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Home indoor gun range
- Thread starter HuntMaine
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Asaltweapon
NES Member
Of course not.
I helped do some work on the indoor range at my gun club. I was wearing a mask, but apparently not well fitted. My blood lead levels were significantly elevated afterwards, enough that my doctor was concerned. i will now no longer do such work on an indoor range -- I've got enough health problems already.
Edited to add: years later, my blood lead levels were still elevated.
Edited to add: years later, my blood lead levels were still elevated.
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Retired-LEO
NES Member
If you were going to do it I would contact the NRA. They have info available on regulations, ventilation and general construction.
Even with this in mind I would not recommend it. A few of many reasons why it's a bad idea include HEALTH issues and possibly having your home owners insurance cancelled.
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It is OK to discharge gunfire smoke outside, but if you do it inside you need a HEPA filter to make sure no toxic gun smoke exits the building.
You could go 100% lead free, but the ammo gets expensive and you have to make sure friends you invite over don't cheat.
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I have never seen a policy that asks if you have a gun range in the house, but.....
Specific (low) $$ limitations, or exclusions of, pollution/contamination issues are (I think) fairly common.
Lucus
NES Member
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ONi-_HExmc
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCTsVX0VRew
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sv9yJOAQWmk
My biggest worry would be the ventilation system.
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i typically laugh at lead scares, but, it is correct what folks are saying. it is not worthy of doing in a place where you and your kids sleep and live - especially kids under 12.
proper ventilation will be crazy difficult to do, and, it still will spread enough to be stuck all around.
if you want to shoot indoors - get yourself a good air gun, there are plenty of those now that shoot up to .223 caliber up to 300yds.
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Ya why waste all that money on ventilation and airflow/filter apparatus when you’ll just be standing still shooting at paper anyway. Take some of that money outside and build yourself a nice shoot house/tire house with breaching doors where you can host NES classes on weekends. Half the money probably and 10x the fun/usefulness.
Coda
NES Member
It is doable......
My uncle built an indoor range in his barn in Vermont. Don't remember all the details other than he fabricated a huge exhaust system. He was a retired engineer so he designed the whole setup himself. His next door neighbor would come over and shoot all the time. The neighbor was a retired doctor so I doubt he would use the range if it were not safe. But this was not shared living space, it was a barn far removed from his house.
But if you have your own private 200 yard outdoor range why bother with this? I have just a 200' range off of my back deck and it is quite satisfying.
Coda
NES Member
Lead from air guns is a problem also.
Back about 30 years ago there was a great little gun shop a few towns over. They were one of the only service centers for ANSCHÜTZ air guns.
The guy who did the service work fell ill, none of the area doctors could figure out what was wrong with him. Finally went to a specialist in Boston who was smart enough to ask him what he did for a living. He was diagnosed with lead poisoning.
Guy had a real tough time of it, not sure of the final outcome but the shop closed soon thereafter. Too bad, they did a lot of transfers for me for small money.
100% there were lead issues, the guy just didn't notice any side effects.
All anyone has to do is run their finger across a wall at an indoor range. Ever notice how black they are?
I helped clean a range not long ago, we went in completely covered, the amount of sh*t everywhere was amazing.
I avoid shooting indoor, even at well ventilated ranged like Reading. Only time I shoot indoor there is if I want to try a load, or a gun fix, before the weekend match and it is too late to shoot outside. I am usually alone so it is fine, but I still hate it.
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A fella in Plymouth used to have a basement range. It was about 50ft and he only shot 22s. During 2016 winter, when we had crazy amount of snow on South shore, he had a lot of water damage when snow started melting. Insurance paid for renovations and he redid the basement into a very useless(IMHO) area. The house sold superfast in 2021. The bastard now lives in Florida and he makes fun of me every chance he gets. Love him like a brother.
This happened at my club a couple years ago. Not to this extent but it was a fire that needed to be put out by an extinguisher. Powder had built up in the channels on the floor against the side wall. Poof.
chuckules
NES Member
Sadly, air rifles have obsoleted the pre-ventilation…Flobert Parlor Rifle
Didn’t do any of those things. I’m not saying lead was never present. I’m saying that the levels we low enough that no people or dogs have been diagnosed with any health conditions associated with excessive lead.
I’m also saying that there hasn’t been any issues selling a property where an interior basement range existed. No realtor or inspector has checked for it. You results may vary.
Dave
hpm
NES Member
I don't think one can assume something is safe from a health standpoint just because a doctor is doing it...there are doctors that smoke, take drugs (not talking about weed) and other substances, take experimental vaccines
... the list goes on. It's like saying someone who is a police officer would not do anything unlawful.In your uncle's case - the barn away from the house sounds a lot safer in regards to lead than having the indoor range in the house.
Asaltweapon
NES Member
Digging out buckets of lead from the bullet trap don’t do nuttin.
Win
NES Member
In the beginning of the pandemic, when nothing at all was open, I started a red-rider BB gun range in my basement for the kids. I put up balloons and made them wear all the proper ear and eye protection. I taught them to always point the gun in a safe direction and trigger finger discipline. That was my fondest memory of those early pandemic days.
Coda
NES Member
Right....... Can't trust doctors or cops.I don't think one can assume something is safe from a health standpoint just because a doctor is doing it...there are doctors that smoke, take drugs (not talking about weed) and other substances, take experimental vaccines
In your uncle's case - the barn away from the house sounds a lot safer in regards to lead than having the indoor range in the house.
But as I said he was an engineer and a smart guy. The ventilation system he designed was very good.
In terms of lead poisoning I felt as safe if not safer than any other indoor range I ever shoot in.
i typically laugh at lead scares, but, it is correct what folks are saying. it is not worthy of doing in a place where you and your kids sleep and live - especially kids under 12.
proper ventilation will be crazy difficult to do, and, it still will spread enough to be stuck all around.
if you want to shoot indoors - get yourself a good air gun, there are plenty of those now that shoot up to .223 caliber up to 300yds.
FX Impact M3 | Pre-charged pneumatic Air Rifle | Airgun Depot
Check out this great deal on the FX Impact M3. Need advice? Let our airgun specialists help you today!www.airgundepot.com
that would be my vote, lots of choices for airguns, a lot of them are very quiet and some have plenty of power. PCP can be pretty loud, but are great for long sessions if you got a charging station near by. Projectiles also vary, non-lead options. There are also plenty of cheaper airguns that are incredible precise and would not break your budget.
I didnt think lead levels in the blood ever went down.
Asaltweapon
NES Member
I’m not sure myself. I asked to be tested when I was doing a shitload of indoor shooting.
It was a tad higher but not stupid high. I never retested.
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