wipes or a bottle of cool water and a washcloth to clean the hands and face. This prevents the transfer of lead to the food or beverages we drink preventing its ingestion.
Lead on Clothing
Shooters should consider wearing clothes they could change out of before driving home. Something as simple as a long sleeve shirt helps a lot. Do NOT blow, shake or use any means that will disperse lead into the air to try to remove lead from your clothing. To prevent cross-contamination, range clothes should be washed separately from the family’s regular laundry and an empty load run after the range clothes are washed. Families with infants should be careful to keep contamination away from where children crawl or pull up or that they may get into their mouths, since infants are particularly vulnerable to lead contamination by ingestion. Changing to clean clothing before leaving the range prevents contamination of the hands and any contamination of vehicles.

Just like a ‘range shirt’ that can be taken off and laundered can help keep lead from following you into the house a pair of range shoes that you change after shooting can help prevent you from tracking lead into the vehicle and home. If you can’t use a separate pair of range shoes remember to take your shoes off before coming into the house. Simple wiping of the shoes with a disposable cleaning wipe will help remove much of the lead. Remember, if you bring lead home ordinary vacuuming blows it into the air for everyone to become exposed.
Shower, Shampoo, and Change of Clothes
Lead can be transferred to others by contact. This is a much greater problem for professional shooters than casual shooters who spend long hours on the range but everyone should be aware of the potential. Try to avoid physical contact that could transfer lead dust to friends and family until after cleaning up and changing clothes.

Indoor Ranges

Most indoor ranges have a greater potential for lead exposure problems than outdoor ranges. However, the range can institute several controls to lower the amount of lead dust in these facilities.

The choice of ammunition is one such control. Non-jacketed ammunition produces the most lead dust and fumes, fully jacketed ammunition less and lead-free ammunition, obviously, the least. Shotgun shells produce more airborne lead dust than any handgun round. Currently, many ammunition manufacturers make available lead-free ammunition that does away with lead compounds in both the primer and the bullet. From a personal standpoint using lead-free primer ammunition with fully jacketed bullets or lead-free bullets will have the greatest benefit for individual shooters.

Indoor ranges should not be carpeted, since lead dust settles and contaminates the rugs. A commercial High Efficiency Particulate (HEPA) vacuum should be used to vacuum these carpets.

Air should move from behind the shooters downrange taking as much of the lead from the firing of the firearms away from the shooter. The air in the range should not be reused or, if reused, it should be filtered so the air that blows across the shooter is cleaned of lead. Remember, if there’s a constant cloud of ‘gunsmoke’ and you can taste the sweetish metallic taste of lead in the air it’s probably not clean enough for a long shooting session.

http://www.gun-tests.com/performance/feb97lead.html

Recommendations
I have fun shooting and would like to continue to enjoy this sport, but I also want to protect myself from lead poisoning. To minimize the risk of lead poisoning, I suggest shooters take the following steps:

• Use totally-covered bullets.
• Do not shoot in a poorly ventilated indoor range.
• Do not clean up lead dust in an indoor range without the use of a protective air filter.
• Do not clean up the lead fragments against the backstop without the use of a protective air filter.
• Avoid shooting on days when the wind is blowing toward you.
• Consider limiting the time you shoot on a busy range to minimize exposure to second hand lead.
• Consider sending as few shooters as possible to score or put up new targets in an indoor range since the air lead is highest at the target. Share this risk.
• Do not eat while shooting. After shooting, wash your hands thoroughly before you eat.
• Do not smoke while shooting. After shooting, wash your hands thoroughly before you smoke.
• Leave indoor ranges immediately after shooting.
• Change your shirt after shooting to avoid exposure to the lead that accumulates on your clothes. Wash your clothes after a trip to the range.
• Have your blood lead checked if you shoot on a weekly basis, if you shoot or reload more than 500 rounds a month, or if you develop any symptoms of lead poisoning.
• Consider wearing a protective air filter if your blood lead is elevated.

[A pause for the COZ]

I would just go in and shoot my Powder Coated. If he said some thing. i would just say, " Well these are plated. Polymer Plated."

Worse he could say is no.

[Artful]

could always spring for powder coating in copper color

[popper]

Only shot indoors once. I don't remember anyone asking what we were shooting. My swag is it's easier to appease the EPA so probable answer will be NO, if you ask. Don't know if EPA does air qual. checks on indoor ranges but any hint of Pb in the air would be a problem. Anything that makes them think they have to change the HEPA filters more frequently would cause a NO.

[1845greyhounds]

Don't ask. Asking is giving up control, or more explicitly, it's allowing someone else to control you.

If they ask you, show them a PC boolit and a FMJ bullet. Tell them the answer (that there's no difference in the amount of exposed lead).

[HardColt]

My indoor range in Virginia used to let members shoot lead bullets, then several years back they prohibited the used of lead bullets with the exception of the .22 LR hollow points. I think they were just too cheap to have their air exhaust and handling system fix. I switched to Berry's plated just to satisfy their requirements. I want to try PCoated when I have a chance but I am not home for long to try powder coating. I felt really sad, since I cast a lot of 230 gr.LRN and shoot a lot of 45's.