OT, kinda: Sensitivity to powder fouling question

[J Miller]

I used to love the smell of burned gun powder after a shooting session. I enjoyed cleaning my guns, I had no problems with the soot, fouling, gunk or chemicals used.

Lately, maybe over the last couple years, I've noticed that after a range session just the smell of the fouling on my guns is enough to cause my sinuses to close down. It also seems to give me a headache.
Cleaning chemicals don't do this, until I'm cleaning my guns. Then it happens again.

I spent an hour at the range today. Not near as long as I usually spend there, but it was just too cold to do any decent shooting so I cut my time short.
Right now, almost 5 hours later I picked up IJ to photograph a couple parts and the smell almost made me ill.

Is it possible to develop a sensitivity to fouling?

Joe

[Hobie]

Apparently.

[JReed]

I dont see why not. People develop sensitivity to all sorts of compounds thru prolonged or repeated contact.

[Buffboy]

You're not alone Joe, I've found myself developing sensitivities to more things as I grow older. Eggs are now verboten for me, most forms of sulfa based drugs, penicillin and after years of production painting, some paint thinners hit me pretty hard. The various solvents that are left over from firing smokeless powders are in the same categories. It could be the cleaning solvents combined with the powder fumes, simply what you've been using for cleaning, or the powder residual fumes.

I can still handle pyrodex fumes but black powder fumes gets me nauseous. That's kind of odd, as there's lots of sulfur in pyrodex and considering my aversion to sulfa based medicines. I thankfully haven't had that problem with smokeless fumes.

[Chuck 100 yd]

I love the smell of a just fired Federal Paper trap shell. I hope I dont develop an alergy to it!

How long has this been going on Joe?

[J Miller]

I love the smell of a just fired Federal Paper trap shell. I hope I dont develop an alergy to it!

How long has this been going on Joe?

Like I said, I've been noticing over the last couple years.
I used to come home and clean my guns the same day, or at least within a couple days. I was busier then, full time job, other activities, and I just did it.
Now I'm finding that I actually avoid cleaning them. The last time I cleaned my S&W 25-5 was before last April. Not sure about my OM BH. And since I've gotten IJ back from Steve Young, I haven't cleaned him at all.

About all the cleaning I do is run some jacketed rounds through them after the lead, then wipe them down and ignore them. This is not the way I usually treat my guns. I guess I'm avoiding the odors.

Joe

[Ray Newman]

Yup a great deal of people are sensitive or allegeric to a great many things. For instance, around where I live there are a number of of people allergic to earning a paycheck....

[Tycer]

Sounds like my allergy to drywall dust. Just started a couple of years ago. Kicks my butt. A dust mask fixes it for me.

[Rusty]

When we had to go on a really bad crime scene where there was decomposition or really bad odors we would rub Vick's Vapor run on our upper lip to help kill the smell. You might try something like that.

[flatnose]

It seems I have developed a sensitivity to powder or/and the smoke from a fired round. This started about 6 years ago. I had an outbreak of shingles that started on my back, which cleared up with no reoccurence. Two weeks later I had an outbreak in my eye which took almost 3 months to clear up. Seems that whenever I am in a hot environment, or when sweat runs into my eyes, or whenever I start shooting, I start to get symptoms of reoccuring eye trouble. Feels like the shingles is trying to make a comeback. Burnt powder or the smoke from it definately aggravates my eye. If I am lucky it will last for a day or so. Other times I end up with a bad eye for two weeks.

[Ysabel Kid]

IIRC, technically, you can't develop an allergy to inorganic compounds. However, that wouldn't apply to gunpowder since it does have an organic compound as it's base. So, it is quite possible to develop the allergy.

Looks like it is Sudafed for Joe before a shooting session (or some other non-drowsy antihistamine!)

[Travis Morgan]

The more I'm around my mother in law, the less I can stand her.

[helmtoad]

Powder companies change retardants and their powder compounds to slow burning rates just a couple years ago. That's how they are all able to come up with these short grained powders with the same burning rate as the long grain just like the old H4831. The new equivilent H4831SC. the reason they did this is so it would work better through powder throwers. I have a feeling that you're allergic to the retardant rather than the powder. This might help explain it However it's no real help. Other than using a dust mask or taking a benedril or claritin before you go shooting there might not be a whole lot you can do.

[Ben_Rumson]

Chuck 100 yd....I love the smell of a just fired Federal Paper trap shell. I hope I dont develop an alergy to it!

+1 Big time!!

[Griff]

Apparently.

Maybe it's a combination of locale & prolonged exposure to anti-gunners... There ya go, maybe that'll be yer incentive to return to AZ!
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Just kiddin', hopefully it's just something that'll pass.

[J Miller]

Apparently.

Maybe it's a combination of locale & prolonged exposure to anti-gunners... There ya go, maybe that'll be yer incentive to return to AZ!
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Just kiddin', hopefully it's just something that'll pass.

Don't need no incentive to move back to AZ, just need the wherewithal.

I hope it passes too.

Joe