Tracer rounds???

[Buckmaster 30-30]

I have a quisetion involving tracer rounds , I have heard that they will damage a firearms barrel because of higher heat and pressure , does anyone know if this is true?

[Larry Gibson]

Seems to be the myth but the military doesn't think so and neither do I. I've shot thousands of rounds of the stuff; .30 cal, 7.62, .50 cal and 5.56. The tracer element doesn't start burning until the bullet is 25-50 meters out of the barrel. I have fired belts of pure tracer out of M273s, M60s and M240Bs and ran numerous magazines through M14s, BARs, M16s and M4s and never noticed them to be dirtier or more fouled.  I still shoot tracers weather permitting; not the most accurate stuff to shoot but fun.

Larry Gibson

[Dee]

Are you shooting them in chrome lined barrels or civilian steel barrels? As far as when they start burning, they start when the powder ignites them in the barrel. JM2C

[fatercat]

will start a hell of a fire. be very careful where you use them.

[Dee]

will start a hell of a fire. be very careful where you use them.

Now that's the truth!

[Slamfire]

I prefer to see the path of a bullet in my mind's eye, the tracers don't go to the same place as ball ammo anyway. 

[Dee]

They don't? Mine always did.

[S.S.]

We were not in the practice of using them. They let the other
fella's know exactly where you are with that nice trail back to you.
They were fun for popping almost empty Aviation fuel drums though.
Look like little Nukes off in the distance.