Cast Bullets at indoor ranges---taboo?

C

Colorado Redneck

New member
I have shot a few rounds of cast bullets at the indoor range, and they stink and smoke from the lube burning. It makes me self conscious, so it seems maybe some of you guys have an opinion about this issue.

Our favorite projectile for indoor range shooting is Berrys plated bullets. Well guess what?! A person is more likely to find teeth in a hens mouth than he is to find Berrys bullets in stock, or even for back order. Momma likes 125 gr as she gets sore hands from shooting anything with much recoil. I got a couple thousand 158 gr. Berrys, but they recoil enough that she is complaining tonite after shooting a hundred rounds today. I have some cast 125 gr rounds that shoot fine and we can load them up really mild. But the damn things smoke and stink up the range---the fans draw a lot of air but you can still see the smoke and smell the lube burning.

What do y'all think?:confused: Will the other shooters be offended if she shoots a bunch of these things?
 
Last Sun night I was shooting some .38 reloads at an indoor range that were smoking pretty bad...I think it was a combination of the load, the powder, and the lube. My buddy in the next lane was ribbing me about it but in a good natured way and it didn't bother me and no one else complained or even gave me any dirty looks (which I looked for).....but there were only two other guys there.

I would say as long as the range has proper ventilation it should clear pretty quickly and you are within your rights...........it all depends on how you feel about it. If it really bothers you and you are self conscious about it, stop it, or cut down on it depending on how many others are there or ask others on the range if it bothers them.....just be considerate.

I've got a couple of CETMEs with brakes on them that are so loud that if you are not directly behind the rifle and slightly to the side you can feel the concussion in your chest and your sinuses. At a full range one day there was a guy beside me that asked me to stop shooting the CETME till he left, it was just bothering him so much. He was nice about it and I did and he was gone in less than an hour or so..........and ironically he was shooting a full auto MG34.
 
That's it, its about ventilation.

I use cast bullets almost exclusively in my pistols/revolvers and I use them in our indoor range, as do most shooters.

We have fairly good ventilation and not really that many shooters.

22s are just as bad as cast bullets.

The thing is our range is a private range open to members only (though any one can join the club for $25 per year ($35 for families).

Being a private range we have rules, if you don't like the smoke, go shoot outside.

No one is forced to use our range.

This is a sore subject with me, In my 20 years in LE and 22 years in the Army/National Guard I've seen too many ranges shut down because of complaints of smoke and such in the range.

The complaints always come from people who are forced to shoot, for qualification and such. With some cops, getting them to shoot is like pulling hen's teeth, they figure the best way to get out of it is to get the range closed and way too often were successful.

I'd rather shoot outside myself, but there are times, in the winter or at night when indoor ranges are a better option.
 
i also shoot at an indoor range and i mostly use cast reloads. smoke is mostly due to alox lube. the vent and fan systems are in compliance. never had anyone complain. i pay my fee and the management doesn't have issues. :eek:
 
The only range in my city of over 200,000 people last year stopped allowing lead due to complaints from customers about the smoke. Then late this winter due to “safety” reasons, no reloads.
I wonder what’s next. Only ammo purchased at the store for economical recovery.
 
Thanks for the feedback

There are no regs on the rules sheet about cast bullets. Found 400 rounds of 110 gr. XTP's on the shelf this morning, and we can load her up with some wuss loads for range time with those. Have to ration that lady---she can burn thru 100 rounds in nothing flat.

Maybe a talk with management would ease my concerns. For sure we don't want to tick anybody off, with the result that we have to check ammo before shooting. There is no regulation on hand loads for hand guns, but they do require inspection of rifle rounds prior to shooting. That is a new one.

thanks again for your thoughts!
 
Our local indoor range, too, has forbidden lead bullets.
And the only reloads that can be used are their own plated bullet versions.
But they are priced fairly reasonable.
Apparently, it is an air quality issue.
Anyhow, that's their story and they're sticking to it.
 
The indoor range where I shoot *only* allows lead bullets or plated, and they are suspicious of the plated. They don't want jacket fragments ricocheting back to the firing line.

I like the blackpowder idea, but don't do it; it can ignite unburnt smokeless powder on the floor and start a fire.
 
Concerns about powder smoke and lead dust aside, I have fired thousands of rounds of reloads on indoor ranges and never had a problem with the "stink and smoke from the lube burning". I think the solution would be to change lube (and make sure the range is properly ventilated).

Jim
 
James---The range is a well designed and well managed facility. There is a good draft from the shooting area towards the water fall at the other end of the range.

The first experience with cast bullets at that indoor range were using Oregon Laser Cast 200 gr. from a 44 Mag, loaded to about 1000 fps with Unique. These really smoked it up and after 3 loads I used something else. The smoke was obviously moving away from the shooting area, but you could smell it and see it. The 125 gr 38 specials I have loaded for the misses are HSM bullets, and propelled with Trailboss. Really mild loads, and the smoke is less evident than with the 44. I don't cast my own, so changing lube is out of the question.

Maybe I am making a mountain out of a molehill. The thing I do not want to do is give a whiner that gets cranky an opportunity to restrict using our own handloads at that range. I can load a mild 38 spec for about 14 cents and if I have the supplies, availability is not an issue. Doubling the price of ammo for us would reduce the amount of shooting we do.

Anyway, thanks for the comments.:)
 
Try using Red Dot or American Select powder. If you know anyone who reloads shotgun shells they will have Red Dot and might can loan you a few ounces.
 
Momma likes 125 gr as she gets sore hands from shooting anything with much recoil. I got a couple thousand 158 gr. Berrys, but they recoil enough that she is complaining tonite after shooting a hundred rounds today.
Click to expand...

Why not just down load the 158s a bit. If we're talking indoor range then you don't need a very fast round.
 
Buzzcook beat me to it, but I much prefer 158 grain loads to 125's....especially in .357 mag cases. Call me crazy, but I think they're much milder....

If someone else is worried about smoke from you shooting cast bullets and your range has a proper vent system, which it sounds like they do, then that's their (the complainers) problem.

At this point I think most ranges are giddy about folks coming in to shoot.....When ammo is readily available I used to have to wait in line for a lane. Not so much right now.
 
I tried a local indoor range last year. The ventilation was almost nil and the lube smoke hung in the air like fat cats puffing on Cubans.

The only range I've ever been to with good airflow was the NRA range in Fairfax. Old Glory would wave in that breeze.
 
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