Lead Safety
Three short hygiene rules that keep you, your family, and your fellow members safe.
Introduction
Lead has been used for thousands of years — many believe it wiped out the Roman Empire. For us, it is the metal of which our bullets and pellets are made. Understanding what lead is, what it can do to us, and how to handle it safely is part of being a responsible target shooter.
Why are bullets and pellets made of lead?
Lead has a number of properties that make it the natural choice for projectiles in target shooting:
- It is cheap.
- It has a very high density.
- Once moving, it carries high kinetic energy (
KE = ½mv²). - It melts at a relatively low temperature.
- It is easy to mould into shape for mass production.
- It is soft, so deforms easily on impact.
What can lead do to us?
Lead is a heavy-metal poison. At low levels it interferes with cellular chemistry. At extremely high levels it can cause death. Growing people are particularly vulnerable.
Will a substitute soon become available?
Unlikely. Any other soft heavy metal — gold, for instance — would be prohibitively expensive. Harder metals, including a copper casing for the bullet or pellet, would degrade the rifling of barrels. That would mean chance, rather than pure skill, would influence accuracy.
The good news is that the actual risk to a careful target shooter is small, and easily managed.
How to protect yourself at the range
Small amounts of lead are ejected from a firearm’s barrel; less so from air firearms. Being very dense, the particles fall to the ground quickly. Any particulates that remain suspended are removed by the range’s air-extraction system, which on a properly run indoor range complies with the legal requirements set out in lead-contamination protocols. The result is that the amount of suspended lead in the air you breathe on the range is close to the levels experienced outside.
The greater concern is the lead residue left on your hands after touching bullets and pellets. Very little (if any) lead is absorbed by normal unbroken skin — the small risk is if your hands come into contact with your mouth or nose.
Three rules deal with that risk completely:
- Do not eat or drink on the range.
- Wash your hands before leaving the club.
- Wash clothes that you regularly wear for shooting.
Ranges are cleaned regularly by experienced members who have been trained to do so safely.
Do not attempt to clean a range without first having received the relevant training.
Happy and safe shooting to you all.
Read through the range information
Lead hygiene is one of several safety areas every member should be familiar with. Read up on our ranges, opening times, and range commands.