Tracers...

chrisward3

chrisward3

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Ottawa, ON
Hey guys,

so from what i understand..(and if im blatently wrong...please tell me asap so the mods to freak out and ban me)...tracers are legal. My question is...do u have to buy factory tracer rounds...or is there some sort of mixture u can make up, and just dip the tips of the bullets in...to get the same effect? if so, where could i find a "recipe" for this, and the appropriate ingredients?

cheers
 
First off,
The element in tracers is in a hollow in the backend of the bullet not on the tips of the bullets.

Secondly,
Guessing by the way you phrased your question I don't think you have done any homework on the subject so I would suggest that you find some surplus tracer ammo and just shoot it. I would hate to find an article about some guy who was burned to death in his basement trying to make tracer compounds.

Yes they are legal, or at least, not illegal. Check with your local range as to whether they allow them or not.
 
k...well the way tracers are used in the military (my background)..is that the normal 5.56 rounds' tips are dipped in a red phosphorus liquid, and left to harden. The explosion that occurs in the chamber, lights the phosphorus. I have heard that the tracer element can also be placed behind the projectile in the casing, but was looking for an easy way (if possible) to make tracers by dipping a few mm's of the tips into a phosphorus solution
 
No, the coloured tip is only for identification purposes. Its paint. The tracer element is in a capsule in the base of the bullet.
 
There have been formulas advertised for making your own tracer. Given the nature of the chemicals involved, it really isn't a good idea. I doubt if CGN will look kindly upon any discussion of how to do it.
 
MiG25 said:
and the thrill gets old real fast.
Click to expand...

Yup.....I have 800 .224 bullets sitting in the cupboard :)

Still neat to take them out just after sunset though and watch the red streaks (when they light) head down range once in awhile. Being that they are pulled bullets not all light up.

I usually load them up for sighting a new scope in as they were cheap as sh!t and it beats wasting my MatchKings
 
"...any components..." The trace element is a phosphorus based compound. Nothing in them that causes corrosion. They don't illuminate by being lit by the burning gases though. Chemistry lights them.
You'd have to be really unlucky or be shooting in extremely dry conditions for a trace to start a fire. Making them isn't an option. CyaN1de, has a point. A lot of ranges won't let you shoot them anyway.
 
Years ago, the question of barrel damage was raised in American Rifleman. A .30-06 Model 70 Winchester target rifle, which was going to be rebarrelled, was used for a test. The barrel was cleaned, and then the rifle was carefully tested to determine its grouping capability. It was then cleaned, and a number of rounds of USGI tracer were fired in it. After being cleaned, it was tested for grouping using the same ammunition as for the original accuracy test. Group size doubled.
 
tiriaq said:
There have been formulas advertised for making your own tracer. Given the nature of the chemicals involved, it really isn't a good idea. I doubt if CGN will look kindly upon any discussion of how to do it.
Click to expand...

That is correct. Discussion of home-made tracer compounds/rounds will not be permitted on CGN.
 
AFAIK the tracer rounds do not light up for the first hundred yards or so. I have had a couple come out of the barrel (or very close to) lit, maybe 2 in 200.
 
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