Black stuff in your nose after visiting an indoor range

[derrick_lui]

Hi guys...just wondering what the black stuff is when you blow your nose coming out of an indoor shooting range?

I always get this when shooting at the manchester firing line and hope it isnt too bad for my health...

 

[PaulD]

Hi guys...just wondering what the black stuff is when you blow your nose coming out of an indoor shooting range?

I always get this when shooting at the manchester firing line and hope it isnt too bad for my health...

Inhaling particulates is never good for your health.

The dust is mostly carbon but it's the rest of it that's not so great.

 

[Dick]

The biggest problem that PaulD means when he refers to "the rest of it" is lead - lead from the lead styphnate priming compound, and lead from the bullets (there's some question about which source is the bigger problem, but that's a side issue).

I've never shot at Manchester, and I'm surprised to hear that their ventilation is not adequate, but the nose knows, and if you're getting black residue in your nose, you're shooting in an improperly ventilated range.

We've had discussions here in the past about wearing respirators in indoor ranges - you should be able to bring them up with the "search" function. My advice is to start wearing a respirator or find another place to shoot - lead is one of the most toxic materials that the average person comes into regular contact with and it's nothing to mess around with, particularly when the problem is so easy to avoid.

 

[FunYun]

There should alwasy be constant down range airflow in an indoor range. If its not working or non-exsitant, I wouldn't spend too much time there.

 

[Beansie_Time]

I've shot there many times, and never had black residue in my nose. They just recently finished some construction and significantly expanded the store so maybe that has something to do with it. Everytime I've been there the ventilation system has been flowing well and any smoke from your gun barrel flows away very quickly.

 

[Supermoto]

It's snot, don't eat it

 

[one-eyed Jack]

Hi guys...just wondering what the black stuff is when you blow your nose coming out of an indoor shooting range?

I always get this when shooting at the manchester firing line and hope it isnt too bad for my health...

Tastes bad too! Jack.

 

[PaulD]

Yes Dick, that's exactly it.

Incidently, I've only been up there twice but at one point I saw a 10yo kid (with his dad) drinking a soda inside the range. I was about to say something when someone else did before I had a chance.

I didn't have a problem like this when I was there but I wouldn't shoot there again if I noticed it.

 

[45collector]

Stop snorting lines of black powder!

I mostly shoot outdoors but there's been a few times where I've spent 2+ hours in a not-so-well ventilated indoor range. Blowing my nose afterwards gave the effect of a pen exploding all over the tissue!

 

[Windwalker]

Excellent nasal analysis, gentlemen. Made my lunch digest much better.

 

[Palladin]

great. I love reading self explanatory thread titles like this!

"I've been traget practicing in a West Virginia Coal mine..."

 

[Brian48]

Whenever shooting lead indoors, I wear a painter's mask or respiratorator. Not that jacked ammo doesn't have this problem, but it's not as severe. Most of the smoke that's generated when shooting lead is the actually from the lube on the bullet, but it still helps to carry the lead and mercury from the primers.

One thing you should keep note of, pay attention to any "sweet" aftertaste that may be in your mouth during or after shooting. That is a sign of lead ingestion. It may or may not be enough to hurt you, but it's happening.

One of the major reasons why lead paint is so bad around young kids is because the kids are actually eating the paint chips in some instances. This is because lead paint is actually "sweet" to the taste and they don't know any better.

 

[Blitz1]

It's snot, don't eat it

that snot funny

 

[pbearperry]

Rule of thumb.If after shooting you taste something sweet,it's lead.Go blow your nose and wash your hands and face.Oh and put the clothes in the wash.

 

[Twigg]

Hi guys...just wondering what the black stuff is when you blow your nose coming out of an indoor shooting range?

Gunpowder boogers !

 

[kevin9]

 

[derrick_lui]

hehe thanks for the replies ppl...I think i took a pretty large dose this time, still have a little black stuff from my nose .

Usually it goes away the next day...

 

[Prepper]

Its not dried blood from a nose bleed, is it?

I never got black powder from that range, but I haven't been there in a while.

 

[MFP4073]

Makes for good pickin after a match (or target shooting)!

 

[Blitz1]

Snot what you think it is.

 

[Bruce for NH State Rep]

That's known as the GTI (Good Time Indicator).

If, after shooting, you are not blowing black GSR-boogers out your nose, it means you didn't spend enough time at the range. Get back in there and burn through another couple boxes.

 

[MaverickNH]

When you spit after hocking a gunpowder residue loogie, try to hit a light colored surface so it looks more impressive.

After a day in SIGArms range, which is supposedly great for ventilation, I was blowing black snot out. Reminded me of when I worked on an asphalt roofing crew as a youth - I changed career paths when I found out all the wrinkled, dried-up "old men" on the crew were in their 30s...