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CCI Blazer Brass 10mm Auto 180gr FMJ — Brass Case Reliability

Pistols in 10mm are quickly taking over the market allowing shooters to have a pistol that they can hunt with or have as a backup gun while out in the woods. While most 10mm shooters care about Jacketed Hollow Point (JHP) due to the need for a cartridge that expands, there is still a need for 10mm target ammo for practicing with the firearm. This ammo needs to shoot with zero malfunctions and stay consistent in your gun. CCI Blazer is a great option, in brass cased 10mm 180gr Full Metal Jacket (FMJ).

CCI Blazer

CCI Blazer has always been a go-to when it comes to target ammo for pistols. It is trustworthy with a great price tag. It is also surprisingly well stocked throughout stores and online retailers, even in this day and age with the ammo struggle.

Price

A box of 50 rounds of CCI Blazer Brass 10mm Auto Ammo 180gr FMJ is $29.99 at GunMag Warehouse which puts it at less than $0.60 a round. Other retailers are showing $39.99 a box currently.

Specs

  • Brand: CCI
  • Caliber: 10mm Auto
  • Bullet Weight: 180 Grain
  • Muzzle Velocity: 1200 FPS
  • Applications: Target
  • Material: Brass
  • Round Count: 50
The CCI 10mm Auto has always shown consistent primer seating and bullet seating. The powder ratios have shown consistent with good groupings and no malfunctions.

CCI Blazer 10mm Auto Review

Mostly, I shoot CCI blazer ammo when it comes to 9mm things such as USPSA or 2-Gun matches. I haven’t had one malfunction due to ammo and I’ve been shooting their 9mm 115gr and 124gr 9mm since I started shooting pistol matches, which was about six years ago. I stick to brass-cased rounds, as I just don’t trust aluminum-cased 9mm from anyone.

I’ve been using the CCI Blazer 10mm Auto since I received my Sig Sauer P320-XTen pistol a couple of months ago and have not had one malfunction.

The Groups

Target ammunition is usually used for practicing with your firearm, shooting drills, and shooting close-range USPSA/IDPA matches. This doesn’t mean that you should skimp on ammo quality though. Target ammunition that can group and shoot without malfunction is still needed for these uses.

It was already verified that the CCI Blazer 10mm shoots without malfunction however the grouping wasn’t verified. To verify this I shot a couple of groups at seven yards with my iron-sighted Sig P320-XTen.

cci 10mm groups staying in the black at 7 yds
These two groups were performed at 7yds with CCI 10mm Auto 180gr ammo and a SIG P320-Xten. The ammo performed without malfunction and groups stayed in the black. This shows that this target-shooting ammo can stay consistent in load and performance.

10mm Drills for the Indoor Range

Other than grouping drills there are also other drills that can be completed in an indoor range inside 25 yds with a single target. As most indoor ranges don’t allow drawing from the holster, these won’t include holster draws. These drills will help you learn recoil management with a 10mm and just get some reps in with your firearm.

Bill Drill

This one is simple but can show a lot of issues, such as time management problems and trigger freeze. This drill can be done with or without a holster. The goal is to keep all six rounds within the A box of the target under time.

To start, place your target at seven yards and start with the pistol on tape/bench ready. You can move the target in close such as three yards if this is your first bill drill and you haven’t placed all six rounds inside of the A box.

On the beep, fire six rounds at the target under time. The trick is to go fast, with well-placed shots.

Obviously, the recoil with 10mm makes this a little spicier.

Dot Torture

This drill is often used to warm up before other drills. The specific target for this drill has multiple dots, each instructing you to shoot the dot a certain way. For example, shoot five shots weak hand, or fire one round on this dot and another round on the second dot in one iteration. Doing this with your 10mm gun will really show where your weak points are when dealing with a larger cartridge.

The Dot Torture Target can be downloaded on pistol-training.com or purchased on cardstock in a multitude of places. Just give it a quick google search.

Doubles Drill

The Doubles Drill by Ben Stoeger has you shooting two rapid-fire shots just as you would in a USPSA match. It can be done with one target at an indoor range with no holster draws.

Other CCI Ammo Options

CCI is known for its primers and its ammunition. In the reloading game, CCI primers are slowly coming back to the shelf in pistol, shotgun, and small/large rifle. .22LR is another popular CCI product that comes in many different options. Blazer ammunition specifically is offered in many different calibers and grain weights.

  • 9MM
  • 380 Auto
  • 357 Magnum
  • 38 Special
  • 40 Smith and Wesson
  • 32 Auto
  • 10mm Auto
  • 30 Super Carry
  • 45 Colt
  • 44 Special

Case Type and Reloaded Ammunition

When it comes to pistol ammo, even if you do not choose CCI Blazer Ammo, it is best to stick with brass case ammunition that is not reloaded. Many people are selling reloaded handgun ammunition online and it is just not worth the risk as many things can still go wrong. Bullets might not be properly seated, too much powder could be dropped into the case, there could be worn primer pockets or the primer might not be fully seated. As far as the case material, brass is just more durable and gives fewer issues across the board. Is a broken gun or injury worth it for $.05 savings per round?