Exclusive Fiocchi Shotshell + Interview with Carlo Fiocchi on the "34"

Fiocchi 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?

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“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 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.”

After you have the perfect shotshell, you need the right set of decoys. We've got duck and goose decoys available for purchase here.

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.”

This “34” shotshell is one you have to shoot for yourself, but you can bet you’ll see the difference whether that is in the field or on the range.

Read what Sam Wike has to say about the development and efficacy of these exclusive shells:

"We met with Carlo Fiocchi to develop a premium yet affordable shot shell that the everyday hunter could afford to shoot.  Carlo had the idea to use a 1 1/5oz load which is the most popular load for shooting pheasants in Europe where he is from and he always wondered why people in the US didn't shoot this load as well.  Of course since it's in Europe, they call it 34 grams- not 1 1/5oz like we would use here," so the name "34" stuck as it is one of the unique identifiers of the load.

We made the Upland 34 in lead and orange casing for the upland and price conscious customer so that the shells would be easy to find.  We made the Steel 34 for the waterfowl hunter and the shells in green so that there aren't noticeable colors on the ground in front of you when you are trying to decoy birds in, "I use these shells myself and recommend both products.

Feedback from customers has been unanimous and for many it is by far their favorite shell.  We have been asked to stock it in more sizes and gauges- and we hope to do that someday."