Do copper pellets eliminate lead exposure?

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Chukar60 said:
I would just give up air gunning, fishing, reloading and stained glass as hobbies if I was that worried about lead.
Seriously, how can you even contemplate shooting an air gun if you are that concerned.
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People have different perception of and tolerance for risks. Someone posted a video showing what he does to cit way down on contact with lead. It strikes me as major overkill.

He wore gloves for all of these steps:

1. Pour every tin of pellets into a sieve and wash them with soap or detergent and running water. Rinse thoroughly.
2. Drain the pellets on absorbent materials to thoroughly dry them.
3. Then lube all the pellets.

He said he wanted to be able to handle pellets during a shooting session without ever getting lead contamination, and the above is how he tried to do so.

I have no idea if it works, and I won’t copy him, but if it makes him feel safer, it’s harmless.
 
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Cleaning, lubing and wearing gloves seem like it would totally avoid lead exposure from handling. Need to use gloves when cleaning the barrel too, however. The rifling of most rifles will go through the thin copper plating of coated pellets so cleaning out your pellet trap will still involve exposure unless you wear gloves then too.

I use copper plated pellets in my Prod because it prefers them. I see no harm involved in trying them. It's not all I shoot in it but they are it's favorite.

Some of the politics of lead seem to be driven by meat eating bird contamination with lead. Apparently they fed on carcasses. My guess is they ate big game shot with varmit bullets but that's just my theory. The varmit bullets fragment a lot and spread lead fragments through the carcase. Normal solid or expanding bullets do not do this and often pass on through. Simpler to outlaw varmit bullets for big game IMHO.
 
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Just use precautions like washing your hands after a shooting session. Far more crap in the air you breath, especially if you live in a city !! Not gonna spend my life in a bubble, I shoot, hunt and fish and not gonna stop. When I was a young boy, I carried my pellets in my mouth, yes even chewed a few. Never knawed on a window sill or ate paint, but have handled lead fishing sinkers since I was a kid ! I also have an indoor 10 meter range for my match guns. Been here for 23 years !!
With all that said, I am 73 yrs old, all my blood tests have been clear....so....there are many other things out there to get you so why loose sleep over lead ??
 
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ba49 said:
You could try powder coating if you are worried about lead exposure. I have seen even pellets as small as 22cal. powder coated. I use it on some bigger cal. and they work fine and no barrel leading. Lots of info on these forums about them.
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i have powder coated .177 and they shoot the same as the uncoated ones . Look it up very easy to DIY / outside only a puff of air and the powder is all over everything .
 
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jetpopt said:
People have different perception of and tolerance for risks. Someone posted a video showing what he does to cit way down on contact with lead. It strikes me as major overkill.

He wore gloves for all of these steps:

1. Pour every tin of pellets into a sieve and wash them with soap or detergent and running water. Rinse thoroughly.
2. Drain the pellets on absorbent materials to thoroughly dry them.
3. Then lube all the pellets.

He said he wanted to be able to handle pellets during a shooting session without ever getting lead contamination, and the above is how he tried to do so.

I have no idea if it works, and I won’t copy him, but if it makes him feel safer, it’s harmless.
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i have heard about doing all this to improve the end result POI , but not for lead contamination although that also was the result of cleaning .
 
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send_help said:
Hi,
I have been using JSB lead free .22 pellets with my PCP rifle, but they're quite expensive (at least $30 for 200). I came across copper plated pellets while looking for an alternative that would still prevent lead exposure. They're about half the price, but I'm not sure if they would eliminate contact with lead.

Do copper pellets (H&N claims their pellets eliminate contact with lead, but I want to get a second opinion) completely eliminate lead exposure? Please do not ask me why I do not want to use lead pellets/tell me that the risk of lead poisoning is exaggerated.

Thanks
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The simple OP question should offer a simple answer. Yes, the copper will add a layer between your fingers and the lead. As some have mentioned, gloves will add the extra protection.
 
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My maternal Grandfather and Uncle made bullets as a 'hobby' business for 3+ decades, darn good ones too, had people asking if I had any laying around, both of them died...of OLD age. My grandfather in his late 80's my uncle in his 90s. They were both shooters, todays pro tip, do not put pellets in your mouth, wash your hands, if you are really worried, get in a hermetically sealed room and hide.
 
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