Your thoughts on tracers on/off

[Witless]

Originally posted by Dead Man Flying


Planes without tracers produce muzzle flashes around the guns when they're firing.  If you're close enough, and you know what to look for, it's tough to miss it.

-- Todd/Leviathn

Yep, can't remember who but I was in the turret gun in a A20 with a 109 on my high 6. Zoomed in and could see the muzzle flashes from the 2 MG's and the 20mm in the spinner as he shredded my plane. It was worth it though, looked really cool.

Cheers.......Witless/Trikky

[HeLLcAt]

Everyone!
         From the first time I started using the F6F I have not used tracers at all! It makes you feel for the right amount of lead and it makes you feel more comfortable with shooting. The only planes I use tracers with is La5/La7 and the N1K-2J. The only reason I use tracers for these planes is because there bullets don't fly straight at all. I don't even use tracers for the Hispanos because these fly PRETTY gosh darn straight. I think if you fly with tracers off for a while you will become a better shooter and that will make you into a better pilot. All!

~BlueiceJ~

[straffo]

Originally posted by Toad
How much (%) of the total gun cam footage from all sides has ever been shown in any public forum or made availabe in some type of media?

How much of the footage even survived the war?

Why would a show like "Wings" or whatever broadcast a clip without tracer?

They even dub in the sound of gunfire to show the audience what's going on.

I'll add :
how many of those old tech B&W films were sensible enought to show the red color ?

[Central]

It was a common practice on fighter planes to load every 5th found with a tracer round to aid in aiming. That was a mistake. The tracers had different ballistics so (at long range) if your tracers were hitting the target, 80% of your rounds were missing. Worse yet, the tracers instantly told your enemy he was under fire and from which direction. Worst of all was the practice of loading a string of tracers at the end of the belt to tell you that you were out of ammo. That was definitely not something you wanted to tell the enemy. Units that stopped using tracers saw their success rate nearly double and their loss rate go down.

Contributed by Ronald Padavan, LTC, CAP MIWG Chief of Staff MSGT, USAF (Ret.) Past President Lodge 143, Fraternal Order of Police

 

As printed in, The Victory Division News.  No. 4. December, 2000.


http://www.5ad.org/AmazingFacts.htm

[DrDea]

"the only planes I use tracers with is La5/La7 and the N1K-2J. "


2 of 3 I would never admit yet post I flew

[HeLLcAt]

Yeah...I only fly the Niki if I am in a really pissed off mood and I can't get kills. I don't fly the La7 anymore, but I love the La5.

~BlueiceJ~

[hblair]

I'd recommend turning your tracers off. It helps your hit percentage immensely. Mine is 12.78 % and could be much better if I was concious of saving ammo.

Not to mention the sneak-up-on factor.

[AKIron]

Originally posted by hblair
Not to mention the sneak-up-on factor.

That alone makes it worthwhile for me. Does take practice though, no feedback for correcting your aim when ya miss, which is of course the purpose of tracers.

[Apache]

I've not used tracers since the ability to turn 'em off was introduced.

[milnko]

I've always had mixed feelings about tracers.

I like having tracers for clearing someone's six, as the tracers whizzin' past a con's canopy usually has an un-nerving effect on 'em, and often makes em break off the guy they are chasing.

However I like em off em I'm huntin cons or CAP-ing an airfield.

[Puke]

On a related topic, I'd like to see the ammo-count instruments in the cockpit removed on all those aircraft that didn't have anything similar to that.

[X2Lee]

Originally posted by DrDea
"the only planes I use tracers with is La5/La7 and the N1K-2J. "


2 of 3 I would never admit yet post I flew

You have any other closet ego problems you are dealing with?

[Voss]

My tracers have been off ever since the option was available.

[Blank]

always fly with tracers off in fighters as people dont seem to jink as much when theres nothing to avoid, I find it really helps me when gunning in a bomber as the attacking plane will get in too close.

Gvs:  off if i'm attacking a town in an osty. but on for base defence as it makes the atackers more wary when attacking you.

Field guns, tracers off, I love picking off guys when they think the ack is down had quite a few double figure runs

I sometimes turn the tracers on in my fighter when its night time as it looks nice