# Tracer Rounds



## papapete (Jan 2, 2005)

Is it even possible to get these in common calibers. Fallguy and I were talking about them this morning, and thought it would be fun to see them in action. Does anybody know how they work?
Thanks
:bartime:


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## neb_bo (Feb 3, 2007)

yeah, i think you can get them in a few civilian rounds, but they are readily available in surplus ammo. 223, 308, and 06 arent hard to find. they have an incindiary film on the tip that ignites from the friction of the air going by. they are alot of fun at night in a full auto. you have to be very careful where you shoot them, because they start grass fires very easily, believe me. anyone on here with a military background should have experience with them. oh yeah, you can get them in 22 lr too.


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## People (Jan 17, 2005)

yup they can be had in various calibers. If you load your own you can put them in any 30 cal or 22 cal. You have to be sure to the right powder to ignite the tracer core. If you get incendiary be sure they land where you want them. As they will burn when they hit ground. They do not always burn on impact they have to hit hard enough to tear open the jacket to expose the incendiary compound.

If it is just regular tracer it is just the core that burns and sometimes they fall out of the bullet as they travel.


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## MossyMO (Feb 12, 2004)

I do not have military background but I do have a box of them for my .223. I fired a few off at night straight up into the air, they are pretty cool. Sure give you an idea of your rifles distance. Always been curious what the out come would be on a jack rabbit on a night hunt?


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## neb_bo (Feb 3, 2007)

i didnt know it was the core, i thought it was just that red crap on the tip that burns. yeah, they are alot of fun.


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## Danny B (Jun 6, 2006)

They are illegal in many states because they can cause fires. If you're hunting coyotes you have no reason to use them unless you want to set the coyote on fire. I was in the military and I know what they can do. NOT a hunting round.


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## weasle414 (Dec 31, 2006)

MossyMO said:


> I fired a few off at night straight up into the air, they are pretty cool.


That is a really stupid thing to do... I mean no offense to you at all but I wouldn't suggest doing it again. Very few people have been injured that way but it is still possible. I've heard of cases where people have been hit and the bullet killing them on it's way back down so it's not the safest thing in the world to be doing since you're basically standing on the bullets backstop.

As for where to get tracer rounds, look in the Cabela's catalog or use it as an excuse to accually go to Cabela's and look around.


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## MossyMO (Feb 12, 2004)

weasle414
I believe you are jumping to a conclusion and telling me my decision where to aim and fire a rifle was stupid is totally out of line without knowing circumstances or location.

If after reading this you still disagree, please tell me you have never shot a bird or a squirrel out of a tree with a rifle.


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## neb_bo (Feb 3, 2007)

> NOT a hunting round.


i agree, and should have said that in my first post.


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## Jaybic (Sep 8, 2005)

Hey guys,

If I am not mistaken, I think tracers get their color from red phosphorous(sp?) coating on the tip of the bullet. If memory serves me correctly, Warsaw Pact countries(anyone remember that term? Danny B?) tracers are green. They are also FMJs and as Danny said, NOT good coyote rounds at all. They are sure fun to shoot at night out of an M60 or a SAW(does the USMC still shoot those?) and you can really see trajectory and ricochet well(tells ya what not to do).

Anyway, bad coyote bullets. I wouldnt use them. Just my opinion.

Jaybic


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## Fallguy (Jan 23, 2004)

Before anyone starts getting concerned...Papapete never said these were going to be used for hunting. We were just curious about shooting them to study the bullet path. It is possible he didn't mention that in the original post. Danny B if we want to set a coyote on fire I am sure we would go a different route. (No, I do not want to set one ablaze, and no, I would never do such a thing) :lol: . Thanks all for the input thus far. Anyway, we would have to look at the regulations to see if they are even possible to use legally. To be honest I wasn't even sure such a thing existed. I knew they had Luminox (spelling) for bows.


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## Jaybic (Sep 8, 2005)

Fallguy,

I hope you dont think I was getting on your case. Not at all. Sorry if you did. :beer: 
If you can, go shoot them if its legal at a range. Its actually pretty cool. You can actually see how fast a bullet loses speed and watch it drop. You guys have a good idea if you want a study in ballistics and its awesome to see at night. In the Corps we used to have night fire ops and shoot everything from M16s to tanks using tracer rounds and sometimes we shot them all at the same time(FPF for you jarheads out there). It was incredible to see. 

Jaybic


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## weasle414 (Dec 31, 2006)

Mo, I didn't mean to tred on your toes or start an argument, I was just saying that shooting a gun *straight up in the air *is a terrible decision. The first thing that the bullet will hit if it's shot straight up is wherever you're standing. It won't be in the same exact spot, but it can be very close to it.

I have shot many squirrel out of trees, but 99% of the time I'm also checking to make sure there's something behind it to act as a backstop (a bigger tree, a hill, etc.) Most of the time the squirrels are on the same side of the tree that I'm on so the tree they're in is doing a good job at stopping my little .22 or .17 round.


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## People (Jan 17, 2005)

Nope the color on the tip of the round such as a M-856, M-196 is just to let the user know that it is a tracer. It is usually red or orange paint. The actual tracing compound is in the back of the bullet.

http://www.thegunzone.com/556faq.html


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## MossyMO (Feb 12, 2004)

I agree with People 100%.

Weasle,
I understand your philosophy, but each and every circumstance is different. Please do not portrait me as a unsafe shooter. I always know my backstop.

I was in the middle of the country when a fired the tracers, but to your knowledge I could have been in the middle of the Atlantic.


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## Jiffy (Apr 22, 2005)

Tracers are a big time target indicator.....don't like them. Line plt's do though. Help to see where they are hitting.

Yote hunting with tracers? :lol:


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## Ac_EsS (Jul 3, 2007)

The tips are not what are "on fire" it is the rear end of the projectile due to the phosphorus. Here is the military text book answer 
"Cartridge, 5.56-mm tracer, M856 (A064). This cartridge has a 63.7 grain bullet without a steel penetrator. It is identified by an orange tip. The tracer is used for adjustments after observation, incendiary effects, and signaling.." 
I don't really know why you would want to shoot some other then it would probably be your first time using them and it would be "cool"


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## Horsager (Aug 31, 2006)

We talk about ballistics and trajectories on here a lot, some folks truely understand the topic, some however may not grasp the concept. This is a way to view a rifles trajectory in a real world situation. It would help those who need to "see it to understand it". Tracers certainly have their place as a visual ballistics training tool.


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## gentleman4561 (Jul 16, 2007)

i have shot them there pretty awesome


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## montymarine (Oct 11, 2007)

While in the Marines we put One tracer round for every 3-5 regular rounds in a M-16 or M-4. They are pretty awesome and really help you walk your rounds onto a target at night.


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## 308 (Jul 10, 2007)

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templ ... d=cat20712


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## CoyoteBlitz (Apr 11, 2007)

No offense gentleman but piss on peta is my pic, not tryin to start anything just lettin you know.
:sniper:


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## Fallguy (Jan 23, 2004)

CoyoteBlitz said:


> No offense gentleman but piss on peta is my pic, not tryin to start anything just lettin you know.
> :sniper:


No offense taken.


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## MossyMO (Feb 12, 2004)

I have no problem with you pissing on PETA; I just do not like to see an American pissing on a American made vehicle..... It just seems a little self-discriminating, kind of like the NR issue; we are all American's.


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## hagfan72 (Apr 15, 2007)

Only problem is, a large number of Fords, GM's, and Chryslers are built in Canada or Mexico, and lots of Toyotas, Nissans, and Hondas are built in USA. Kinda muddies the waters a bit.


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## montymarine (Oct 11, 2007)

y piss on PETA it does stand for People Eating Tasty Animals right.


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## CoyoteBlitz (Apr 11, 2007)

No guys there is a guy named gentleman that posted above and he copied my avatar. Sorry for the confusion.
:sniper:


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## CoyoteBlitz (Apr 11, 2007)

No guys there is a guy named gentleman that posted above and he copied my avatar. Sorry for the confusion.
:sniper:


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## CoyoteBlitz (Apr 11, 2007)

No guys there is a guy named gentleman that posted above and he copied my avatar. Sorry for the confusion.
:sniper:


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## yotetracker (Oct 13, 2007)

i was told by the local gun shop/dealer if u shoot alot of tracers they will actually damage your gun....something to think about or check into.


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## Fallguy (Jan 23, 2004)

Thanks yotetracker for getting this back on topic.

It might ruin a gun? That is good to know. Thanks!


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## Jiffy (Apr 22, 2005)

Yotetracker, make your avatar smaller. Please. :beer:


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## Fallguy (Jan 23, 2004)

That would be good if you could make that smaller. I'd hate to have to go and erase all of your posts so that we can read the threads. :-?


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## DoubleD1 (Feb 5, 2006)

Tracers are effective for visualizing where rounds are falling. The effect is a little less impressive when firing just one round at a time. Military tracers are matched as closely as possible to the standard ball round. If the cartridge is purchased, trajectory may not match your other ammo well. You can roll your own. Pulled tracer rounds are available for the reloader. As the tracer material burns out of the base of the bullet, this will also affect long range trajectory. Most (223/5.56) burn out w/in 500 yards. I would not think there would be that much of a ballistic difference w/in 200 yards. That could be a fun project. 
As for using them on coyotes? I don't see how the affects would be much different than hitting them with a FMJ. It would probably just zip through. The tracer material burns out within a few seconds of firing. So even if a round were to stay within the animal, the effects would not be comparable to a white phosphorous grenade. Animals are mostly water. I doubt if they would combust uless the round were to be placed just right under the fur. 
I'd be more concerned with lighting up the prairie with a ricochet. That also takes just the right ricochet to work. Most tracer richochet's I've seen shoot straight up and burn out. Some do just bounce off to the side though. 
An additional thought, it will give up your position. So if you have any PETA in the area stalking you, you might want back up!


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