Vern,, thanks much! Mild steel core,,must have fragmented everywhere [?]...

Andy gave me a mint Russian 1945 Nagant for my birthday years ago . He had a house in the country and I went up there to site it in. He gave me boxes of both kinds of ammo... We shot probably 10 different guns that day and Many rounds...The Nagant was pretty reliable and acurate..

* So,, when do you know if its a tracer??

The rifle isn't worth much [I don't think].. I am VERY tempted to 'sporterize' it for hunting....Its a super heavy thing. I have some ideas to lighten it.. One I already did was take the folding bayo off. Might take down/off some of the fittings , wood etc. ...