Fiocchi Ammo

Fiocchi is one of those ammunition companies that has been around for over a hundred years and is now one of the most well-known ammunition manufacturers in the world. But the family-owned ammo producers didn't start out as an international powerhouse. They had to work for it. 

Italian Roots

The Fiocchi legacy started in the town of Lecco, Italy on July 3^rd, 1876. They began producing ammo in 1877.

Fiocchi’s founder, Guilio Fiocchi started out with a large facility that was previously an ammunition and arms manufacturing plant. He applied his knowledge of business, his insight into the marketplace, and he saw how the gun industry was changing. Within 4 years, Fiocchi witnesses the change from muzzle loaders to breech loaders happening, and he re-tooled his factory to quickly grow with the changing times.

Their first manufacturing facilities in Lecco were dedicated to ammunition components. But by 1880, Fiocchi had the factory set up to produce primed shotshells. Within a decade, Fiocchi was producing gunpowder and the previously mentioned primed shells. Along with the shells and gunpowder, they were producing the components needed to build various loads with bullets and with shot. Fiocchi has continued making ammo and components since then but what you may not know about Fiocchi is what other products they used to manufacture.

In the early 1900’s Fiocchi decided that using scraps from their ammunition production could make them additional money. Fiocchi Snap fasteners were designed and built using the left-over materials from manufacturing shotshells and other ammunition. Fiocchi Snaps was officially started in 1903 and continued to make snap fasteners until the 1980’s when Fiocchi decided that its ammunition success was where they wanted to concentrate their capital and energy. They sold the Snaps factory and moved on to designing additional ammo product lines and upgrading their production facilities. In between these dates, many important milestones happened to the Fiocchi brand.

In 1930, they began to export their ammo all over the world and started the process. During World War II, we all know that Italy was on the side of the Axis Powers, not the Allies. Because Fiocchi was producing ammunition for the Axis powers, the factory was bombed in 1945. This bombing ceased production of armaments and the factory was successfully kept out of action until after the end of the War, one year later. In 1946, the Fiocchi plant was re-built by the Fiocchi brothers and began to manufacture ammunition again, and move the Fiocchi brand forward.

Modern Fiocchi Ammunition

Fiocchi has always focused on the newest and best ammunition but they also manufacture cartridges that few other companies do that can sometimes be hard to find. Most shooters who have used their ammo can tell you – it’s clear Fiocchi invested a lot of time and put a lot of money into producing super reliable and extremely accurate rimfire cartridges that would be suitable for Olympic shooting competitions.

In 1980, Fiocchi developed and produced the 22LR Super Match cartridge line. Within 5 years, they introduced cleaner, leadless primers and brought in a new high-end Quality Inspection Unit to ensure repeatable accuracy in all their lines.

In 1983, the Fiocchi of America facility was built in Springfield, Missouri and it was handed over to Carlo Fiocchi, grandson of Guilio Fiocchi. It was chosen for its location and for the people that the Fiocchi Family knew in the area, but it was originally intended to just import ammo from their factories in Italy. Within a year and a half, they realized that importing their ammo took too long and wasn’t an effective way to keep, and increase their share of the US ammo marketplace. So, they built a U.S. factory in the Ozarks to manufacture their ammunition locally.

In 1989, Fiocchi was granted NATO qualification and certification for their 9mm Parabellum cartridges and they began supplying that 9mm ammo. Just one year later, Fiocchi began using Quality System Certificates as per NATO ammunition standards and specs.

Then, in 1991, Fiocchi was once again on the cutting edge of ammunition production when they started to produce Frangible ammo for law enforcement and government agencies all over the world and for NATO countries. Further into the 1990’s they automated their cartridge loading and manufacturing lines, they built and outfitted a new 22 caliber loading line, they brought out specialized clay sporting shotshells, and much more. They also produced a specific Spas line of military and law enforcement ammo for their uses, brought out a new line up of special hunting ammunition, and they even got NATO qualified for their 5.56 NATO ball ammo which is a huge step for any cartridge manufacturer.

Fiocchi's Line-Up of Ammunition and Available Calibers

Fiocchi offers so many calibers that when you first read their catalogs you might think you read it wrong.

They offer Shotgun shells in 12 gauge, .410 gauge, 20 gauge, and even 28 gauge. 

Fiocchi's shotshells come in multiple load sizes such as buckshot, birdshot, and they also make slugs and even blanks.