Wolf/Blazer Ammo: Quality or Garbage?

[sansone]

I have shot wolf steel in my mini-14 without problems. just don't let the painted case sit in a hot gun. my auto pistols don't like the aluminum cased blazers.(except my mustang which doesn't seem to care what it eats)

 

[hqmhqm]

I had trouble with the Wolf .223 older stuff I believe. After shooting quite a bit (barrel and chamber nice and hot), a case stuck in after it fired. I had to whack the butt of the rifle on the ground in order to pull the case out. I am a little wary of Wolf now, although the newer stuff looks a lot less gloopy. I can get reloaded brass ammo for $200/1K, and Wolf costs close to that now, so I don't think I will be buying any more, I prefer to use brass.

 

[Deanimator]

I've used a LOT of Blazer and never had a single problem, although the '90s vintage 180gr. .40S&W was a little more lively than I liked in my Glock 22 (obviously not a problem with the ammunition).

On the other hand, I've heard numerous complaints regarding Wolf ammunition with the exception of their 7.62x39mm and .22lr, which is in fact German or made on German machinery.

 

[DMK]

I've used a ton of CCI blazer. It's always been good ammo for me. A real bargain.

I use Wolf in my guns with no issues. I still have a hard time feeling good about using steel cases, but nothing has proven to me that they'll damage my guns.

The only thing I don't like about Wolf is it's inconsistent accuracy. I much preferred Barnual when it was available.

 

[GEM]

Tons of 9mm, 40 SW and now 45 ACP Al Blazer through Glocks and a 1911 without trouble.

 

[Werewolf]

Blazer is fine - no problems at all.

Wolf is fine, considering the price though I've had some accuracy problems with it out of my CZ-75B SA in .40 S&W. For example shooting S&B 180gr .40 S&W I can regularly hit a 6" spinner target at 15 to 20 yards no problems. With Wolf 180gr I'm lucky to hit the same spinner 1 time in 4.

That said I use wolf .40S&W 180gr for IPSC regularly with no problems - it always goes bang - but then in IPSC more often than not you're shootin' at a big ole silhouette target which has an A zone just a bit smaller than the size of an average man's torso so minute of paper plate accuracy is just fine.

 

[MD_Willington]

I use Wolf and Blazer a lot, and everything's been fine.

Been using it in various calibres for almost 7 years now... it works, it's cheap, in the case of Blazer, it is sometimes even FREE for me to use...

YMMV


MD

 

[MrDig]

Never shot wolf don't know about it.
CCI Blazer Aluminium 9mm Luger... won't function in either of the HP's I own
CCI Blazer Aluminium .357 works Ok in my Ruger GP 100 and Marlin 1894C but is messy to clean up behind.
So how should I vote. I realize you can't cover all the options.
My experience is mixed.

 

[ambush]

I'm pretty sure the newer wolf products use a polymer coated case, not the old laquer stuff. Stuck cases should be a non-issue from now on. I just bought a 1000 rd case for my AR.

 

[PPGMD]

I use the CCI Blazer in my PPK/S. Overall it was fine no problems with it.

I have only ever shot one box of Wolf ammo shooting a rented Glock, it had issues with the Glock and I ended up taking the half finished box and returning it for some real ammo.

 

[ball3006]

I shoot wolf all the time....

no problems with it. I have never shot blazer as I reload.....chris3

 

[rkh]

Wolf is an importer, not a manufacturer.

The stuff they sell comes from all over, and ranges enormously in quality.

Wolf .223 is craptastic, Wolf shotshells are passable, and Wolf .22 RF is top of the line.

 

[Bartholomew Roberts]

I've run at least 11,000 rounds of Blazer 9mm 115gr FMJ through my Hi-Powers now (with the vast majority of that in a single Hi-Power) and never had a single failure I could attribute to the ammo. The closest I've come is some mags with aluminium followers seem to have a more difficult time feeding the stuff (greater friction?).

ETA: I missed the comment about parts breakage. I've broken (all Hi-Power): two front sights, firing pin retaining plate, recoil spring guide, slide stop, and grip screw over the time I've been using Blazer; but I don't consider the ammunition responsible for any of those problems.

I don't personally use Wolf myself to a degree I could comment on it; but I've been in a few classes where guys were using it. They had no trouble with it over 1k+ rounds.

 

[Daniel T]

Wolf is an importer, not a manufacturer.

You need bigger letters:

Wolf is an importer, not a manufacturer.

Wolf 7.62xwhatever is pretty decent.

Wolf .223 is dirty, but inexpensive, and has generally been consistent, at least in my RRA AR.

Wolf .22lr is match grade.

 

[heypete]

So my question is this: In your actual experience - not conjecture, not opinion, not hearsay - but in your experience, have you had something go wrong while using Wolf or Blazer ammo? Parts breakage? Guns stopping due to horrible fouling? Scratched breech faces?

No. No mechanical issues whatsoever in a Yugo SKS, Glock 19, Glock 26, Springfield XD-45, Bushmaster XM15, Browning M1919 (don't need to reload it, as the chamber is big and brass gets stretched), or M1 Carbine.

No accelerated wear has been detected in any of the guns. The black finish on my AR extractor claw's begining to wear after a few thousand rounds of mixed Wolf, Winchester, Federal AE, and XM193. The SKS had a little ring of red sealant wax around the firing pin hole due to the sealant on the primers being imparted onto the bolt face. This wiped off easily with no issues.

Wolf .380 pistol ammo spat little hot particles of grit at my face when I was shooting. That's the only Wolf caliber I won't shoot.

My Class III dealer says that it's unwise to shoot aluminum cased ammo in full-auto Uzis as there's an increased chance of case rupture. He has experienced this, and refuses to let aluminum stuff be shot from his Uzi.

Wolf is good fun ammo, as is Blazer. I use both all the time.

 

[1911JMB]

I have never actually seen aluminum cased Blazer ammo for sale. I've been to a lot of gun shows, a lot of gun shops, and a lot of retail stores, and I have never seen the stuff. I'm sure I glanced over it once or twice, but as far as I know the stuff is pretty rare, because I've never seen it.

 

[Geno]

The Little Boy Who Cried Wolf!

Stop crying wolf already! I like Wolf .45 ACP, 9mm Luger, .223 Rem and 7.62X39. I have fired thousands of rounds of it through my firearms with never any failures of any form. However, in fairness, I must disclose that I encountered this alert last night as I sought-out surplus ammunition:

http://www.doubleactionshooting.com/images/wolfammo.htm

Note, they display 1, single wolf cartridge! The other is Indian surplus. One (1) Wolf cartridge does not constitute a recall crisis. Again, I have fired thousands of rounds of Wolf through even my most prized firearms with never, ever any form of trouble. I Suspect that many ranges hate Wolf due to the steel cases that they can't sell. Just my thought.

Edit to add: the ammunition that blew up my brand new (5 minutes old) Kimber Ultra Eclipse was Winchester Personal Defense (the 230 Gr HPs). Winchester did a recall based on what they discovered from my event. That is what they advised me in the letter that the sent to me along with a free case of Win Pers. Def. 230 HPs.

Doc2005

 

[DMK]

Quote:
Wolf is an importer, not a manufacturer.
You need bigger letters:

Wolf is an importer, not a manufacturer.

Regardless, Wolf puts their name and logo all over the boxes. They are responsible for the product's quality, be it good or bad. Name recognition is a double edge sword. Especially since they do put their logo on various manufacturer's goods. You never know if that stuff in the Wolf box today is going to be the same great stuff you bought last month or perhaps it's just the lowest bid for the latest contract.

 

[SkiLune]

Another CCI Brass 9mm fan

Over 1,000 rounds. Not a single problem. And cheapest target ammo I can find.

 

[thirty-thirty]

The only problem I've had with either is failures to extract the Blazer aluminum cased ammo in semi-autos. The soft case expands to conform to minor chamber irregularities and that's what makes it stick.

 

[shotgunkevin]

Doc2005, I read the link you provided. Check that caption carefully:

Patrons have experienced damage to their firearms due to the lacquer coating
on steel-cased Wolf military ammo sticking the case in the chamber of
better-quality guns. This may not be an issue with oversized and rough
chambers in some military surplus firearms. Above are photos of a Wolf .223
cartridge that literally exploded when the bullet was pulled to investigate it's
construction.

This particular cartridge did not have a problem while being used for it's intended purpose. It "exploded", according to the link, when someone pulled the bullet. We are not given a picture of the primer area, so we cannot ascertain whether or not it was struck.

 

[benelli12]

I have not used blazers but I have used wolf. My SKS eats up the limited amount of wolf 7.62X39 Ive put through it with no problems. I have shot 200+ rounds of brown bear 125gr. SP through it with one jam. This is probably because I hadn't ever taken the time to clean the laquer gunk out of the chamber.

My double stack magazine for my Kimber Polymer .45 didn't like the wolf, Also had a few jams out of 250, which I dont consider that bad. But with the Kimbers tight chamber, I knew that that steel cased ammo wasn't the best diet for it. I now shoot brass only in my Kimber. I have yet to have a jam with the brass ammo.

 

[Nomoney]

I've shot about 1000 rounds of wolf 55 grain fmj through my Carbon 15 flattop
About 600 rounds through my WASR10 and about 200 through my 1911, with no ammo related problems yet. Not the most accurate stuff, but it goes bang. It is also worth noting that this stuff doesn't have the lacquer coating.

 

[xilch]

My GP100 loves the .357 Magnum 158g "aluminum" CCI Blazer. It shot where I was aiming consistently, and it was almost half the price of the "good" (read reloadable) brass cased ammo. Of course, given a choice, I'll always load my own.

 

[waynedm]

I tried CCI Blazers in my Ruger P89 without a problem, but come on, it's a Ruger. I've never tried the Wolf.