17Nov04

Range Fires:

Fires in indoor shooting ranges are more common that most of us think. Ten s of thousands of individual cartridges discharging eventually deposit significant quantities of unburned powdered propellant. It accumulates on the floor, particularly in corners and in cracks and grooves in the concrete. If it is not cleaned out regularly, it can flash when exposed to a spark, discard ed cigarette, etc. Such flashoffs are usually brief, unless there is somethin g else combustible in the area, like stacks of paper targets, wood framing, e tc.

The foregoing has been well known for years, at least among owners of indoo r ranges. Some have burnt down as a result. However, today there is a new aggravating factor: granulated, rubber bullet traps. Several relatively ne w commercial indoor pistol ranges have recently burnt to the ground. The fir e either started in the bullet trap itself or started somewhere else and migr ated there.

Granulated rubber bullet traps are supposed to be treated with a fire retardant, but, once a rubber fire gets going, it is relentless, and nearly

impossible to extinguish. In one case, employees threw bucket after bucket of water on the smoking the bullet trap, all to no avail. Within minutes, the fire was out of control.

Rubber bullet traps have many advantages: They are significantly quieter than steel bullet traps. The can accommodate both rifle and pistol rounds at the same time. They are relatively compact and relatively inexpensive. Unhappily, the fire issue has now reared its ugly head.

While manufacturers come up with solutions, a few precautions will be helpful in the interim:

>All indoor ranges should be "no smoking."

>Powder residue must be removed from the floor regularly.

>All indoor ranges need adequate ventilation

>Paper targets and other combustibles should not be stored in indoor ranges

>Rubber granules should not be directly exposed to gunfire. There needs to

be a rubber sheet covering granules, so that powder particles can't

infiltrate the granule matrix. Rubber barriers must be rotated regularly, so that holes don't develop.

We all hope the fire issue can be brought under control, as rubber bullet traps are wonderful. While the jury is out, we need to be careful!

/John