LEAD and Reloading

GuitarXM · March 5, 2009, 02:03 PM

Just received my reloading equipment. 308 remington brass with 168 gr sierra match kings...

I couldn't help but notice the lead warning lol.
I called up sierra, and they said that their bullets contain lead.
I am now also wondering if the Remington Brass has any trace of lead in it.

As far as safety is concern? How do you guys safely store and handle lead in your house? It's a little scary to know that it has such toxic effects even in adults.

Do you guys use any precautions? or is there nothing to worry about?

PBinWA · March 5, 2009, 02:08 PM

I would suspect that as long as you aren't putting the lead in your mouth, grinding it up and inhaling it or smearing it on your skin then you will be OK.

A healthy dose of common sense goes a long way. Don't put your dirty lead covered hands in your mouth and wash your hands after reloading and you will be fine. You can always wear gloves and a respirator if you are super paranoid.

GuitarXM · March 5, 2009, 02:10 PM

lol...respirator...omg I'm gonna die laughing...
I mean I'm not that paranoid..
I am a pharmacist, so I work in a health care profession, so health is always an issue to me.

VaFisher · March 5, 2009, 02:16 PM

Sorry but I have to agree on how funny it sounds. Like above post states,

Quote:

A healthy dose of common sense goes a long way. Don't put your dirty lead covered hands in your mouth and wash your hands after reloading and you will be fine. You can always wear gloves and a respirator if you are super paranoid.

use your common sence and forget about the rest.

oneounceload · March 5, 2009, 02:25 PM

Besides your hands, don't forget to wash your clothes after shooting so you don't track that stuff all over your house

GuitarXM · March 5, 2009, 02:26 PM

so the lead is inside the bullet?
There is no lead in primer or brass?

PCJim · March 5, 2009, 03:21 PM

Most all bullets contain a lead core. Some are totally exposed lead and are designated as lead bullets. FMJ, soft points and hollow points designs have exposed lead either in the tip or base. Other designs, such as CMJ or TMJ, fully encapsulate the lead thru copper electroplating.

Primers may contain a lead compound, lead styphnate, although other compounds are sometimes used.

Best practice is common sense. Keep your hands and fingers out of the mouth, nose, eyes, etc when reloading (or shooting those rounds for that matter). Wash appropriately thereafter.

snuffy · March 5, 2009, 03:23 PM

The FIRED primer contains lead styphonate. The only time you have to worry about lead exposure is while depriming fired primers. If you use a tumbler, the media used will have some of that lead styphonate in it. Care when emptying the tumbler, avoiding the dust is a good idea.

Bare lead cannot be absorbed through the skin. Jacketed bullets have lead inside them, those with exposed lead tips have the potential to get on your hands. Like said, simply washing your hands is all that's needed.

protectedbyglock · March 5, 2009, 05:12 PM

Remember the commercials that said "Don't let the baby eat paint chips".

Same applies here. The commercial never mentions the baby not being able to play with the paint chips. I mean, the kid should probably wash their hands afterwards, but....

I never listened to the commercial and I still eat paint chips, though.
Anybody here still close split-shot sinkers with their teeth? How about use your teeth to cut fishing line? They say line has lead in it, too.
I do both!! Mmmmmm!

You'll be fine, guitar. Just keep stuff out of your mouth, and wash your hands like everyone else here mentioned.
Turns out Mom knew what she was talking about after all!

GuitarXM · March 5, 2009, 09:31 PM

Yes. I def use my teeth to cut through the fishing line..oh well lol

You said the tumbler media has lead in it? I thought it was like walnut or corn media or something like that.

PCJim · March 5, 2009, 09:46 PM

The tumbler media will have some degree of lead in it only after it has tumbled spent brass.

impactco · March 5, 2009, 10:56 PM

A box of disposable Nitrile gloves will go a long way to keeping lead and other heavy metals out of your system. They will also keep fingerprints off your freshly loaded brass. Use a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter to clean up any spills of spent primer debris and used tumbling media. Wipe down your work surfaces with paper towels and Windex or some other water based cleaner when you are finished.

roy reali · March 5, 2009, 11:37 PM

I am going to save you from major medical problems. Send me all your firearms, ammo, bullets, primers, and any other gun related paraphernalia. I realize this will put my own health in jeopardy, but anything to help a fellow American. Oh heck, I'll even foot the bill for shipping.

This offer extends to anyone else on this forum.

Inspector3711 · March 6, 2009, 01:16 AM

Not the OP's fault. It is kinda funny to us that know, but the media and all the required warnings could get a guy all worked up. Who wants to get sick? Wash your hands, don't keep bullets in the cupboard.

Oh.. And don't snort any dark substances off of the bench unless you know it isn't lead

Inspector3711 · March 6, 2009, 01:23 AM

It just occurred to me... He'll never believe us. He'll thing we all have lead poisening! Maybe we do?

ShootingNut · March 6, 2009, 06:41 AM

Mr Pharmacist,
With all due respect, I'm more concerned gulping down the "FDA APPROVED"
prescription drugs you sell. Waiting for the day, when they announce "Oh Ya, our studies now show that pill eats up your Kidneys".

Using common sense, I'll take my chances loading my Unjacketed Lead Bullets!

Regards,
SN

protectedbyglock · March 6, 2009, 10:03 AM

I''d just like to say (after some research on my end) that my above comment about fishing line containing lead is...well... stupid.
I have a couple spools of old line here that have a lead warning on them, but I'll be dammed if I can find anything anywhere else that confirms that any other lines (except lead core) have any lead in them at all. All my other spools have no lead warnings. No mention of line containing lead whatsoever. So... bite away on your line, people. It's just not fishing otherwise.

I wonder if they used to use small quantities of lead in the manufacturing of old fishing line? I don't know. Weird...

GuitarXM · March 6, 2009, 11:25 AM

lol... This is probably the funniest thread on the firing line...

By the way, you are blaming the wrong guy for drug problems.
Pharmacists just give out drugs. We don't do research on them.

It's true though how drugs are taken off the market because they are found to be unsafe. The drugs go through 15 years of testing, through different stages of clinical trials to prove that they are safe. FDA is very strict on that.

The problem happens, when millions of people start to take the drug, such as Vioxx if you recall. That is when companies find new side effects and new problems because the population that is being tested is now in the millions instead of thousands.

Lead bullets are no different. Every website has an MSDS section which shows the amount of lead in all their products.

protectedbyglock · March 6, 2009, 12:00 PM

I'm still gonna blame the pharmacist. No, not even the "pharmacist", but you guitar, personally.

ha ha...

I'd say the FDA does a pretty good job. They certainly make it a long, costly, and painful journey for anyone who wants a drug approved.

I'd say the problem is more about people who demand a pill to solve all their problems. Don't want to excercise? Here's a pill!
Do you feel sad? Here's a pill! Is your kid being a kid? Here's a pill!
You're gonna have problems. It's always going to be impossible for anyone to foresee every possible side effect or problem associated with a certain medication. Overall, though, there are some very valuable drugs out there that help a heck of a lot of people.

MZ5 · March 6, 2009, 12:17 PM

Please remember that it's lead salts that are absorbed. Metallic lead (what's in bullets) is not.

GuitarXM · March 6, 2009, 12:18 PM

So the only lead that's dangerous is lead in primers lol?

MZ5 · March 6, 2009, 08:39 PM

In a reloading context, yes.

There has been considerable data generated around lead, hunting, lead bullet casting, reloading, etc. It provides nothing new in the way of data: Metallic lead is essentially inconsequential to blood lead levels. Lead salts such as styphnate in primers, the lead salts in paint, etc., are what pose noticeable health risk because the body will absorb it.

TEDDY · March 6, 2009, 08:55 PM

If I am not mistaken lead styphnate was removed some yrs ago.but the lead scam still keeps on.I am 84 casting since 1937.[born 1924]gilbert lead soldiers.then bullets.

jepp2 · March 6, 2009, 08:59 PM

If you happen to be on the receiving end of the reloads......

GuitarXM · March 6, 2009, 09:59 PM

primers still have staphynate

March 5, 2009, 02:03 PM	#1
GuitarXM Member Join Date: February 4, 2009 Posts: 63	LEAD and Reloading Just received my reloading equipment. 308 remington brass with 168 gr sierra match kings... I couldn't help but notice the lead warning lol. I called up sierra, and they said that their bullets contain lead. I am now also wondering if the Remington Brass has any trace of lead in it. As far as safety is concern? How do you guys safely store and handle lead in your house? It's a little scary to know that it has such toxic effects even in adults. Do you guys use any precautions? or is there nothing to worry about?

March 5, 2009, 02:10 PM	#3
GuitarXM Member Join Date: February 4, 2009 Posts: 63	- lol...respirator...omg I'm gonna die laughing... I mean I'm not that paranoid.. I am a pharmacist, so I work in a health care profession, so health is always an issue to me.

March 5, 2009, 02:26 PM	#6
GuitarXM Member Join Date: February 4, 2009 Posts: 63	- so the lead is inside the bullet? There is no lead in primer or brass?

March 5, 2009, 03:23 PM	#8
snuffy Senior Member Join Date: May 20, 2001 Location: Oshkosh wi. Posts: 3,055	The FIRED primer contains lead styphonate. The only time you have to worry about lead exposure is while depriming fired primers. If you use a tumbler, the media used will have some of that lead styphonate in it. Care when emptying the tumbler, avoiding the dust is a good idea. Bare lead cannot be absorbed through the skin. Jacketed bullets have lead inside them, those with exposed lead tips have the potential to get on your hands. Like said, simply washing your hands is all that's needed. __________________ The more people I meet, the more I love my dog They're going to get their butts kicked over there this election. How come people can't spell and use words correctly?

March 5, 2009, 05:12 PM	#9
protectedbyglock Senior Member Join Date: December 27, 2006 Location: PA Posts: 470	Remember the commercials that said "Don't let the baby eat paint chips". Same applies here. The commercial never mentions the baby not being able to play with the paint chips. I mean, the kid should probably wash their hands afterwards, but.... I never listened to the commercial and I still eat paint chips, though. Anybody here still close split-shot sinkers with their teeth? How about use your teeth to cut fishing line? They say line has lead in it, too. I do both!! Mmmmmm! You'll be fine, guitar. Just keep stuff out of your mouth, and wash your hands like everyone else here mentioned. Turns out Mom knew what she was talking about after all! __________________ "Reach out your hand if your cup be empty. If your cup be full, let it be again. Let it be known, there is a fountain, that was not made by the hands of men"

March 5, 2009, 02:08 PM	#2
PBinWA Member Join Date: November 21, 2008 Posts: 22	I would suspect that as long as you aren't putting the lead in your mouth, grinding it up and inhaling it or smearing it on your skin then you will be OK. A healthy dose of common sense goes a long way. Don't put your dirty lead covered hands in your mouth and wash your hands after reloading and you will be fine. You can always wear gloves and a respirator if you are super paranoid.

March 5, 2009, 02:25 PM	#5
oneounceload Junior member Join Date: April 18, 2008 Location: N. Central Florida Posts: 8,518	Besides your hands, don't forget to wash your clothes after shooting so you don't track that stuff all over your house

March 5, 2009, 03:21 PM	#7
PCJim Senior Member Join Date: July 11, 2008 Location: FL Posts: 570	Most all bullets contain a lead core. Some are totally exposed lead and are designated as lead bullets. FMJ, soft points and hollow points designs have exposed lead either in the tip or base. Other designs, such as CMJ or TMJ, fully encapsulate the lead thru copper electroplating. Primers may contain a lead compound, lead styphnate, although other compounds are sometimes used. Best practice is common sense. Keep your hands and fingers out of the mouth, nose, eyes, etc when reloading (or shooting those rounds for that matter). Wash appropriately thereafter.

March 5, 2009, 09:31 PM	#10
GuitarXM Member Join Date: February 4, 2009 Posts: 63	- Yes. I def use my teeth to cut through the fishing line..oh well lol You said the tumbler media has lead in it? I thought it was like walnut or corn media or something like that.

March 5, 2009, 09:46 PM	#11
PCJim Senior Member Join Date: July 11, 2008 Location: FL Posts: 570	The tumbler media will have some degree of lead in it only after it has tumbled spent brass.

March 5, 2009, 10:56 PM	#12
impactco Senior Member Join Date: January 12, 2008 Posts: 102	A box of disposable Nitrile gloves will go a long way to keeping lead and other heavy metals out of your system. They will also keep fingerprints off your freshly loaded brass. Use a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter to clean up any spills of spent primer debris and used tumbling media. Wipe down your work surfaces with paper towels and Windex or some other water based cleaner when you are finished. Last edited by impactco; March 5, 2009 at 11:02 PM.

March 5, 2009, 11:37 PM	#13
roy reali Senior Member Join Date: August 23, 2005 Posts: 3,248	Free Help I am going to save you from major medical problems. Send me all your firearms, ammo, bullets, primers, and any other gun related paraphernalia. I realize this will put my own health in jeopardy, but anything to help a fellow American. Oh heck, I'll even foot the bill for shipping. This offer extends to anyone else on this forum.

March 6, 2009, 01:16 AM	#14
Inspector3711 Senior Member Join Date: February 9, 2008 Location: Puget Sound Washington Posts: 1,553	Not the OP's fault. It is kinda funny to us that know, but the media and all the required warnings could get a guy all worked up. Who wants to get sick? Wash your hands, don't keep bullets in the cupboard. Oh.. And don't snort any dark substances off of the bench unless you know it isn't lead __________________ "If someone has a gun and is trying to kill you, it would be reasonable to shoot back with your own gun." The Dalai Llama (5/15/01, The Seattle Times) "That rifle on the wall of the labourer's cottage or working class flat is the symbol of democracy. It is our job to see that it stays there." George Orwell

March 6, 2009, 01:23 AM	#15
Inspector3711 Senior Member Join Date: February 9, 2008 Location: Puget Sound Washington Posts: 1,553	It just occurred to me... He'll never believe us. He'll thing we all have lead poisening! Maybe we do? __________________ "If someone has a gun and is trying to kill you, it would be reasonable to shoot back with your own gun." The Dalai Llama (5/15/01, The Seattle Times) "That rifle on the wall of the labourer's cottage or working class flat is the symbol of democracy. It is our job to see that it stays there." George Orwell

March 6, 2009, 06:41 AM	#16
ShootingNut Senior Member Join Date: December 27, 2006 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 1,475	Mr Pharmacist, With all due respect, I'm more concerned gulping down the "FDA APPROVED" prescription drugs you sell. Waiting for the day, when they announce "Oh Ya, our studies now show that pill eats up your Kidneys". Using common sense, I'll take my chances loading my Unjacketed Lead Bullets! Regards, SN

March 6, 2009, 10:03 AM	#17
protectedbyglock Senior Member Join Date: December 27, 2006 Location: PA Posts: 470	I''d just like to say (after some research on my end) that my above comment about fishing line containing lead is...well... stupid. I have a couple spools of old line here that have a lead warning on them, but I'll be dammed if I can find anything anywhere else that confirms that any other lines (except lead core) have any lead in them at all. All my other spools have no lead warnings. No mention of line containing lead whatsoever. So... bite away on your line, people. It's just not fishing otherwise. I wonder if they used to use small quantities of lead in the manufacturing of old fishing line? I don't know. Weird... __________________ "Reach out your hand if your cup be empty. If your cup be full, let it be again. Let it be known, there is a fountain, that was not made by the hands of men"

March 6, 2009, 11:25 AM	#18
GuitarXM Member Join Date: February 4, 2009 Posts: 63	- lol... This is probably the funniest thread on the firing line... By the way, you are blaming the wrong guy for drug problems. Pharmacists just give out drugs. We don't do research on them. It's true though how drugs are taken off the market because they are found to be unsafe. The drugs go through 15 years of testing, through different stages of clinical trials to prove that they are safe. FDA is very strict on that. The problem happens, when millions of people start to take the drug, such as Vioxx if you recall. That is when companies find new side effects and new problems because the population that is being tested is now in the millions instead of thousands. Lead bullets are no different. Every website has an MSDS section which shows the amount of lead in all their products.

March 6, 2009, 12:00 PM	#19
protectedbyglock Senior Member Join Date: December 27, 2006 Location: PA Posts: 470	I'm still gonna blame the pharmacist. No, not even the "pharmacist", but you guitar, personally. ha ha... I'd say the FDA does a pretty good job. They certainly make it a long, costly, and painful journey for anyone who wants a drug approved. I'd say the problem is more about people who demand a pill to solve all their problems. Don't want to excercise? Here's a pill! Do you feel sad? Here's a pill! Is your kid being a kid? Here's a pill! You're gonna have problems. It's always going to be impossible for anyone to foresee every possible side effect or problem associated with a certain medication. Overall, though, there are some very valuable drugs out there that help a heck of a lot of people. __________________ "Reach out your hand if your cup be empty. If your cup be full, let it be again. Let it be known, there is a fountain, that was not made by the hands of men"

March 6, 2009, 12:17 PM	#20
MZ5 Member Join Date: March 6, 2009 Location: Arizona, USA Posts: 53	Please remember that it's lead salts that are absorbed. Metallic lead (what's in bullets) is not.

March 6, 2009, 12:18 PM	#21
GuitarXM Member Join Date: February 4, 2009 Posts: 63	- So the only lead that's dangerous is lead in primers lol?

March 6, 2009, 08:39 PM	#22
MZ5 Member Join Date: March 6, 2009 Location: Arizona, USA Posts: 53	In a reloading context, yes. There has been considerable data generated around lead, hunting, lead bullet casting, reloading, etc. It provides nothing new in the way of data: Metallic lead is essentially inconsequential to blood lead levels. Lead salts such as styphnate in primers, the lead salts in paint, etc., are what pose noticeable health risk because the body will absorb it.

March 6, 2009, 08:55 PM	#23
TEDDY Junior member Join Date: December 10, 2006 Location: MANNING SC Posts: 837	lead If I am not mistaken lead styphnate was removed some yrs ago.but the lead scam still keeps on.I am 84 casting since 1937.[born 1924]gilbert lead soldiers.then bullets.

March 6, 2009, 08:59 PM	#24
jepp2 Senior Member Join Date: December 24, 2008 Location: Loveland, CO Posts: 1,476	Yes, Lead is hazardous!! If you happen to be on the receiving end of the reloads......

March 6, 2009, 09:59 PM	#25
GuitarXM Member Join Date: February 4, 2009 Posts: 63	- primers still have staphynate