coated bullets banned on indoor range
- Thread starter rebs
- Start date
Jes wonderin'. Why, when someone brings up a topic that might be "anti-shooting" are folks so quick to condemn those responsible for the subject, as in a range only wants one or two types of ammo used in their range it's quickly posted that they range owners/officials are in some way cheating, only interested in profit, being overly PC, or just plain old stupid? Especially when the only info is from one reporter/side of the issue? 
There is a range in downtown L.A. that only allowed their own ammo, either new or reloads, to be used on their range. At first it sounds like they were scalping shooters, taking them for every penny possible. But as it turns out it is a private range that was forced to be open to the public (some weird L.A. law or something like that) and members were given a "discount" on ammo they purchased (75% off) and the range was in an old building right downtown and they wanted their facility as safe and long lasting as possible. Usually there's a good reason...
There is a range in downtown L.A. that only allowed their own ammo, either new or reloads, to be used on their range. At first it sounds like they were scalping shooters, taking them for every penny possible. But as it turns out it is a private range that was forced to be open to the public (some weird L.A. law or something like that) and members were given a "discount" on ammo they purchased (75% off) and the range was in an old building right downtown and they wanted their facility as safe and long lasting as possible. Usually there's a good reason...
Brian Pfleuger
Moderator Emeritus
I would cancel my membership and tell them in great detail exactly why, even though one word, "stupid", would suffice.
chris in va
New member
I'd find some clear powdercoat for my lead reloads.
I was going to suggest silver, but clear should work. I notice Prismatic has a matte clear powder coat. If it isn't too matte, it should make it hard to tell, even up close. If their only reason for including powder coat in the ban is that they can't tell it from copper on the video system, those solutions should handle the problem. You could even ask if they would make an exception for that, so as to be transparent about it.
David R,
Are you also using DDNT primers? Not counting metallic lead spray from gas cutting at the muzzle, lead in gun smoke comes from lead styphnate in the primers. You could check with your doctor, but my understanding is the water and acid-soluble lead compounds are the problem, and not metallic lead.
We had a fellow on the board who had a friend who could test for lead residue. The fellow checked the loading bench and casting bench and the cleaning area, and found no problem. The only contaminated area was around his brass tumbler, and that's because of primer residue dust that it shakes loose. To my mind this is a good reason for the switch to stainless steel pin cleaning. That keeps the lead residue in water instead of letting it get into the air. Citric acid added to the mix should tend to chelate it some. I also intend to experiment with EDTA for that purpose. If you can get the lead bound into an organic compound that way, the finished molecule is not toxic.
David R,
Are you also using DDNT primers? Not counting metallic lead spray from gas cutting at the muzzle, lead in gun smoke comes from lead styphnate in the primers. You could check with your doctor, but my understanding is the water and acid-soluble lead compounds are the problem, and not metallic lead.
We had a fellow on the board who had a friend who could test for lead residue. The fellow checked the loading bench and casting bench and the cleaning area, and found no problem. The only contaminated area was around his brass tumbler, and that's because of primer residue dust that it shakes loose. To my mind this is a good reason for the switch to stainless steel pin cleaning. That keeps the lead residue in water instead of letting it get into the air. Citric acid added to the mix should tend to chelate it some. I also intend to experiment with EDTA for that purpose. If you can get the lead bound into an organic compound that way, the finished molecule is not toxic.
Frags usually occur when shooting steel, it's just part of the game. Shoot long enough and you'll get a frag somewhere, sometime, that's why you never, ever, take your eyes off. I say that range has setup issues and insufficient back stops. But it's not just from jackets, I took a frag from a 40S&W moly coated lead bullet that went in 6mm deep. But switching to plain lead is even dumber. 99% of the lead you get is from breathing in the gun exhaust. Hi-Tek coated bullets don't lead, period. I switched from moly to Hi-Tek after my blood lead got to 25. In 4 months (about 6,000 rounds outdoor shooting USPSA competition, 6-8 times a month), it went down to 8, about the same as guys shooting full metal jackets. You still get 20% lead from the primer, lead styphnate. The way to get rid of that is to go with non heavy metal primers, which don't work all that well. If anyone shoots at an indoor range, the first thing you should do is get a baseline blood lead test. Also wear a particle mask and see how filthy it is after 50 rounds.
So much for your political career. 
I've been hit by scattering fragments before, too. Don't recommend it, but it really does seem to be an occasional part of any close up work on steel. I've never been actually cut by it, but have seen other people show small cuts before. Nothing as dramatic as 9×45's, though.
I've been hit by scattering fragments before, too. Don't recommend it, but it really does seem to be an occasional part of any close up work on steel. I've never been actually cut by it, but have seen other people show small cuts before. Nothing as dramatic as 9×45's, though.
I have a friend that put a steel gong against a tree and shot it with a 30-06. The bulet came right back at him and hit his fore arm going in pretty deep. He went to the hospital and they called the police because he was shot. They questioned him, luckily his friend was with him when it happened and he verified what happened to the police. He got stitches and went home.
I took a nine mm Y lead round right next to me eye, but it was my own fault. I was shooting a a chert foundation, built a deep hole full of lead, and achieved one in. A million shots that re s bolted on a perfect elastic collision that returned within a two MOA angle of flight. It hit my cheek below my lenses.
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Just up at the range I shoot at.
Quite a few years ago, I had a 45 call 200 swc (665 fps) target load bounce back and hit a guy in the face. It left a strawberry on his ckeek. He was super mad at me. This was at the same range as above. He was a high up in the club. It was not good. He was standing two lanes to my left. I did not get formal punishment, but I got the stink eye for years.
David
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