Is it expected to have lead come back at you when shooting at indoor ranges?  Today at the range I had 90 grain piece of lead leave a nice welt on my side and actually break the skin.  I stopped shooting and watched a few others shoot for several minutes and I could hear alot of lead coming back and hitting the 3ft barrier infront of the shooting positions.  Explanation I received from the owner was low velocity handloads tend to do this.  I asked about the design of the range and he said that some lead is expected come back along the floor. Does this sound right? or is there something wrong with this range.  Either way that is the last time I go there.  

This was on a 50ft indoor range.  I was shooting .45 LSWC with 4.5 grains of Bullseye.
The other shooters were shooting .45 with factory ammo.

I think the shooters are shooting too high powered ammo on a short range or the steel plate targets are too close. I've got hit with small pieces of lead on short 50foot ranges when people are shooting 44mags and people shooting 45ACP at steel at close range(appox 10feet), consequently I try to avoid those.

I've worked at a couple indoor ranges and I've observed lots of people being smacked with lead and copper jackets. It usually happens when the area's between the plates get packed with lead or the plates are at the wrong angle. The angle is what absorbes/redirects the energy of the bullet. I've also seen jacket material come back, sans any lead. It will cut skin very easily as its quit thin and sharp. Moral of the story? Always wear your eye protection!

Ever since I was a kid and shot a shotgun slug into a Magnolia tree to stand there watching that big ass slug come at my head, I don't want to do anything similar to that ever again.  Bad enough for someone else to shoot at you let alone you doing it  yourself.

In my lowly opinion, 50' is too short.  Most indoors I have reluctantly used are 75' soft targets only. Funny, they wouldn't let me wear my gas mask either.