If my memory serves me correctly, I vaguely remember reading posts here where some members handguns were damaged when firing ammo loaded by Fiocchi. Unfortunately, I don't remember seeing any follow-up posts reporting if (and how) Fiocchi stood behind their ammo which damaged guns.

I am looking at expanding into a handgun that fires a cartridge that I don't have on hand or currently handload for. I am aware that Fiocchi had a reputation for quality ammo.

My questions:
1) Were these blow-ups rare occurrences of were they a sign of declining quality?
2) Did Fiocchi cover the damage or is this still in litigation?

I ask this because their price is very attractive compared to other major companies offering the same type of ammo.

Thanks for your advice!

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Judge control not gun control!

I've never heard the stories of Fiocchi ammo causing handgun damage. I've shot a lot of Fiocchi 9mm and .40S&W for years without a hiccup. I plan to keep buying it in the future.

No problems here, either. FWIW, it’s made in Kentucky now.

No manufacturer in the first world countries would ever produce ammunition which was in any way dangerous to the shooter or the gun. The legal liabilities for negligence are far too high to allow that. But there are rare failures in quality control which, if discovered, would result in a re-call of the bad ammo.

Could not comment on metallic cartridges, but I have shot say 25,000 of their target shot shells with never a problem

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Pete
I ain't no fortunate son

+1;

I have shot a LOT of their 12 Ga. trap loads along with revolver and pistol ammo........
with out a hitch but my weapons are modern and +P rated.

Being made in the USA is a plus for this ammo......
even though the other ammo had a reputation of being on the "NATO" side of power and not just the average low vel. loadings like Blazer Ammo.

I have limited experience with Fiocchi but am currently running through a case of 9mm 115gr utilized in various gun games,i.e. USPSA, IDPA, steel speed. The ammo is performing flawlessly in several guns. Clean and accurate.

My previous encounters with Fiocchi were less than satisfactory. Their 25ACP ammo would not function the slide of my Beretta pistol. I picked up a box of 200gr jacketed semiwadcutters from a prize table and this item was very hot!

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Bob.
SWCA 1821

I USE THEM AND NEVER HAD PROBLEMS. IN ARGENTINA WE DO NOT HAVE MANY BRANDS TO CHOOSE.

I've shot thousands of rounds of Fiocchi .32ACP, .380ACP, and 9mm over the years, and haven't had a single ammunition issue (I haven't heard the "stories" you mentioned either).

No issues with present era Fiocchi ammo. It may also be made elsewhere but they have a big plant in SW Missouri.

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

I have shot plenty of their ammo (all kinds) and I do not have a issue with it!

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14 S&W Revs none with locks!

Aside from being on the anemic side, I've never had any issues with Fiocci. I've shot a lot of their .455 MkII without any problems. pop,pop,pop.

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SWCA #3356, SWHF#611

I have never heard any negative reports about them and their ammo has always performed very well in all of my guns. A big plus for them is the price is usually very competitive also. I have a few boxes of it now in my stash.

I've shot their 357 mag stuff , no problems and I liked it . Regards, Paul

My experience with Fiocchi pistol ammo has been with the .25 acp and
the .32 and .380 acp ctgs. I chronograph everything I shoot. In my
experience the .32 acp is very good, the .380 even better but the .25s
were under loaded squibs.

Don't be so sure about that.

They are:

1. Mostly inaccurate. .32 WC and .38 WC come to mind.

2. Their .30 Luger ammo has, or has had (meaning I don't know if it was corrected but I'm not the one to try to find out), issues with headspace, that when used in a Luger can cause irreparable damage on what is now a very collectible pistol.

I also witnessed .45 ACP cartridges bursting out in the unsupported area of the chamber.

It's true they keep producing some hard to find calibers. I buy those. Just to have a minimum of brass availabe.

That is what have to say about them.

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Expect the unexpected

Never heard the story mentioned by the OP, nor anything negative about Fiocchi. AFAIK, Fiocchi manufactured most or all of the ammunition branded as S&W.

P.S. Until Kurusu's post, that is.

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Formerly Model520Fan

Found this today while going through my 9mm stuff.........
not knocking this ammo but I thought I would post a picture of what Fio bullets do when fired into dirt.

Mind you this is a cheap, FMJ target load not a high $$ SD loading.....
but did find the separation interesting.... for a FMJ style bullet.
Later.

I’ve fired many hundreds of rounds of their 115 grn FMJ 9mm without a glitch. I used to shoot it almost exclusively back when they had the contract to load Cabelas house brand, Herters. It was inexpensive, clean and fairly accurate (probably more accurate than me). I still get it when it’s on sale, but Federal American Eagle is usually cheaper where I shop. I have no experience with other calibers, and I don’t chronograph so my experience is strictly anecdotal and subjective.
Good shootin’,
Doug

I have found their .223 FMJ 55 grn is clean and accurate. I've got a case and a half staring at me now...

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Isaiah 41:10

Not used anything of theirs but a couple of boxes of 9MM 124gr. All fired, and hit where I was pointing. I would buy more, but found vendors with less expensive rounds, of other brands I like.

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Heavily armed old man.

I shoot their reduced recoil 12 gauge OO buckshot and like it a lot

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Buy American
Vote Responsibly

Fiocchi used to have some problems with .40 caliber years ago, as did almost all the ammo manufacturers.
The failures were almost always with Glocks, due seemingly to the fact that Glocks had an area at the rear of the chamber at the six-o'clock position that did not have as much case head support as other gun manufacturers had, causing the case head to blow off, sometimes taking the extractor with it.
The relatively unsupported case head itself would not ordinarily be a problem, but the 40 is ( or was ) a cartridge that operates at higher than normal chamber pressures. That, combined with an interior case design that was not forgiving of inconsistencies in the loading process made it a cartridge that would make small variations in powder charge, bullet seating depth, and crimp cause chamber pressures to spike. I'm talking about variations that would not cause any problems in other calibers.
All the manufacturers hated loading the .40 S&W at that time ( mid to late nineties ).

I have been shooting some of the perfecta .38spl made by Fiocchi and it is great 158gr FMJ ammo very strong and very very clean. I ordered a couple of cases before sales tax was collected on internet sales. I use it to shoot turtles and fish in my pond.

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dd884
JMHO-YMMV

I've shot several cases of their 9mm, two or three cases of their .380, nearly 3 cases of their .223, several boxes of .38 special, and a few boxes of shotshells. No issues with any of them.

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Or something like that . . .

I've shot thousands of rounds of Fiocchi 9mm and 45 ACP. No problems with it at all. In fact, it is my preferred training ammo.

Unless they have opened up a new plant or warehouse operation, Fiocchi is still made just NE of Ozark, MO.

Shot a lot of 32 s&w long ammo. No problems.

Their pistol ammunition is made in two places, maybe three.
Ozark, MO and somewhere in Italy are the only ones I know about.

Except for ammo for some of the weaker guns like the Webleys, the Italian ammo is loaded hotter. Italy's equivalent of SAAMI ( CIP ) allows ammo to be loaded to somewhat higher pressures than SAAMI allows in the US.

IIRC, 30 Luger and 7.62X25 are dimensionally very similar.
the 7.62X25 is loaded pretty hot for use in Eastern Bloc submachineguns and Tokarev pistols.

I have shot some, no problems.

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No baby we aint

You are mixing things up. it's .30 Mauser (7,63x25) that is similar in dimensions to the Tokarev ammo(7,62x25). .30 Luger (7,65x21 Parabellum) is also a bottleneck round but they are not interchangeable.

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Expect the unexpected

I haven't used their .25 ACP, but the .380 has been flawless for us and the .32 works perfectly in European pistols that find US branded ammo troublesome.

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Release the Kraken

I have shot hundreds of their .223 Extrema ammo loaded with V-Max bullets, and have several cases of the 40 gr loads in reserve. Have experienced zero issues, reliability wise and have been pleased with the accuracy. Granted, there are more than a few off centered flasholes in the brass, but I have successfully reloaded them and the off center flasholes don't seem to affect accuracy to any significant degree. I haven't used that much of their handgun ammo since I shoot 99% handloads, but do have a few boxes of 9mm and .357 Magnum in reserve.

I just checked the boxes of Fiocchi 115 gr. 9mm FMJ I bought a few weeks ago. All boxes are printed "Made in Italy". I noted the comment above that European ammo may be loaded hotter than SAAMI specs. My fellow shooters at local matches claim the Fiocchi I shoot seems quite hot. I don't notice it and prefer ammo that runs the gun powerfully! I have had bad experiences with Federal 147 gr JTC ammo failing to cycle my Ruger Pistol Caliber Carbine which has never been altered in any way.

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Bob.
SWCA 1821

That's because SAAMI requires 9mm to be downloaded to protect their precious 45 ACP. Just my conspiracy theory for the day.

SAAMI +P in 9mm is loaded pretty close to the real stuff. The latest US Army 9mm goes even hotter according to the Sig M17 article in the Rifleman a few months back.

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Release the Kraken

I bought a brick of their .22 WMR stuff for about 2/3 of what CCI cost just before the rimfire drought hit. Found the Fiocchi much more accurate in my HB Savage 93.

Also had some of their .357 158 gr., which worked fine in a couple of M28s.

Ran through a bunch of Herters .45 ACP and few boxes of 9mm. All went bang, none went BOOM, about on a par with the big 3's economy lines.

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I need ammo, not a ride.

Yes!! I have a new SIG M17 and have been shooting the Winchester NATO 124gr FMJ ammo in it. The SIG eats it up. Apparently, any ammo Winchester loads for military contract gets inspected and if it doesn't pass comes retail here.

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Bob.
SWCA 1821

I assume you are enquiring about their .32 ACP ammo for your new Beretta 81?

If so, that ammo is excellent and well thought of. Buy with confidence.

I’ve gone thru cases of Fiocchi 9mm (mostly in Glocks) and never had any issues.

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Some Might Say.

I bought some 90 grain .380 JHP based on it being among the few loads that came close to meeting the FBI spec. It's loaded with the Hornady XTP bullet, IIRC. I've shot it in the little Glock 42 and it seems to do just fine. That pistol was slow to break in, but I had about 300 rounds of ball down the pipe before I even tried this load. It quickly started to work well.

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NHI, 10-8.

Used to shoot a lot of their .45 acp when I shot some IDPA and never had any issues with it .

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Grumpy Old Man With a Gun

We used to sell a lot of Fiocchi ammo at the store I used to be with. Never ran into any issues ourselves, was good ammo, most of it was reasonably priced and it sold well. As to damaging guns, quality control issues can rear their head up anywhere. I have seen dozens of recalls from many different manufacturers over the years. Earlier this year Winchester recalled certain lots of 38 Special ammo for instance. It happens and sometimes the stuff gets out the door and to the consumer before they discover there's a problem.

I don't think Fiocchi has any more incidence of trouble than most other makers. Like any other responsible manufacturer they will try to correct an issue when they find it, @2011 they recalled some 243 rifle loads for a manufacturing issue. Of course the manufacturer has to be aware of the issue and if product has already shipped then the consumer is the person who can let them know and try to resolve the issue. One final thing too that can cause issues to slip through is that many makers use subcontractors. While Fiocchi has both US and Italian plants some of the ammo they have sold under their name is made by companies in Hungary, Serbia and other places (Winchester does too, some of their ammo has been made in Australia, Czech republic, etc., it's a common practice) and that just means that if a mistake happens it may take longer to catch and correct it because it goes through more hands before reaching the market,

I have been using .38 and .357 Fiocchi ammunition for several years and just love it. The last couple of years I have added Fiocchi 9mm Luger ammo to the mix (147JHP) and have absolutely no complaints. My last order was was for ~2k rounds. This is cheaper than I can reload for, but I do save the brass to reload my 147xtp bullets and THAT gives me even better loads! FWIW, while I understand many like to use the lighter loads, I found that 147JHP/XTP loads to hit closer to point of aim. Maybe just me, but I like it.

That said, I now use Fiocchi brass in my .38, .357, and 9mm guns, and much of my "bought new" brass is still sittin' on the side since free brass is never a bad thing...! That said, I do find Fiocchi brass a bit better than Starline, however Lupua and Nosler brass still win out IMO.

Fiocchi's SMV-320 and Biathalon standard velocity .22lr shoots as well as Eley Tenex in my 1813 Anschutz. I buy all that I can find!!

Randy

My LGS started stocking big bore Fioccchi - 45 Colt, 44 Magnum. About $10 per 50 round box less than any other brand.

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Heavily armed old man.