Blazer .22 as alternative

Hi

With all the .22 ammo shortage going on and inflated price for match ammo, I decided to try some cheaper alternatives for practice.

Our local Cabelas has had intermittent stock of Blazer 40 gr lead round nose for about the last two months.

I've bought 4 bricks over that time period for $27.99 per brick.

With My Ruger 22/45 at 25 yards off sandbags, I'm happy to see 10 shots groups between 1"-11/4" at 25 yards.

While the Blazer website shows the ammo at 1235, it shoots out of my gun like standard velocity as far as accuracy goes.

I've used it at club practice shoots. It works well with no misfires/alibis to date in over 500 rounds.

Its fine to shoot you wont have a problem in a ruger or a 41, now in a euro gun made for SV you might need to put a stronger recoil spring in.

I've always had good luck with Blazer.  If the recoil feels sharp, as in metal on metal bottoming out, go up a spring.

I know some people disagree, but if you sort the cheap stuff by rim thickness it helps a lot. I used to spend money on the more expensive brands; however, since I started sorting, I have shot nice tight, comparable, groups with Remington gold bullet. This same box shot like crap before sorting.

Jwhelan939 wrote:I know some people disagree, but if you sort the cheap stuff by rim thickness it helps a lot. I used to spend money on the more expensive brands; however, since I started sorting, I have shot nice tight, comparable,  groups with Remington gold bullet.  This same box shot like crap before sorting.

OK, the time::money calculation is different for everyone.

Given the recent shortages, I've been trying a wide range of previously-unknown ammo as well. And I appreciate the range reports like these, which I often search out when I'm considering purchasing some .22 ammo I've never tried (so "thank you" to those starting, and participating in, this thread).

However, if you ever find yourself sorting .22s by rim thickness instead of dry-firing, you are flat-out DOING BULLSEYE WRONG.

Not meant to pick on you, specifically, Jwhelan, but if one's goal is to get Distinguished and shoot 2600, or anything leading up to that point, don't ever waste your time buying crappy ammo and sorting by rim thickness.

Dry fire is free, a brick of good .22 can be found for the price of 3 bricks of crap .22, and you'll get more than 3x the benefit from dry firing. Yeah, .22 is hard to find; double down on your dry firing and buy 12¢/round .22 instead of the 4¢/round you've been used to.

Concentrated training with accurate ammo is important; sorting shitbox .22 by rim thickness so that it approaches 1/2 the consistency (at best) of good ammo is a fool's errand.

If your goal is to find out how to get the best accuracy out of shitbox .22, then that's another story, and one that's still of value to most of us on this forum (including me) :)But it's a dead-end as far as doing well in bullseye is concerned.

Again, sorry if it seems like I'm singling you out - more trying to address some misperceptions from the perspective of someone who's "been there, done that".

I've had some good tests with Blazer.

I understand everything your saying; however, I'm not sure why it has to be an either or scenario. If you can not find, or can not afford a 60$ box of Wolf, eley, or the likes, and you have to buy a box of bulk, sorting will help. Dry firing will help no matter what your shooting. As far as time, it's no more time consuming than using a chamber checker on your 45. It's actually kind of relaxing.

If you cant afford premium  ammo then I see no issue with sorting or other things that might help you shoot better groups, everyone has different situations and we should not judge. I shoot with shooters who have the best of everything money can buy and with others who if you add up their total investment wouldn't cover the cost of a case of good eley ammo. Both groups come to the matches and both enjoy and have fun and many times its not the guys with the best stuff that wins the matches.

Yes, by all means do whatever you enjoy.

I was merely trying to indicate that sorting .22 by rim thickness is not the way to 2600, if that's what you're interested in. The effort-to-payback ratio on that activity, in the context of bullseye, is atrocious.

If I came across as harsh in tone, it may be because I can hardly imagine a task more onerous than sorting .22 by rim thickness.

No problem John, I think most of us have hopes of someday being able  to reach the level you are at.

shooting wise, anyway....

james r chapman wrote:shooting wise, anyway....

Heh, I guess I deserved that   

(grin)

I'll have to admit I've been using Blazer for years for practice ammo and even for matches indoors.  Never in my Hi Standards, but it's my go to ammo for the Rugers and Marvel.  Any shot outside the 10 is not the fault of the ammo.  And most importantly, it has the CCI priming and always goes off.  I can count the number of duds I've had in multiple cases of it on the fingers of one hand, and have leftover fingers.

I don't use it at 50 yards, I still stay with CCE SV. It doesn't normally hold x ring in most of my pistols unless it's an exceptional lot, but it will be 10 ring ammo.

On the subject of rim gauging, I have tried it.  I found no difference in pistols.  For rifles it helped eliminate the occasional wild flyer.  I stopped doing it as 95% of my rimfire shooting is with pistols.  I just use the better quality ammo for the rifles.


Just my experience.
Al