[ Back to the cartridge reviews index ]

After a brief absence the Italian Maionchi brand is back in Britain with a new distributor. Fans of this long established maker will be cheered by the news.

Maionchi is the brand name now owned by Nobel Sport Martignoni, itself part of the major European ammunition makers SNPE, who are best known here for their Vectan powders, used by many loaders. In France the main SNPE brand is Viri and the two names are now linked in Britain as Maionchi has been taken on by the Viri distributor Jackson Briggs.
 
The most popular line in the Maionchi range has always been the AZ-20 and this will be the main seller again. Jackson Briggs will also be bringing in the 'Percorso Caccia' product (Italian for Sporting), a slightly uprated version which sells for around £5 more per thousand.
 
Both products are loaded in standard Martignoni plastic ribbed cases. The main differences are that the Sporting has an eight star crimp (which should in theory translate into slightly superior performance), while the extra 6mm of brass almost certainly won't!

Inside all is similar. Good quality shot (in Italian sizes so remember to order 8's if you want English size 71/2), is matched with Maionchi's special two piece wad. By the standards of many other designs, with their complex compression columns and obturators, this is a very simple construction. The outer part is used throughout the range and adjustment to the shot cup is made with different sizes of drop-in spacer. The principle benefit is apparently a greater degree of automation on the loading line. Primers, like all the other components are Martignoni's own, so this is a 100% in-house product, not the more common collection of components from various sources.

In my memory, Maionchi were always what I would term a good old-fashioned Italian cartridge. Just as they like their cars to sound the part as well as go fast, the Italians like their cartridges to remind you of their potency with a firm thump in the shoulder. My memory was correct. Actual performance between the two variants is very similar. Muzzle velocity is around 416 metres per second (1364 feet per second in old money), with 350 mps (1148 fps) observed. On a sample of fifteen, pressure averaged 554 bars with good consistency from sample to sample. This is on the highish side though, hence the rattling of your fillings. It was perhaps a bit unfair that I tested the cartridges on the same day I was putting the Krieghoff 20 bore through its paces, because the contrast was marked, to put it mildly.

The AZ-20 will also be available in 32 gram loads (all the above figures are for 28 gram). This delivers almost identical performance although it needs to reach higher pressures (around 615 bars average) to do so.
 
Prices will be competitive for an imported cartridge. The AZ-20 will retail at £110 per thousand in 28 gram, £125 per thousand for 32 gram. The Percorso Caccia (in 28 gram only) is priced at £115.
 
As always with cartridges, personal preference is a major factor. Lots of people love the firm-shooting Italian style and if so the Maionchis are another worthy contender. I'm a lover of most things Italian, but with cartridges I prefer something softer. Still wouldn't life be boring if everything was the same?

[ Back to the cartridge reviews index ]