Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters "Bullet Blems"

I have recently started using "blem" bullets due to their lesser cost and have been pleasantly surprised and satisfied with their accuracy! Just to be honest most of the ones I have bought could not be distinguished from "first" quality bullets and those that I have measured only had a discrepancy of.005-.008 with the tip.

With that said, the description most times with these "blems" goes some thing like this. "For majority of the bullets being offered, this blemish is a slight discoloration in the jacket or the bullets were run during press set-up"

I guess my question has to do with the "were run during press set-up"! What are the issues with "press set-up"??

Just like setting up your dies in your press, the bulletmakers have to set up the dies in bullet presses (I've been on Sierra's plant tour three times and Hornady's plant tour twice). Getting "this and that" just right, so they work from one box to another, can be a real chore. Placing a cannelure (Hornady, for instance) is just another one of those chores. That's why they use comparators after a setup, to see how close they got it to the last "lot" they made. There's quite a lot to it, actually.

Some times they don't even come close (Hornady's .277" Interlock boattail has had several iterations, based on my experience, though they'll tell you differently), with the cannelures in vastly different places, or the spire point being shaped differently, or something else entirely. Those old machines (WWII surplus, mostly) aren't as "repeatable" as your dies in your press. They're more like an automatic inline press. Most of the time, there's one operator for several machines.

The plant tours are really interesting, and I'd recommend them to anyone passing by Sedalia or Grand Island.

I have noticed that sometimes the bullets are heavier or lighter than listed also. Pays to weigh a few to make sure before you start loading them.

Most all of the various makes of "non blems" are like that IME, varying by a tenth or two either way. I don't make a habit of obsessing over stuff like this but by far the most consistent bullets I've ever loaded are 6.5mm 139 Lapua scenar's.

I’ve had great luck with the Noslers from the the Pro Shop, not so much the Hornadys fro midway. One box of the “bulk” 55 gr .22 cal spire points have been close to two inch groups out of 5 different very accurate rifles, all of which normally group well under an inch with other loads.

Great results with the Partitions from the Nosler Proshop. Grouped well and two moose with one shot per.

Too often folks nowadays rate a bullet by how small of a group it will give..
especially with Blem bullets for some guys...

They are not being used for benchrest matches...

I find zero issues with them... even if they are out of spec...

varmint bullets, regardless of groups at the range... in the field seem to yield minute of sage rat right out to 200 yds...

on several outings over the years, with one of my least accurate 223s, and using bulk bullets..
at the bench, it sorta sucked...

but out in the field, it did just as well as my most accurate 223s... with non blem bullets...

guess ya put down your money and roll the dice..

guess I must be just lucky, because I haven't been overly handicapped by them in the field at all...

I've never be able to tell any difference in the 2nds from the pro shop. Have bought partitions,accubonds, and just got some ballistic tips.Only problem is I've stocked up on some I no longer need, have a couple hundred 30 cal 150 accubonds I don't even use anymore lol.

A few weeks ago I weighed a bunch of 129-grain 6.5mm Nosler AccuBond Long Range bullets, some seconds and the other "firsts," right from boxes Nosler went me. While both varied very slightly in weight, the variation was the same with both. And they both shoot equally well in my 6.5mm hunting rifles, which includes a couple that will put 5 (not just 3) into less than half an inch.

I for the life of me cannot figure out what qualifies as a blem. There must be some criteria or measurement, right? I understand overruns and how those may be sold at reduced prices. About the only difference I see is some bullets have a groove when the regular factory bullet does not. Specifically on Accubonds, Ballistic Tips and Partitions.

i just use blem bullets to sight rifles in or P.dog shooting.

Why? Did you test the blems and find them less accurate?

I buy overruns when I can, mostly because they come in nice boxes, which the blems usually don't. Once I received some in what appeared to be re-purposed .357 Airgun Ballistic Tip boxes, which befuddled me for a bit.

I've had to ban myself for the most part from SPS to prevent over-indulging. I mean, really, just how many 160gr .277 Partitions can I realistically expect to burn up in my remaining lifespan?

Yeah, I pretty much stock up on everything I need there--though you never know!

My first blems were "anonymous" .243 Sierra 100gr Pro Hunters from Grafs with obvious defects; little lead curlycues on the tip. My thumbnail took care of those.

I have always bought blems if avaible. loaded them same as non blems and never had any problems.. I am not a pickey person and don't worry about such things.. I had a friend that made .224 bullets from 22 rimfire cases.. they shot fine.. I figured if he could do that then factory Blems would be just as good.

I just bought some Nosler 55gr. BT’s and the only blem I could find was they used gray tips instead of the orange tips.
Now I did have some Nosler 240gr. SP’s that resembled more of a 1/2 HP then a SP.
They still shot good.

I agree! As I said, Ive measured the "blems" against the "firsts" and I get slightly shorter tip on the blems!! The 154 gr SST "blems" I bought for my 280 Rem shoot just as well as "first" the quality SST's!! I will definitely be buying more of these.

Midway has some Sierra blems that I think I will try as well....

I've had good luck with seconds, blems, overruns or whatever. Never noticed anything but the tiniest difference, and that might have just been me and my technique that day. Unless it's serious crud, and it never is, the seconds are first rate once they're going down the tube.

SPS just raised their price more than the 15% fathers day sale. They should exterminate their marketing division.

Just like Black Friday. Pretty funny, at least to someone with a few thousand laying around.

The .277 etip blems I bought weighed 131 gr instead of the normal 130 and shot great! I ordered more!