Do you always wash your hands after touching bullets?

Status
Not open for further replies.
FMJ or JHP and only a round or two? Nah, I don’t worry about that. If I’m loading or handling soft lead, then yes I will. Even wear gloves sometimes if I’m loading a lot of .38. Always wash up good after reloading, regardless.

Since I started having children in the house, I always shower and change clothes after a range trip before playing with them.
 
Yes I wash my hands after shooting or reloading

Saying lead is safe cause "I'm fine" is about like me saying cigarettes are safe cause I have an 86 year old chain smoking grandma that's healthy as a horse.
 
I wash my hands well after casting, depriming and shooting. Any time I may be exposed to lead oxide I wash my hands last of all, especially before eating or drinking.
 
Always after reloading. Always after shooting at the range. Always after cleaning a firearm.

If I'm leading a rifle or unloading no. If I am our and about in the woods and pop off a round or two probably not, but I'll wash when I get home so...

-Jeff
 
Ignition Override said:
They drank wine etc from lead goblets
Click to expand...
That version has been debunked, as has the lead soldered cup notion, too.
However, the use of lead sugars to take the "sour" out of wine trying to go to vinegar is long documented.
It was also far more common among the wealthy, too.

Chemically compounding lead is easy; keeping the lead in suspension is not. Also, adding the lead directly to alcohol where it gets near-immediate uptake to the liver is something of a "perfect storm" of disastrous outcomes.
 
I wouldn't be too worried about handling one bullet, especially if its a jacketed bullet. But if you're handling a lot like when casting, lubing, sizing or loading cast bullets you should wash when finished or before eating, drinking or smoking.
 
After a match, wipes and restroom hand wash. Loading mags at home before going out. Wash up.
 
lightman said:
But if you're handling a lot like when casting, lubing, sizing or loading cast bullets you should wash when finished or before eating, drinking or smoking.
Click to expand...
Kinda like washing your hands "before eating, drinking, or smoking" after handling cash, taking out the garbage, working in the garden, going to the bathroom, cleaning up after the dog, working on the truck, shaking hands at church...I could go on and on.:neener:
I said in my post, I do wash my hands after handling bullets - eventually. Come to think of it, I wash my hands before handling bullets too.:D
 
Now that information on the pervasiveness and adverse effect of lead is more accurate, I try to be more cautious. We used to shoot smallbore position rifle in a basement with poor ventilation. Little did I know what was coming out of the barrels and what I was sweeping up when we policed the brass at the end of each session. Still, most of us probably have ingested more from motor fuel additives than from normal shooting.
 
No, The next thing I do after touching bullets is listen for a big bang and the feel of recoil. I may wash my hands after the excitement dies down. Or maybe just listen and feel some more.
 
You’re gonna die and it won’t be from lead poisoning, unless it is high velocity lead, probably not Covid either. We have a society of sissies that think they’re gonna live forever. Accept your mortality and enjoy the rest of your life. Or you could just man up.
 
You are probably more likely to get lead poisoning from fishing weights than bullets. Which is not very likely. You just about have to eat lead unless you handle it a whole --- lot.
 
Last edited:
Casefull said:
You’re gonna die and it won’t be from lead poisoning,
Click to expand...
Which is fine, except for those with newborns and infants in their lives/domiciles.
Our small ones are proportionately more at risk than we grown folk are--it's the nature of Life.

Otherwise, yes, we are exposed to all manner of noxious things the State of California would nanny us away from.

There are plenty of things to be concerned about in our built environment.
 
I ALWAYS wear rubber gloves when reloading. Doesn't matter which step of the process, start to finish, beginning to end, prepping brass, decapping, wet tumbling, doesn’t matter I always wear thick nitrite blue gloves when reloading. I buy them in bulk from Harbor Freight.

I always wear leather gloves when casting ... along with a fresh air mask and goggles. Lead is no joke. And I wear protection when coating as well.

I usually wear shooting gloves (tacticool type) when shooting in the Fall, Winter and early Spring ... rifle anyways.

Pistol ... absolutely. I always wash my hands afterwards. Not that I believe there is that much contaminate from shooting jacketed pistol bullets ... but I am a bit of a germaphobe (sp sic) anyways so it's habit. Better safe than sorry.
 
The only person I know that suffered from lead poisoning worked years at an indoor shooting range that had terrible ventilation. I lunch with five other shooters who are between 75 and 83 years old and have shot competitively for many years. Arthritis yes, lead poisoning no! Just wash your hands after shooting and reloading because of all the dirt and other crap you handled...just good sanitation. Pick up a 22LR round and then wash your hands? Please don't make me laugh. You had better wash your hands when you touch a door (or that bottle of bourbon) at the local grocery store as well.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

L
  • Locked
lead free
2 3
Replies
74
Views
3K
hso
hso
M
  • Locked
Swollen Hands after shooting
2
Replies
26
Views
4K
marklbucla
M
F
  • Locked
Lead in reloading/much ado about nothing
2
Replies
31
Views
2K
The Bushmaster
The Bushmaster
K
Washing and storing a cooler used to store game meat
Replies
23
Views
669
AK Hunter
AK Hunter
D
  • Locked
Always think safety!!
Replies
22
Views
1K
mdThanatos
M
Back
Top