Loading tracers for visual low round count.

[NordicRX8]

I picked up some 5.56 tracers at a fun show awhile back. Popped off a few to see how visible they were during outdoor daylight hours and put them away. I've heard and read from several sources that one should load a few tracers into long gun mags to give a visual indicator that you're running low or just shot your last rounds. Anyone out there practice this? I have 5 - 30rd mags in my BOB loaded with tracers as the last 3 shots, but don't bother to practice this any other time.

In a similar vein, does anyone load their pistol mags for the same purpose. I know pistol tracer ammo isn't common, but one could load a mag with +P and save the last round or two for standard pressure (or vice versa).

Would anyone notice a difference in recoil during a high stress situation to make that an advantage? Or is mixing ammo in a SD CC piece a bad/wasted idea?

Thoughts?

[Brian D.]

I've kicked that idea around for carry pistols thru the years, and decided it wasn't really worth the bother, generally speaking. That said, there are a couple of like-minded things I practice in specific situations:

1) When in 'big critter' country and packing my Glock model 20 in 10mm, I carry a magazine of hot full metal jacket handloads in the gun. That mag is marked on the bottom with a square of very sticky colored tape for easy identification. Upon leaving such areas I switch back to regular ol' hollowpoints.

2) Used to shoot shotgun bowling pin matches in which you could only load as many in the gun as there were pins on the table. Tried to remember to make the last round 'magnum' buckshot rather than the lighter 'tactical' stuff, because the time stops when the last pin hits the ground or backstop. The hot round would chase the pin off faster, and of course you don't have to fire again, recoil wasn't an issue. If you happened to miss along the way it was pointless (except for reload-under-the-clock practice) to throw in another round and shoot more. If you didn't go five for five or eight for eight (depended on whose match it was) you were gonna LOSE!

That second situation was obviously just some gamesmanship, but most all of us who wanted to win did it.

As far as the .223/5.56 tracers, i wonder if they hit the same spot as the conventional ammo?

[jeep45238]

They shoot close enough to poa/poi in .223/5.56

I wouldn't worry about it. If you're in a situation where you're worried about going empty, you're also likely to worry about highlighting your position. Tracers are GREAT for showing people where that shot came from.

[Tweed Ring]

I loaded them second and third round from the bottom in my magazines. Idea was simple - in a firefight, advance warning when one is about to run dry is good to know.

[charben]

They shoot close enough to poa/poi in .223/5.56

I wouldn't worry about it. If you're in a situation where you're worried about going empty, you're also likely to worry about highlighting your position. Tracers are GREAT for showing people where that shot came from.

Sorry. That is seriously bunk when it comes to this application. That may be true if you are running a SAW with every 3rd round being a tracer...and shooting long bursts. But firing semi-auto, not a big deal. If you are shooting and remaining stationary, your problem isn't the tracers.

Your muzzle flash is more likely going to give away your position than having a round or two of tracers in your mag.

As far as the idea goes, I might load no more than 2 with 5 rounds left after the 2nd tracer. If you load the tracers as the last rounds, by the time you recognize that you fired tracers, the "click" on an empty mag will give away that you are empty.

[jeep45238]

*shrugs* I've fired 5.56 tracers out of carbines and rifles at dusk - the A2 flashider does a pretty good job at hiding the burn compared to a tracer, especially at 500-600 yards.

Personally, I don't put any tracers in any of my mags, nor do I want to. If you're in a situation where you're using a rifle, you'd better be checking ammo, mags, and chamber checking your rifle.

I'll worry about tracers and their use/fire superiority when I'm in the military.

Either way, take it or leave it, your call

[charben]

*shrugs* I've fired 5.56 tracers out of carbines and rifles at dusk - the A2 flashider does a pretty good job at hiding the burn compared to a tracer, especially at 500-600 yards.

That's hard to say unless you are on the OTHER end of the shot.

[pleasantguywhopacks]

Me, I just train to know when the gun goes dry, you go right into a reload..

It's the same sequence no matter what I'm shooting.

I do have my current load out vest set up to know when I reach my last 30 round mag, a large red rubber band around it about two inches under where the mag well is when mag is seated. I keep a ten rounder in a last-ditch pouch in addition.

[jeep45238]

*shrugs* I've fired 5.56 tracers out of carbines and rifles at dusk - the A2 flashider does a pretty good job at hiding the burn compared to a tracer, especially at 500-600 yards.

That's hard to say unless you are on the OTHER end of the shot.

Make your shot count, and if your target knows about it, that's not relevant. It's targets in the periphery that matter, in my humble opinion

[charben]

*shrugs* I've fired 5.56 tracers out of carbines and rifles at dusk - the A2 flashider does a pretty good job at hiding the burn compared to a tracer, especially at 500-600 yards.

That's hard to say unless you are on the OTHER end of the shot.

Make your shot count, and if your target knows about it, that's not relevant. It's targets in the periphery that matter, in my humble opinion

A little braggadocious and completely ignored my point.

My point IS the targets in the periphery. They are going to see the muzzle flash at least as well as any tracer. AND, we are not talking about loading a tracer for every shot. You fire 10 times and ONE or TWO of them is a tracer, the enemy isn't going to all-of-a-sudden say "there he is" after that tracer is shot.

Tracers have a very specific use in the military. In this thread, we are just examining an alternative use for them in a SD scenario.

You are not likely going to get too much instruction on this, unfortunately, in the USAF.

[jeep45238]

USAF barely teaches the M16A2 - and barely to 200m. I'm far from mistaken what they teach.


Either way, we can both agree that light = giving away position.

[charben]

USAF barely teaches the M16A2 - and barely to 200m. I'm far from mistaken what they teach.

Didn't say that you were.

Either way, we can both agree that light = giving away position.

Didn't dispute that, either.

Just that in an SD situation with a rifle (whether at night or in the day), the light from a couple of tracer rounds is not going to give me away any more than I've already been given away.

[Ring]

buy pmags with windows...

[JediSkipdogg]

Just go with incediary rounds. Much more effective upon impact.

[pleasantguywhopacks]

buy pmags with windows...

I have both non and windowed but I find I look at them rarely. Your focus should be on the bolt and its status. If its open fully, reload, if its open partly, clear the malfunction..