Can’t get myself to buy “seconds” bullets

[scubohuntr]

I bought 500 270 gr .375 blems many years ago. I wish I had bought a whole bunch more. It really depends on what you're shooting them from. I have about half a .30 cal can of 147 gr FMJ pulldowns that do just fine in my M1. I'd have no problem buying 9mm seconds, or .224 seconds to feed a Mini-14. Accuracy is not really a thing there. I'd inspect seconds pretty closely before I used them. I have not been able to find a good deal on blems or seconds in the calibers I use for quite a while, though.

 

[Jimmy James]

No more blems or seconds for me especially Hornady. I bought 7mm 180gr ELDM blems that are fine. Would shoot them in a match tomorrow. Bought 6mm ELDM 1sts that measure all over the place 10/1000 spread. 224 ELDM blems 40/1000 spread. No more.

 

[Kracken McGraw]

I buy a lot of Nosler blem bullets and I shoot IHMA silhouette with them.
Shot this 200 yd group with XP100 chambered in 6.5 BR with Nolser’s 140 gr custom competition blem bullet. Flyer was caused by a father and son rat a tat tat blasting next to me 10 benches and they used bench next to me and we were only people there.
View attachment 1076402
Shot this 100 ydView attachment 1076405 group with Savage 6 BR rifle with Nosler 105 gr custom competition blems

Yes, others can be clueless at what you’re trying to accomplish. Real nice of them!

 

[Baddog0302]

I'm limited to 300 yds at my local range, and have many sub moa groups at 300 using both NCC & SMK blems out of an AR-10 , AR -15 and a OME Savage. so to me, the competition is against myself and the $$$ I save on blems is $$$ I can use to buy powder & primers.

 

[joshb]

Sometimes I get lucky with blems and they shoot. I really buy them for fun shooting and new shooters I’m trying to get interested in the sport. It makes it easier to hand them a box of 100 reloads and getting an empty box back at the end of a range session. I save my Berger’s and customs for serious shooting.

 

[Thud]

Ive bought firsts that were seconds.

Like JimmyMac states, I've ought some ones but mine have been seconds, thirds, fourth and so on.

 

[JCUtah]

This thread is perfectly timed. I was asked by a friend today what the term "overun" means for bullets. I couldn't give a good answer. I did a little search and it seemed that Nosler used that term.

Can anyone explain this term so I can expand it please. Thanks.

 

[243Mendoza]

Nosler blems are not really blems; you need to sort them and even the sorted blems will have flyers way off point of aim.

 

[243Mendoza]

This thread is perfectly timed. I was asked by a friend today what the term "overun" means for bullets. I couldn't give a good answer. I did a little search and it seemed that Nosler used that term.

Can anyone explain this term so I can expand it please. Thanks.

Overruns are bullets that were made for a specific customer and now are overstock. They should be firsts and therefore good bulletsl

 

[JFrank]

I my mind they are what they say they are"
Seconds or blemish. I would not expect first class accuracy or unblemished results of some degree
Anything more would be a bonus is this not correct??

 

[Dusty Stevens]

Having bought a buuunch of sierra seconds and also seeing the inspection process i cant figure out why they get pulled off the line. Sure a few of them are obvious but most dont even have water spots on them

 

[sbhooper]

I haven't bought any in awhile, but I have had very good accuracy with blems. I shoot 160 partitions from one of my 7 mag and they are as accurate as anything else. I have shot some Hornadys that were good, too, as well as a few accubonds. I haven't bought any lately, as I bought so many, that I have a life-time supply of the 160s. I get good deals on "firsts" of some bullets, by just watching forum classifieds.

 

[bobm]

I buy and shoot thousands of blem and reject bullets every year. I shoot off hand competition and these cheaper bullets provide me the accuracy needed for lots of practice. I always stop at the Sierra factory store to or from regional matches to stock up on 6.5 and 7mm reject bullets. I have never been disappointed with any of my purchases. Just stains, a wrinkle here and there or excess lead squirts that don't fall off in tumbling. Pick them off and shoot them up. They are sold by the pound. All the little cosmetic issues dissapear when they hit steel.

 

[TikkaSporter]

I've seen a lot of 6.5mm, 147 gr and 143 gr bullets with red polymer tips (unlisted mfr, but who else makes bullets that fit this description?), for sale from Midway and a couple other places recently, listed as over-runs or blems. Picked up a few 1000.

Wondering if the advent of a bunch of these 'mystery mfr' blems hitting the shelves has/had anything to do with reports of them blowing up in flight and a possible fix/re-design?

 

[JFrank]

Hornday is the only one that comes to mind with red tips

 

[danny]

This may sound strange, especially since I am by no means a rich man, but I can’t get myself to buy blemished or “factory seconds” bullets. Even when I am loading for informal target shooting, and not competition, I like to know that when I miss, or score of nine instead of 10 or X, it was me, and not a sub-par bullet. I guess it falls under the “if you’re gonna do it, do it right” methodology.
Am I the only one who feels this way?

In some cases, at least some "blems" were manufacturers "blowing out" the last of the inventory of umblemished, regular bullets when that line or or lines became discontinued, to clear out room for replacement lines.

Danny

 

[Fuj]

Ive bought firsts that were seconds.

How true !!.....I'll buy blems for case forming and powder
testing. Mainly Noslers from Mid South Shooters Supply.
Good cheap way to break a barrel in also.

 

[Bill K]

I, like a some others, Thank those that will not buy them, as that allows us more of a chance to buy them, as most companies that sell them, run out fast enough. So it betters our chance to make a purchase and use them. Other than appearance, they shoot just as well as the first line one's do.

 

[jelenko]

I've seen a lot of 6.5mm, 147 gr and 143 gr bullets with red polymer tips (unlisted mfr, but who else makes bullets that fit this description?), for sale from Midway and a couple other places recently, listed as over-runs or blems. Picked up a few 1000.

Wondering if the advent of a bunch of these 'mystery mfr' blems hitting the shelves has/had anything to do with reports of them blowing up in flight and a possible fix/re-design?

That would be great if it were so.
Over on US Rifle Teams, a fellow sectioned a sierra 77 and a hornady 75. The sierra jacket was significantly thicker. From a post in another forum by Berger, they found that a thicker jacket would provide more insulation from the heat of friction as the bullet passes through the barrel; hence, reducing the chance the lead melts and disintegrates.

 

[rockhound78]

I have bought seconds that checked out just as good as "firsts" except the red tip was off in its color. Bought some that had about 20% that didn't even have a red tip.

Unfortunately, I have seen seconds with the price of what firsts were months earlier