tracers??

[singleshotbuff]

Gentlemen,

I'm thinking of buying some tracer bullets (30 caliber) from Pats Reloading. Not because I want to see them light, but because they are CHEAP. I figure I can use them for plinking (in a safe area of course). I have a couple of questions however;

1. According to pats websight, these tracers need a "hot, stick powder" to light. Clue me in as to which powders are considered "hot". Or more specifically are WC-860 and IMR-7383 considered hot? If I could load a light load with either of these powders and it wouldn't light the tracer, that'd be fine with me for plinking.

2. IF I DO shoot tracers out of a gun, lit or not, do I need to be concerned about corrosion or special cleaning of the barrel? I'm not sure what the compound is in tracers or if it's harmful to gun barrels.

Just kicking it around for cheap blasting ammo. I live near pats, so hazmat is not a consideration.

All input is appreciated.

SSB

[Phil]

I'd sure never shoot tracers through a barrel I cared about. Bad stuff.

Cheers,

Phil

[duke76]

As to your first question I dont know. I have used some tracers in a 50 BMG and used 5010 powder and they have all lit.
As to your second question I am pretty sure it will not harm your barrel, we have discussed this on the fifty caliber website and all agree that the tracer compound does not light until out of the barrel usually between 50 and 100 yards so I do not know how it could hurt your barrel, also be very careful, tracers do very strange things after it hits a dirt berm the trace elements fly straight up or straight back or go anywhere and very very easy to start a fire, I almost will not shoot them unless it is raining or snow on the ground.

[floodgate]

s/sbuff:

Not a good idea; they are illegal in most jurisdictions, prohibited on most ranges, unsafe anywhere brush fires could result, and (the REAL point!) give lousy accuracy due to rapidly-changing sectional density and BC. For a weird cloud-seeding project, we experimented back in the '60's at China Lake with lathe-turned magnesium projectiles filled with a silver iodate powder, fired from a single-shot 20-mm gun, out onto a dry lake a mile or so away and 1000 ft. below - at night. Spectacular, and a lot of fun to watch; as duke76 says, fragments went all over the place - though we were far enough off that "bounce-back" was not a problem.

floodgate

[Safeshot]

I do not think it is wise to shoot tracers. Reasons given are valid. The small savings in cost of the bullet is not worth the trouble and risk. There are other cheap jacketed bullets and cast bullets to consider.

[trooperdan]

Not much chance of harm to your barrel as the tracers of today are delayed trace so they light down-range. Even 'dead" tracers though will VERY often light up when they hit something! Having fired many tracers in my previous employment, it is amazing to actually see where that bullet is going after it hits something! That was very enlightening (HA!) a few years ago when I had a large stash of .38 Spec tracers.. they really did bounce around a lot!

[NickSS]

I fired lots of tracers in the old days (when I was young and stupid). They were from pulled MG 30-06 ammo. I mostly shot them in an 30-06 springfield I had at the time. Accuracy was terrible and some of them would wander from or even circle the flight path of most of the rounds. I used to use them at the conclusion of rifle practice sessions when we were deciding who was to buy the beer. I used them because there was some degree of luck in hitting a soda pop can of water at 100 yards off hand with them. With our regular running deer rifles there was no luck only who shot first always won and the other guy bought.