Home Forums Hunting & Shooting AR and Tactical Rifles Tracers and bolt carrier

sometime back I ask a few questions about loading tracers. well I'm at the point now I'm going to start on this project. finally built me a upper specifically to use tracers because most everybody says they're pretty hard on the barrel so I bought a cheap barrel and put it up for together that way just to play . don't want to hurt and burn a upper and barrel..

but I guess here's one more question are tracers going to be hard on the bolt carrier group? I really don't see how myself except for maybe where I guess it's what the gas key or the tube goes in is it going to cause any issues there or premature where?..

I just had 500 pulled 115 XTP tracer bullets delivered today. Never reloaded tracer ammo before. Bummer if they tear up a barrel???

I'm guessing you're talking about 5.56?????

At one time I shot a lot of full auto M16 tracers and never noticed a bigger issue with the barrel wearing out.
I usually got about 13,000 rounds through a barrel before it took a dump, tracers or not. I fired about 65,000 rounds in a couple of years and went through quite a few barrels.
That also included 100 round continuous mag dumps as well.

As for the BCG, tracers or not, I would get pitting around the firing pin hole, pretty much lining up with the perimeter of the primer OD. But your really have to shoot a pile of ammo before you will need to replace the bolt.
Probably 25,000 rounds or so.

If you plan on hand loading them, I would suggest IMR 4064 powder. It lights them up good.

Tony Rumore
Tromix

thanks very much for the reply. I've done a lot of research on the barrel wear with tracers there seems to be some controversy. the best I can figure from all the stuff I've dug up if it's a chrome lined barrel the traces are not near as hard on it as a barrel non Chrome lined..

not wanting to take any chances I just got a cheap barrel and put an upper together to play with this. sounds like I won't worry about the boat carrier group all this replace if it wears. and I don't see how it can make that much difference myself either.. thanks for the recommendation of 4064 I have a lot of that on hand. thought about trying some H 335.... have an excessive amount I don't handle so I do have some load data that came with the bullets that I will look through here later before I start loading..

I loaded H335 behind tracer pulls for use at shoots. We fired them one tracer per three 55gr ball. Lit up fine. Don't believe it helped or hurt longevity. One of my Colt 11.5s has over 20k now. Gas port looks like the grand canyon. After a very thorough cleaning it put 5 M855 into 3.5" at 100 yds.....old eyes and irons.