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Cleaner Technology Projects in Denmark 1997

Noise from Shooting Ranges, Emission Catalogue for Shot Cartridge (Principal Report)

Støj fra skydebaner, emissionskatalog for haglpatroner (hovedrapport)
Arbejdsrapport nr. 77, 1997, Miljøstyrelsen

The purpose of working out an emission catalogue for shot cartridges in relation to cleaner technology is to reduce the noise pollution around the shooting ranges by choosing cartridges with a lower value of departure. Furthermore large financial and environmental savings can be achieved by using comparatively noiseless cartridges, which will mean fewer and smaller baffle walls around the shooting ranges.

The Danish Trap Shooting Union (Dansk Flugtskydningsforbund) has participated in the project, and the union has contributed in carrying out the tests by offering suitable shooting facilities and by procuring weapons and the necessary amount of cartridges.

DELTA Akustik & Vibration has proposed this project in connection with the publication of guides no. 1 and no. 2 from 1996 about noise from shooting ranges, made by the Danish Environmental Protection Agency (Miljøstyrelsen). The reason was that the Army had made the test results, which were available, in August 1989, and it was therefore important to find out if these results were still current, and if there is a big difference in the noise level depending on the types of cartridge and the cartridge manufacturers.

A large spread on the noise level of the cartridges would probably result in the noise level becoming an important argument when selling cartridges for trap shooting.

In co-operation with the Danish Trap Shooting Union, DELTA Akustik & Vibration has made a programme of measurement based on types of munitions and covering about 98% of the Danish market for trap shooting cartridges. This includes both steel shot cartridges and lead shot cartridges though lead shot cartridges are only allowed to be used in a limited amount of shooting ranges. The programme of measurement also contains different combinations of types of munitions, compositions of weapons, angles of elevation and heights of elevation.

A large number of measurements have been carried through, which makes the amount of documents enclosed very heavy and only interesting for some readers. The report has therefore been divided in a principal report and in an appendix report, in which all the background material will be found. All the presentations of problems, test results and comments are summarised in the principal report.

The report includes an examination of the following:

In chapter 3 the object is described, meaning which type of cartridges have been tested, and which weapons have been used.

In chapter 4 the used method of measurement is described.

Chapter 5 concerns the programme of measurement determined for the test, which types of measurement have been carried through, and which combinations of weapons and cartridges have been used.

In chapter 6 is described where and how the actual execution of measurements has occurred.

Chapter 7 contains the entire test results as well as treatment of the degree of accuracy, the comments on the test results and the examination of the test.

In the final comments in chapter 8, a conclusion of the entire project is given, and it is compared with the expectations from before the beginning of the project. The conclusion is that the difference in the level of noise from the various types of cartridges, is not as big as expected. The theory about finding cartridges, which make less noise than those from the previous test, has turned out to be correct. The very noisy cartridges, which were used before, seem to have been removed from the market. This might be a result of development with concerns for the environment, or an explanation could be that the laws to reduce the pollution of lead on the shooting ranges have made effect.

The results of the investigation also show that the environmental impact in the form of noise pollution coming from shooting ranges has been reduced remarkably during the last decade. It should be considered to make tests like this every second year in order to make sure that the manufacturers keep up the good work, and in order to prevent the positive development from going the other way.

The less noisy cartridges mean less need for ramparts around the shooting ranges that will result in both financial and environmental advantages, since the noise pollution will be reduced and the money for ramparts will be saved.

Author/ institution

Jan Christensen og Bo Søndergaard, DELTA Akustik & Vibration

This report is subsidised by the National Council for Recycling and Cleaner Technology

ISSN no. 0908-9195
ISBN no. 87-7810-880-2

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