TargetTalk

Anonymous wrote: Airguns don't vaporize the back of the pellet like burning gas does a firearm bullet, so there is little chance of airborne particulates. I suppose some lead is disbursed from the pellet scrubbing the bore, but whether it is a serious amount of contamination is again debatable.

This brief report looks at this very subject and is worth a look.

http://www.pistolnz.org.nz/ctipart01.asp

SAL 678 ON YOR LEADING CONCERN WASH HANDS OFCOURCE WHAT I USE IS A BEEMAN PEELET TRAP. GET SOME CARBOARD FROM BOXES EG.AT A CAR DEALER CUT TO 7.5INCH BY 8 INCH THESE FIT EXACTLY INTO SLOTS ON BEEMAN PEELET TRAP ATTACH TARGET TO CARBOARD WITH STICK PINS AND GUES WHAT CLEANER TARGET HOLES TO SCORE AND ABSOLUTILY NO LEAD FLYING AROUND IN AIR WHEN ENOUGH HOLES GET NEW CARNOARD CAREFULLY DUMP PELLETS INTO GARBAGE BAG AND YOUR ALL SET.HOPE THIS HELP .I AM NOT CONCERNED ABOUT LEAD PROBLEM AT ALL JUST WANTED CLEANER HOLES IN PAPER BUT THIS WILL HELP WITH YOUR LEAD CONCERNS'

If you are concerned over lead then don't shoot powdered guns indoors, if not don't sweat it. I know too many old men that did all sorts of things that were supposed to kill em and they lived long and productive lives and shot into their 80's. Personally I like air guns indoors due to noise levels and powdered guns outdoors.

I've been shooting regularly for over 30 years. When I was on a college pistol team, the coach had us dig the pulverized lead out of the backstops with our bare hands, with no respirators. We washed up afterwards, and when tested for lead later, no one had elevated levels. This was in addition to shooting 100 rounds a day indoors next to 14 other shooters doing the same.

Since then, I've shot a lot on a variety of indoor ranges, some with good ventilation & some without. I've personally supervised (and done a large amount of the work) cleaning up a heavily used collegiate range three times. This includes shoveling lead dust, melting lead out of traps with oxy-acetylene torches, all sorts of things that should have filled my system with lead. Being older & wiser, I wore a respirator for this work, and disposable coveralls. I've been tested for lead numerous times, and have never had an elevated reading.

My recommendations: don't worry about it too much. Don't eat where you shoot. Wash your hands after shooting, or before handling food. If all you are going to shoot is pellets, the risks are REALLY LOW. Relax. Enjoy the sport.

Doug White

Jeeze, it's been at least a couple of days on this (recurring) thread and nobody has provided the links to the Bismuth, etc. "Non Toxic Pellets" vendors yet . . .

Consider me suspicious and cynical, but it seems like this thread comes up every six months or so and inevitably leads to a pitch for us to all start buying "New And Improved!" non-toxic pellets and/or testing kits, lead containment bullet traps, etc. etc.

When the lead pellet replacements are 1) of the same or better quality, and 2) same or lower price than the lead, you won't need scare tactics to push the products.

Steve Swartz

HI Steve

You of course hit the nail on the head. These scare tactics are always motivated to either 1. attempt to shut down shooting sports in general or at least attempt to keep youth from the shooting sports, or 2. Sell some "wonder" product.

Common sense says that if this was such a dangerous pass time we would all be dead by now but since we are not the argument is pretty hollow.

I don't shoot powdered guns indoors due to the high cost. I shoot lots of AIR guns indoors and have not had any problems.

Steve Swartz wrote:Jeeze, it's been at least a couple of days on this (recurring) thread and nobody has provided the links to the Bismuth, etc. "Non Toxic Pellets" vendors yet . . .

Consider me suspicious and cynical, but it seems like this thread comes up every six months or so and inevitably leads to a pitch for us to all start buying "New And Improved!" non-toxic pellets and/or testing kits, lead containment bullet traps, etc. etc.

When the lead pellet replacements are 1) of the same or better quality, and 2) same or lower price than the lead, you won't need scare tactics to push the products.

Steve Swartz

Crossman offers a coated pellet that eliminates contact with lead from handling the pellets. This might help if your gun digests them. They are lighter (faster) than non-coated pellets. That, in combination with a monkey sh*t (clay based) pellet trap, would probably make your feel better about the whole lead concern.

my $0.02

P.S. My Grandfather died of lead poisoning after working 30 years for Pittsburg Paints as a mixer, well before OSHA.

Happy shooting

Steve Swartz wrote:Jeeze, it's been at least a couple of days on this (recurring) thread and nobody has provided the links to the Bismuth, etc. "Non Toxic Pellets" vendors yet . . .

Consider me suspicious and cynical, but it seems like this thread comes up every six months or so and inevitably leads to a pitch for us to all start buying "New And Improved!" non-toxic pellets and/or testing kits, lead containment bullet traps, etc. etc.

When the lead pellet replacements are 1) of the same or better quality, and 2) same or lower price than the lead, you won't need scare tactics to push the products.

Steve Swartz

Steve,
And of course don't forget when lead in bullets/pellets is banned. The ISSF has already been meeting to discus alternatives but I don't think anythings meant to happen our end for 5+ years.

Rob.