Indoor range "Concerns"

[Palladan44]

Have you ever been hit by a piece of red hot lead or copper jacket at an indoor (or an outdoor, but probably less likely) range??? I have on 3 different instances at 2 different ranges, and have witnessed one more. Blood drawn 3 times of the 4 of the above....minor injuries.
Ever had a migraine for 3 days after shooting indoors, or worry about exposure to lead dust?
Ever had ringing ears for a day after, because you top of the line muffs are truly not enough protection from muzzle blast indoors? (I double up with plugs)

Many indoor places allow ARs and high powered rifles now, and im of the opinion that no matter what you cover your ears with, the shockwaves rattle your brain and cause trauma, i mean serious trauma, damn near shell shock. Im putting this out there to get people to think about this.... a guy with a 5" bbl Smith and Wesson .500 was next to me yesterday and im in some pain here. AR pistols in 5.56 just as bad as that IMO

Loooking at the walls, floor, ceiling and even the bench separators with bullet holes in them make you wonder "what the hell am i doing here"?

Stay safe.

 

[Corpral_Agarn]

I run classes at an indoor range.

Plugs+Muffs is the only way.

Exposure is a concern. You want to make sure there is enough ventalation.
I had a little too much lead in my blood for a bit a few years ago. made some hygiene changes and it got back under control.

IDK about shell shock levels of brain rattling, but maybe the brain damage is already done for me LOL

it's getting colder, so try plugs, a beany cap (over the ears), then muffs.

ETA: as far as bullet holes being in the wrong places... That's not a good thing, but happens. you only see it more with indoor ranges because there are more places to catch bullets.

Also, I have never had a ricochet injury on an indoor range. Can't say the same for outdoor matches shooting at steel.

 

[theotherwaldo]

Yep.
All of the above.
Now I'm examining my other options.

 

[DocRock]

Get lead splatter from pistol targets frequently at CAS matches. Never drawn blood, but it makes one appreciate the mandate for eye protection. Remember that the "lead exposure concern" at indoor ranges is from the lead styphanate and lead dioxide in primers. Lead bullets and lead cores represent an insignificant risk. A well ventilated indoor range and a good hand wash all but eliminates any lead exposure - if the range is well ventilated. If not, it is a concern.

Never like being in the station next to the dude with the AR, 18" shotgun, or the 600 Magnum Devastator, but, if the range allows, then they have as much right as I do. The indoor range that I go to occasionally has excellent ventilation - so good that they allow BP firearms.

 

[Scionti95]

Have stopped going to the indoor range for each of the above reasons. I wore quality muffs over my medically crafted ear plugs and still was not protected from the loud muzzle blasts of the .50 caliber and other high caliber guns. Took me till the next day for my body to feel right again from the blasts and shock levels. All of the holes in the ceiling and side walls created some concern also. Lot of "newbies" purchasing guns for the first time. Keeping the RangeMasters on high alert. Do not wish to be near live fire with that type of shooting occurring.

 

[Barbaroja]

I tend to avoid indoor and official outdoor ranges. My neighbor and I each have small range setups so I shoot at home mostly but if I’m shooting larger rifles I’ll go out to some public land.
I dislike the muzzle blast from so many people shooting all around me. There is also a safety aspect to it. The absence of other shooters significantly lowers the chance of any kind of mishaps.

 

[Zerodefect]

Use foam ear plugs with electro muffs over that. Then all that noise an concussion is just entertainment.

AK's are the ricochet kings over here. 556 and less don't seem to come back. Every once in a while a newb trys to sight in a 308 at an indoor 25y range. That always sucks. It's not just lead, but concrete coming back with it.

 

[Old Dog]

Well, for those of us that live in regions where the outside weather can get a little extreme during certain season, indoor ranges might be our only options for places to go shooting.

One of our local ranges has bullet holes in the overhead, occasional bullet holes in the lane dividers, divots in the concrete walls on both sides ... one hears the "spang" of bullets hitting the target carriers regularly ...

I like to shoot, so I do utilize a couple local indoor ranges, fully recognizing the potential hazards. But, like shooting anywhere in public, one must maintain situational awareness.

One of the ranges allows centerfire rifles. The other does not. Even though the one that doesn't allow rifles is way more low-rent and run-down, I tend to go there more often. Want to maintain what's left of my hearing, and don't like two days of constant ears ringing after a range visit (even with double-up hearing protection).

 

[CapnMac]

In close to 40 years at this, I've lost track of what stray material cam my way. Shooting both pistol and rifle silhouette back in the day probably increased that a bit (have had backstop gravel come back a time or two).

Perforated ranges are pretty much par for the course--only question is how much. (And whether it drips on you in the rain [])

Loud is a different beastie. But, I'm old and have been around at lease one too many things. So, now, it takes quite a while for excess volume to reach in my skull and give a squeeze. But, that is a real thing.

Whether it represents a source for concussive injury is for brain scientists, MDs, and the like to answer, not old Naval officers. Durst annoying, yes, without a doubt.

It's not always the long arms--some of the Krinks and AR pistols are tough on a person; those .410 "pistols" can be annoying to be a lane from.

I try to avoid crowded indoor ranges, which has become avoiding indoor ranges.

Your mileage may vary.

 

[bannockburn]

I wear both ear plugs and muffs at indoor ranges and so far, so good in terms of my hearing remaining intact. As to brain damage from shockwaves, can't say I have really experienced it all that much except for a few times when someone broke out their .44 Magnum and had at it. I usually try to avoid times when I know the range is busy and tend to gravitate to the furthest lanes away from everyone else.

 

[Dudedog]

I had blood lead issues, sky high >60 if I remember correctly.
I felt fine but had my doc check my levels as I shot a lot at an indoor range.
(he thought I was nuts but checked them for me anyway, my health insurance will cover the check, some may some may not)
(docs were talking about Chelation therapy but by the time I found someone to do it and the insurance oked, levels had dropped to where it was not necessary)
Stopped going there (stopped shooting and reloading until levels were better), no issues after that, so pretty much traced it to the indoor range.
Indoor ranges can be done right but when looking into it, it seems a lot of them are not.

If you shoot at an indoor range and haven't had your levels checked I would suggest you get it done.

 

[Robert]

I haven't shot at an indoor range in years and will do everything I can to avoid them. We have two in town. I'd rather drive the 45 miles to my members only outdoor range for all of the reasons listed.

Even in the winter I'd rather pick a cold sunny day to go shoot outside.

Today I drove 100 miles round trip to spend an hour on the bench checking zero before I head out hunting tomorrow.

 

[TheWarhammer]

In my experience, the management of the range has a big part to do with the (good or bad) experience. I used to shoot at a range in north Ft. Worth that would do it's best to spread out the shooters, rather than pack them close together. They'd chat with you about what you were shooting as you checked in. If you brought something that would be particularly loud to other shooters, they'd space you out a bit farther. Conversely, I've shot at a range in south Austin where they pack the shooters side by side, rather than spacing them out. They don't ask about the weapons brought. If you end up next to an overly loud shooter and ask to change lanes, they act like it's a huge inconvenience. I don't shoot there any longer.

 

[Palladan44]

I had blood lead issues, sky high <60 if I remember correctly.
I felt fine but had my doc check my levels as I shoot a lot at an indoor range.
(he thought I was nuts but checked them for me anyway, my health insurance will cover the check, some may some may not)
(docs were talking about Chelation therapy but by the time I found someone to do it and the insurance oked, levels had dropped to where it was not necessary)
Stopped going there (stopped shooting and reloading until levels were better), no issues after that, so pretty much traced it to the indoor range.
Indoor ranges can be done right but when looking into it, it seems a lot of them are not.

If you shoot at an indoor range and haven't had your levels checked I would suggest you get it done.

For the benefit of all of us, how much time did you spend on the range? How many days per week, or month? What do we think is the method of absorption by the highest degree? Inhalation through aerosoled lead through smoke? Lead bullets or primers? What were your symptoms thst raised questions?

 

[wiscoaster]

Yep. All part of the fun. In my experience, if a shooter has special health or firearm issues the range operator tries to accomodate by spacing or lane assignment. Otherwise, just suck it up and be one of the "guys". When you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. Don't expect range operators to dramatically change. They're barely making money as it is. There are huge operating expenses and requirements us users are barely aware if they're doing a good job. You want indoor ranges to become a thing of the past then demand that they make all your personal shooting experiences 100% comfy.

 

[Jim Watson]

With one exception, I have been hit more and harder by rebounds and spatter outdoors than inside. That one time, it would not have mattered, the target and the load were the cause.

Rifle rated indoor ranges are an aggravation, but are profit centers for the dealer so we are stuck with them.

 

[Meeks36]

Ha my daughter got hit w a ricochet. Bb flew back and popped her chin. She informed me she was never shooting again. Two days later she was out shooting me.

 

[Jim Watson]

A friend of the feminine persuasion won't shoot Steel Challenge.
The occasional Popper or plate in IDPA is an acceptable risk.

 

[danmc]

Never understood how anyone can shoot the walls & ceilings- but so many ranges are full of them holes ‍

 

[Alex Clayton]

I shoot weekly at indoor that is old. They have real good ventilation which means it is cold in winter but better safe. Have been hit with a piece of jacket a hand full of times. Never enough to hurt and as another said makes me make damn sure I have my eye's covered.
I REALLY like shooting outdoors but sadly that's hard for a lot of us to do now. For me it's a drive that makes it a day trip to do so. Also sadly shooters again are their own worst enemies. They make HUGE messes at places that are open to the public then scream when they get banned from shooting
There is a couple groups up here who host outings with people who head out and haul the mess others make away but they can't keep up with the morons. So this means I shoot a lot indoor.

 

[Alex Clayton]

Never understood how anyone can shoot the walls & ceilings- but so many ranges are full of them holes ‍

YEP! This is why I like to go weekdays, as soon as the place opens. That way its seldom crowded. The place I go when it was new did not take any time at all to show the signs of "OOPS" all over the place.

 

[Palladan44]

Yep. All part of the fun. In my experience, if a shooter has special health or firearm issues the range operator tries to accomodate by spacing or lane assignment. Otherwise, just suck it up and be one of the "guys". When you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. Don't expect range operators to dramatically change. They're barely making money as it is. There are huge operating expenses and requirements us users are barely aware if they're doing a good job. You want indoor ranges to become a thing of the past then demand that they make all your personal shooting experiences 100% comfy.

Im also in agreeance with you here. But if small improvements can be made, why not? Come to think of it, many of these schrapnel hits were from a noob shooter in another lane who hit the metal paper hanger when anywhere from 7 to 10 feet from the muzzle. Point of impact over 15" to 2 feet from [their perceived] point of aim at very close range. Id like to see some rules tighten up i guess to prevent this. A rule that states "DONT BE A GOOFUS!!!" (Yeah how do you really prevent morons with guns from damaging property and endangering others)

 

[Old Dog]

Even in the winter I'd rather pick a cold sunny day to go shoot outside.

Yeah, uh -- no -- we don't get a lot of those up here.
It's just difficult to get productive shooting done up here in mid-winter, out of doors, with high winds and hard rain. Now, when I spend time with family in the northern midWest, it's nothing to go out on a sunny February day when the temperature is about twelve degrees Fahrenheit, as long as it's not windy, which'll drive the wind chill temps well below zero ... Picking up brass in two or three feet of snow is another story, though ...

So yeah, indoor ranges can be a necessary evil as far as recreational shooting. For the job, I'll just embrace the suck and stay cold and soaked for eight hours (it's seem way more miserable to be an instructor than a shooter on nasty days up here).

 

[unclenunzie]

When I lived in NJ all my shooting was at an indoor range. They had very good ventilation you could feel pull the air downrange. In winter it was cold, and the usual pock marks everywhere. I used D-lead wipes and made sure to wash up every time before getting back in my car and again at home.

After I moved to Florida this was my favorite outdoors: https://myfwc.com/hunting/safety-education/shooting-ranges/cecil-m-webb/

Here in Texas I shoot on my own property.

 

[Dudedog]

For the benefit of all of us, how much time did you spend on the range?

I was shooting a couple hours a week, usually every week.
I don't know what the major source was.

All I know is after my levels came down I continued reloading as before and started shooting at an outdoor range (1 or 2 days a month more time shooting per day) and my levels did not go back up.