Review of the CCI Blazer .22 Long Rifle Ammunition

The CCI Blazer .22 Long Rifle is one of the least expensive loadings. The cost for a box of .22 CCI Blazer LR should be about two dollars or so for a box of fifty. Though this ammunition is listed as out of stock on Midway and other online retailers during the current ammunition shortage, I am still able to find it in my area at this time. I have used the CCI Blazer .22 off and on over the years due to it being relatively inexpensive. I have used the ammunition for informal target shooting, plinking, and squirrel hunting. Here is a review of my experience with the CCI Blazer .22 Long Rifle Ammunition.

Firing a 40 grain round nose lead bullet at just over 1200 feet per second, the CCI Blazer is a .22 LR round that fits into the high velocity category. For example the popular CCI Stinger using a 32 grain bullet leaves the muzzle at 1640 feet per second and the Remington Yellow Jacket using a 33 grain bullet leaves the barrel with a velocity of about 1500. (Velocity numbers as cited at 22ammo.com).

The primary gun that I have used to fire the CCI Blazer .22 LR ammunition is a H&R revolver. The revolver, of course, doesn't have cycling problems so I can't comment on the reliability and fouling potential of the Blazer ammunition personally. I have heard from friends both that this ammo cycles great in a Ruger 10/22 and that it is unreliable. As anyone who shoots a lot of .22 ammo and guns probably knows, that identical guns will often show are preference for various loadings. With the revolver the CCI Blazer actually shoots quite well. The revolver always shoots the 40 grain bullet loadings better than the lighter bullets in hyper velocity loadings. The CCI Blazer in the revolver will actually outshoot some target ammunition that I have used. The CCI Blazer also shot well in my son's .22 rifle, but not much different than other similar priced loadings and in this rifle the target ammo usually shoots better.

I have used the CCI Blazer .22 LR ammo to hunt squirrels quite informally. I am not a huge fan of squirrel meat and rather bow hunt for deer as the seasons here are basically concurrent. I have taken squirrel with the revolver with the CCI Blazer .22 ammo however. Like other .22 ammunition with a round nose lead bullet, the shot is more key than with hyper velocity hollow points. The lead slug will certainly do the job if placed right, but offers little margin for error.

The CCI Blazer .22 Long Rifle ammunition is a perfectly useable ammunition for everything except perhaps serious target competition.