coated bullets banned on indoor range

R

rebs

New member
Our board of directors at our local club has banned all coated bullets on the indoor range. We have a rule that no jacketed bullets or gas checks are allowed. Now a few guys have been caught shooting copper coated bullets so they have banned all coated bullets including Bayou Bullets etc. There are camera's in the range and they said with the different colors of coating they cannot tell by the recordings if they are copper coated or not. So now lead is all that is allowed. It has always been target velocity only as far as loads.
 
That seems sort of strange to me as the indoor ranges which ban certain ammo have seemed to disfavor steel jackets, steel core (understandable) due to damage to the bullet catchers, and cast bullets due to toxic fumes.

I've never heard of a ban on jacketed or coated bullets.

I guess you learn something every day.
 
Coated bullets are less lead in the air.

I have chronic lead poison and stopped casting, switched to buying powder coated lead for my own benefit. No lead fumes are created when the bullet goes down the barrel.

Perhaps this will help you.
 
That seems remarkably...ill informed. Why go to a range that seems bent on trying to give you as much lead exposure as possible?
 
Is this a blackpowder range? As much as I shoot lead in pistols, even I recognize that semis and jacketed ammo are today's standard.

I'd have to know their reason and logic behind the decision, but I'm guessing ignorance is a factor.
 
Ignorance abounds.
Local ranges here have gotten on the no lead bullets bandwagon.
They see smoke and assume it's got to do with the lead in bullets, ignoring the influence of the lube and powder.
So they only allow plated and jacketed, ignoring the copper shards flying around from ricochets.
And ignoring the protection from that by just hanging a rubber mat draped in front of the backstop.
 
Ignorance abounds.
Local ranges here have gotten on the no lead bullets bandwagon.
They see smoke and assume it's got to do with the lead in bullets, ignoring the influence of the lube and powder.
So they only allow plated and jacketed,
Click to expand...


...but this thread isn't about banning lead, it's about banning everything but uncoated lead, from an indoor range, where the incidence of exposure to lead dust would be the highest. I too don't understand the logic if the info the OP gave us is correct.
 
Like g.willikers says, ignorance abounds. Copper "coated" bullets are plated not coated. Coated bullets are usually just powder coated. That's paint. There are polymer and molybdenum-disulfide coated bullets too though.
Anyway, there's really no issue shooting indoors if the ventilation/air scrubber is good enough.
Chronic or other lead poisoning takes a great deal of exposure. Isn't just from shooting indoors or casting bullets without ventilation. However, anything you do involving exposure to lead adds up.
 
What's the intent of the rule?
They have banned every type of bullet but bare lead, in the interest of ensuring that nobody shoots jacketed bullets?
Is that to reduce wear on bullet traps, or what?
 
My original post is accurate. They are afraid of ricochets from jacketed bullets and damage to the back stop so they choose lead only. They caught a few guys shooting jacketed bullets with the camera system and revoked their memberships. They say they cannot tell by use of the cameras which bullets are coated or plated. Thus the decision to only allow lead bullets. IMHO the best bullets to shoot indoors is the bayou coated or coated by other manufacturers. They are actually just lead with a small coating that prevents barrel leading and eliminates the smoke from the lube on plain lead bullets. I would think these bullets would be the best bet for an indoor range that wants lead bullets only. Most other ranges in the area are jacketed bullets only.
 
They seem very into watching the shooters in detail. Thats...weird. :confused:

I've been hit by splash from jacketed bullets while shooting IDPA indoors. My only response is...and?
 
Long ago I knew of a range with similar thinking; they banned FMJ, JHP, and "Magnum loads", and limited use to lead bullets mostly of "target velocities". Their intent was to avoid damage to the shooting facilities, the back stop, etc. No "lead poisonng" scare, just didn't wand to damage the range...
 
If the video system can tell a jacketed bullet from a non-jacketed bullet, and they're watching the video to prevent people from using jacketed bullets, and people are cheating, requiring that the videos continue to be monitored, there's no reason to ban bullets other than plain lead.
The argument doesn't hold up.
 
My indoor club prohibits plain lead bullets (except .22LR). Must be coated, jacketed or plated. to reduce lead exposure. It's a state-of-the-art facility with really good ventilation. They have banned steel core .223/5.56 (green tip) ammo, also, (duh) no tracer rounds.

I shoot cowboy action, where plated and jacketed are prohibited. Must be solid lead or coated.

If I want to practice with the cowboy guns at the indoor range, the only choice is coated bullets.
 
It might be due to the fact that they will get a better price for recovered pure lead than for a mixed bag that will have to be processed to remove the non lead components. I would guess they recover the lead from the backstop monthly. I know of a few rifle clubs that do it semi annual due to the cost of breaking down the berms and rebuilding them, they still get a pretty penny out of their recovered lead.

There is no other logical reason otherwise.

Stay safe.
Jim
 
I had never heard of a range that allowed lead only, until a lady at one of the ranges, where I am a member, was seriously cut in her leg by a ricochet fragment that was probably a copper jacket. I guess the jackets can ricochet backwards. I use plated only in my pistol and SMG shooting. I love plated boolits.
 
The range will not last long only shooting lead simply because of the polygonal rifling that is so prevalent plus the air quality will go down........just watch and see.
 
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