Blazer 9mm fmj brass case question

It's due to the risk of jacket/plating separation.

Otto said:

It's due to the risk of jacket/plating separation.

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I shoot a good bit of plated 44's through a gun that's been Mag Na Ported, and never had any problems. The reason I went with plated bullets was due to lead fouling being such a PITA to deal with.

With all the guns out there that have been ported, Ive never heard of this being an issue, especially with jacketed bullets. Even with plated, I little to no fouling at the ports.

Wow, learned something new today. Never have used blazer though or don't shoot 9mm.

For several years Blazer has warned against using certain Blazer Brass in ported firearms.
It's because they are not the same thick jacket as almost all other FMJ bullets, but a thinner "plating" of the lead bullet.

Are they the only ones suggesting that? This is the first Ive heard of it.

I went to plated bullets because they are cheaper than jacketed, and I get less leading and fouling, especially with the ported gun. The only warnings Ive seen with the plated bullets have been not to exceed velocities around 1200fps. No mention of the ports being a problem.

Not sure if it is true, but I'd swear I read somewhere that they use a coating on the bullets - instead of plating.

I do know not to shoot 9mm Blazer Brass thru a 9mm carbine.

The bullets seem to break apart with the longer barrel. Groups are horrendous. If I switch to American Eagle or something similar, my 9mm carbine goes back to normal.

I shoot the Blazer in handguns all the time with no issues, though

I wasnt questioning what you said. Just dont understand why they are saying that. I havent seen that warning anywhere else.

Shipwreck said:

Not sure if it is true, but I'd swear I read somewhere that they use a coating on the bullets - instead of plating.

I do know not to shoot 9mm Blazer Brass thru a 9mm carbine.

The bullets seem to break apart with the longer barrel. Groups are horrendous. If I switch to American Eagle or something similar, my 9mm carbine goes back to normal.

I shoot the Blazer in handguns all the time with no issues, though

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Maybe they are using some sort of sintered bullet?

Ive shot coated lead bullets through the same gun, and the fouling is somewhere in between the lead and plated, but were no problem shooting and accuracy was good. All those bullets, regardless of coating or none, are cast lead bullets though.

The Blazer Brass 9mm FMJ ammo I have uses a copper electroplated TMJ bullet (left in photo) . It is not a traditional FMJ bullet (right in photo, Winchester) that uses a cup & core bullet (lead core pressed into a copper jacket). Thus, CCI's FMJ label on the box is misleading. But they can call it anything they want, I suppose.

fxvr5 posted while I typed and yes I have seen plated RN factory ammunition box marked "FMJ".

dodo bird said:

Blazer 9mm ... question ... Educate me please.

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Federal/Speer/CCI/Blazer used to be owned by ATK now Vista Outdoor.

Quite some years back, ATK/Speer trademarked TMJ (Total Metal Jacket) and Gold Dot HP which are thick plated bullets fairly close in thickness to gilding metal used for jacketed bullets - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...ng-at-25-50-yards.808446/page-3#post-10470195

If you pull apart Blazer RN round, you will see copper plated base (instead of lead base of FMJ) as shown below.



Below is Federal FMJ round pulled apart to show lead hollow base.



Keep in mind Speer makes regular plated RN (rounded base) and TMJ thicker plated RN (dished base) as shown below. Usage warning for regular plated RN maybe due to thinner copper plating and typical 1200 fps max rating for copper plating failure different copper plated bullet manufacturers use.

Shipwreck said:

Not sure if it is true, but I'd swear I read somewhere that they use a coating on the bullets - instead of plating.

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Not the stuff I have. No 'coating'. Copper plating.

Try not to spread unconfirmed rumors on the internet.

Shipwreck said:

The bullets seem to break apart with the longer barrel.

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What does 'break apart' mean?

How well would a bare lead bullet with NO plating or jacket work in a modern semi-automatic pistol?

Alllen Bundy said:

How well would a bare lead bullet with NO plating or jacket work in a modern semi-automatic pistol?

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Like cast and swaged bullets?

They work fine.

Alllen Bundy said:

How well would a bare lead bullet with NO plating or jacket work in a modern semi-automatic pistol?

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I shoot various brand lubed lead bullets like MBC (12 to 18 BHN) in factory (Sig 1911) and aftermarket barrels (KKM, Lone Wolf, BCA, Tactical Kinetics) in my Glocks with good results.

For many members in Handloading & Reloading subcategory, lead bullets are all they shoot in their modern semi-auto pistols.

Lubed lead bullets are typically sized larger at .356" to seal with the barrel better (Deformation/bumping of bullet base will squish the lube ring to form an "O-ring" seal with the barrel) and blast of gas leaking around the bullet will coat the bullet/barrel surface with liquefied lube to prevent leading unless bullet is pushed too fast or undersized for oversized barrel - http://www.lasc.us/Fryxell_Book_Chapter_5_Lubrication.htm

The bullet on the left above actually looks more like a copper wash than plating. The plated bullets I use look more like a jacketed bullet.

The coated bullets usually have a coating in a different color than you normally see. Plated usually look like a jacketed bullet, but usually bit brighter. Jacketed tend to not be as bright.

Left to right, three "coated", a couple of "plated", and a FML at the end.

fxvr5 said:

Not the stuff I have. No 'coating'. Copper plating.

Try not to spread unconfirmed rumors on the internet.

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Apparently, you can't read. "Because I said I thought I read it somewhere."

I do know it is not a standard FMJ. I knew it differed somehow, I just couldn't remember the details.

fxvr5 said:

What does 'break apart' mean?

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As for "break apart" - that means "fragment."

Shipwreck said:

As for "break apart" - that means "fragment."

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That sounds more like sintered than cast or swaged.

Shipwreck said:

Apparently, you can't read. "Because I said I thought I read it somewhere."

As for "break apart" - that means "fragment."

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I can read. I can understand the implications of what I say. Not sure you can.

Are you confusing plated lead bullets with frangible bullets? How many bullets did this happen with? What exact ammo were you shooting? What exactly happened?

Having plated lead bullets fragment into large pieces or break apart before they hit the target would be a new thing. Shredding / flaying of the copper (or polymer) plating has been reported in rare cases. Is this what you're describing?

fxvr5 said:

I can read. I can understand the implications of what I say. Not sure you can.

Are you confusing plated lead bullets with frangible bullets? How many bullets did this happen with? What exact ammo were you shooting? What exactly happened?

Having plated lead bullets fragment into large pieces or break apart before they hit the target would be a new thing. Shredding / flaying of the copper (or polymer) plating has been reported in rare cases. Is this what you're describing?

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I was shooting a Beretta CX4 I used to have. The rounds looked like a shotgun on the target. I switched ammo, and the carbine shot fine. I tried other ammos on other trips - no issues.

It appeared that the rounds were fragmenting - when they hit the target. It was 1 box of Blazer Brass. I never shot another box of BB thru the rifle again.

I now have a new CX4 9mm carbine. But, I just don't shoot that brand thru the gun.

This was about 5 years ago.

I use Blazer Brass in handguns all the time. I won't use it in my CX4, after that experience

Shipwreck said:

It appeared that the rounds were fragmenting - when they hit the target.

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Okay. What was the target, and what did they look like when they hit the target that led you to think they were fragmenting?

Interesting. Anyone else note terminal performance differences between BB type fmj bullets and other fmjs?