The Down Range Forum

Member Section => Tactical Rifle & Carbine => Topic started by: dipisc on October 31, 2009, 04:03:18 PM

Title: Federal Ammo/ Blazer style stamping.
Post by: dipisc on October 31, 2009, 04:03:18 PM
Hello to all;

    I have been noticing some Federal Ammo at the ranges that have the ID stamping like that of the Blazer Ammo stamping. My 2 questions are:

   1;   Is Federal possibly subcontracting ammo supplies through Blazer ?

   2;   If so is this brass safe for reloading ?

     I did e-mail Federal last week about this and have recieved no reply as of yet. Does anyone here know if this is going on ( subcontracting ) ?


Steve
Title: Re: Federal Ammo/ Blazer style stamping.
Post by: Timothy on October 31, 2009, 04:10:38 PM
Federal's budget brand is American Eagle and they use brass cases.  All Blazers use the aluminum case which cannot be reloaded.  I don't reload but if I did, I'd make sure of what I was using and discard anything that looked questionable.

Good Luck.
Title: Re: Federal Ammo/ Blazer style stamping.
Post by: david86440 on October 31, 2009, 04:24:19 PM
Federal's budget brand is American Eagle and they use brass cases.  All Blazers use the aluminum case which cannot be reloaded.  I don't reload but if I did, I'd make sure of what I was using and discard anything that looked questionable.

Good Luck.


Not all Blazers are aluminum.
Title: Re: Federal Ammo/ Blazer style stamping.
Post by: Big Frank on October 31, 2009, 04:41:43 PM
What does the headstamp say?
Title: Re: Federal Ammo/ Blazer style stamping.
Post by: m25operator on October 31, 2009, 04:47:47 PM
I would like a pic too of the headstamp. As Dave has shown, Blazer is available in brass now and is reloadable.

I don't condone it, but in a survival scenario, is possible. I have an friend that has a Mac 10, legal full auto, in .45 acp, and he has been reloading Blazer aluminum for years, He uses Lee dies and when resizing, just punches a third flash hole right through the center, as Blazer is berdan primed. This is for information only, I have not done it and would only do so for experimentation, with a firearm I did not care that much about, for future use.
Title: Re: Federal Ammo/ Blazer style stamping.
Post by: Timothy on October 31, 2009, 05:19:45 PM

Not all Blazers are aluminum.

I stand corrected, I've never seen it around here so I never checked their site.

Whoops!   :-[
Title: Re: Federal Ammo/ Blazer style stamping.
Post by: david86440 on October 31, 2009, 05:33:59 PM
I stand corrected, I've never seen it around here so I never checked their site.

Whoops!   :-[

I've never seen it around here either (northern CA) I bought it at a Walmart in Cody, WY.in June of this year. The clerk (who actually seemed quite knowledgeable)  said it was something Blazer had recently come out with and it is reloadable.

This is what their website says:

ECONOMIC RELIABILITY. Blazer® Brass brings shooters the reliability and quality of ammunition built to SAAMI standards, and is backed by stringent ISO certified quality systems. Blazer Brass is loaded in reloadable brass cases for added value. Standard Boxer-type primers and primer pockets mean you can reload Blazer Brass cases just like any other case. Blazer Brass is loaded with a protected-base FMJ bullet. CCI® primers insure reliable ignition, and we load clean-burning propellants. Blazer Brass is available in 9mm Luger, 380 Auto, 38 Special, 357 Magnum, 40 S&W, and 45 Auto calibers with standard-weight bullets.
Title: Re: Federal Ammo/ Blazer style stamping.
Post by: TAB on October 31, 2009, 05:42:09 PM
blazer ammo in brass use to be called "lawmen" 


When the price of AL went up, it was not worth producing it.


I've shot a bunch of lawmen/ blazer brass over the years. 
Title: Re: Federal Ammo/ Blazer style stamping.
Post by: Big Frank on October 31, 2009, 05:44:56 PM
Back when I had a .357 I used a lot of that lawman ammo. It was as good as any other ammo IMO. I wouldn't hesitate to use blazer brass in any gun.
Title: Re: Federal Ammo/ Blazer style stamping.
Post by: david86440 on October 31, 2009, 05:48:50 PM
I thought Speer makes Lawman................ I guess Blazer and Speer are both ATK after looking them up.

Learn something every day.

ATK Companies:

Federal Premium and Estate Cartridge ammunition

CCI, Speer, Lawman, and Blazer ammunition

Gunslick, Outers and Shooters Ridge gun care and shooting accessories

RCBS reloading equipment

Champion clay targets

Weaver mounting systems

Alliant Powder and gun powders for sporting re-loaders and ammunition manufacturers

Eagle Industries law enforcement tactical accessories
Title: Re: Federal Ammo/ Blazer style stamping.
Post by: TAB on October 31, 2009, 06:02:27 PM
yep both ATK. 

Title: Re: Federal Ammo/ Blazer style stamping.
Post by: r_w on October 31, 2009, 08:20:31 PM
Every ammo machine has been running 24/7 since the great one got elected.  Now that they have SOME leeway, they seem to be running 24/7 on their best margin product. 
Title: Re: Federal Ammo/ Blazer style stamping.
Post by: twyacht on November 01, 2009, 05:29:10 PM
Never had a problem with CCI Blazer Brass or Aluminum. target ammo. In 9mm, 40 S&W, or 45ACP.

The only thing my Ruger 10/22 is finicky with is American Eagle 22LR. All other calibers work fine.

Title: Re: Federal Ammo/ Blazer style stamping.
Post by: billt on November 02, 2009, 01:23:30 AM
I purchased a ton of Blazer Brass in .45 ACP back when Wal-Mart carried it for $9.98 @ box. I still have several thousand rounds of it. Good clean shooting stuff. I save the brass because I reload everything. All of the stuff I have is head stamped "FEDERAL .45 ACP", with no reference to Blazer on the cartridge itself.  Bill T.
Title: Re: Federal Ammo/ Blazer style stamping.
Post by: david86440 on November 02, 2009, 09:50:08 PM
I purchased a ton of Blazer Brass in .45 ACP back when Wal-Mart carried it for $9.98 @ box. I still have several thousand rounds of it. Good clean shooting stuff. I save the brass because I reload everything. All of the stuff I have is head stamped "FEDERAL .45 ACP", with no reference to Blazer on the cartridge itself.  Bill T.

The Blazer Brass .45ACP and 9mm that I purchased earlier this yr are both labeled 'Blazer".

At work today one of the operators came up to me with a round and asked me if I'd seen one before. It happened to be a .38 sp in Blazer aluminum and I said yes but I've never bought or used them. He said "don't" as about half the ones he has shot have split the case and it's like shooting duds.

The head was stamped CCI. Oh, he mentioned he thought it must be good as it had "Made in the USA" on the box!
Title: Re: Federal Ammo/ Blazer style stamping.
Post by: Big Frank on November 02, 2009, 10:29:58 PM
I've shot thousands of rounds of Blazer and never had any problem with the aluminum case. No duds either that I can remember. Maybe I'm just lucky.
Title: Re: Federal Ammo/ Blazer style stamping.
Post by: blackwolfe on November 02, 2009, 10:34:30 PM
I thought Speer Lawman was basically ball ammo loaded with the same weight bullet and charge as the more costly performance rounds to allow for cheaper practice.

I have seen the Blazer Brass available at wally World in the midwest.
Title: Re: Federal Ammo/ Blazer style stamping.
Post by: Big Frank on November 02, 2009, 10:45:47 PM
Years ago the Speer Lawman ammo I had for my .357 was all 125 softpoints and 110 penta-points. The hollowpoint was a perfect pentagon. It was good ammo.
Title: Re: Federal Ammo/ Blazer style stamping.
Post by: david86440 on November 02, 2009, 11:04:40 PM
I'm going to ask the guy with the split casings and "duds" to bring them in so I can see them.

Actually I'll try shooting some if he wants to give them up so that I can form my own opinion.
Title: Re: Federal Ammo/ Blazer style stamping.
Post by: TAB on November 03, 2009, 02:01:21 AM
spilt AL casings?  I find that really hard to beleave unless they were reloaded, drasticly under sized, or in oversized chambers. 

Title: Re: Federal Ammo/ Blazer style stamping.
Post by: billt on November 03, 2009, 07:29:12 AM
What's interesting is now Wal-Mart sells Federal "Champion" 9 MM FMJ, (dark maroon box), for $9.47 @ box. It was $8.99 up until a few weeks ago. That's cheaper than Blazer Brass sells for at most places. It would be interesting to know who produces what for whom in the ammunition industry. I'm sure there is a lot of component "horse trading" going around since these ammo companies have been running their production lines balls to the wall for this entire year. It's hard to believe Hussein was elected a year ago tomorrow already. Time flies.  Bill T.