Blaser .45 ACP. Do you like the stuff?

R

Redlg155

New member
Just curious.

I picked up some at the local Wallyworld today( Walmart) for a little under $9.00 a box of 50 for 230gr FMJs. I put 100 rounds through my Kimber Pro Carry SLE (4in barrel) and wasn't very impressed. I found the ammo have excessive muzzle blast with a lot of "sparks" from powder still burning as it left the barrel. It was also pretty dirty. It functioned fine with only one failure but the accuracy was pretty dismal. I shot a sub 2in group with S&B 230gr FMJs at 50 feet prior to shooting the blaser. The best I could get was 4 inches at 50 feet with the blaser. That made for even worse groups offhand.

Now to the failure. It was a failure where I inadvendently pressed upwards on the slide release and caused the slide to lock back with rounds in the magazine. What struck me as strange was that the next round in the magazine was already halfway out of the magazine and on the feedramp when the slide locked back. My only guess it that the nose of the bullet is much heavier than the aluminum casing and the momentum of the firing caused the entire round to start its journey up the feedramp without assistance from the slide. I found this strange because it had never happened to me before. I guess I could equate this somewhat to how the momentum of heavy recoiling revolvers will sometimes start to pull the bullets from the casings, except in this instance the entire cartridge began to travel. Go figure.

Anyway..I'll stick to S&B from now on.

Good Shooting
RED
 
I don't like it much either but I occasionally use it in my .45 since it is inexpensive (I figure more practice with bad ammo is better than less practice) and I don't reload (yet).

I have found it less reliable and accurate and much dirtier than most other ammo. For cheap stuff I prefer Winchester USA and Winclean and UMC though I occasionally get Blaser simply because it is usually the cheapest. Also, it seems far less hot (there is certainly less blast and recoil) which makes it good when introducing someone to the .45 acp (at least until I start reloading and can simply load a downloaded round).
 
Blaser

Blaser is that CCI/Speer practice ammo that's loaded in an aluminum cartridge case that's Berdan primed. I try to stay away from it. Spend a little more and get S&B .45ACP. It's accurate, reliable, and you can reload the brass or sell it. I don't like blaser at all.

Bob
 
Hmmm...just looked at the last box I have in the safe. CCI Blazer. Spell check required on my part!:D

But then in some forms of writing the "s" is substituted for a "z". But of course not in this instance.

Anyway..come one now..work with me Jim!:D

Good Shooting
RED
 
A person could do worst than blazer ammo like cheap reloads from who knows where,i shoot mostly 9mm's but have fired the 45's from my G-30 and it worked just fine.
 
Some weapons choke on blazers yet my glocks and rugers do fine.

When speaking with ruger tech svc in presscott, az and glock svc in Smyrna, GA they both recommended blazer as their test ammo of choice. They both said to avoid overseas ammo, even those that are sammi certified have been "inconsistent" including S&B.

I guess when they make a decision to store 100,000s rounds of ammo for testing weapons cost is an issue but so is quality and consistency.

Also found them to be a bit hotter than most.

I use their .40sw 165g and their .45acp 230g FMJs at the range.

As far as dirty, I have clean them after shooting whether they're a little dirty or alot dirty :)
 
I absolutely adore the Blazer .45, as does my Glock 21 - by far the most accurate and consistent practice ammo with that gun.

I clean after every range trip anyway, so if it's a little dirty I don't mind.
 
My Government Model, normally 100% reliable, will not feed more than three Blazers in a row.

It may have something to do with the Friction Coefficients.

Aluminum on steel has a higher coefficient of static friction than brass on steel.

Ref:
http://www.compumotor.com/literature/pdf/pg223_engrg_mtrsz.pdf

(see page 225)

This higher friction coefficient, (more than double), may account for some of the reliability problems that have been experienced when shooting with the aluminum-cased ammo.
 
I'm currently going through 1 case each of 9mm and .45 Blazer. I can honestly say I don't like the ammo. Prior to getting the Blazer, I had purchased 1 case each of 9mm and .45 in Sellior & Bellot. The S&B was a tad dirtier, however, it was a hell of a lot more accurate, and seemed to shoot smoother (possibly less recoil??) Natchez always has good prices on both, but for my money the S&B ( at least in the calibers I shoot) is the way to go.
 
......also, the aluminum case is lighter than the brass case, giving the loaded round a different-than-normal weight and center-of-gravity.

These factors may increase the chances of the round bobbling on the feed ramp.

I would not use the Blazers for defense.
When you unload, and rechamber the round, the round has a better chance of getting pushed deeper into the cartridge case, setting-up an over-pressure condition.
The brass cases are less susceptable to this, becuse they maintain a better "grip" on the bullet.
 
I use the Blazer ammo A LOT! It is very accurate in my 1911s, and in this area it is the cheapest "off the shelf" ammo I can find.

I do not reload, so keeping the brass is not a concern of mine. I have had zero problems with the ammo.

I prefer it over the Winchester white box and Remington UMC ammo in both .45ACP and 9mm.

IMHO - very good ammo.
 
I am a reloader, any new ammo I buy has to have a brass case. I have tried the Blaser before I started to reload, and didn't like it.
 
One time we had a chrono out and we were testing out all different kind of loads.

Hornady, Speer, Remington, Federal... all kinds. Blazers were the most consistant ammo tested. +/- 2 FPS where as everything else was between 5 to 10 variance.

I wouldn't have believed it if I wasn't doing the testing with the other fellas.
 
I adore Blazer ammo in 9 JHP, 40 FMJ , 45 FMJ, 44 Magnum, 44 Spl, and 10mm.

I think the 45 ACP is my favorite Blazer fodder in 230gr FMJ. My Springfields, Glocks, Colts, and other miscellaneous 45s gobble up the jacketed round like M&Ms. In terms of accuracy, my Springfields actually group very nicely into an inch at 15 yds. It is good enough for me. I do agree that there IS bullet seat-back with the alloy casings, so you do not want to chamber, eject, and then rechamber the 40 rounds by any means. However, their consistency is very good in my opinion. S&B is also nice, but i tend to have to wait around for a good bulk deal on them. I use th 45 FMJ as a carry round in my 1911 Springfield. I have shot over 10,000 rds of Blazers through the pistol, and have had to experience a single failure.
 
I've had problems with Blazer 230g JHPs out of a couple of 1911s that would feed everything else.

I have noticed also that if you chamber the same round a few times, the bullet gets pushed back. I havent noticed that so much with other ammo.

Also, I put a caliper to a couple of boxes of Blazers, from different lot numbers, and found that the OAL seems to run a tad on the long side. Maybe thats a trend, maybe its not.

I occasionally will buy some because its so cheap, but I prefer S&B for target shootin
 
One problem with aluminum is that it does not have the elasticity of brass, that is, it is not as "springy". That was what kept it from being used for cartridge cases for many years, and it is still not recommended for any kind of reloading (which is why Blazer is made with a special Berdan type primer).

That failure to grip the bullet has been one problem. Most people who shoot Blazer don't reload and don't care to. Their shooting is limited to loading and firing, and for that purpose, Blazer is pretty much OK.

FWIW, I have used a lot of that "Lake City" ammo from Hungary; works fine, is reloadable, and only a mite more expensive than Blazer. Seems odd that Glock would warn against "overseas ammo". How about "overseas" guns?

Jim
 
Haven't used the .45 Blazer, but I buy the 9mm Blazer by the case all the time at $4.00 per box of fifty. That's $80.00 a case plus tax for those of you scratching your heads.

I reload .45 due to the huge savings, but I would rather buy 9mm at this price than bother with reloading.
 
Redlg155, the problem you described about the next round in the magazine already being partially stripped forward probably has nothing to do with the ammo being Blazer. You are correct that the nose of the round is definitely heavier than the aluminum case. However, the nose of rounds in brass cases are also much heavier than the case. On top of that, the aluminum cases are not that much different in weight as the brass cases. In dealing with such light weights, if you are suggesting the very smaller difference in case weight is the problem, get rid of the gun. The difference is inconsequential.

I have seen it with brass, aluminum, nickel, and steel cases. What it sounds like is happening is that when the previous round is stripped from the mag and loaded into the chamber, it is pulling the next round forward just a bit. More than likely the problem is going to be with the magazine feed lips or worn magazine spring.

As far as my experience with Blazer goes, I have been through thousands of rounds and find the stuff makes for very good practice ammo. It is about the least expensive ammo out there that I will run through my guns, American and Wolf being the other cheaper ones. If you don't reload, then for .45 acp, you may be saving as much as $2-3 per box in price if you shop the right places (see Natchezss.com), although S&B is a close contender. Since I don't reload, I see no reason in paying for brass that I am not going to use or keep. Brass, aluminum, or nickel cases all have the same round file value as far as I am concerned.
 
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