Tracer rounds in your AR mags

[Guitargod1985]

I have a question for those of you who shoot at night or keep an emergency stash of mags on hand with tracers in them.

How many standard FMJ rounds would you put between every tracer round?

I'm thinking one tracer for every three to five "normal" rounds. Any thoughts?

 

[rero360]

personally I've never been a big fan of tracers, but they proved usefull in Iraq as warning shots against civilian vehicles, so I had two mags for my M4 that were straight tracers, I'd use them when I'd have to be in the turret, if i was TCing, I'd just use one of the 12 mags of straight ball.

but generally its four or five ball rounds to every tracer with three tracers at the bottom

 

[MechAg94]

I am trying to think of any reason I would need tracers in my AR as a civilian. Not coming up with much. I have a EOTech so aiming at night is no problem. I can't imagine any situation where I needed to take pot shots at something far enough away that I would want to see where I was hitting. Maybe hog hunting.

I guess a few rounds for HD at the bottom of the mag, but even that is stretching it to me. Now warning shots in a SHTF situation might be neat, but I think some extra bird shot for a shotgun would be better for that.

I can see the usefulness in combat or for fun.

 

[takhtakaal]

Two in the bottom of the magazine as a gentle reminder to expect tap-out?

 

[KC&97TA]

4 ball to 1 tracer just like belted ammo. First five rounds in the Mag all tracers for exactly like rero360 said. That was our SOP, 6 of 12 mags loaded like that, 4 mags of all ball or HP and 2 mags of tracer.

Becareful with Tracers on the interior shooting... they'll set the curtains on fire... I won't explain how I know this just giggle and scratch your head, laugh a bit at what your tax money has paid for

 

[trickyasafox]

I run straight tracers. I use the cheapies so maybe MAYBE 1 in 5 light.

the only thought i could come up with for their usefulness is that if your night vision gets knocked out from muzzle flash and you can't see the sights, you can walk em in.

chances of that being useful? im guessing not very.

They are fun though

 

[CWL]

Since you're presumably firing a semi-auto, layering tracers aren't as useful as military use of full-auto. Remember that you are responsible for each round downrange, and if you need tracers to know where the shots are going, then each non-tracer may be going places that you don't want.

If for home defense/self defense, I strongly question the wisdom of using flammable munitions.

 

[jrfoxx]

As much as I plan to eventually get some tracers for a couple of my rifles (ar and ak), just because I think they are neat, I would have agreed with most ithers that they are useless in non-military situations, especially in a semi-auto where you dont need them to aim your stream/spray of full-auto fire, until a couple of you mentioned putting them in as an indicator that you are almost out of ammo.I had actually never thought of that, and actually think that is a pretty freakin cool idea! Still dont think is LIKELY to be of any use in a non-military or SHTF scenario (and probably unwise legally in HD due to perception by DA/juries, fire hazzard, etc), but in a Katrina/SHTF/military kind of situation, it does actaully seem like a pretty legit and useful purpose for them in a semi-auto.....
Maybe this was common knowledge to a lot of people here, dont know.I was in the Navy, so I never learned alot of this combat-type tidbits of info.Guess the Navy figured if all the CIWS, F/A-18's and F-14's on my carrier didnt save my butt, an M16 wasn't gonna help, so they skipped all the gun stuff (the upside of that being that I didnt have to shoot anyone, and was HIGHLY,HIGHLY unlikely to get shot at, so it was a fair trade off.....)

 

[possum]

guitargod,
the miltary has there way, but i have my own way.

in the military we do a 4 to one ratio 4 ball 1 tracer all the way through and a few tracers at the bottom, to let you know that you are going empty.

i personally don't like to use tracers, the only time that i would as a team leader is to mark a target and for that i have a different tracer to ball ratio more tracer less ball. i would use that if at night i needed to direct my teams fire. i would call out follow my trace, or tracer on target and my rifle man and gunners would light it up.

my normal mags that i carry (9) have rds 1-14 ball 15th is a tracer, and the last 5 are tracers.

my other mags specifically for night fighting includes, all tracers. which is (2) mags. i do this so as not to waste unnessicary ball rds trying to get to the next ball rd to mark a target. that way i shoot to mark a target, a new target comes up or position and then i mark that. i direct my teams fires while expending the least amount of ammo as possible.

 

[possum]

remeber though tracers work both ways.

but they proved usefull in Iraq as warning shots against civilian vehicles,

yes they do at night it stops em in thier tracks!

 

[TexasRifleman]

Two in the bottom of the magazine as a gentle reminder to expect tap-out?

If you really wanted to use them that's the only real use I can think of outside of military ops.

 

[41magsnub]

Using tracers scares the hell out of me in this area so I don't do it. It is routinely so dry it takes practically nothing to touch off a grass or forest fire come summer and fall.