CAL. 30 TRACER CARTRIDGES

Up for sale are several boxes of "WESTERN CARTRIDGE COMPANY" tracers as described above and below. $45.00 each.

The box is further labelled:

"Division of Olin Industries, Inc.

EAST ALTON ILLINOIS, U. S. A.

The cartridges are all head stamped "W C C over 5 5".

They all have an orange tip.

The primer is not staked and has the remnant of a red sealant visible.

The following narrative is based on my own personal experience and of two other people.

I first purchased a box or two of these units in 1989, according to my notes, they did not trace then and they still do not trace.

Over the years I purchased a box or three here and there. They were cheap and common back in the day.

None of those units ever traced(call me a slow learner) and I continued to buy a box here and there in the hope that I would find a cartridge that would trace.

In about 2025 (when lots of these started to show up in sites like this) I pulled several apart and they do appear to have a tracing compound in the cavity of the projectile.

I used a BBQ lighter a pair of pliers and in the great out of doors I stuck the rear end of one into the flame. It took a second or two but it did light.

It burned so bright I had spots in my eyes for awhile.

Encouraged by this I pulled several more apart and re-loaded them with new brass, primer and powder. I juiced several of the loads and on the  others loaded them according to the book. (There appeared to be no issues with the powder or primers that they were originally loaded with)

Further more I gave them the benefit of being fired out of a warm barrel.

We put ten standard ball loads thru the rifle as fast as possible and then fired the tracers.

It was at dusk, pretty dark, and the berm was 1,025 yards + or - away.

No joy, not a single unit traced.

So do they look "cool"? Maybe.

Are they working tracers? In my experience no.

Are they scarce and collectible? No and collectible is in the eye of the beholder.

These are being sold as is. They go bang every time, so far.

I can legally ship these  to anywhere that is served by Purolator "ground".

You must have a PAL.

Shipping and insurance is on the buyer.

Payment by EMT or if you are local cash.

Please no trades.

Thanks

Roy

P.S. Based on my experience with tracers of different vintages and calibres they appear to have a shelf life of 40 to 60 years.

And anyone who shoots them other than in the dead of winter over ground covered by three feet of snow should reconsider their insurance policy before hand.