I was pleased to see the return of Maionchi cartridges – and several of my clay shooting pals felt likewise. Back in the 1980s Maionchi was a leading choice among club shooters and serious competitors alike. They achieved a keen following because the cartridges performed very well indeed and were keenly priced too. It’s relatively easy to make ‘budget’ cartridges, but there is a special knack to making cartridges that perform to a high standard without charging a premium price – that’s where Maionchi fitted into the market back in their heyday.
The cartridge world has changed since then, and has become ultra-competitive. Some names have disappeared, or in some cases became part of the small number of very large groups which dominate the market. We haven’t seen cartridges bearing the Maionchi name for years, but it is still recalled with affection by many in the UK shooting community.
The AZ20 is the Maionchi cartridge that most shooters remember fondly, me included. It is good to see that the link with the past has been retained in the presentation. The smart bright red, blue and yellow cartons closely follow the old style, and the cartridge cases are the light orange colour of the originals too – so there’s no mistaking that the AZ20 is back! Of course, we need to know what we get for our money and how they perform today.