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Posted: 7/7/2005 10:34:21 PM EDT
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I aquired some demilled GI tracer bullets and was thinking about reloading a few of them to my target specs being as they are the same grain weight as my target bullets. Will the chemical used to "Light-up" tracers harm the Chrome lined bore of my Colt M16/M4 barrel  |
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I've heard the same thing about tracers putting a lot of wear on the bore, but there's one thing I don't understand. From what I remember (I've been out of the military for a few years) one type of 5.56 tracer round ignites 50 meters from the barrel, while the other type ignites 75 meters out. Either way, the tracer compound is NOT burning while the round is still traveling through your barrel. I'm not trying to be a smart ass, but I don't quite understand how the tracer puts more wear on the bore. The only thing I can figure (and I could be wrong) is that the tracer bullet, being much longer than the 55 grain or 62 grain bullet, has more bearing surface (therefore more friction) on the bore. Or maybe tracers are loaded a lot hotter. Or maybe the tracer compound IS burning, but doesn't reach a visible burn rate until it's 50/75 meters down range. Anybody know for sure? One other thing that you probably already know: be carefull with those tracers- I can't count how many fires I saw on Camp Pendleton caused by them. |
I Agree....Also be sure to always clean the bore immediately after firing tracers. Don't wait a few days after. If there is any phospherous in the bore you will want it out as soon as possible. |
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The reason it "looks" like it ignites 50-75m out is because you can't see it coming out of the barrel. You're eyeballs and brain need to be looking down-range in order to see them. (The bullet is simply moving too fast for you to see it right away.) They do ignite as they pass through the barrel...along the same lines as a match is ignited. Obviously they will wear down the bore faster because they're burning as they pass through. As stated already it's not major wear...but it is faster. |
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Whether you see it light up at the muzzle or not, the trace compound does ignite inside the barrel. That stuff is HOT, and adds to the erosive effect of the primer/powder flame. In point of fact, most tracers start to ignite in the chamber though they don't really flare until the bullet has traveled a ways down the barrel. The real wear point is the chamber throat, and adding the extra heat and plasma-cutting effect of tracer firing just accelerates it a bit. On the other hand, barrels aren't so delicate that you should really worry about it that much. Inspect the chamber regularly (you should be doing that anyway) and just pay a little more attention to the begining of the rifling. If it stops looking smooth and regular, you may have a problem. An eroded throat will start to take its toll on accuracy because bullet movement becomes less regular, so a drop off in accuracy may be an indicator of a problem. Not until after THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF ROUNDS, though! |
I'm no expert but are you sure about this? I shot some tracers and photographed them with a 10-second exposure. I did this about 5 times, shooting 5 round groups. It is very clear from the pictures that nothing glows red until a good distance from the barrel. 30-50 yards seems about right. They were VERY consistent as well. Al lit up at about the same place. The tracers were Winchester M856. I can believe they wear on the barrel because they are so long. My 1:9 barrel didn't stablize them very well. They would fly straight for a while then some would go haywire. I think this is one of those religious debates. Half the people will tell you they will ruin your gun, the other half say it's no big deal. -Stooxie |
The optimal barrel spin is 1:7. for tracers like M856...I think. I would be cool to see your photos if at all possible. 
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The recommendation is no more that a 1:1 mix of tracers and ball. The reason is NOT wear but gas system fouling. The gas system is self-cleaning with ball ammo but tracer tends to fouil it rapidly. As far as tracers lighting, it HAPPENS in the barrel. One of Murphy's Laws of Combat is "Tracers work in BOTH directions". Modern tracers are a DIM trace out to 100-200 yards with a bright trace happening only after some distance has been reached. This is done by a time delay from primary ignition. |
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