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Colour tracer (aviation machine guns)

L

Leo Wess

Member
Germany (MG15, MG17, MG81):

7,9 mm Patrone S.m.K.v. - to 600 meters red, after - green.
7,9 mm Patrone S.m.K.L'spur 100/600-v. - yellow, white, orange.
7,9 mm Patrone S.m.K.Gl'spur-v. - red/green ?
7,9 mm Patrone P.m.К-v. - no tracer.
7,9 mm В - Patrone-v. - no tracer.

I search for the information on colour tracers aviation machine guns: USSR, USA, England, Japan.
 
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Hi Leo,

I've seen boxes of the S.m.K. L'Spur 100/600 in colors "Gelb" (yellow) , "Orange" and Weiss (White).
The P.m.K.-v has no real tracer-element, but the burning Phosphor gives a white smoke trail.
 
British tracer data:

RL Tracer Mark I - white to about 100 yards
Mark VIIT - white to 800 yards.
Mark VIIG - white to 800 yards (title later changed to G Mark I)
G Mark II - red to 1,000 yards Bright ignition flame tracer.
G Mark III - white to 800 yards (Naval Service) Bright ignition.
G Mark IV - white day tracer to 550 yards at 10,000 ft (Air Service) Bright ignition.
G Mark V - white night tracer to 550 yards at 10,000 ft (Naval Service) Dark ignition.
G Mark VI - white day tracer to 550 yards at 10,000 ft (Naval Service) Bright ignition.
G Mark 7 - white to 1,000 yards (Naval Service) Dim ignition.
G Mark 8 - white to 1,000 yards (Naval and Land Service) Dim ignition.

Regards
TonyE
 
Many thanks!

USSR:
7,62 mm a cartridge with a tracer bullet 1930 (Т-30) - white.
7,62 mm a cartridge with tracer bullet Т-46 - red.
7,62 mm a cartridge with tracer bullet Т-46M - red.
7,62 mm a cartridge with a bronebojno-tracing bullet (BT) - white.
7,62 mm a cartridge with a bronebojno-is incendiary-tracing bullet (BZT) - white.
7,62 mm a cartridge with a bronebojno-is incendiary-tracing bullet 1940 (ZB-46) - red.
12,7 mm a cartridge with a tracer bullet 1938 (Т-38) - red.
 
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Leo, don't some of the USSR's cartridges have a green tracer to it even in aircraft machine guns?
 
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I must of been thinking about the 7.62x39mm and some 7.62x54Rmm. The latter I have a bunch of and trace green maybe because they are for ground use only?
 
V40 said:
I must of been thinking about the 7.62x39mm and some 7.62x54Rmm. The latter I have a bunch of and trace green maybe because they are for ground use only?
Click to expand...




I must admit any Russian SAA tracer I have seen(including ShKAS aircraft MG) have had green bullet tips and a little confused about Russian SAA tracers having red tips as these usually denote explosive/incendiary rounds....or are we talking about the colour of the trace during flight?

Tony
 
Tony, My russian 7.62x54R has a green tip and traces green I believe from the barrel? I know that during Vietnam the NVA/PL/VC and others used green tracers almost all of the time to designate who was who. Ours were red and theres were green.
 
Leo Wess said:
Germany (MG15, MG17, MG81):

7,9 mm Patrone S.m.K.v. - to 600 meters red, after - green.
7,9 mm Patrone S.m.K.L'spur 100/600-v. - yellow, white, orange.
7,9 mm Patrone S.m.K.Gl'spur-v. - red/green ?
7,9 mm Patrone P.m.К-v. - no tracer.
7,9 mm В - Patrone-v. - no tracer.

I search for the information on colour tracers aviation machine guns: USSR, USA, England, Japan.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately I do not understand this listing.

There are cartridges and colors of German 7,9 tracers who bin never bin made.


A SmK-V means Spitz mit Kern-verbessert. The last part (V) is only for the powder in the cartridge. This cartridge doesn’t have a tracer.

I do not know a yellow 100-600 Tracer

The SmK Glimspur is a dim tracer developed by DWM in 1941. Only visible from the pilot.

The development of the German tracer was in the beginning (1930) red or green, from 1934-36 green changing to red at 500 meters, followed by yellow. From 1941 it was mostly orange.
The air force used after 1941 mostly white.

Rgds
Dutch
 
V40 said:
Tony, My russian 7.62x54R has a green tip and traces green I believe from the barrel? I know that during Vietnam the NVA/PL/VC and others used green tracers almost all of the time to designate who was who. Ours were red and theres were green.
Click to expand...

Hi Mark,
the two I have(Russian 188) have green tips,one has a red neck sealer and the other has a green neck sealer and always wondered if the neck sealer indicated the colour of the trace?....I also have the same in 7.62x39mm (711) and all four have corresponding annulus colours

Tony
 
The CM seal has no significance on these.

They do on others but that is a different story.
 
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