AR Sponsor
Posted: 7/8/2008 6:26:24 PM EDT
|
I bought some tracers recently - LC 70 and LC 71 headstamps with the red tip. "Factory loads - not reloads". Went to the range late on Saturday and didn't see a single tracer in the day. Waited until dark and put 30 rounds down range. I saw 1 tracer for sure, and possibly 2 others - very faint if anything. The one that did work was not bright like any other tracers I have shot. Do tracers have a shelf life? quote from the EE add... "I have 1500rds of loose packed factory Lake City M196 Tracer 54gr headstamp LC 70. Clean and shiny. These rounds have been stored in ammo cans in a cool dry location. NOT RELOADS" |
|
Yes they have shelf life, I have used the 55gr tracers in daytime att 100yds it was useless they almost did not have time to light up before hitting the sand. At the 300 yard range it was possible to see them quite good and then all worked but they was not as bright like new tracers. |
It takes most tracers 100 yards to light. The red ones are known to take longer as they are older. M856 will usually light around 75 yards, M196 will usually light around 100-150 yards. Some tracers don't light at all. If you can shoot them at longer distances you'll see better results, just be ready to run to put out the fires. 
|
I was shooting at a private range. Will they work better at a public range?   j/kI shot a few at the 25 yard backstop and that is where I saw the one light up. The rest were fired at the 200 yard range and saw nothing like I am used to with tracers. 16" barrel. Serious question... Any ideas on the value of these since they are not working as I thought they would? Shoots well, just can't predict which ones are going to trace. |
Give it a shot (ha!). Tracers need two things to light off reliably: pressure and heat. For both of them, they're loaded with hotter powders. That said, if they get out the muzzle before the disk is ruptured (pressure) and the tracer compound is lit (heat), they're a dud as far as you know. |
AR Sponsor