Ugh, monarch rounds = no thanks

[txinvestigator]

Went shootin' today, decided to get the absolute cheapest rounds I could get at Academy because, well, you don't need expensive rounds to target practice.

I usually get CCI Blazer for the XD-9, and she loves 'em. Never had a jam, missfire, anything. Yeah, the rounds are dirty and I have to clean her afterwards, but the price savings is worthit.

Monarch's were about 50 cents cheaper this time so I decided to try them instead, and ended up giving a full and 3/4 full box away at the range, as I got 10 rounds in and the 11th jammed, 12th jammed, and 13th round misfired. I wasn't very happy.

So I do advise against Monarch for future ammo purchases. Couldn't even call them "ok" quality.

What is a jam?

[nitrogen]

WAs this stuff in a box, or was it wrapped in some paper?

I've had better luck wth Monarch .223 in real boxes, but the .223 wrapped in paper was awful.

EDIT: To be clear, I'm taking about the Serbian brass stuff.

[Idjut]

My 9mm Sig 239 liked 'em just fine!

[stevie_d_64]

Went shootin' today, decided to get the absolute cheapest rounds I could get at Academy because, well, you don't need expensive rounds to target practice.

I usually get CCI Blazer for the XD-9, and she loves 'em. Never had a jam, missfire, anything. Yeah, the rounds are dirty and I have to clean her afterwards, but the price savings is worthit.

Monarch's were about 50 cents cheaper this time so I decided to try them instead, and ended up giving a full and 3/4 full box away at the range, as I got 10 rounds in and the 11th jammed, 12th jammed, and 13th round misfired. I wasn't very happy.

So I do advise against Monarch for future ammo purchases. Couldn't even call them "ok" quality.

What is a jam?

Te, a drink with jam and bread...

I've heard nothing but bad things about Monarch ammo though...

"The King of ammo!"

[KB5AKO]

My CZ P01 will eat Monarch all day long.


Victor

[Mike1951]

As I understand it, there are two varieties of Monarch sold by Academy.

One is a steel cased version, produced in Russia.

The other is a brass cased version, produced in Serbia.

If that is correct, I think we should know which one is being discussed.

[txinvestigator]

steel case. it said on the box "full metal jacket"

That has nothing to do with the case.

[txinvestigator]

They were in a box.

By jam I meant it fired the round, but couldn't eject the spent cartridge or feed the next one in. The cartridge would get stuck kinda halfway in the chamber.

So it failed to extract? Was the extractor still in front of the groove?

[lrb111]

the steel cased Monarch 9mm is the only case I've ever had problems with. It would not clear the slide sometimes. So, the spent case would be caught between edge of the ejection port and the barrel. Held at both ends, as if put in a vise.

The pistol has run thousands of rounds with no problem, until the Monarch.

[Lodge2004]

I have run a couple of thousand rounds of the brass cased Monarch (comes in a green box) through my G19 with no problems so far. Funchtions just fine and the cleanup is no dirtier than blazer or winchester white box.

[Crossfire]

As far as the full metal jacket having nothing to do with the case, sorry if I sound like a dunce I'm still learning as this is my first handgun purchase ever What does "full metal jacket" mean then?

Russell - no one is born knowing all this stuff. We all had to learn somewhere! Full Metal Jacket, or FMJ, refers to the lead bullet being jacketed in copper. The copper jacket helps it to feed better in your semi-auto and reduces lead fouling in the barrel.

The important thing to learn is that cheaper is not always better when it comes to ammo. You have an expensive firearm, feed it well.