Drug injecting users were interviewed between 1991 and 1993, as part of a longitudinal study of HIV seroconversion and risk behavior involving 465 injection drug users in Los Angeles. The current sample was drawn from cohorts recruited in 1986-1987 from methadone maintenance and residential drug-free programs. Respondents were asked if they used drugs at a shooting gallery during the past year. Those who reported doing so were asked to describe the shooting gallery they attended and risk behaviors they engaged in or witnessed. Of 208 current injection drug users, 17.9 percent reported going to a shooting gallery. When asked to characterize shooting galleries, 65 percent cited a friend's home. The most commonly cited reasons for going to shooting galleries concerned access. Drugs could be bought there or from a connection nearby, the place was close to the user's home, or injection equipment was available. Heroin was available at almost all shooting galleries, and cocaine was also commonly used. An entry fee was charged at 32.1 percent of shooting galleries. Most drug users reported sharing injection equipment, and 38 percent reported they never disinfected the equipment with bleach before injecting. Some individuals, both male and female, were willing to exchange sex for drugs or money. The author concludes that "dirty works" are commonly shared in Los Angeles shooting galleries and that gallery access is not limited to people who know each other. 37 references and 5 tables