Wade’s Gun Shop is located in Bellevue, Washington.
The store has been in business since 1988 and includes an indoor shooting range.
Manny R. is a construction worker in Bellevue, Washington.
One evening he was at home when he and his kids started feeling sick.
But they couldn’t figure out the source of their illness.
Manny had worked on a construction project at Wade’s Gun Shop, building a second story above the shooting range.
Turns out, working around the lead from spent ammunition was making him and his kids sick.
Because Manny had unknowingly tracked the lead to his home and contaminated his kids.
More than 46 workers were sickened during the construction project at Wade’s Gun Shop.
An investigation revealed that the construction company did little to protect its workers or even educate them about the dangers of lead from the shooting range.
But this lead contamination isn’t just a problem for people who work around it.
Customers who visit gun ranges are also exposed to lead.
The good news is, most legitimate indoor ranges properly clean the range and have ventilation systems designed to remove lead.
The problem for Wade’s was that there were tons of spent ammunition in the shooting range.
Shooters had fired so many rounds into a sand berm backstop that it caused the back wall to fall apart.
In fact, hundreds of thousands of pounds of lead were eventually removed.
And the reality is that lead is present at shooting ranges.
This is why it’s important to wash your hands as soon as possible after leaving the gun range.
The danger of lead is also the reason many indoor ranges require the use of total metal jacket ammunition.
What is total metal jacket ammo?:
TMJ ammo is a type of bullet where the entire lead core is enclosed in a copper or brass jacket including the base of the bullet.
This is different from a full metal jacket bullet since they usually have an exposed lead base.
In full metal jacket rounds, the hot gases from the burning powder can expose lead including airborne particles.
But total metal jacket rounds eliminate this since they are completely sealed including the lead core.
The bullet is sealed through an electroplating process that puts a coating over the entire lead core of the bullet.
Advantages of using total metal jacket ammunition:
The most common reason that shooters use TMJ ammo is that it reduces lead exposure.
Since the bullet is fully enclosed there is no lead vapor released when shooting.
This means TMJ ammo is ideal for indoor shooting ranges since it is cleaner.
If you’re an instructor or spend a lot of time at the shooting range, it makes sense to use TMJ ammo.
Another benefit of TMJ ammo is that it reduces barrel fouling.
The layer of copper or brass that is used to enclose the TMJ bullet means that the firearm won’t get as dirty from lead.
Also, some shooters notice that TMJ rounds tend to be more accurate compared to full metal jacket rounds.
Apparently, the layer around the bullet can improve accuracy when it leaves the barrel.
Disadvantages of total metal jacket ammunition:
The most noticeable drawback to TMJ ammo is that it’s more expensive than full metal jacket rounds.
For example, a .40 caliber round of total metal jacket sells for around $0.45 a bullet while a .40 caliber full metal jacket sells for around $0.30 a bullet.
If you spend a lot of time at the shooting range the cost difference can add up.
Another thing to keep in mind is that TMJ rounds are completely enclosed.
When these bullets are fired through ported barrels or compensators the accessories could damage the thin layer around the bullet.
Another drawback is that TMJ bullets aren’t ideal for self-defense because the bullets don’t expand upon impact.
The lack of expansion means smaller wound cavities and TMJ bullets are more likely to over-penetrate targets and pass through barriers.
Also, TMJ ammo doesn’t completely remove lead, it just keeps it enclosed, so there is still exposure.
So, while TMJ ammo offers significant safety and cleanliness benefits for indoor ranges, I wouldn’t recommend it for self-defense.
