Basement shooting range.....
- Thread starter steve1147
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FireForged
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no way I would expose myself to that level of contamination with only a door as ventilation.
ALRIGHT! First shots in the basement. It's WARM, It's FUN, It's FUNCTIONAL, and nobody can convince me it's BAD.
One thing I've learned on these forums is the (what I presume as) "Old Crumudgeons" who have nothing to do but post their 'perfect' opinions over and over (double-daught and weshoottoo.....) are just bitter old people. period.
After a couple years of reading posts here, 'Uncle Nick' has the only advice I'd swear by, others are just posers.
Excuse me now, I gotta go shoot 'in the basement' and die early of lead poisoning......
The house is not for sale, sorry dude, and if it were it would be so clean you'd never know.
Don't recall ever inviting you over to shoot....
One thing I've learned on these forums is the (what I presume as) "Old Crumudgeons" who have nothing to do but post their 'perfect' opinions over and over (double-daught and weshoottoo.....) are just bitter old people. period.
After a couple years of reading posts here, 'Uncle Nick' has the only advice I'd swear by, others are just posers.
Excuse me now, I gotta go shoot 'in the basement' and die early of lead poisoning......
oneounceload
Moderator
As you laugh, it might just happen..........
Lead Poisoning Risk
Everyone has an opinion, but there are studies on this, and there is a real risk for those of us who do indoor target shooting.
I came across this government report published in July 2011.
In a 38 state survey, non-occupational exposure accounted for just 4.6% of all adult cases of elevated lead blood levels in 2009. However, among people with non-occupational lead exposure, shooting firearms (target shooting) had the highest risk of elevated lead blood levels.
The CDC reported that 32% of those shooting firearms had lead blood levels of at least 25 mcg/dL, and 22% of these people had levels of at least 40 mcg/dL.
Now, these data are based on a small number (105) of people tested in the firearms group. And the profile of these people isn’t stated in the report. We don't know how often they went to the target range or how long they stayed. We don't know how many were firearms instructors vs recreational shooters. We also don't know how many of them washed their hands after a session at the range.
We do know that lead-related toxicity affecting the nervous system and semen motility can occur at levels as low as 5 mcg/dL. And, using jacketed ammunition decreases the amount of lead in the air at indoor ranges in general and in the shooter's immediate vicinity.
Among people with non-occupational exposure to lead, it appears that we are in the highest risk group. So, wash your hands and wipe down your equipment bag after shooting. Also, it probably makes sense to avoid indoor ranges with signs of poor ventilation and reconsider your choice of ammo for shooting paper.
The CDC report is here. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6025a2.htm#tab
Everyone has an opinion, but there are studies on this, and there is a real risk for those of us who do indoor target shooting.
I came across this government report published in July 2011.
In a 38 state survey, non-occupational exposure accounted for just 4.6% of all adult cases of elevated lead blood levels in 2009. However, among people with non-occupational lead exposure, shooting firearms (target shooting) had the highest risk of elevated lead blood levels.
The CDC reported that 32% of those shooting firearms had lead blood levels of at least 25 mcg/dL, and 22% of these people had levels of at least 40 mcg/dL.
Now, these data are based on a small number (105) of people tested in the firearms group. And the profile of these people isn’t stated in the report. We don't know how often they went to the target range or how long they stayed. We don't know how many were firearms instructors vs recreational shooters. We also don't know how many of them washed their hands after a session at the range.
We do know that lead-related toxicity affecting the nervous system and semen motility can occur at levels as low as 5 mcg/dL. And, using jacketed ammunition decreases the amount of lead in the air at indoor ranges in general and in the shooter's immediate vicinity.
Among people with non-occupational exposure to lead, it appears that we are in the highest risk group. So, wash your hands and wipe down your equipment bag after shooting. Also, it probably makes sense to avoid indoor ranges with signs of poor ventilation and reconsider your choice of ammo for shooting paper.
The CDC report is here. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6025a2.htm#tab
TriumphGuy
New member
I'm going to add my vote to the idea of using plastic bullets. I use Speer .45 and .38 plastic training bullets all the time. The upside is that you don't have to worry about a stray shot going through the floor above you. Well, that plus the whole bit about not dying from lead exposure.
No, you don't feel any recoil and it won't cycle the action of an automatic. On the other hand, they pretty much shoot to point of aim out to 25 feet or so and you don't need a special backstop. I made a sort of gallery out of cardboard cutouts and wires to hang them on in my last house. Haven't gotten another set up since I moved, but it's on the to do list for this winter. I've got about 50 pieces of brass for each caliber set aside just for plastic loads. You don't need to seat the bullet with a die, just tap it in with a mallet if it's too tight and seat a primer.
No, you don't feel any recoil and it won't cycle the action of an automatic. On the other hand, they pretty much shoot to point of aim out to 25 feet or so and you don't need a special backstop. I made a sort of gallery out of cardboard cutouts and wires to hang them on in my last house. Haven't gotten another set up since I moved, but it's on the to do list for this winter. I've got about 50 pieces of brass for each caliber set aside just for plastic loads. You don't need to seat the bullet with a die, just tap it in with a mallet if it's too tight and seat a primer.
Double Naught Spy
New member
And I recall the same thing being said about not wearing hearing protection.
Sparks1957
New member
Been nice knowing you, Steve. 
And take off that eye and ear protection, while you're at it. You don't need those.
An old curmudgeon
And take off that eye and ear protection, while you're at it. You don't need those.An old curmudgeon
I'm not Uncle Nick (and I agree that his posts are among the most informative to be found here), but I don't think I qualify as a "poser" either. In addition to being a shooter who has at times been in indoor ranges 4 or 5 times a week for several months out of the year, I'm also a scientist who works in the field of human health risk assessment and I've taken some time to become familiar with some of the primary literature on the health effects of lead. And I also have some personal experience with lead poisoning, in my case a serum lead level of 26 mcg/dl, nearly triple the high end of what's considered normal for an adult in the US, which I've been able to get back to normal levels through religious use of a good-quality respirator.
You've received some good advice about the potential hazards of shooting in an enclosed space, whether that space be your own basement or elsewhere. You can ignore it (but why ask in the first place?), or you can consider the risks and act accordingly. If you shoot more than occasionally in your basement, particularly if you shoot larger calibers, you will accumulate airborne lead in your body and lead residue will accumulate in your basement where it will pose a potential risk to you and your family and possibly others. The effects of lead on the human body are well-known and well-documented.
Now, does that mean you're going to drop dead, or even experience minor health problems from your lead poisoning? Not necessarily - living systems are inherently stochastic and you could be one of those who are particularly tolerant (or, or on the other hand, you could be particularly sensitive). We all know smokers who live with their pack-a-day habit well into their 80s, but that doesn't mean that the risks of smoking are all hype and a wise person would not assume that he could be so fortunate. Similarly, we all know shooters who violate basic rules of gun safety and haven't (yet) injured themselves or others. That doesn't mean the rules are not appropriate, nor that they can be ignored with impunity. A prudent course of action is to assume that the worst can/will happen and act accordingly.
My advice, for what it's worth, is to do what I do - get a good air pistol for shooting in your own basement and save the "real" ammunition for established indoor ranges and outdoors. Alternatively, at least consider wearing a half-face respirator with P100 filters when you shoot in your basement. But, only you can decide for yourself what your own risk profile will be and you're obviously free to act as though the whole lead thing is a scam. Most of us do "risky" things that we enjoy, recognizing that, for us anyway, the benefits outweigh the risks. That's perfectly rational - what's not rational is pretending that those risks don't exist.
And that, I'm afraid, probably makes me an old curmudgeon as well.
You've received some good advice about the potential hazards of shooting in an enclosed space, whether that space be your own basement or elsewhere. You can ignore it (but why ask in the first place?), or you can consider the risks and act accordingly. If you shoot more than occasionally in your basement, particularly if you shoot larger calibers, you will accumulate airborne lead in your body and lead residue will accumulate in your basement where it will pose a potential risk to you and your family and possibly others. The effects of lead on the human body are well-known and well-documented.
Now, does that mean you're going to drop dead, or even experience minor health problems from your lead poisoning? Not necessarily - living systems are inherently stochastic and you could be one of those who are particularly tolerant (or, or on the other hand, you could be particularly sensitive). We all know smokers who live with their pack-a-day habit well into their 80s, but that doesn't mean that the risks of smoking are all hype and a wise person would not assume that he could be so fortunate. Similarly, we all know shooters who violate basic rules of gun safety and haven't (yet) injured themselves or others. That doesn't mean the rules are not appropriate, nor that they can be ignored with impunity. A prudent course of action is to assume that the worst can/will happen and act accordingly.
My advice, for what it's worth, is to do what I do - get a good air pistol for shooting in your own basement and save the "real" ammunition for established indoor ranges and outdoors. Alternatively, at least consider wearing a half-face respirator with P100 filters when you shoot in your basement. But, only you can decide for yourself what your own risk profile will be and you're obviously free to act as though the whole lead thing is a scam. Most of us do "risky" things that we enjoy, recognizing that, for us anyway, the benefits outweigh the risks. That's perfectly rational - what's not rational is pretending that those risks don't exist.
And that, I'm afraid, probably makes me an old curmudgeon as well.
Last edited:
Mike Irwin
Staff
OK, before this gets any uglier and a bunch of people regret saying things that they've said...
Closed.
Closed.
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