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Middle Age Russ wrote:To the best of my knowledge SGA only sells plated .22 LR for use in their range. I make a point of taking plated ones to shoot there, even though the plating is so thin it doesn't really matter that it is there. I don't know if they make a big deal about plated .22s or not, but I try to err on the side of caution, particularly since most of my guns run well with the Federal bulk pack that is plated anyway.

I don't know why anyone would care about plated vs. non-plated .22 LR. Maybe the plated .22 LR produces less airborne lead do to "side blast".

The link of the CDC report that I posted talks about "side blast" but that applies to revolvers. I don't know if semiautomatics suffer from this issue.

space cat wrote:wow! cool discussion from a simple question!

when i go back to the range i will certainly ask why no JHPs. i know this and another range i've been to both do not like steel or lead cased ammo and always visually inspect what you bring in. i think they're mostly just checking to see if it's brass cased since i've inadvertently taken in JHPs and lead tipped 22lr once.

What is interesting is that all ranges allow .22LR which is not jacketed so they are going to flatten and splatter worse that most hollow points.

sjfcontrol wrote:

Jumping Frog wrote:

WildBill wrote:Here is a report from the CDC talking about lead exposure in indoor firing ranges. See Page 8 for sources of airborne lead. The report is from 1975 so some other studies may have been performed since that time.

Range design and ventilation standards have improved immensely in the last 35 years. Just sayin' . . .

Yes, just reading the beginning of that report is eye opening. A balanced air-handling system with proper filtration is essential. And acoustic paneling has come far, too.

There are a couple of range design guide that I have found on-line.
I am not sure about HEPA filters. The first time I heard of them was in the 1980s, but that doesn't mean they didn't exist before then. I know that they were expensive and used for electronics and aerospace clean rooms.

Most target shooters in the 1970s fired lead bullets in their handguns, rather than jacketed or hollow point.

Here is a report from the CDC talking about lead exposure in indoor firing ranges. See Page 8 for sources of airborne lead. The report is from 1975 so some other studies may have been performed since that time.

http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/76-130/pdfs/76-130.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

What is green powder? Unburned powder?

sjfcontrol wrote:Do you know of any 'modern' INDOOR range that has lumber anywhere near where bullets go? Pretty archaic.

I don't know what would cause a spark on an outdoor range unless a round hit a rock or something (assuming no tracers). With indoor ranges you can get a pretty good spark by bouncing a steel-core bullet off the concrete floor.

I haven't shot in a modern indoor range.

There are plenty of rocks and dry grass at the outdoor range where I used to shoot.

sjfcontrol wrote:

barstoolguru wrote:From what I hear they ban steel bullets and bullets with steel inserts because it damages the backstop but I never heard of them banning JHP

I think they would like to avoid steel-core bullets because they can cause sparks.
REMEMBER -- Only YOU can prevent gun-range fires! -- Smokey Bear

I think indoor ranges are more concerned about damage to the backstop rather than fires. JHP tear up target stands and lumber more than FMJ.

I have heard of a fire recently at an indoor range, but I don't remember the cause.

I was at an outdoor range once when a fire started on the 100 yard line. I don't know if it was steel core or tracer or ? By the time we could get a cease fire and sprint to the targets we had a 10-15 ft diameter grass fire.

Middle Age Russ wrote:Agreed that lead dust at the line is much more problematic than down range a bit. This is why it doesn't make much sense to ban hollow points with fully jacketed/plated bases while allowing FMJ with exposed lead at the base. Which do you think is more likely to create lead in the air?

I really wouldn't put much stock in the answers of people working at the range. Unless they were involved in the design and construction of the range, they probably know only what they were told - "The rule is no hollow points!"

In my experience, a JHP will produce more airborne lead that a FMJ. The JHP will expand and fragment into smaller pieces when it hits a solid object. Depending on the range and distance, a FMJ will flatten and stay in one piece. If not filtered out through a HEPA filter, bullet fragments [dust] that are small enough to remain airborne can stay in the air be circulated by air condtioners, fans or other air currents. If not filtered completely, eventually the contaminated air at the shooting line will mix with the air from the backstop.

Lead styphnate is used as the explosive in rifle and pistol primers. When the primer explodes most of the compound decomposes and puts lead in the air, right near your nose. Some of that lead also stays in the power residue that gets on your gun and hands.

I don't really know how airborne lead comes from the exposed lead on the rear of the bullet, but I am guessing that it's much lower that from the primer and backstop.