Blazer

Blazer is CCI's budget ammunition line -- the stuff you buy when you want American-made range ammo that won't break the bank or jam your gun. CCI developed it back in the day to fill that sweet spot between expensive match ammo and sketchy imports.

Blazer gives you reliable practice ammunition at prices that let you actually shoot enough to get better, not just burn through a box and call it training.

The brand runs under CCI's umbrella (part of the Czechoslovak Group (CSG) ammunition portfolio since 2024, along with Federal and Speer). They've got SAAMI membership, so everything meets proper pressure and dimension specs. No surprises when you pull the trigger.

Blazer sticks to one mission -- affordable range ammunition. No hunting loads, no hollow points, no match-grade stuff. They do practice ammo and they do it well.

Blazer splits into two lines based on what the case is made from:

The aluminum cases are Blazer's signature move. By swapping brass for aluminum, they cut costs enough to undercut brass-cased competition by 15-25%. Cases are single-use only, but if you're not reloading anyway, who cares?

The decision between aluminum and brass is simple: If you reload, get Blazer Brass. If you don't reload or your range sweeps brass anyway, aluminum saves money with zero practical difference.

Blazer's "innovation" comes down to making reliable ammo as cheaply as possible without cutting the corners that actually matter.

The aluminum cases are lighter than brass, which cuts shipping costs and passes savings down to you. They're strong enough for single-use at standard pressures and chamber exactly like brass cases. CCI uses Berdan primers on the aluminum -- they're sealed so you can't reload them even if you wanted to.

Blazer Brass uses standard Boxer-primed brass cases that reload just fine. Same CCI primers they use across their whole product line.

Powder charges come from automated equipment, so consistency is decent for the price point.

Everything gets made at CCI's Lewiston facility with electronic inspection for charge weight and primer seating. Quality control runs the same standards as their CCI and Speer branded ammunition.

• •Blazer manufacturing process flow at CCI's Lewiston facility

Blazer delivers where it needs to and doesn't pretend to be something it's not.

For range training and high-volume practice, it's excellent. Reliable cycling, acceptable accuracy, and the lowest cost in domestic ammunition. New shooters can afford to burn through enough rounds to actually learn something.

Accuracy runs 3-5 inches at 25 yards from a rest with handguns. Adequate for training work, but don't expect match-grade precision. If you're chasing tight groups, you need Federal Gold Medal or similar.

Reliability is Blazer's main advantage over imports like Tula or Wolf.

• •Consistent ignition and American QC standards
• •Fewer duds and hangfires than imports
• •Occasional extraction issues in tight chambers (aluminum only)
• •Zero reliability concerns with brass line

The brass line has essentially zero reliability concerns in any modern firearm.

Don't buy Blazer for home defense -- it's FMJ only. Get proper hollow points like Speer Gold Dot or Federal HST for carry guns.

• •What this means for you: Check your range rules before buying aluminum cases in bulk. Some indoor ranges ban them because they can't separate aluminum from steel with magnets during brass sorting.

You'll find Blazer at big-box stores (Walmart, Academy, Bass Pro) with competitive pricing and decent stock. Online retailers like Midway and Brownells carry bulk packs for the best per-round cost.

Pricing typically runs $0.18-0.25 per round for 9mm under normal market conditions. That's 15-25% below comparable domestic brass-cased ammo and competitive with steel-case imports.

Blazer does exactly what it says on the box -- reliable practice ammunition at a price that lets you actually practice. The aluminum line is legitimately clever engineering that saves you money without sacrificing the stuff that matters.

I've run thousands of rounds of both Blazer Aluminum and Brass through everything from budget pistols to high-end 1911s. It cycles reliably, ignites consistently, and groups well enough for any training work you're likely to do.

The aluminum gets a bad rap from people who think it's somehow "cheap" compared to brass. It's not cheap -- it's purpose-built for single use at a lower cost. If you're not reloading, aluminum makes perfect sense.

For new shooters especially, Blazer hits the sweet spot: reliable enough that malfunctions don't interrupt learning, affordable enough to shoot the volume needed to actually improve.