How a firearm tracer bullet works and why it was invented

  • Dec 14, 2020
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How a firearm tracer bullet works and why it was invented
How a firearm tracer bullet works and why it was invented

Tracer ammunition is an important piece, without the use of which it is impossible to imagine loading most types of modern army weapons. The effect of tracers is especially noticeable in the dark. These shots look very impressive. Nevertheless, they are made not at all for aesthetic beauty, but for applied purposes. How is the tracer bullet arranged and how it functions.

The bullet contains a flask with a compressed combustible substance. / Photo: dlyakota.ru.
The bullet contains a flask with a compressed combustible substance. / Photo: dlyakota.ru.

The first and foremost task of tracer ammunition is to enable the shooter to visually determine exactly where the released ammunition flew, and at the same time carry out the earliest correction fire. In the vast majority of cases, tracer cartridges alternate with conventional cartridges. For example, in the shop of a Kalashnikov assault rifle, every third ammunition is placed in a tracer.

Every third is a tracer. / Photo: popgun.ru.

Tracer ammunition appeared during the First World War and was intended mainly for machine guns. True, the visibility of the first ammunition of this type was extremely weak. Therefore, in most cases, "tracers" were used in the dark. In the daytime, it was impossible to notice a burning cartridge already at a distance of 350-400 meters.

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It's weird, but beautiful. / Photo: bloknot.ru.

The tracer munition device is not as complicated as it might seem. The whole point of the cartridge is that in its rear part there is a small "cup" with a pyrotechnic substance pressed into several layers. At the time of the shot, the main powder charge of the cartridge provokes the ignition of the capsule, which, due to its multilayer nature, burns for a rather long time, emitting a characteristic glow. Modern pyrotechnics make it possible to clearly see the fires of tracer cartridges even in sunny weather.

READ ALSO:What is the difference between a 7.62x54 mm sniper and machine gun cartridge

Even for tanks there is. / Photo: kolyan.net.

Of course, due to the specifics of the design, tracer ammunition has much worse ballistics. First of all, such cartridges have a much worse accuracy than conventional cartridges. This is because the combustion of the tracer is uneven, which means that the constantly changing mass of the bullet affects the trajectory of its flight. Finally, this is the reason for the loss of ammunition power and impairs its penetration.

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Continuing the topic, you can read about

Strange model of the Kalashnikov assault rifle.

"Kalashnikov, which was not": what a model of Soviet weapons in the photo.
A source:
https://novate.ru/blogs/280120/53230/