This study investigated the soil contamination characteristics of military rifle shooting ranges. 4 shooting ranges, including zeroing range, were chosen for the investigation and were classified as 3 areas (berm, target, and range floor) in each shooting range for soil sampling. The leaching concentrations of lead in the berms by SPLP (synthetic precipitation leaching procedure), 0.13 mg/L ~ 2.14 mg/L, were significantly higher than those of copper and zinc, less than 0.2 mg/L. This indicates that lead is a major contaminant in shooting ranges. Concentrations of lead by aqua regia were higher in the berm, followed by the target area and lastly the range floor due to the influence of bullets. As target distances from a firing point increased, the concentrations also increased because shooting uphill is general due to the topography of the ranges. The concentration relationship between surface and subsurface soils was identified only in the range floors, where there are fewer bullets. Surface soil concentrations were higher than subsurface concentrations in the range floors due to the effects of contaminants leaching and soil loss from the berms and target areas. Therefore, the reduction of contaminant mobility and soil particulate loss has to be preferentially focused on in terms of the sustainable management of military shooting ranges.

Keywords: military shooting range, lead, berm, target area, range floor