7.62 tracer round

tracer round

7.62 Tracer Round

36 x 67.5 inches, oil on canvas, 2007

 

I was surprised to learn the use of tracer rounds. They trace the path of a bullet Silly me. A chemical in the tip burns up while the round is in flight leaving a phosphorescent trail. Generally there are one of these rounds loaded for every five or six so when the machine gun fires the gunner can see the fall of shot.

 

All text and images © Blaise Smith 2009