[300braveheart]

I'm trying to figure out the value of 40 rounds of UMC (Union Metallic Cartridge) Company .308 caliber, 150 grain metal case, tracer rounds (red/orange). I understand they command a premium compared to regular rounds, but I can't find any for sale online, so I can't find a price.

Thanks!

[Merkavaboy]

What does the headstamp read? Do you have the original box?

BTW U.S. standard 7.62x51mm Tracer rounds use an all orange tip. I've never heard of a red/orange tip. It's possible that they're fake or reloads and not actual factory Tracer loads.

[300braveheart]

I do have the original box(es)--20 per box (yellow boxes with an eagle in the middle sitting on the UMC logo)--Made in Lonoke, Arkansas, and the plastic holders inside the boxes say Remington. The original receipt-stamp is still on it from 1995, when they cost $8.96 (per 20/round box). The text on the end of the bullet cases says "LC 85" if that helps.

I shot a couple of them and they are real. These are .308, not 7.62. I'm not sure if they are technically "red/orange", they just look that color to me.

[DJ Niner]

Do the boxes say anything on the end-flap about being tracer ammo? The box you described (and the price, too) sounds like standard UMC .308 ammo. I have about a half-case of it left from the mid-90s, and the headstamps on the cases read "R - P" on the top edge and ".308WIN" below. If the product code on the end flap of the box is "L308W4", it's the same stuff I have, and it should be standard .308 Winchester FMJ ammo inside, not tracer.

The "LC" on the headstamp indicates ammo made at the Lake City Army ammunition plant, and I don't think they have ever been affiliated with Remington/UMC. My guess is someone picked up some "surplus" 7.62 Tracer ammo and stuck it in a couple of empty UMC boxes.

[Merkavaboy]

Originally Posted by DJ Niner

Do the boxes say anything on the end-flap about being tracer ammo? The box you described (and the price, too) sounds like standard UMC .308 ammo. I have about a half-case of it left from the mid-90s, and the headstamps on the cases read "R - P" on the top edge and ".308WIN" below. If the product code on the end flap of the box is "L308W4", it's the same stuff I have, and it should be standard .308 Winchester FMJ ammo inside, not tracer.

The "LC" on the headstamp indicates ammo made at the Lake City Army ammunition plant, and I don't think they have ever been affiliated with Remington/UMC. My guess is someone picked up some "surplus" 7.62 Tracer ammo and stuck it in a couple of empty UMC boxes.

You're correct.

That ammo is definately made by Lake City in 1985 and are in fact 7.62x51mm cartridges and not your commercial .308 Win cartridge.

[300braveheart]

Thanks guys! That makes sense. The boxes themselves only have "tracer" handwritten on the box, but the headstamps definitely say "LC 85" and the tips are red. So does anyone know what 40 rounds of Lake City 7.62x51mm tracer rounds from 1985 are worth?

[SCmasterblaster]

I do not know.

[300braveheart]

It looks to me like they are around $1/round, about the same as non-tracer rounds. Strange, I thought the tracers would be more expensive...

[SCmasterblaster]

Tracers should be far more expensive.

[Merkavaboy]

Originally Posted by 300braveheart

Thanks guys! That makes sense. The boxes themselves only have "tracer" handwritten on the box, but the headstamps definitely say "LC 85" and the tips are red. So does anyone know what 40 rounds of Lake City 7.62x51mm tracer rounds from 1985 are worth?

If your rounds actually have a red tip, then what you have is Over Head Fire (OHF) rounds. Look the pic in the link below and see if it matches what yours look like.

http://iaaforum.org/forum3/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=10490

[300braveheart]

Yes, it has the red tip

[SCmasterblaster]

Originally Posted by 300braveheart

Yes, it has the red tip

If I remember correctly from my USN days, red tip is incendiary. Correct me if I am wrong.