Ever buy one box of Monarch or similar just to....

U

Unlicensed Dremel

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"get on paper" cheaply with chambering X? I do this now, if not reloading for that chambering, being more frugal-minded. That one box of Monarch might get you on paper for 5-8 future rifle/ammo combos in that chambering.
 
I've bought a lot of the Academy's Monarch .223 brass cased 55gr soft point ammo. It shoots every bit as good as any other factory ammo I've bought and the brass is right on up there in weight, volume, and consistency as the Winchester 2000-2002 brass. For factory fodder, most of my .223's really seem to like the stuff. It's made by Prvi Partizan/PPU in Serbia or someplace in that neighborhood.
 
Good heavens, another rebranding for PPU-headstamped brass? I've seen it in Australia marketed as Highland, and it's excellent for reloading in my experience, even in such a case-abusing chamber as .303 British.
 
yup, I bought monarch all the time before reloading. I still 5-600 rounds. I have said this a few times about steel cased stuff, I have had no problems in a number of guns except in .223 ar15. For ME, it' gets stuck in he chamber often, couple that with the brittle steel rim. So when I have to try to pull it out, the extractor breaks off the rim leaving the only option, hammering it with a cleaning rod. Its not a common thing, but has happened to me 3 times out less than 500 rounds. They have monarch brass too, which seems just as fine as any.
 
I use cheap stuff for initial sight in, then fine tune using whatever load I plan to use. I always assumed this was a fairly common practice. I also shoot at closer ranges to ensure a paper hit, this makes getting a rough zero quick.

But I don't have any high precision rifles ATM to worry with such right now. I tend to just use cheaper but quality ammo in anything I am looking for acceptable accuracy at range with.


The PPU stuff is very good ammo from the experience I have had with it. Many boxes of 9mm and 223. I don't know if the monarch 223 is loaded to 5.56 specs or not... I know PPU makes 5.56. All the stuff I have shot seems to be sealed, at the projectile at least, no outward sealant, looks to be in between the bullet and case. No noticeable sealant at the primer though.
 
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Good heavens, another rebranding for PPU-headstamped brass?
Click to expand...
Not everything is a "re-branding".
Some ammunition produced under contract by ammo companies (or even for their own brands) is held to different quality standards and may use different components than their 'standard' fodder.

Winchester Metrics is a good example.
When PPU was loading it, the 'Metrics' line of ammo was held to quality levels specified by Winchester, and used some of PPU's best 'non-match' bullets. It wasn't just re-branded PPU ammo.

Now that S&B is loading the 'Metrics' line for Olin/Winchester, the quality is even lower; but it isn't because it's straight-up S&B ammo. It's because it is held to the low standards Olin/Winchester's contract specifies.


You even get it with in-house brands in the states.
Federal is a great example. The American Eagle and Fusion lines of ammo, for example, use cheaper components than Federal's other lines. And, on top of that, they're held to lower quality standards. (Inspection costs money and drives up the price.)
It isn't just a cheaper bullet and a different color box. It really is a different level of quality.
 
I meant rebranding only in the sense that the box says one thing and the Headstamp another, and cases with the same headstamp might be in many differently labelled boxes worldwide.. That being said, the Highland ammo PPU Headstamp is in Western script, not Cyrillic, and I take FrankenMauser's point.
 
Shot a few boxes of Monarch 7.62x54R out of my Mosin. It's good for punching holes in paper. Wasn't spectacularly accurate, I had better accuracy with the "generic/white box" 54R I picked up at Gander Mountain (which is actually Wolf Polyformance). This is probably due to the Wolf being 147gr, while the Monarch is 174 (or 180, can't remember exactly).
 
I just start close to get on paper, and use the ammo I intend to shoot the most for zeroing.

I may shoot cheaper stuff later, but seldom change the zero if it's just for "practice" as long as it's close enough

I'd rather reload good ammo than spend any money on cheap stuff
 
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