Please dont shoot tracers at the Pawnee. Or anywhere right now without significant safeguards.

I just came back from a ground cover fire at the Pawnee. 96 and 57 or so. Someone told the ranger who told dispatch who told us that they were shooting tracers. The wind was probably 35-40mph and the vegetation is dry as can be. We are lucky 96 stopped the fire. Otherwise it may not have stopped until hwy 14. I know BigBear says tannerite doesnt start fires but we frequently are called to fires caused by people who tell us they are using tannerite specifically. (other brands sometimes too) If you arent smart enough to be careful, dont shoot exploding targets or tracers in Colorado when its dry. (which is most of the time) This is our 3rd grass fire in less than a week.

Be careful for everyones sake.

Really sad that you have to post this, does anyone have any common sense any more.

Most interesting one of these I saw was a gun shop selling “inert tracers”. They said they were so old the tracers were “guaranteed” not to work. That fire was fun to put out.

Unfortunately, the shooting community has a subset of people who possess many levels of stupid.

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Originally Posted by beast556

Really sad that you have to post this, does anyone have any common sense any more.

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I was thinking the same thing. But there are people out there who have to be told such things.

Many years ago in Florida, I was at a carbine competition where a jackass was using tracers in hot, dry conditions. One bounced over the berm and lit the surrounding canopy on fire. Trash pine burns very fast in Florida. We were barely able to pack up and get out before the fire caught up to the range entrance. It took several crews and two helicopters to put out the fire. I have no idea what all that cost, but they hit out jackass peer with a $30,000 fine. Which to me seems like quite a discount. I'd carry the costs forever if it got a bystander or firefighter killed.

I have a little bit of tracers in 308. I got them in a "lot" of ammo that a bought at a gun show.

Apparently a few of them didn't have the orange tips and got mixed in with my other blasting ammo. Was at Pawnee Sportsman center and had to call a cease fire so I could go out and make sure I wasn't going to lite the berm on fire. When those tracers hit they sometimes "flash" and caused a little mini fire that, luckily, went out on its own by the time I got out there.

Scary shit and I don't dare use them for anything.

Might want to be careful of anything steel too. Shooting at metal can make sparks. Hell, I guess even just hitting a rock could cause a fire. Every year I can remember, Pikes Peak is a total white cap. This year, maybe 10% of it has snow. I'm keeping a long hose connected and have a tractor ready with a scraper blade to cut a fire break on the prairie. The only saving grace is that the reservoir is pretty full. Don't forget tumbleweeds under the the vehicle you are driving, catalytic converters get extremely hot.

I was on a surveying crew in Florida, and we got pulled over for speeding in our white, surveying van. The cop pulled up behind us on the shoulder, came up and started giving us our ticket, and then noticed his car was on fire. lol.

Turned out it was his catalytic converter, and he gave us a pass, and no ticket as we helped him put out the flames.

-John

Here is a link to show why that little dot can start a fire.

Demolition Ranch "Igniting a Tracer Bullet"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuRFxpNqzWs

About 2 months ago, folks were doing a "gender reveal" using tannerite and colored chalk. If tannerite itself doesn't start fires, apparently adding chalk does.

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Originally Posted by .455_Hunter

Unfortunately, humanity has a subset of people who possess many levels of stupid.

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And yes, it's been the driest winter I have seen in my 19 years up here at 9000 feet. We have maybe 50% of the ground under snow that's a few inches deep in mid March. And I see no significant precip on the radar forcast out till the 20th. Unknown after that. Not good for the "snowiest month of the year".

Be careful.

My god. It stuns me, the level of stupidity that ome people exhibit.

Apparently, this is the subset that requires "Caution: Flammable" warnings on matchbooks.

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Originally Posted by vectorsc

Most interesting one of these I saw was a gun shop selling “inert tracers”. They said they were so old the tracers were “guaranteed” not to work. That fire was fun to put out.

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I have a .50 cal can of these tips. They have about a 75% light rate if used with the right powder. I've never heard of any ammo aging out completely. This does remind us that people in any industry cause most the trouble.

Passed on cans of surplus M856 during the ObamaPanic for this exact reason (cheaper than M193/855 at the time). Can't really shoot it anywhere in CO without this risk, year round. Even a nice sandy backstop makes me nervous.

I do have a box (20 rounds) of the stuff that I'll never shoot.

Hmmm.... I wish they'd change the name from Tannerite to something else. It's a generic term now. (Sorry HBAR, I'll shut up about it... I seem to have struck a nerve. My sincerest apologies.)

Anyways, am I the only one who digs a sand pit and/or cuts/clears a small area if shooting in dry/grassy areas?

Another question, what's the deal with everyone shooting tracers? I see the need in combat, etc... but for everyday plinking, what am I missing besides "'Murica and stuff"?

How many of us have a fire extinguisher/gallons of water in the car?

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Originally Posted by BigBear

Hmmm.... I wish they'd change the name from Tannerite to something else. It's a generic term now. (Sorry HBAR, I'll shut up about it... I seem to have struck a nerve. My sincerest apologies.)

Anyways, am I the only one who digs a sand pit and/or cuts/clears a small area if shooting in dry/grassy areas?

Another question, what's the deal with everyone shooting tracers? I see the need in combat, etc... but for everyday plinking, what am I missing besides "'Murica and stuff"?

How many of us have a fire extinguisher/gallons of water in the car?

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I used to shoot a lot of tracers, because I could buy pulled down bullets for significantly less than just lead/copper, and reload them.

While I was doing that, we managed to start 2 fires at the range that we used, but that was it. Both were extinguished at less than 100sqft, and then repeatedly checked for any "hot spots" before we left.

I always have a 20lb extinguisher with me in the truck (partly because of work requirements, but also it's just a good practice), and have used it several times and had to refill it.

I'll explain it. Dehydrated plants are mainly cellulose. If the cellulose becomes a fine powder, it becomes an explosive. Tumbleweed and other plants become a powdered cellulose. Tannerite sets off a crude explosive and causes a fire.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dust_explosion