"Toxic Ammo"?

[kip_j]

I drove to a local indoor range yesterday and when I got there, the girl at the desk asked to see my ammo.

After fishing out my 100-rd supply of Freedom Munitions 40-cal, I was told it was "toxic" and wasn't allowed.

The range owner went on about it, but I didn't really understand his logic.

Can anyone explain this to me?

 

[WBlacklidge]

I am going to take a stab at this:

Indoor ranges that do not have good ventilation obviously have stagnant air.

When you fire your rounds with lead primers or bullets that are not plated on all surfaces you introduce lead into that non ventilated air.

Does Freedom Munitions plate their bullets? Do they use lead primers? It sounds like your local indoor range might require only rounds that utilize that.

At my indoor range the ROs have breathing filters they use when they have to go down range for that very reason.

I recognize that there is a risk to lead exposure while at an indoor range. For me the risk is very low and like everything in life I play the odds so I don't lose sleep over it.

 

[Mcwsky09]

Is your ammo aluminum or steel cased? My local indoor range only allows brass - I think it is because the either sell the empties or reload themselves and don't want the hassle of separating the non-reloadable empties from the "good stuff"

I wouldn't think they are trying to require you buy ammo from them - my local range only requires you buy their ammo when renting their guns.

 

[Old_Sparky]

Local indoor range here is picky about the ammo shot, but they are concerned more about the wrong ammo damaging the back stop.

 

[harleygsb]

Sounds like they wanted you to buy their ammo.

I will be curious to hear if anyone comes up with any fact-based explanation on how their ammo might be more toxic than any other. I shoot it and it looks and shoots like any branded ammo.

 

[MSG Glenn]

We had an indoor range closed by OSHA when I was in the Army. There were huge ventilation fans & you could hardly even smell that guns were fired. It was just a familiarization range for small caliber ammo, mostly .22 & had 10 lanes.

 

[murphydog]

They are probably worried about lead exposure, as Wblacklidge mentioned. The bullets (and probably more so the primers) can aerosolize lead, which is bad to inhale and for the body in general.

Lead-free projectiles (or fully jacketed ones, without exposed lead) in loaded ammo are available, like the WinClean brand from Winchester among others. However, I also agree insisting on "clean" ammo may also be a profit maker for the range.

 

[Nakanokalronin]

If they said it was toxic, they mean it had exposed lead at the back of the bullet which means they have poor ventilation in the range. One of my local ranges only allowed Winchecter Winclean and hollow point bullets on the range because of this. Since upgrading their ventilation, they allow whatever ammo you bring.

 

[snakeye]

I have Freedom Munitions 40 cal ammo and there is nothing wrong with their ammo....fully copper jacketed and brass casings...there should e no reason for them to deny anyone using it...I would find another range

 

[kip_j]

Response to the "toxic ammo" question

The so-called lead aerosolization issue with UMC ammo (or ANY ammo, for that matter) is a plausible one, but the RO never mentioned that aspect to me when he denied my use of it.

When I asked him if Winchester White Box ammo was kosher, he said it was.

All I could do was thank him for his explanation and leave. I guess if and when I go back there, I'll be more careful about what I'm shooting.

 

[scooter123]

Another factor that may be in play is the filtration system in use. One range I shoot at was spending 10K per month on HEPA filters for their air handling system. Because of the expense they implemented a policy that only FMJ or TMJ centerfire ammunitions were allowed and the only exception was for rimfire ammo. This meant that anyone who walked in with cast bullets was told to purchase ammo from the range or just go home. According to the owner this simple change resulted in his HEPA filters lasting twice as long as they did before the change.

 

[walkin' trails]

Or, it could be that they wanted to sell you their ammo and make an extra buck.

 

[2hawk]

Well, we've known bullets can be "toxic" for years...