# Why does the military use tracer rounds? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 15, 2010, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-military-use-tracer-rounds/557284 "2010-10-15T19:54:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![thirdname](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@thirdname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdname)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2010, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-military-use-tracer-rounds/557284/1 "2010-10-15T19:54:38Z")
I would think that any benefits in aiming would be outweighed by the face that tracers let the enemy see where you’re shooting from. ---
**Author:** ![acetylene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@acetylene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/acetylene)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2010, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-military-use-tracer-rounds/557284/2 "2010-10-15T19:59:24Z")
Back in the day we used tracer rounds in the M-60 machine gun. This is not a weapon that you aim. It’s purpose is to send lots of lead downrange quickly. You use the tracer rounds to see how close you are to your target. Incidentally, it’s very difficult to see the tracers when they are coming toward you. ---
**Author:** ![bleibtreu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bleibtreu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bleibtreu)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2010, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-military-use-tracer-rounds/557284/3 "2010-10-15T20:02:52Z")
> [@acetylene](#): > > Incidentally, it’s very difficult to see the tracers when they are coming toward you. Additionally, they’re not used in all weapons, so simply aren’t used in situation when giving away your position is risky. Snipers don’t use tracers. In the case of something like an M-60, your general position is going to obvious whether you’re using tracers or not. ---
**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2010, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-military-use-tracer-rounds/557284/4 "2010-10-15T20:03:37Z")
> [@thirdname](#): > > I would think that any benefits in aiming would be outweighed by the face that tracers let the enemy see where you’re shooting from. I would think muzzle flash from the types of guns that use tracers would make that point moot. ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2010, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-military-use-tracer-rounds/557284/5 "2010-10-15T20:36:09Z")
When I flew the enemy already knew where you were, so that want a factor. You want to be able to see where your rounds land so that way you can correct. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2010, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-military-use-tracer-rounds/557284/6 "2010-10-15T20:43:03Z")
They were also used to direct other fire onto a target. If your buddies couldn’t see where the bad guys were, you could show them with a nice bright streak of light. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2010, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-military-use-tracer-rounds/557284/7 "2010-10-15T20:48:19Z")
Tracers are usually used in machine guns like the M249 for suppression fire, so if you’re doing it right it won’t matter if they know where you’re firing from. Also, they are supposed to be harder to see when they’re coming at you than from the back or sides. ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2010, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-military-use-tracer-rounds/557284/8 "2010-10-15T21:04:20Z")
If you ever have an oppurtunity to fire a 50cal from a vehicle at a target that is 2117m away, you’ll see how beneficial tracers are. Especially if you then need to engage with your MK19, and he has no idea what you’re shooting at. The MK19 doesn’t need tracers though, cause you will know where those rounds hit. ---
**Author:** ![Spavined\_Gelding](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@Spavined\_Gelding](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spavined_Gelding)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2010, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-military-use-tracer-rounds/557284/9 "2010-10-15T21:05:36Z")
In dim light or failing light or by-god darkness it is just about impossible to tell if your shots are on target or anywhere near the target. This is especially true in the case of final defensive fires where every soldier just fires into a predetermined area or a predetermined direction. Tracer ammo in automatic weapons (M60 NATO round firing machine guns and .50 cal. MGs in the “Black Boot Army”) solved much of that trouble. Tracers allowed you and everyone around you to adjust fire based on where the tracers were going. Automatic tracer fire can be very impressive at 2:00 in the morning, what with flares going off, mortar rounds flashing, claymores setting off and everybody within one-hundred yards firing as fast as he can feed in a fresh magazine. That streak of white/yellow/ red is a tremendous morale stiffener. Once the automatic weapons opened up you were pretty much beyond the point that you were concerned with giving away your location… ---
**Author:** ![SanDiegoTim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@SanDiegoTim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanDiegoTim)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2010, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-military-use-tracer-rounds/557284/10 "2010-10-15T21:25:24Z")
Interesting to note is that the No. Vietnamese (not sure about the VC) used green tracer rounds. ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2010, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-military-use-tracer-rounds/557284/11 "2010-10-15T22:20:42Z")
I have orange. FWIW. The enemy seems to have mostly Red. Actually, don’t think I have seen anything _but_ red from them. ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2010, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-military-use-tracer-rounds/557284/12 "2010-10-15T22:26:30Z")
> [@SanDiegoTim](#): > > Interesting to note is that the No. Vietnamese (not sure about the VC) used green tracer rounds. I just happen to be reading a book about SEALs in Vietnam and the author makes constant mention of the green tracers coming from the enemy, and his engagements were always with the VC. The one exception when when he was in a battle where they took fire from a captured M60. Then he saw American tracers coming at him. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2010, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-military-use-tracer-rounds/557284/13 "2010-10-15T23:03:20Z")
I had heard that they were used as the last x number of rounds in a magazine/belt to let the gunner know the mag/belt was depleted. ---
**Author:** ![Punoqllads](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d2c977/32.png) [@Punoqllads](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Punoqllads)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2010, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-military-use-tracer-rounds/557284/14 "2010-10-16T00:02:08Z")
Also, don’t tracer rounds follow a different arc than normal rounds? How do you compensate? ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2010, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-military-use-tracer-rounds/557284/15 "2010-10-16T00:02:42Z")
> [@Spavined\_Gelding](#): > > In dim light or failing light or by-god darkness it is just about impossible to tell if your shots are on target or anywhere near the target. This is especially true in the case of final defensive fires where every soldier just fires into a predetermined area or a predetermined direction. Tracer ammo in automatic weapons (M60 NATO round firing machine guns and .50 cal. MGs in the “Black Boot Army”) solved much of that trouble. Tracers allowed you and everyone around you to adjust fire based on where the tracers were going. > > Automatic tracer fire can be very impressive at 2:00 in the morning, what with flares going off, mortar rounds flashing, claymores setting off and everybody within one-hundred yards firing as fast as he can feed in a fresh magazine. That streak of white/yellow/ red is a tremendous morale stiffener. > > Once the automatic weapons opened up you were pretty much beyond the point that you were concerned with giving away your location.. Am I going to sound stupid if I ask what the “Black Boot Army” is? (Is it our army and I’m just confused because now we wear pajamas and those shoes rappers wear?) ---
**Author:** ![paperbackwriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@paperbackwriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/paperbackwriter)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2010, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-military-use-tracer-rounds/557284/16 "2010-10-16T00:06:29Z")
> [@minor7flat5](#): > > > [@SanDiegoTim](#): > > > > Interesting to note is that the No. Vietnamese (not sure about the VC) used green tracer rounds. > > I just happen to be reading a book about SEALs in Vietnam and the author makes constant mention of the green tracers coming from the enemy, and his engagements were always with the VC. Not surprising, since the VC supply line was from the same sources as the NVA and in fact many “VC” units were actually NVA. ---
**Author:** ![Noel\_Prosequi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b19c9b/32.png) [@Noel\_Prosequi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noel_Prosequi)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2010, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-military-use-tracer-rounds/557284/17 "2010-10-16T02:00:25Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > I had heard that they were used as the last x number of rounds in a magazine/belt to let the gunner know the mag/belt was depleted. I have a memory that this has been discussed here before. In WWII, fighter pilots at one point thought this was a good idea, so they knew when they were out. Unfortunately, it was a dead giveaway to the enemy too, so a stop was rapidly put to this practice. Even on the ground, knowing that your opponent is reloading and can’t shoot for a short period might in some circumstances be a particular advantage to an opponent. I have read that the Garrands used by Americans in WWII which made a metallic ping when the clip was empty and ejected itself out of the weapon were problematic because the enemy knew that meant the soldier had to reload. Same principle. ---
**Author:** ![cornflakes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@cornflakes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cornflakes)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2010, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-military-use-tracer-rounds/557284/18 "2010-10-16T02:38:28Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > Am I going to sound stupid if I ask what the “Black Boot Army” is? (Is it our army and I’m just confused because now we wear pajamas and those shoes rappers wear?) I’m not the guy to ask (never served), but I think that the Black Boot Army refers to the Army from around 1960 to Vietnam. Before the Sixties, the Army issued brown leather boots (the “Brown Boot Army.”) Around 1960, they switched to black leather boots for general issue. In the Vietnam era, I think that they switched to green canvas uppers, and then tan around Gulf War I (I think it was around then.) ---
**Author:** ![SanDiegoTim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@SanDiegoTim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanDiegoTim)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2010, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-military-use-tracer-rounds/557284/19 "2010-10-16T02:45:05Z")
A more traditional placement of tracer rounds is every 5th round. ---
**Author:** ![Spavined\_Gelding](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@Spavined\_Gelding](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spavined_Gelding)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2010, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-military-use-tracer-rounds/557284/20 "2010-10-16T03:01:13Z")
Hell, you try to coin a phrase and it just gets all screwed up. The Brown Boot Army – the US Army from God knows when up through the Korean war when the issue and regulation leather was brown. The Black Boot Army – from shortly after Korea when the US Army switched from a brown / kaki duty uniform to green (Army Green shade 44), and from brown boots and shoes to black. The Tan Boot Army --from shortly after Gulf One when there was a transition from black boots and shoes to tan suede. The less I say about the abandonment of the Class A uniform to the present pixilated canvas pajamas (no size fits anybody) the better. In the Black Boot Army if the brown showed through the black polish it was a matter of quiet pride - it showed that you were an old sweat and probably knew what you were doing. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-military-use-tracer-rounds/557284.md?page=2)