Blemish bullets
- Thread starter Nathan
- Start date
joeanybody
New member
I got a bag of blemished 30 cal Nosler Accubond from midsouth about a year ago. The only mistake was they put the wrong color tip on the bullet. I measured them weighed them and loaded them. No difference. Now I usually search that section before doing a final search for whatever I need.
All my shooting is plinking or target practice. I have shot my share of blemished and pulled bullets. I recently received a 1,000 pulled 5.56 bullets from EverGlades. I can't see a mark on them. Some may not be able to use them since they are steel core and forbidden on many ranges. No problem for me since I am able to shoot out back of my home.
FrankenMauser
New member
The Hornady blemished bullets are usually classified as such for one of a few reasons:
1. Wrong plastic tip.
2. Mottled jacket coloring.
3. Cannelure. (Wrong place, missing, an extra, or buggered and ugly.)
I buy a lot of them.
They work just like the full-price versions.
I've never found a dimensional issue (other than cannelure placement or width), or weight issue.
The only 'problems' I've ever been able to identify were purely cosmetic.
1. Wrong plastic tip.
2. Mottled jacket coloring.
3. Cannelure. (Wrong place, missing, an extra, or buggered and ugly.)
I buy a lot of them.
They work just like the full-price versions.
I've never found a dimensional issue (other than cannelure placement or width), or weight issue.
The only 'problems' I've ever been able to identify were purely cosmetic.
Sure Shot Mc Gee
New member
Years ago I bought some blemished bullets from a business place called Lock Stock & Barrel. Bought 1000 32 special at a unbelievable low FFL dealer price and checked most once received and I couldn't find one having any defects. Being Lock Stock & Barrel was located in Nebraska I assume the they had a contract to buy blemished or seconds from Hornady. I'm still shooting them and they're as accurate as factory brand new.
jaguarxk120
New member
I think Lock Stock and Barrel is now gone. But I used a lots of 87 gtain soft points in 25 cal.
They worked great on PD's out there.
They worked great on PD's out there.
bamaranger
New member
blems
I bought a fairly large quantity (1000) of 9mm/115RN plated "blems" from a firm (PM me if your want details), one of the more stupid things I've done. I saved maybe $20.00. Load a bunch, nearly all of them. Took them to a match, couldn't hit a dang thing, embarrassing. And stupid. Should have tested them for accuracy.
Few days later, put the pistol on sandbags on a bench. At 20 yds, I could not keep them on a pie plate, and many that hit were tumbling. At 10 yds I could keep them on the plate, but most tumbled. Went home and mic'd a the ones left I had not loaded, they were mostly undersize.
By slowing them WAY down, I could get most of the tumbling eliminated, but the velocity/energy was so low, the slide would not fully cycle. My Glocks became single shot pistols. Relegated the whole batch to single practice from the holster and for failure drills.
MORAL.....if you buy blems, buy a small quantity first.
I bought a fairly large quantity (1000) of 9mm/115RN plated "blems" from a firm (PM me if your want details), one of the more stupid things I've done. I saved maybe $20.00. Load a bunch, nearly all of them. Took them to a match, couldn't hit a dang thing, embarrassing. And stupid. Should have tested them for accuracy.
Few days later, put the pistol on sandbags on a bench. At 20 yds, I could not keep them on a pie plate, and many that hit were tumbling. At 10 yds I could keep them on the plate, but most tumbled. Went home and mic'd a the ones left I had not loaded, they were mostly undersize.
By slowing them WAY down, I could get most of the tumbling eliminated, but the velocity/energy was so low, the slide would not fully cycle. My Glocks became single shot pistols. Relegated the whole batch to single practice from the holster and for failure drills.
MORAL.....if you buy blems, buy a small quantity first.
The last "blems" I've purchased were Nosler 30 cal JHP. I measured and weighed mebbe 50 bullets and could find nothing, except a small variation in length, less than .004". On close inspection I found the HP mouths were uneven and slightly jagged (had to use my magnifying visor to see the deformed HP). The bullets shot as well as I can in my Ruger 308, and my Garand. My other "blem" purchases the "blem" was a discoloration of the jackets. (normally for a "blem" the problem is cosmetic, "factory seconds" have a dimensional defect).
Last edited:
Geezerbiker
New member
I bought a couple hundred 160g ballistic tip bullets that look like Hornady .30 lever evolution bullets. The tips were mostly malformed but I found it easy to pull the plastic tips. Since I'm going to shoot them from a .30-30 bolt gun, I'm not worried about it.
Most of the time blems could be from anywhere...
Tony
Most of the time blems could be from anywhere...
Tony
armoredman
New member
I bought some "80 grain factory second" bullets from MidwayUSA - turned out to be Hornaday TAP 75 grainers, worked beautifully in my BREN 805.
I was in discussion with Hornady technical personal, while there I purchased a few things and I asked about bullets; at the time they did not extend a discount for those that took an effort to visit.
My only interest was .311 bullets and the bins were empty. SO
they went to the back with a bucket and returned with the bucket half full of bullets. The bullets got dumped into the blem. bin.
F. Guffey
My only interest was .311 bullets and the bins were empty. SO
they went to the back with a bucket and returned with the bucket half full of bullets. The bullets got dumped into the blem. bin.F. Guffey
Blemished implies all is well with the form and construction of the bullet, EXCEPT for some form of discoloration or the wrong color of plastic tip. Most companies don't sell them under their own commercial brand as they 'look funny'.
Reject bullets range from blemished to diameter being off size. Or irregularities in the lead core. Or something very serious from a construction standpoint.
Occasionally, a vendor will - from ignorance or greed - sell constructionally rejected bullets as 'blems'. One usually cannot tell by looking. One on one's own in such cases. If the bullets are the right weight, they can be useful in load development to see if one's rifle will handle the load. Typically, they are NOT useful in determining the best accuracy.
I regularly shop the Hornady office and find 'reject' jacketed bullets. They are all marked with the reason for rejection. "Set up" means this is a box of the first X thousand bullets struck in this particular lot; to allow the machines to 'settle'. I've never had a problem with such bullets. Nor do any of the odd colored or spotted jackets cause me grief. Even the ones marked "Won't group" is not a death sentence. (It really means a couple they tried did not give the expected results; it doesn't mean they are all bad.)
I tend to use the seconds for a lot of work up shooting and purchase commercial release bullets for 'serious' use.
Reject bullets range from blemished to diameter being off size. Or irregularities in the lead core. Or something very serious from a construction standpoint.
Occasionally, a vendor will - from ignorance or greed - sell constructionally rejected bullets as 'blems'. One usually cannot tell by looking. One on one's own in such cases. If the bullets are the right weight, they can be useful in load development to see if one's rifle will handle the load. Typically, they are NOT useful in determining the best accuracy.
I regularly shop the Hornady office and find 'reject' jacketed bullets. They are all marked with the reason for rejection. "Set up" means this is a box of the first X thousand bullets struck in this particular lot; to allow the machines to 'settle'. I've never had a problem with such bullets. Nor do any of the odd colored or spotted jackets cause me grief. Even the ones marked "Won't group" is not a death sentence. (It really means a couple they tried did not give the expected results; it doesn't mean they are all bad.)
I tend to use the seconds for a lot of work up shooting and purchase commercial release bullets for 'serious' use.
math teacher
New member
I have been using so called blemished Nosler bullets from Shooter's Pro Shop, http://www.shootersproshop.com, for several years. I have yet to see a blemish. They shoot and perform the same as any of Nosler's bullets. Some have a cannelure in the correct place which I suspect are overruns for other companies that load their bullets. The only difference I have found is they come in a bag instead of a box. My friends and I have used them on moose for several years, and like this year, they went bang-flop. Shooter's Pro Shop is located on the Nosler campus, so likely it belongs to Nosler.