Talk:Tracer ammunition

message: "Due to their pyrotechnic payload all tracers are incendiary in nature; although incendiary tracer bullets, some incorporating white phosphorus, are more effective"
Does this actually mean anything? If so it needs rephrasing I think SeanLegassick 15:16, 1 January 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: Phrasing

message: Maybe Tracers needs a disambiguation instead of a straight redirect here, cause on Solar rotation it says The rotation constants have been measured by measuring the motion of various features ("tracers") on the solar surface., so its an Astronomy term as well.
Mutante23 21:48, 7 November 2005 (UTC)
thread_title: Disambiguation

message: I believe decreased mass causes a faster drop in velocity; tracer rounds' greater trajectory is actually caused by a lower level of drag. Quite why this occurs I am not 100% sure.
Lizardhands 16 Jan 2006 / 2252 GMT
:The kinetic energy is contained in the mass of the bullet. When mass "peels off" during the flight, kinetic energy seperates from the main body of the bullet along with mass which contained it. If a moving body looses 10% of it's mass, this effect also removes 10% of the kinetic energy. This energy loss by itself does not make the main body of the bullet slower. Instead, it's the friction (air friction during flight, and also the friction when the bullet enters another material). The loss of kinetic energy due to air friction depends only on the bullet's geometry and speed. Therefore, both a full-weight bullet and a "light" bullet travelling at the same air speed bleed of the same amount of kinetic energy. However, since the lighter bullet has less kinetic energy to start with, the resulting speed loss is more pronounced. The lighter bullet is, for the same reasons, also more sensitive to sideward wind...it doesn't matter that sideward air friction adds energy while the forward  friction removes energy; both kinds of energy transfer are govererned by tha same principles.
:The mass loss won't have an effect during flight in a vacuum. However, teh reduced kinetic energy will result in less penetration power when the bullet attempts to a target - the same effect as with air, but in (typically) a much denser material. --Klaws 10:08, 25 November 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: Trajectory

message: "although with most emplaced machine guns, such as the M60" - I assume "emplaced" means mounted to a solid object as part of a fortification. If so, why would the M60 be special? It can be bipod or tripod mounted, or hand carried, the same as other LMGs.
Or perhaps it means "Like the m60 above (pictured)", in which case that should be edited in.
Also, "In the air, fights rarely involve firearms. Instead, modern aircraft tend to rely on missiles."
That's an awkward way to state it. Are aircraft cannons considered "firearms"? In any case, most aircraft cannons do indeed carry tracer rounds, so this line seems unnecesary. SenorBeef 06:59, 30 November 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Minor complaints 

message: Are these legal for civilians?  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 151.203.162.69 (talk) 22:05, 28 October 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: here are some links (admittedly of unknown reliability). It may have something to do with the burning phosphors on the projectile in flight. Perhaps someone more knowledgeable can comment further. http://kwc.org/mythbusters/2005/10/episode_38_mythbusters_reviste.html, http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080115200730AA6QQ8k  220.76.15.101 (talk) 17:50, 21 January 2009 (UTC)
replies: text:  Speaking for my corner of East Tennessee: tracer rounds are legal for collection as historical curios or keepsakes ("war trophy"). Due to the incendiary nature, most ranges and gun clubs bar their actual use. If you fire any tracers outdoors and start a fire, you should expect to end up in court held responsible for damages and firefighting expenses. Short form: Possession legal; use restricted. Other jurisdictions range from total ban on tracers to treated same as ordinary ammunition. --Naaman Brown (talk) 08:19, 17 June 2013 (UTC)
thread_title:  Legality 

message: Your history section begins "Tracers have been used extensively in machine guns since World War I." Seemingly they were used at least two centuries earrlier, with muskets. In their history of the armies of Charles XI and XII, *Karoliner," Alf Åberg and Göte Göransson (Bra Böcker, Höganäs Sweden), 1976: page 165, description of a night scene (Dec 11, 1718) wrote: "There was firing...from the fortress, and 'ljuskulor' flew through the air." ("Man sköt på svenskarna från fästningen, och ljuskulor flög genom luften.") I can think of no other translation for 'ljuskulor' than "tracers." (Ljus = light, or candle, and "kulor" = "bullets."  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.82.115.134 (talk) 03:30, 15 March 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  History 

message: anyone want to write about how tracers can be used to basically scare the crap out of an enemy also? Skhatri2005 (talk) 06:21, 11 April 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: The front guns on the Dambuster Lancasters were loaded with tracer rounds to give the defending forces the impression that they were taking a high rate of fire. Halmyre (talk) 08:53, 3 October 2012 (UTC)
thread_title:  psychological effect 

message: Surely there should be a mention with its use in cricket commentary, chiefly by Ravi Shastri and the late Tony Greig. You could also have prominent examples in film covered here.  — Preceding unsigned comment added by Miscellaneousphillip (talk • contribs) 14:21, 5 July 2015 (UTC)
thread_title:  Use in Popular Culture