Blazer Brass loads a 180gr jacketed hollow point in .40 S&W at 1,015 fps, producing 412 ft-lbs of muzzle energy. CCI manufactures Blazer Brass at their Lewiston, Idaho facility on the same production lines that make their other centerfire ammunition. The brass case is reloadable, which separates this from the aluminum-cased Blazer line that many shooters already know. The JHP bullet uses a standard copper jacket over a lead core with a conventional hollow point cavity.

The main draw here is the price point. Blazer Brass hollow points cost less per round than purpose-built defensive lines from Federal, Speer, or Remington. The trade-off is a simpler bullet design without features like bonded cores, nickel-plated cases, or engineered expansion cavities. The 180gr JHP will still open in soft tissue at these velocities, but it will not perform as consistently through intermediate barriers as a bonded bullet like the Golden Saber BJHP. For shooters who keep a .40 S&W pistol in the nightstand and want hollow points loaded in it without spending premium defensive ammo prices, Blazer Brass fills that role.

This load is best suited for home defense on a budget and for practice with carry-weight ammunition. Running a magazine or two of Blazer Brass JHP at the range gives a shooter a realistic feel for how their defensive load handles without burning through expensive premium rounds. The 180gr weight at 1,015 fps matches the velocity and recoil profile of the Remington Golden Saber 180gr almost exactly, so training with Blazer Brass translates directly to carry-ammo performance. It also works as an affordable hollow point option for a truck gun or backup pistol that does not justify premium ammunition.