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USGI 7.62 Nato "Green Tracer"?
ammo guy
Member Posts: 810 ✭✭✭
I have a 20 rd box of Lake City 7.62 Nato (head stamp LC 91) marked M62 Tracer, under which is stamped " Green Tracer". The color code on the rds is a very dark purple( not to be confused with the IR tracer M276) Does anyone know if the US ever loaded Green tracer? I am totally unaware of any.
Comments
Anything is possible for a Spec op however. Isn't there a contract number on the box or an NSN?
google says made and used in the gulf war.
"The M62 tracer normally had a red-orange trace, but through the years a number of different trace colors were experimented with. ........ In 1971 Frankfort Arsenal loaded a small quantity of M62 tracer rounds using a green tracer mixture. These used primed LC-70 cases. The bullets were GMCS jacketed and had green tips. Why these rounds were loaded is not known, but it is possible they were part of the Human Engineering Lab tests that were conducted later"
Vol III, pg 237
As this book has some 10-12 pages on US made 7.62 NATO tracers, I'm not going to try and type it all out
The answer to your question is "Yes", apparently the US military did produce green tracer rounds. Don't feel bad if you haven't heard about them before. Your box should look like the box in the photo below.
[img][/img]
I always try to have a reference when I post here. However, this topic is an exception since I have been unable to find a written definitive source for these cartridges. The proof is that they do exist but nothing seems to be in writing.
First of all, these are not rare cartridges. Reportedly, they have been available on the collectors market since 1992. I checked my inventory prior to this post and I have a single cartridge in my collection. I described the tip color as maroon. Many others have these in their collection as well. A single cartridge is available for sale on another website. Maybe GunBroker too, I didn't check.
The official color of the tip is also ambiguous but I think most people agree on brown. See the photo below.
[img][/img]
1) XM276 3rd type GM/GMCS (not M160 frangible!)
2) M276 Infrared tracer
3) M62 Green tracer
The color of the tip for these cartridges is even nebulous. They have been described as brown, maroon, violet, and dark purple. I am not sure if there is anything in print which describes the official color.
These cartridges were apparently used in Desert Storm and most carry LC 91 headstamps. The years of production are uncertain. They were reported to have been used by special ops who were deep behind the Iraqi lines. The Iraqi's used a green tracer for signaling purposes and the M62 green tracer was supposed to help cause confusion behind their lines. There are no written reports to indicate if the ruse was successful.
The people over at the International Ammunition Association website talk about them every so often which is where I get my information. They have some real experts over there who have studied this stuff for years. I you are still curious, I would make contact with them for more information.
Hope this helps.
Heavyiron
Hi,
The answer to your question is "Yes", apparently the US military did produce green tracer rounds. Don't feel bad if you haven't heard about them before. Your box should look like the box in the photo below.
[img][/img]
I always try to have a reference when I post here. However, this topic is an exception since I have been unable to find a written definitive source for these cartridges. The proof is that they do exist but nothing seems to be in writing.
First of all, these are not rare cartridges. Reportedly, they have been available on the collectors market since 1992. I checked my inventory prior to this post and I have a single cartridge in my collection. I described the tip color as maroon. Many others have these in their collection as well. A single cartridge is available for sale on another website. Maybe GunBroker too, I didn't check.
See the photo below.
[img][/img]
1) XM276 3rd type GM/GMCS (not M160 frangible!)
2) M276 Infrared tracer
3) M62 Green tracer
The official color of the tip is also ambiguous but I think most people agree on brown. They have been described as brown, maroon, violet, and dark purple. I am not sure if there is anything in print which describes the official color.
These cartridges were apparently used in Desert Storm and most carry LC 91 headstamps. The years of production are uncertain. They were reported to have been used by special ops who were deep behind the Iraqi lines. The Iraqi's used a green tracer for signaling purposes and the M62 green tracer was supposed to help cause confusion behind their lines. There are no written reports to indicate if the ruse was successful.
The people over at the International Ammunition Association website talk about them every so often which is where I get my information. They have some real experts over there who have studied this stuff for years. If you are still curious, I would make contact with them for more information.
Hope this helps.
Heavyiron