Can .30 M2 Tracer rounds be pulled down and the primed brass reloaded?

[GONRA]

Over the decades GONRA has found one should hava variety
of "bullet pullers" to satisfy the particular project needs ......

[SSGOldfart]

Seat the bullet about 1/16" deeper in the case with your seating die ...
... This breaks the crimp and the sealants grip on the projectile ...
After that use your kinetic puller , it must be used on a "Solid" surface ...
Big solid block of wood on a concrete slab ... 4 medium hard whacks will pull the bullet almost out ... keep an eye on bullet's progress ... make the last "whack" a medium light hit so the powder doesn't go flying everywhere .
Easy to recover primed brass , powder and bullets if you know the "Trick " .
The kinetic puller leaves no damage or even any marks to the projectiles ... Sweet !
Gary

Yep he'll know the trick by the time he gets the second box done

[clearwater]

Cautionary tales-

Heads up for Californians- up to 10 years for possession of a tracer bullet.

Also nearly lost a local commercial range near Spokane, WA to wildfire from rifleman shooting up a box of old ammo someone gave him that had a tracer in the mix. Now they check all ammo with a magnet as steel core also can create sparks.

[McMullen759]

I'm assuming OP has resolved the issue however had a few points for anyone who stumbles across this post in future with a similar situation.

I've had people ask me questions over the years about barrel damage from AP and Tracer rounds, generally not a concern. Tracers ignite from friction between the air/bullet and typically are well clear of the barrel before this occurs. Even if ignition happens in the barrel it is there for such a brief moment in time it won't hurt anything.

AP rounds are typically no issue either as they have either steel or tungsten core surrounded by lead/copper jacket. They may induce a TINY bit more wear than a normal round as the hard core will somewhat affect the way the lead squishes and add resistance to that process but the difference would be negligible unless you were firing insane amounts.

They do have a different point of impact in both cases as they are lighter in weight (due to less % of lead. Tracer will be the lightest, AP somehwere in the middle and ball heaviest) so if sighting in with them expect to make adjustments to your elevation when you switch back to regular ammo, especially at longer ranges.

So if anyone ever gets a bunch you can always just go shoot em rather than pull bullets, just be mindful of your local laws and regulations and take appropriate safety precautions. Don't shoot AP at steel as it can ricochet like a bugger and be mindful of fire potential with tracers.

Just thought that could be helpful for some to know.

[Barry54]

I’d trade you some brand name bullets or buy outright for the AP bullets. I don’t shoot on a public range and they would be fun to try on old junk cars and other ornaments we collect in Tennessee.
Private message me if you wanna do some trading please.

[Outpost75]

That FN58 ammo is Berdan primed. Not worth the effort.

[GONRA]

GONRA sez:
US ORANGE TIP delayed ignition tracer bullets function like this:
Heat from hot burning powder gas is conducted thru the brass base seal disk
and lightsoff a GASLESS DELAY MIX that burns REAL HOT
forming a molten slag but no gas.
Some distance out of the gun barrel, molten slag ignites the usual tracer ignition mix, etc.
Nowyasee it! !! ("delayed tracer")
Brass base seal disk is long gone (somewhere).

Have phun (trying to) make delayed tracer bullets in yer basement. guys/gals...





len slag b n gas.



Heat LIGS OFF ia he lighs off aASLAESS
prellam qder gas lles

[poppy42]

If you’re gonna break them down I would strongly suggest you pick up the Hornady cam-lock bullet puller. It is the best polar I’ve ever used. Once it’s set up it’s a breeze to pull a large quantity of bullets. In addition it does so without marking up the bullets. I’ve actually pulled my own Cast Boolets and use them over again that’s how good of condition they were in. I think the actual polar is about 30 bucks and then you have to buy the collet for 25 or something like that. There’s not many colleges as each college fits a range of projectiles. Trust me I don’t usually recommend one manufacturer over another but in this case I think it’s well worth it. I’ve owned and used kinetic pullers, RCBS collet pullers, herters pullers, Frankford arsenal, and a few others. The Hornady is by far the best and easiest I’ve ever used! Once it’s set up for a specific bullet it’s just a matter of slide the new bullet in the shell holder raising the ram, pushing a handle down to lock the collet down on the bullet, and lowering the ram! And repeat for the next one.

[gishooter]

Still have a lot of tracer and AP. Shot a bunch over the years. And started a bunch of fires also. Even being careful. shooting after a decent rain is about the safest.

I'd use a collet style puller. I'd wear my arms out trying to remove more than one or two with a kinetic puller. Been there done that!

The asphalt sealant around the case mouth or pulled projectiles are a pain to clean off on most surplus. I've done it carefully outside with gasoline and rags. But really just isn't worth it. Haven't done it in years.
Shoot it up on a wet day. Even better if it is a bit foggy out. Or just sell it.