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Old November 21, 2006, 05:00 PM   #1
JDG
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Basement shooting range

I've been shooting a cardboard box, full of magazines and newspaper, ducttaped together, for about a month. This thing has held up great. I usually plink away with my 22s, but my 9mm & 45 rounds stop in it too. I only have about 40' of room, but its fun enough! Can only get in about 50rds of 22 in before it gets a little stinky
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Old November 21, 2006, 05:02 PM   #2
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Make sure you have plenty of ventilation going with fresh air transfer. Airborne lead is very hazardous to your health.
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Old November 21, 2006, 06:16 PM   #3
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yea, sounds like a plan, but I think I will feel safer at the range lol
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Old November 21, 2006, 06:17 PM   #4
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ammo choice

If I were you, I would get that frangible no lead ammo for use in centerfire shooting. Safer for you and the family. If you have an accidental discharge, you dont want it ricocheting all over or going up thru the floor to wherever. You might use 22 ammo with copper washed bullets-perhaps would cut down on lead exposure. If you get alot of lead contamination all over your basement, you would probably have to have it all cleaned up somehow before selling. And you don't want the lead vapors and dust or fragments all over the place. I have heard of pellet rifle basement shooting but for any permanent installation in the basement for firearms shooting, I would take better measures myself. Hope your insurance covers that in case of accident.
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Old November 21, 2006, 06:43 PM   #5
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I would really worry about proper ventilation. Breathing in too much lead will either make you sterile or have 2 headed babies or somesuch.
(Or maybe just cancer)

But that being said, that sounds awesome.
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Old November 21, 2006, 07:14 PM   #6
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Didnt think to much on the lead vapors. I use copper washed ammo, maybe that stuffs cleaner? The centerfire stuff was just a test. Using a scoped rifle, and making same hole groups,but some 1/2" groups get in there also Thanks for the health warnings. I dont over do it , though
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Old November 22, 2006, 12:07 PM   #7
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personally I would stick to an air rifle or bb gun for basement shooting because of the possible liability/ two headed baby/ holes in the floor/ and airborn lead particle issues. In our area it is illegal to discharge any weapon within 500 feet of an occupied dwelling unless you have written permission of the owner - how close are your neighbors? Be careful!!!
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Old November 22, 2006, 05:42 PM   #8
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with poor ventilation, if you do this too long, you might want to check yourself often for a twitch or involentary movements....lead and those vapor's are not good for ya!

watch out for flyer's, that could be a serious prob.....ricochets and all
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Old November 22, 2006, 07:33 PM   #9
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Bad idea. Very bad idea.

First, you're putting airborne lead into the house. The lead comes from the primer compound and the base of the bullet. If you use TMJ (i.e., plated) or JHP, the base of the bullet is covered so that will reduce the airborne lead somewhat. Non-toxic, lead-free rounds are available, but they cost ~3 times the cost of standard ammunition and the shelf life of the lead-free primers is suspect.

Second, you're dispersing unburnt powder all over your basement. Try this: go to your local gun club with a broom and a metal dustpan. Go the indoor range and gently sweep some of the dark-looking dust off the floor into the dustpan. Take the dustpan outside, well away from anything flammable. Standing as far away from the dustpan as you can, drop a lit match into the dustpan. Woooosssshhhh! Is that what you want all over your basement? And if you had a house fire, would your fire insurance still be in effect?

Get an airsoft gun or an airgun for practice in your basement. Don't shoot live rounds.
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Old November 22, 2006, 09:18 PM   #10
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Cb?

I do admit that I have fired some of the little primer powered CB cap ammo inside my house, down the hallway, from a bolt action 22 for fun or just to see if the gun will light a primer. They were the Mexican made Colibris or such what. No penetration in a board backstop, and no noise to speak of, but the do make a little smoke so it was pretty much limited testing. Also tested 22 revolvers indoors with that, but just enough for function testing. I have also fired some of those plastic cased plastic bullets from a 38, the kind that just take a primer to propel the "bullet". They need a good backstop indoors. Lot noisier than the primer powered 22's. But I never was overly concerned about the primer smoke. Good thing it was pretty much a limited experiment. You could get away with firing rimfire in your basement in a neigborhood, I guess. I might try it if I could ventilate the place, but all it would take would be one round going awry, or nosy Mrs. Kravitz peeking in your basement window and...
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Old November 23, 2006, 09:03 AM   #11
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Quote:
You could get away with firing rimfire in your basement in a neigborhood, I guess. I might try it if I could ventilate the place, but all it would take would be one round going awry, or nosy Mrs. Kravitz peeking in your basement window and...
You're still going to deposit lead and unburnt powder in your basement, even if you have ventilation. Not a good idea.
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Old November 28, 2006, 04:04 AM   #12
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Wow...I could see myself doing this once or twice on the spur of the moment but...you actually shoot in your basement...interesting...
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Old January 17, 2007, 07:11 PM   #13
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I shoot the Speer plastic, primer powered practice rounds in the basement occasionally. An old refrigerator box with a towel hung inside stops them just fine. Cheap practice when the snow blows
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Old January 17, 2007, 07:58 PM   #14
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Holy Macaroni!

Breathe in all that lead for a while and your family's all gonna think they're Napoleon
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Old February 8, 2007, 11:01 PM   #15
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What a great idea. Shooting guns in the house! I bet the neighbors don't give you any crap...
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Old February 9, 2007, 12:51 AM   #16
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And you are going to mention the lead contamination when you sell the house,,right?
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Old February 22, 2007, 03:52 PM   #17
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God forbid any of you shoot at an indoor shooting range Hold on.....I think I'm dying
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Old February 22, 2007, 03:56 PM   #18
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And of course there is no chance of missing this fool proof backstop... right?

How about the ceiling, aka the floor of teh floor above you?

This is a very bad idea.
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Old February 22, 2007, 08:41 PM   #19
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If you can miss a 18"x18" target at 40', with a scoped rifle, I would not try this
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Old February 22, 2007, 08:41 PM   #20
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JDG: Do you live at an indoor range? Do your children crawl around on the floor of the indoor range? Didn't think so. If they did, their blood lead level would be significantly elevated. And decontaminating your house from the lead would be very expensive.

You don't have to go to that expense at an indoor range, because people don't live there, so their exposure is limited.
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Old February 22, 2007, 09:14 PM   #21
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I dont shoot inside my basement everyday, just sighted in a scope on a rifle and handgun, and thats it. I never missed the box, and if I would have, there was plenty o stuff behind it, to keep the bullet off the concreat wall. I'm glad youall are so concerned for my health, and I dont shoot downstairs any more. But an indoors shooting range, with a steel back stop, and lead exploding off of it, is way more hazzardous to your health than the 50 or so rounds that were contained in a box full of magazines, in my basement.
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Old February 23, 2007, 06:53 AM   #22
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JDG, the bulk of airborne lead is NOT from the bullet impacting the backstop. The bulk of airborne lead comes from 1) the primer compound and 2) the base of the bullet being exposed to the combustion of the powder, which vaporizes a small amount of lead.

Furthermore, there is always unburnt powder residue expelled from the gun during firing. Go to any range, sweep up a bit of the floor, take it outside in a metal dust pan. Carefully drop a match into the dust pan -- whoosh! You'll get a big flame. Do you really want to spread highly flammable unburnt powder around your basement?

Regarding the health effects, when was the last time you had a blood lead level test? Your primary care doctor can do one for about $20.

Last edited by M1911; February 23, 2007 at 01:10 PM.
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Old February 23, 2007, 12:28 PM   #23
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JDG, if you have children in the house I plead for you to stop doing this NOW!
If you have kids in the house, not just the basement, they WILL have lead (and other chemical) related exposure health effects. Adults too. Even very low levels of exposure can result in cancer, reduced IQ, learning disabilities, attention deficit disorders, behavioral problems, stunted growth, impaired hearing, and kidney damage. At high levels of exposure, a child may become mentally retarded, fall into a coma, ect.... It takes a significantly greater level of exposure to lead for adults than it does for kids to sustain adverse health effects. You may think there's not much but most clinical symptoms of lead poisoning begin at only around 100 ppb and the effect on children's IQ has been noted at very low levels.

If I were you I'd not let my children in the basement ever again, I'd wear shoes in the basement and take them off just before entering the main floor, I'd stop shooting in the house immediately, and I'd call the state to find out who could professionally come out to the house and clean it up for a decent price. I hate to be a downer, but this is just not smart.
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Old February 23, 2007, 12:30 PM   #24
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BTW, If there are children in the house, this would probably be considered child abuse. just so you know...
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Old February 26, 2007, 04:34 PM   #25
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What would your home owners insurance go up for having a range? I would imagine a lot and if you didn't tell them and something happened your insurance isn't going to back you up.
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