Best way to install .30 cal TRACER projectiles

Pietro Beretta

Pietro Beretta

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I've never reloaded before, and am not sure on the best/safest way to make .30 cal (145 gr. orange tip tracer) rounds into live rounds.

Do I have to make these round from "scratch", or can I just take a box of factory .308 Win (RemUMC 150 gr. MC)...PULL the bullet from the case and tap in the tracer?

I have no special tools, exept a vise & bullet puller (or pliars). Could I just put a live round (RemUMC) gently in the vise careful not to damage the case and gently tap the bullet out, then use the vise to gently press the 145 gr. tracer in the case filled with powder until the crimp part meets with the case (like the factory round)

Or do I have to go to someone with reloading equipment and have the tracers properly seated in a fresh case/power/primer?

Thanks alot :D
 
You are going to want to get a basic reloading setup. Working without any reloading gear could easily result in some dangerous situations.

Lee makes affordable sets that will have everything you need you do what you mentioned (if you've got more money to spend, there are other brands I would recommend over Lee). You will also need dies for the calbre(s) you are loading.

Loading up tracers is the same with any other bullet, however, I have found they are longer than regular 150gr FMJ's, so you will have to adjust your dies when changing projectile types.

You could pull factory rounds, but if you are going to be shooting more than a few you would be better to go with once fired or new brass. If you want to simply use your UMC factory stuff, you could just pull the bullet, put the powder back in the case, and seat the bullet in your reloading press. One word of caution, this won't be a problem with using a lighter bullet, but using a heavier bullet in a lighter bullet load can result in too much pressure. I would recommend that you get yourself a good reloading manual, and read through the entire process before you start. It might take a little time, but you'll be glad you did.

Good luck.
 
Pietro Beretta said:
I've never reloaded before, and am not sure on the best/safest way to make .30 cal (145 gr. orange tip tracer) rounds into live rounds.

Do I have to make these round from "scratch", or can I just take a box of factory .308 Win (RemUMC 150 gr. MC)...PULL the bullet from the case and tap in the tracer?

I have no special tools, exept a vise & bullet puller (or pliars). Could I just put a live round (RemUMC) gently in the vise careful not to damage the case and gently tap the bullet out, then use the vise to gently press the 145 gr. tracer in the case filled with powder until the crimp part meets with the case (like the factory round)

"B"Or do I have to go to someone with reloading equipment and have the tracers properly seated in a fresh case/power/primer?

Thanks alot :D
Click to expand...

I would go with option "B" You have no idea what the original factory powder is. While likely OK to change the bullets WITH THE PROPER TOOLS, do you want to risk your gun, fingers and face for a streak of light?

Tracers can be fun, but have fun properly. :)
 
This is a variation of the "Mexican Match" ammo. It's do-able and quite safe.

The least expensive way (other than getting someone else to do it) would be to aquire a kinetic (hammer type) bullet puller and a "Lee Loader" in .308

Starting with the factory .308 ammo, with a bullet at least as heavy as the new one that you want to use:
Use the bullet puller to pull the bullet, pour all the factory powder back into the case and use the Lee Loader to seat the new bullet.
Fire at will.
 
I've loaded a couple of hundred .30-06 tracers in the last couple of months and the safest most intelligent way to load them is by starting from scratch. There is no way you are going to produce safe and accurate ammunition without the use of proper reloading tools.

I used about 100 rds of tracer at the "Battle of the Bulge Match" in Shilo Manitoba, 2 weekends ago. Excellent kit to have. I was the designated sniper on Team SAR and my spotter had no problem seeing my bullet out to 400 meters and he was able to tell me how to adjust my aim quickly.

I loaded the M25 Tracer bullets with 47.5 grains of IMR 4895 which gave me a muzzle velocity of 2,550 fps on average. This is good enough to knock down 50 lb steel plates at 300 meters with no problems. It also doesn't beat the rifle all to heck, either. The overall length I loaded the cartridge to was 3.290" which allowed for reliable functioning of the rifle. I used IMR 4895 because that was the propellant used to manufacture .30-06 National Match ammunition for the US Army.

While "Mexican Match" ammo has the possibility of being safe, you have absolutely no idea the propellant that you are using, no idea of the burn rate, no idea of the pressures that you are going to encounter which could lead to the reconfiguration of the rifle, your fingers and possibly your face. I've used commercial ammo in my Garand, for example Federal Premium that was producing 300-350 fps more muzzle velocity in my Garand than issue service ammunition did. Extended use of that would have eventually at the minimum caused damage to a perfectly serviceable, accurate rifle. Its your choice.
 
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Simply replacing the factory bullet with another of similar weight could well be a good way to ruin your day. The "new" bullet may have a longer bearing surface as well as being constructed with a harder jacket and/or core. Both of these factors can raise chamber pressures greatly, sometimes enough to ruin your rifle.
 
mtallman said:
Loading up tracers is the same with any other bullet, however, I have found they are longer than regular 150gr FMJ's, so you will have to adjust your dies when changing projectile types.
Click to expand...
A longer bullet also means less powder space and possibly more pressure. And if the powder that was being used in the factory round was taking up all that space and you are now compressing the powder load. Not necessarily a good thing. Trying to put the new bullet back in would be hard and inexact in overall length. One might work and the next one might go boom!

Splatter said:
The least expensive way (other than getting someone else to do it) would be to aquire a kinetic (hammer type) bullet puller and a "Lee Loader" in .308

Starting with the factory .308 ammo, with a bullet at least as heavy as the new one that you want to use:
Use the bullet puller to pull the bullet, pour all the factory powder back into the case and use the Lee Loader to seat the new bullet.
Fire at will.
Click to expand...
The bullet puller I have has a protective material for the bullet to stop against. This material can get powder stuck in it. So you pour it out one time and get 95% out and the next time you get 105%. Not good.

The bullet puller also has a hole on the end that can let powder escape that you might miss. So now you have a round with perhaps much less powder. Not good.

So while this might sound like a reasonable and easy job to a new "reloader" I would never recommend doing it!

Simple and easy solution is to buy proper equipment and some reloading manuals that teach and explain how to reload/handload your own ammunition. It'll explain how to work up a load so you and your gun make it home in one piece.

You could safely get started for about $100. and a bit of reading. Isn't your life and the life of others around you worth that?


Fudd
 
ElmerFudd said:
A longer bullet also means less powder space and possibly more pressure.
Click to expand...
Ja, possibly; but unlikely.
ElmerFudd said:
And if the powder that was being used in the factory round was taking up all that space and you are now compressing the powder load. Not necessarily a good thing.
Click to expand...
And not necessarily a bad thing either. If it makes it impossible to seat the new bullet to the correct length, just take a little powder out. The Lee Loader will come with a powder measure that will hold a little less than the case capacity. He could use that, or any other container that would allow him to get a consistant powder charge. Removing 5%-or-10% of the powder in a .308 won't hurt anything.

ElmerFudd said:
Trying to put the new bullet back in would be hard and inexact in overall length.
Click to expand...
Which might make a difference if he were assembling ammo for a match.


ElmerFudd said:
The bullet puller I have has a protective material for the bullet to stop against. This material can get powder stuck in it. So you pour it out one time and get 95% out and the next time you get 105%. Not good.

The bullet puller also has a hole on the end that can let powder escape that you might miss. So now you have a round with perhaps much less powder. Not good.
Click to expand...

It sounds like you need a new bullet puller. Mine has neither a hole in the side nor fluff in the bottom.
 
OK my wife says that using the vice would probably work fine.. If you wanna blow yourself up...

Do yourself a favour don't try to get on the shortlist of the darwin's.... Make them from scratch...
 
Splatter said:
Ja, possibly; but unlikely.
Click to expand...
It is unlikely that I will get in a car accident too yet I always wear my seat belt. I also buy lottery tickets...

That's also why we (most of us) work up loads instead of just using the maximum load listed in manuals. Not every bullet is the same even if they have the same weight and will give different pressures.

Splatter said:
It sounds like you need a new bullet puller. Mine has neither a hole in the side nor fluff in the bottom.
Click to expand...
Actually it works quite well. The hole is not in the side but over base so nothing gets caught over the primer. The "fluff" is so the bullets don't get damaged when they come flying out. Bullets with exposed lead like a jacketed SP can be damaged easily. It is a Dillon puller and they seem to sell a lot of them.

Why not play it safe?


Fudd
 
"...The "fluff" is so..." Not required. A damaged bullet point doesn't matter. It's the based that matters for accuracy.
If you don't reload yet, you'd best learn how first. Go to your buddy or forget the whole thing until you know how to load. There has to be neck tension as a minimum on the bullet to hold it in place. When bullets are pulled, this tension is gone.
Forget the vise. It'll damage the bullet enough to make it useless.
 
Sunray, the original "Mexican Match ammo was made by pulling the FMJ bullet from Lake City ammo and replacing it with a Sierra HPBT, and then running it through the competitor's M1 or M14; but I suppose because there was no neck tension they didn't work very well in those semi-autos, eh?
 
While it MIGHT work, I would not run ammo through a semi-auto if there was no neck tension. The chances the bullet will get pushed back into the case and dramatically increase pressures are too great to risk it IMHO.

I don't heavily crimp or anything, but I DO neck size as a minimum to grip the bullet safely.
 
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