I found your experience interesting. I have always had excellent results with Fiocchi ammunition and prefer it to S&B. Fiocchi handgun ammo has given me good accuracy and reliability. S&B was okay but never seemed as accurate in my guns.
Another factor was reloadability as I reload almost everything I shoot and Fiocchi brass seems far better than S&B. Primer pockets on S&B seem to be rather undersized, cases seem very thin and prone to splits after no more than a couple loadings. S&B .303 British ammo seems particularly bad in this respect. Cases stretch badly on first firing and I will not even try to reload them.
Reloading may not be a factor in Italy but it's an issue with me here. As far as European made ammo I actually prefer PPU as their brass has given excellent results for me with Fiocchi as a second choice. Fiocchi does produce some of their ammo in the US currently but I don't know if the brass they use here is US made or imported. I have used a good amount of Italian made Fiocchi ammo over the years and have always been happy with it.
As an Italian, I am flattered to read how much you appreciate our products, whether they are manufactured in Italy or made in the USA.
As for reloading, I had a gun shop until 2000. 30% of the turnover was for reloading and it was precisely in that period that the spread of Practical Shooting began, where reloading is essential for the quantity of ammo fired at the range for training. I believe it is now attested at 50% of the turnover. Until I stoped to shoot assiduously, around 2000, I used two Dillon 650s and reloaded for three days a week for two or three hours by day in the evening and my friends did the same. I think I shot more or less 3000 to 5000 shots a week.
In Italy there are about 1,500,000 gun licenses plus all those who have permission to shoot at the shooting range without a gun license, I would say roughly the same figure, which out of 50,000,000 inhabitants makes a decent percentage for a country notoriously not armed.
Look at the medals and trophies won in the various world championships where guns are used and you will get an idea of how many people shoot in Italy.
I have some dear friends who every time they go to the Olympic Games or to Bisley or to the IPSC European or World Championships come back with several medals around their necks, everywhere in the world and in different disciplines.
