Reloading Tracers

[AK Hunter]

I found some .308 148gr tracer projectiles while cleaning out a old ammo locker.
I loaded some in a few .300 blackout cases using 17gr of Shooters World blackout powder.(slightly compressed load) Some of them ignited (glowed) & some didn't, all of them fired & were fairly accurate.
I was wondering if there is a certain powder that I need to use or if it will just take a heaver load of powder to get them to ignite every time.

 

[Rat-Man]

I had some pulled tracer bullets for .223/5.56 when i shot some of them from my AR only some would light up. What was really odd was that firing them from my .223 bolt rifle they were almost 100% lighting. I thought maybe the flash hider was the difference.

It seems like i read that they used a different powder for tracers vs standard ammo. I don’t have any idea what powder was used, but even if i did finding it these days would be a problem.

I didn’t really worry about them lighting since i just bought them since they were only about 2.5 cents each.

 

[entropy]

All the tracers I topped .300 Win mags with glowed. Pulled from WWII era '06 tracer rounds.
The .223 tracer bullets I loaded mostly lit, but same as you, I bought them because they were cheap.

 

[Mk-211]

Tracer compound is hygroscopic and if not stored properly can be ruined from moisture.

One trick to getting them to light every time is to poke the primer compound with a needle before loading.

If you do this, you need to shoot them as soon as possible. Only poke a hole in the ones that you plan on shooting for the day/weekend.

 

[FROGO207]

Some years ago I purchased some tracer specific propellant from Pats Reloading. Dont remember what it was called but it only gave me a light ratio of 70%. About the same as using regular propellant gave me though.

 

[Rat-Man]

Just ran across this about tracers in 300 BLK and has info about load data!

https://fedarm.com/product/300-blackout-300-blk-144-grain-fmjx-range-grade-ammunition/

 

[lightman]

Do you guys shooting tracers worry about what it does to your barrel? Does it do anything?

 

[jmorris]

If they were still expected to be 100%, they probably wouldn’t have been demilled.

They have been hit and miss for me too, even with loads for my belt fed .308.

 

[AK Hunter]

Do you guys shooting tracers worry about what it does to your barrel? Does it do anything?

They don't start to glow until they get to about 200 to 300 yds away. So until then they are just bullets.

 

[twarr1]

Accurate 2230 does a good job of lighting them.
There are a couple of types of tracer bullets; with and without a seal. The ones without the seal get demilled and sold as ‘tracer bullets’ and light 0 to maybe 25%.
As @Mk-211 mentioned, the sealed type can benefit from poking a tiny hole through the seal but they’ll deplete soon afterwards. It’s oxygen that kills them.

 

[25-20 WCF]

They don't start to glow until they get to about 200 to 300 yds away. So until then they are just bullets.

That certainly hasn’t been my experience. In the jungle they were clearly visibly within 25 meters or less. I’ve loaded .50 BMG tracers in my .50-70 Contender, and the glow was visible by the 100 yard targets. At long range they were visible well past 500. There definitely is a risk of additional fouling due to the tracer compound, as far as any damage I don’t know.

This may clarify fact versus fiction:

“There are three types of tracers: bright tracer, subdued tracer and dim tracer. Bright tracers are the standard type, which start burning immediately after exiting the muzzle.…”

https://military-history.fandom.com/wiki/Tracer_ammunition


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[AK Hunter]

That certainly hasn’t been my experience. In the jungle they were clearly visibly within 25 meters or less. I’ve loaded .50 BMG tracers in my .50-70 Contender, and the glow was visible by the 100 yard targets. At long range they were visible well past 500. There definitely is a risk of additional fouling due to the tracer compound, as far as any damage I don’t know.

This may clarify fact versus fiction:

“There are three types of tracers: bright tracer, subdued tracer and dim tracer. Bright tracers are the standard type, which start burning immediately after exiting the muzzle.…”

https://military-history.fandom.com/wiki/Tracer_ammunition
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Thanks for the info.
I'm just talking from what I have seen reloaded tracers. They start to glow about 200yds. I had some green tracer rounds in 7.62x39 that lit faster but those were not reloads. A guy at the range told me those were VC rounds from Vietnam.