FIOCCHI
AMMUNITION
A RICH HISTORY OF QUALITY & PERFORMANCE
AN INTERVIEW WITH CARLO FIOCCHI
F
iocchi has a 200-year history in ammunition manufacturing
and during that time they’ve stacked up numerous honors,
including Olympic shooting medals in 2004 and 2008.
And now North 40 benefits from that lineage by offering our
exclusive Fiocchi Upland “34” shotshell, which is 100 percent
American-made in Ozark, Missouri, and currently available on
our shelves across Montana, Idaho and Washington.
Fiocchi has manufactured ammunition in Ozark since 1986,
and in Europe since 1876. The Upland “34” box and shell is
exclusive to our North 40 stores. And it’s unique; it’s a 1 1/5 oz.
load (34 grams), which is the number-one preferred shotshell
for pheasant hunting in Europe.
During our interview with Carlo Fiocchi, he said he was
surprised that the 34-gram payload hasn’t been available on
the American market. “It’s a better load for bird hunting,” he
said. “This payload performs better than others for the purpose,
and that’s why it is so prevalent in the UK. We introduced the
payload to the U.S. markets two years ago, and adoption and
feedback has been phenomenal.”
So, besides the payload size, what sets Fiocchi line apart
from other, less-expensive options on the market?
“We are never the cheapest option, and that’s because,”
Fiocchi says with a laugh, “for better or worse, my family name
is on the box. And for us it is a matter of pride. Not only do
we produce the components that we use in our ammunition,
we also produce the machinery that manufactures those
components.”
That vertical integration means Fiocchi controls the quality
of almost all the materials that go into their shots—“We’re all
shooters in my family,” Fiocchi said. “We know that inferior
products will put unnecessary wear and tear on your firearms,
and worse than that, inconsistency across payloads and shot
weights can significantly impact your performance in the field
or on the range.”
While Fiocchi began in Lecco, Italy, it has since opened
American assembly and manufacturing facilities that have
continued to grow and expand. “Our reception on the American
market has been incredible, and we are going to continue
investing in the country and the manufacturing facilities we
have there,” Fiocchi said. “We will be expanding our operations
and facilities in America, and while we don’t spend millions
of dollars on advertising like some of the other ammunition
Photo by Fiocchi
companies your customers are familiar with—there’s a reason
we can reinvest in the U.S., and that’s because people love
the quality and consistency of our ammunition. The market
reception is incredible, and my family will continue to fly under
the radar, making superior products like we have for over 200
years.”
When asked, what is his preferred firearm, Fiocchi closed
with this: “I’m from the traditional line of Italian thinking,” he
said. “If God wanted you to shoot an over-under shotgun, he
would have stacked your eyes one on top of the other. As you
can see, man is meant to shoot a side-by-side shotgun.”
READ MORE ABOUT FIOCCHI HERE
NORTH 40 BLOG
34 UPLAND
$9.99
FIOCCHI 12 GA #4
512720
FIOCCHI 12 GA #5
512723
FIOCCHI 12 GA #6
512726
34 STEEL
$11.99
FIOCCHI 12 GA 3” #1
679871
FIOCCHI 12 GA 3” #2
679874
FIOCCHI 12 GA 3” BB
679877
NORTH40.COM
67