I just got back from the range after going through about 2 boxes of Blazers LRN with one of my Official Police .38 specials. At 7 yards, I had a "good enough" grouping but worse than usual. If I had shot at a person's chest, I would have hit his chest at that range, however if I was aiming at his heart, it's possible I would have hit a lung instead.
I took the gun to 50 yards and took aim at some dirt clod or stick or some other little target at the end of the range against the dirt pile. Usually I can either hit the little dirt clod or whatever or at least stay around it within a pretty good radius. However, I used Blazers and I was all over the place.
At first I thought the bore of my gun was worn or something. I put a Blazer LRN bullet and cartridge and stuck it in the muzzel end of my gun and it went in all the way to the cartridge. I always thought Blazer LRN looked a bit odd compared to the other LRN rounds from say Winchester or Remington but never could quite put my finger on it. Then I realized it. It wasn't my gun bore, it was the bullet. Blazer LRN .38s aren't wide enough in diameter at the base of the lead bullet to spin along the rifling in the barrel. They don't have the ring around the edge of the base of the bullet like Winchester, Remington and other brands. I put a STJHP Winchester down the muzzel and the bullet only went in about 3/4ths of the way. I put a Winchester LRN down the muzzel and it went in about 4/5ths of the way until it hit the ring around the base of the bullet. I put a Blazer LRN and Winchester LRN in the muzzel of my other Official Police and my Highway Patrolman and got the same results. I put a few Winchester STJHP's (yes they are expensive but these were about a year and a half old and had been sitting in the closet for about that long) and fired at 50 yards and they got me a good grouping. Winchester LRN in the past has performed excellently as well.
Bottom line: Blazers LRN are no good as a range bullet....or even as a defense round unless your within 10 yards of a person....and even then, a hostage would be in big trouble if you had to save them with a good marked shot with a Blazer in your gun. No wonder they are so cheap, you get what you pay for.
I took the gun to 50 yards and took aim at some dirt clod or stick or some other little target at the end of the range against the dirt pile. Usually I can either hit the little dirt clod or whatever or at least stay around it within a pretty good radius. However, I used Blazers and I was all over the place.
At first I thought the bore of my gun was worn or something. I put a Blazer LRN bullet and cartridge and stuck it in the muzzel end of my gun and it went in all the way to the cartridge. I always thought Blazer LRN looked a bit odd compared to the other LRN rounds from say Winchester or Remington but never could quite put my finger on it. Then I realized it. It wasn't my gun bore, it was the bullet. Blazer LRN .38s aren't wide enough in diameter at the base of the lead bullet to spin along the rifling in the barrel. They don't have the ring around the edge of the base of the bullet like Winchester, Remington and other brands. I put a STJHP Winchester down the muzzel and the bullet only went in about 3/4ths of the way. I put a Winchester LRN down the muzzel and it went in about 4/5ths of the way until it hit the ring around the base of the bullet. I put a Blazer LRN and Winchester LRN in the muzzel of my other Official Police and my Highway Patrolman and got the same results. I put a few Winchester STJHP's (yes they are expensive but these were about a year and a half old and had been sitting in the closet for about that long) and fired at 50 yards and they got me a good grouping. Winchester LRN in the past has performed excellently as well.
Bottom line: Blazers LRN are no good as a range bullet....or even as a defense round unless your within 10 yards of a person....and even then, a hostage would be in big trouble if you had to save them with a good marked shot with a Blazer in your gun. No wonder they are so cheap, you get what you pay for.