Hi I know questions like this gets asked all the time. But I can't find anything when I searched.. So my questions are I picked up a couple boxes of ammo tonight. I picked up a box a Remington UMC .38spl+p 125gr. JHP value pack from Walmart. And I also picked up 5 boxes of CCI Blazer .357mag 158gr. JHP. I was just wondering if these rounds are decent to use for self defence. The ammo was cheap so I'm too sure if its the best to use the CCI .357 was a lil over $50 and the Remington was like $22. thanks for looking at my post Eric
Ammo questions
- Thread starter Eric708
- Start date
Is the Blazer aluminum cased?
I shoot a lot of Blazer, but I do not consider it a good choice for self-defense in revolvers because the aluminum doesn't hold a bullet as tightly as a brass case. There have been reports of the bullets moving forward out of the cases under recoil and eventually tying up the cylinder.
I shoot a lot of Blazer, but I do not consider it a good choice for self-defense in revolvers because the aluminum doesn't hold a bullet as tightly as a brass case. There have been reports of the bullets moving forward out of the cases under recoil and eventually tying up the cylinder.
Love&Hate12
New member
Any .357 hollow point is good for defense.
The 38 is probably adequate.
The 38 is probably adequate.
Qwiks draw
Moderator
Eric708. One question.What type of revolver are you going to use these loads in? If it is a snubbie the bullets in 357mag could cause problems depending on if the snubbie is a lightweight one or not.At the first shot the remaining rounds are put under enormous stress and if the bullets are not securely crimped could come loose and pull out of the cases.This would jam the cylinder making followup shots nearly or completely impossible.This happens frequently with ultra light,scandium,or titanium models.Not trying to cause overconcern here,but it happens.If the above is not the case just disregard.Aluminum cased ammo in very powerful calibers has had seperation problems.A lot of people also experience no problems.Thought I would bring this up and see what the scenario on this might be.I'm overcautious at times anyway.The JHPs will open under most circumstances.The JHPs won't be affected until they hit your intended target.Good luck.
chrisandclauida2
New member
dont bet your life on that crap. get brand name premium self defence ammo. even the best stuff wont expand 100 percent of the time and millions of dollars goes into r and d on that stuff.
hydra shock winchester sxt or ranger t are good stuff corbon has outstanding hollow point ammo.
hollow point ammo can be clogged by clothing and turns into regular ball ammo. it needs fluid or flesh to expand.
its just my opinion but i wont bet my life on bargain basement stuff. i carry sxt or ranger t in my 9mm. i also have hydra shock and some hi shock.
hydra shock winchester sxt or ranger t are good stuff corbon has outstanding hollow point ammo.
hollow point ammo can be clogged by clothing and turns into regular ball ammo. it needs fluid or flesh to expand.
its just my opinion but i wont bet my life on bargain basement stuff. i carry sxt or ranger t in my 9mm. i also have hydra shock and some hi shock.
Ben Shepherd
New member
I use other ammo for defense loads.
HOWEVER: That blazer stuff has proven to be VERY accurate out of my SP101. No problems with crimp jump either.
Would I use it? Yes if it's what I had.
One drawback though- the aluminum case is more suseptible to corrosion than a brass case.
HOWEVER: That blazer stuff has proven to be VERY accurate out of my SP101. No problems with crimp jump either.
Would I use it? Yes if it's what I had.
One drawback though- the aluminum case is more suseptible to corrosion than a brass case.
orionengnr
New member
Please. This does not happen frequently. As the owner of several Scandium S&Ws, I have searched for "bullet jump", "crimp jump", etc. on this forum annd THR.
I believe I actually found one first-hand account of it happening, and it was with Cor-Bons. IIRC, the poster contacted Cor-Bon who asked the ammo be returned for examination.
I'm sure that's not the only time it's happened, but saying it "happens frequently" is irresponsible.
Expanding handgun ammo is almost an oxymoron
Trully you should NEVER count on bullets travelling at handgun velocities to expand 100% or even reliably. Water jugs and ballistic gel. are not tissue, bone, clothes, etc. It's not that bullets designed to expand just fail all the time, it's that they fail regularly even with premium prices. I would prefer to carry top shelf fodder but would not feel undergunned with what you have. Practice--hits count.
The aluminum cases are not an issue, the're just fine.
Trully you should NEVER count on bullets travelling at handgun velocities to expand 100% or even reliably. Water jugs and ballistic gel. are not tissue, bone, clothes, etc. It's not that bullets designed to expand just fail all the time, it's that they fail regularly even with premium prices. I would prefer to carry top shelf fodder but would not feel undergunned with what you have. Practice--hits count.
The aluminum cases are not an issue, the're just fine.
TacticalDefense1911
New member
There are definately better choices out there, especially for the .38 special, so I would say get something else, but what you have will work...it is up to you how much your life is worth. Dont base your ammo selections all on price. As far as bullets fail reguarly regardless of price, I would have to say that that is an uninformed statement. With a premium bullet, or even a traditional JHP, at .357 velocities you have little worries. Ammo companies have worked very hard at designing bullets to expand consitently at lower velocities by changing the hollowpoint design. With todays bullets there is little worry about bullet not expanding if you choose a quality ammo.
Ben Shepherd
New member
Jhenry- So I don't sound stupid or mislead our original poster:
The aluminum cases in an abusive or harsh environment will generally corrode faster/worse than brass, nickel, or steel cases.
Under normal conditions though corrosion is a non-issue with any of the above.
Back to your normally scheduled thread.
The aluminum cases in an abusive or harsh environment will generally corrode faster/worse than brass, nickel, or steel cases.
Under normal conditions though corrosion is a non-issue with any of the above.
Back to your normally scheduled thread.
I've used CCI Blazers for practice, but if it's my life on the line, I'd grab for the Winchester Silvertip hollow points every time. No, they're not cheap, but what is your or a family member's life worth? If you just keep them loaded for SD, one 50-round box should last you a lifetime (pun intended).
oldbillthundercheif
Moderator
Both of those choices are god-awful. Plenty of people have been killed with el-cheapo rounds, but those are really really bad. UMC seems to mix their powder about 50/50 with cigar ash or something, because every time I shoot it my arms get covered in horrable filth. You should see the revolver after I go through a box of that junk, it looks like it has been buried in coal for 20 years.
Blazer is the only ammo out there worse than UMC that I know of. It gets me so steamed I am going to have to shut up, breath deeply, and watch some football to calm down now.
Blazer is the only ammo out there worse than UMC that I know of. It gets me so steamed I am going to have to shut up, breath deeply, and watch some football to calm down now.
Check out http://www.theboxotruth.com/ even the cheapo WWB 125gnjhp 38+p expands somewhat out of a snub. I've seen the arguments on both sides of the coin in this "expansion vs penetration" issue, and at the velocities that these rounds move out of a short barrel, I err on the penetration side, with expansion being important in so much as to prevent over-penetration.
It's true a lot of money goes into R&D on the premium ammo, but that doesn't mean the other stuff, including flat-nose fmj, won't penetrate and kill people. Reliability and consistency in it's function are probably the most important factors in ammunition, and I would make sure that no matter what you choose that you take it out to the range and test it in your gun to see that it meets the requirements.
It's true a lot of money goes into R&D on the premium ammo, but that doesn't mean the other stuff, including flat-nose fmj, won't penetrate and kill people. Reliability and consistency in it's function are probably the most important factors in ammunition, and I would make sure that no matter what you choose that you take it out to the range and test it in your gun to see that it meets the requirements.
I just went to the range and both my wife and I used Blazer aluminum cased ammunition.
So I'm not bashing Blazer because I don't like it or don't use it. I use it a lot and find it to be more accurate than most practice ammunition.
But that doesn't change the facts as I see them--aluminum cases don't hold the bullet as tightly as brass cases do.
A couple of days ago, on THR, there was a thread from a fellow who had some lead bullets back out of Blazer aluminum cases and tie up his revolver. He called Blazer and the technician knew the problem before he finished describing it. This says to me that it is not an uncommon problem.
I have personally noted that Blazer aluminum has a tendency to experience more setback as a result of chambering than other ammo I have used. This kind of setback is a symptom of the same problem--a weak grip on the bullet by the case.
I'm still gonna shoot Blazer aluminum. My wife is still gonna shoot Blazer aluminum. I'm still going to recommend Blazer aluminum as better than average practice ammo. But I don't rechamber Blazer aluminum in autopistols to minimize setback and I don't recommend it for self-defense in revolvers.
So I'm not bashing Blazer because I don't like it or don't use it. I use it a lot and find it to be more accurate than most practice ammunition.
But that doesn't change the facts as I see them--aluminum cases don't hold the bullet as tightly as brass cases do.
A couple of days ago, on THR, there was a thread from a fellow who had some lead bullets back out of Blazer aluminum cases and tie up his revolver. He called Blazer and the technician knew the problem before he finished describing it. This says to me that it is not an uncommon problem.
I have personally noted that Blazer aluminum has a tendency to experience more setback as a result of chambering than other ammo I have used. This kind of setback is a symptom of the same problem--a weak grip on the bullet by the case.
I'm still gonna shoot Blazer aluminum. My wife is still gonna shoot Blazer aluminum. I'm still going to recommend Blazer aluminum as better than average practice ammo. But I don't rechamber Blazer aluminum in autopistols to minimize setback and I don't recommend it for self-defense in revolvers.
Qwiks draw
Moderator
Eric708. I have to come down on the side of the other posters somewhat.Use the Remington or other brassed case ammo for self defense.Even the Winchester White box ammo has hade the JHPs tweaked to open more as someone else has pointed out.There are other generations of newer JHPs but some of the older designs work well still to this day.Federal Hydra shoks still have a very good track record in the real world.Sierra bullets older designs are on some of the cheaper defense ammo and were the bar by which others were judged by at one time.They still work well. Premium ammo is still a good bet.Newer designs in pistol bulllets were partly because of the famous F.B.I. "massacre" that took place in 1986.The F.B.I. heaped abuse on the Winchester Silvertip 115JHP even though it penetrated and expanded the way it was designed to do.Training and tactics were at fault which the F.B.I.recitified to a major extent.This wasn't totally bad due to the extreme amount of R&D that went into creating what new loads we have.Niche rounds were created for snubbies as well as revolvers like your GP100.158gr.SWCHP lead +Ps by Remington and the Winchester 125gr.+Ps are what I use for my defense rounds.The 135gr.JHP rounds by several makers are also valid.Maybe some other recommendations will come along here with those posted by others already.Several good combat annual soft cover books on combat handguns usually have up to date info on the better carry loads.The info on the F.B.I. and the repercussions or later developements has been documented in many older mags and books.