Fiocchi Munizioni
Encyclopedia
Fiocchi Munizioni is one of Italy
's largest and oldest manufacturers of ammunitions.
The Company's headquarters
and main production plant are in Via Santa Barbara in Lecco
, Italy.
In 1876, Giulio Fiocchi took over the ammunition
production part of a weapon
and ammunition company already based in Lecco, which worked produced small caliber
ammunition.
At that time a radical change was introduced in firearms: the newly developed breech
-loader replaced the traditional muzzle loader.
Fiocchi started manufacturing cases with primers suitable for reloading; in the early 1890s production was extended to complete cartridges
loaded with bullets or shot. At the same time, Fiocchi gave up the production of black powder, as it was no longer profitable.
Fiocchi has always designed and made its own production equipment. Such a strategy has always enabled Fiocchi to guide production with up-to-date technology matching with its manufacturing configuration.
At the beginning of 20th century, Fiocchi introduced a product diversification and successfully entered a new field of activity -snaps- made using the off-cuts of production. This brought to the creation of Fiocchi Snaps in 1903. Snaps business assumed an important role to counterbalance the trend of the ammunition market and at the end of 80's was so attractive that, upon Fiocchi's decision to focus on ammunition as its core business, the snaps factory was taken over by the European leader in this field.
During its long life, Fiocchi has manufactured all kinds of ammunition from pinfire
, shotshells, and cartridges to all kinds of cartridges and cases, both rimfire and centrefire.
According to a recent interview with Carlo Fiocchi, the head of Fiocchi America, more than 75% of the ammunition sold by Fiocchi in the United States is also manufactured in the United States at Fiocchi America's production facility in Ozark, Missouri
. Specifically, Fiocchi America's composition of U.S. ammo manufacturing and sales according to the interview is as follows:
Qualifications and Certifications of prestige attest the level of quality achieved by the company:
Furthermore, Fiocchi shooting cartridges have contributed to several World Cups and Olympic triumphs, as the Games in Athens in 2004 as well as in those in Beijing in 2008.
In 2011 newly developed 12GA shot shells filled with chemical tracer Cyalume in which allows the shooter to see where the shots are going and will greatly help in the training of sporting clays
. The tracer shots are non-toxic and biodegradable and packaged in a sealed metal can in Fiocchi's line of Canned Heat ammunition. The Canned Heat line of ammunition allows a greater shelf life and maintaining quality of the ammo throughout shipping, retail shelf, and consumer handling.
Fiocchi Munizioni is still entirely owned by private capital heading to the Fiocchi Family.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
's largest and oldest manufacturers of ammunitions.
The Company's headquarters
Headquarters
Headquarters denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the top of a corporation taking full responsibility managing all business activities...
and main production plant are in Via Santa Barbara in Lecco
Lecco
Lecco is a town of c. 47,760 inhabitants in Lombardy, northern Italy, north of Milan, the capital of the province of Lecco. It lies at the end of the south-eastern branch of Lake Como...
, Italy.
History
Fiocchi Munizioni was founded on 3 July 1876 in Lecco, Italy, by accountant Giulio Fiocchi.In 1876, Giulio Fiocchi took over the ammunition
Ammunition
Ammunition is a generic term derived from the French language la munition which embraced all material used for war , but which in time came to refer specifically to gunpowder and artillery. The collective term for all types of ammunition is munitions...
production part of a weapon
Weapon
A weapon, arm, or armament is a tool or instrument used with the aim of causing damage or harm to living beings or artificial structures or systems...
and ammunition company already based in Lecco, which worked produced small caliber
Caliber
In guns including firearms, caliber or calibre is the approximate internal diameter of the barrel in relation to the diameter of the projectile used in it....
ammunition.
Breech-loading weapon
A breech-loading weapon is a firearm in which the cartridge or shell is inserted or loaded into a chamber integral to the rear portion of a barrel....
-loader replaced the traditional muzzle loader.
Fiocchi started manufacturing cases with primers suitable for reloading; in the early 1890s production was extended to complete cartridges
Cartridge (firearms)
A cartridge, also called a round, packages the bullet, gunpowder and primer into a single metallic case precisely made to fit the firing chamber of a firearm. The primer is a small charge of impact-sensitive chemical that may be located at the center of the case head or at its rim . Electrically...
loaded with bullets or shot. At the same time, Fiocchi gave up the production of black powder, as it was no longer profitable.
Fiocchi has always designed and made its own production equipment. Such a strategy has always enabled Fiocchi to guide production with up-to-date technology matching with its manufacturing configuration.
At the beginning of 20th century, Fiocchi introduced a product diversification and successfully entered a new field of activity -snaps- made using the off-cuts of production. This brought to the creation of Fiocchi Snaps in 1903. Snaps business assumed an important role to counterbalance the trend of the ammunition market and at the end of 80's was so attractive that, upon Fiocchi's decision to focus on ammunition as its core business, the snaps factory was taken over by the European leader in this field.
During its long life, Fiocchi has manufactured all kinds of ammunition from pinfire
Pinfire
A pinfire firearm cartridge is an obsolete type of brass cartridge in which the priming compound is ignited by striking a small pin which protrudes radially from just above the base of the cartridge....
, shotshells, and cartridges to all kinds of cartridges and cases, both rimfire and centrefire.
Crucial dates in the history of the Fiocchi Group
- 1876 Year of foundation
- 1877 Start of ammunition production
- 1903 Product diversification: snaps
- 1930 Beginning of export
- 1940 Development of social policy in the territory of Lecco
- 1945 Bombing of the plant in Lecco
- 1946 Re-building of the plant
- 1970 Attack on the European markets
- 1980 Start of .22 Super Match production
- 1985 New quality inspection unit
- 1985 Start of "leadless" primers production
- 1989 Nato qualification of the cartridge 9 mm ParabellumParabellumThe word Parabellum is a noun coined by German arms maker Deutsche Waffen und Munitionsfabriken and is derived from the Latin saying si vis pacem, para bellum, meaning If you wish for peace, prepare for war...
- 1990 Impulse to world-market expansion
- 1990 Quality System Certificate in accordance with the stardands NATO AQAP-1
- 1991 Start of production of ammunition with frangible bullets
- 1993 New loading department for .22 cartridges
- 1994 New flexible manufacturing line for centerfire ammunition
- 1994 Automatization line for cases production
- 1995 New line of products: "Official" clay shooting cartridges
- 1996 New line of Spas Mil and Law Enforcement ammunition
- 1999 New line of hunting cartridges
- 1999 Nato qualification of the cartridges 5,56 mm Ball
- 2003 Environment Management System Certificate in accordance with the standards UNI EN ISO 14001: 1996
- 2003 Quality Management System Certificate in accordance with the standards UNI EN ISO 9001: 2000
Recent history
Fiocchi Munizioni makes small gauge ammunition and offers a wide range of products. Its presence and production sites are also in the United States and in Hungary. In 2008 Fiocchi UK was opened in Great Britain.According to a recent interview with Carlo Fiocchi, the head of Fiocchi America, more than 75% of the ammunition sold by Fiocchi in the United States is also manufactured in the United States at Fiocchi America's production facility in Ozark, Missouri
Ozark, Missouri
Ozark, incorporated in 1890, is a city in Christian County, Missouri, United States. As of 2009 the population has grown 18,458. It is the county seat of Christian County. Ozark is part of the Springfield, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
. Specifically, Fiocchi America's composition of U.S. ammo manufacturing and sales according to the interview is as follows:
- 95% of the center-fire rifle ammunition, which accounts for ~15% of Fiocchi’s U.S. sales
- 75% of center-fire pistol ammunition, which accounts for ~35% of Fiocchi’s U.S. sales
- 100% of shotshells, which accounts for ~35% of Fiocchi’s U.S. sales
- 0% of rimfire ammunition, which account for ~15% of Fiocchi’s U.S. sales (along with components)
Qualifications and Certifications of prestige attest the level of quality achieved by the company:
- NATO AQAP-110 Certification
- ISO 14001: 1996 Certification of the Environment Management System
- UNI EN ISO 9001: 2000 Certification of the Quality Management System.
Furthermore, Fiocchi shooting cartridges have contributed to several World Cups and Olympic triumphs, as the Games in Athens in 2004 as well as in those in Beijing in 2008.
In 2011 newly developed 12GA shot shells filled with chemical tracer Cyalume in which allows the shooter to see where the shots are going and will greatly help in the training of sporting clays
Sporting Clays
Sporting clays is a form of clay pigeon shooting, often described as "golf with a shotgun" because a typical course includes from 10 to 15 different shooting stations laid out over natural terrain...
. The tracer shots are non-toxic and biodegradable and packaged in a sealed metal can in Fiocchi's line of Canned Heat ammunition. The Canned Heat line of ammunition allows a greater shelf life and maintaining quality of the ammo throughout shipping, retail shelf, and consumer handling.
Fiocchi Munizioni is still entirely owned by private capital heading to the Fiocchi Family.
Products
Fiocchi's product range includes:- Clay Target
- Hunting
- Centrefire
- .22
- Blank and Flobert
- Special Law Enforcement
- Ammunition for vintage or antique firearms
- Canned Heat ammunition packaged in a sealed metal cans.