But... but... on TV it's instant! Oh well, I guess that just goes to show how important it is to read the labels.sjfcontrol wrote:It's my understanding that tracer rounds take some time (distance) to get going (glowing). In a short range (25 yards?) I believe it's unlike the tracer would be noticeable. Also, if you assume a muzzle velocity of 3000ft/s, the round would take all of 0.025 (25 thousandth) seconds to traverse a 25 yd range. A mighty short time to notice anything at all.Dave2 wrote:I've got a 20-round box of XM62 made by Federal, and if you just glance at the box looking caliber info, it's not all that hard to miss the "Tracer" bit. In fact, they only caught my eye at the store because, unlike every other non-bulk box on the shelf at the time, their packaging was just plain brown cardboard.stroo wrote:Yeah I have some problems with the part of the story that he didn't know they were tracers. That just doesn't make sense to me.
Now, they are clearly marked as tracers if you actually read the label, but I could see someone missing it if they weren't paying attention. I'd imagine you'd notice after the first shot, though. I mean I haven't fired any myself, but IIRC from TV, they're kinda glowy and stand-outish.
Incidentally, does anyone know where it's safe to shoot these things? When I got them, it was (and still is) my understanding that a fire is nearly guaranteed if the round lands before it "burns out" (and cools down). I don't even think I'd made it up to the cash register before it occurred to me that it'd take me a long time to find a place where it'd be safe to shoot them, but hey, what's $15 to legally own twenty incendiary devices?
