In order to participate in the GunBroker Member forums, you must be logged in with your GunBroker.com account. Click the sign-in button at the top right of the forums page to get connected.

Tracers. are they corrosive

foofoo Member Posts: 93 ✭✭
edited September 2015 in Ask the Experts
Is it correct that tracers are very corrosive? Is there a way to safely/easily deactivate/neutralize them to make them less corrosive. I'm looking to use them just for plinking

Comments

  • rufe-snowrufe-snow Member Posts: 18,649 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Take bottle of Windex, with ammonia with you. When you shoot them. Push saturate patch(s) with the Windex, through the bore right after shooting. Be sure to clean the barrel good after you get home.
  • charliemeyer007charliemeyer007 Member Posts: 6,579 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    They will start range fires easily in proper conditions.

    After I shot away the 5 gallon bucket of pulled 30 cal. boattails I started on the bucket of tracers. With snow on the ground I shot them as tracers. During the rest of the year I shot them after burning them out.

    Light the rear of the tracer with a propane torch. Take a second tracer and butt it into the flame of the first one, throw the first one into a metal bucket of water and let it swim around. Light the next one, repeat.

    Let the burnt out tracers lay out in the hot sun for a week to dry out before loading.

    I never shot functional tracers in rifles I really liked.
  • MobuckMobuck Member Posts: 13,734 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    "Is it correct that tracers are very corrosive?"

    Dad always told me "Never shoot tracers, the residue they leave in the barrel will ruin the rifling". His experience was from 1944 with no idea what vintage ammo and no real way of knowing if this was his actual experience or "trench logic" or scuttlebutt. They don't actually light inside the barrel unless defective.
    The corrosive/noncorrosive part is the primer.
    I've loaded and shot several pounds of "no light" tracers(some did burn to some extent) and some functional tracers and have not seen them leaving much/any more residue than any other ammo. When I was shooting Uncle Sam's rifle and ammo I didn't use tracers since I didn't want the "little people" to know where the bullets came from. I've not heard any current military folks comment that tracers required different cleaning routine than ball ammo.
  • 11b6r11b6r Member Posts: 16,588 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Current vintage tracers are no more corrosive than ball. Clean as normal.

    And 2 REALLY good bits o advice above me to anyone planning to shoot tracers-

    1, Tracer has a BIG tail of flame behind it. 7.62 NATO tracer burns out at around 900 meters. Shoot it into anything burnable, Smokey D. Bear will come whack you with his shovel. AND give you the bill for putting out the fire. Rented a helicopter for water drops lately?

    2. Tracers work both ways. Yes, let you see path of bullet. Lets others see path of bullet as well. Unhealthy.
  • nmyersnmyers Member Posts: 16,875 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Not exactly.

    Start a fire with tracers, & Mr Bear will cuff you & charge you with arson. My friends at the BOP tell me Butner Low is pretty at this time of the year.

    Neal
  • CheechakoCheechako Member Posts: 563 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Tracers are not corrosive. It's the primers. If the primers are non-corrosive there is nothing to worry about except starting a fire or getting a ticket.

    Why bother?
Sign In or Register to comment.