30-06 tracer, 250 rnd belt, why?
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Could be training ammo for nightfire excersises?
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Intended use
I think ammo was linked/belted for the intended user. Maybe the standard infantry packing was 4 ballX1 tracer, but I'll bet that ammo intended for armored units was packed differently with a lot more AP/API/APIT than Ball.
I can't imagine that ammo intended for use in aircraft had any ball included at all.
What we need is some one who worked in an ordnance plant or some Ordnance Dept documentation describing various packing combinations.
I think ammo was linked/belted for the intended user. Maybe the standard infantry packing was 4 ballX1 tracer, but I'll bet that ammo intended for armored units was packed differently with a lot more AP/API/APIT than Ball.
I can't imagine that ammo intended for use in aircraft had any ball included at all.
What we need is some one who worked in an ordnance plant or some Ordnance Dept documentation describing various packing combinations.
I figured somebody would get around to asking that. I traded some chores he needed done around his house, and showing him how to do some stuff on his computer.
The story on were he got it is a bit more colorful. He lives on a main road going out of town and has since the 40s. Some guy came through (not sure what the date was) with "several" crates of ammo in the back of his car. Apparently it was "dragging" the ground. Had some kind of car trouble and to help get to his destination he left two wood crates of this ammo behind. Was supposed to pick it up on the way back, but never did. So it's been in the garage ever since.
This one came out of a wood crate with 4 other cans. Three more with 100% tracers and one of AP on garand clips. Found another can of tracers and a couple of half cans of AP in another part of the garage, along with the other wood crate shell.
Hopefully he'll need some more chores done.
The story on were he got it is a bit more colorful. He lives on a main road going out of town and has since the 40s. Some guy came through (not sure what the date was) with "several" crates of ammo in the back of his car. Apparently it was "dragging" the ground. Had some kind of car trouble and to help get to his destination he left two wood crates of this ammo behind. Was supposed to pick it up on the way back, but never did. So it's been in the garage ever since.
This one came out of a wood crate with 4 other cans. Three more with 100% tracers and one of AP on garand clips. Found another can of tracers and a couple of half cans of AP in another part of the garage, along with the other wood crate shell.
Hopefully he'll need some more chores done.
dogbone, you didn't indicate the date of the ammo or the arsenal markings. Another possibility for loading tracers that way was to use it up. I recently read in an Army TM that tracer ammo that do to age did not trace reliably when test fired could be issued as ball ammo for training purposes. I will try to find the exact quote if anyone is interested.
most definitely, I use to load one in five, then two and five, then three in five, now it's just 100%
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...another perspective...
While in service (Red Hat,Range Instructor USAF) we often had to de-link the ammo that had tracer when fireing during very dry weather. We would then re-link all the tracer together and fire it when it was not so dry....usually within a week or so....or when no one was around...LOL. Anyway, thats probably why all that tracer got in one can.....
While in service (Red Hat,Range Instructor USAF) we often had to de-link the ammo that had tracer when fireing during very dry weather. We would then re-link all the tracer together and fire it when it was not so dry....usually within a week or so....or when no one was around...LOL. Anyway, thats probably why all that tracer got in one can.....
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Yeah but the ammo box is also marked "250 rounds linked tracer M25" so it must have been loaded that way at the arsenal. I have also seen belts loaded with all armor piercing rounds and no tracer or ball ammo. I think maybe the arsenal (and the Army) were just trying to use up the ammo on hand.
Arsenals seldom loaded only one type of cartridge in machine gun belts but pictures in military technical manuals do show boxes of linked .50 cal ammo loaded with all incendiary (M1) or all APIT M20.
Another possibility, TM 9-1305-200, June 1961, Page 16, states "Armor-piercing-incindiary-tracer and tracer type cartridges with deteriorated tracer elements, as listed in SM 9-5-1305, may be substituted for ball ammunition for training requirements within the continental United States."
Yeah but the ammo box is also marked "250 rounds linked tracer M25" so it must have been loaded that way at the arsenal. I have also seen belts loaded with all armor piercing rounds and no tracer or ball ammo. I think maybe the arsenal (and the Army) were just trying to use up the ammo on hand.
Arsenals seldom loaded only one type of cartridge in machine gun belts but pictures in military technical manuals do show boxes of linked .50 cal ammo loaded with all incendiary (M1) or all APIT M20.
Another possibility, TM 9-1305-200, June 1961, Page 16, states "Armor-piercing-incindiary-tracer and tracer type cartridges with deteriorated tracer elements, as listed in SM 9-5-1305, may be substituted for ball ammunition for training requirements within the continental United States."
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