Question about 2.5" Fiocchi 28 ga. - 9/16 oz.

[JohnBT]

I picked up six boxes of Italian-made 28 ga. Fiocchi game loads at the gun show and just got around to tearing apart a shell.

The box is brown and has a pic of a shell on the front and a little bird on the back. The top is marked "28 PL" "CAL. 28/65/8 (2 1/2") 17 g (9/16 oz.)"
It's also stamped 6 on the top, but I know that the Europeans use different shot systems. (What's the 8? The 65 is length in mm.)

The shells are low brass and red plastic topped off with a bright yellow card containing a circled "6." The wad is light green plastic FWIW and the powder is flat squares. The boxes are a tad worn around the edges, but not the shells.

The shot is like perfect little shiny ball bearings, but it wasn't too hard to crush with needlenose or cut with a sharp pocketknife.

About 145 pellets measuring .105", so that's what, US #6.5 shot using the rule of 17? They're dead round and all the same size as near as I can tell without putting the Starrett on all of them. Nice looking shells, just a different sort of loading. The closest Fiocchi I found on line appears to be a 2 1/2" at 1280 fps if I did the m/s conversion correctly. And I don't read Italian either.

=> Here's the question - What are they good for? [Duh, shooting?]

Bonus question - Should I track the guy down and buy the other 14 boxes if I can get them for less than $7 a box? [Duh, buy a reloader silly.]

John

P.S. - I also picked up a few boxes of S&B RED 2.75" 1 oz. #7.5 2 1/4 Dram, but I haven't cut one up yet.

 

[sm]

JohnBT,

I "think" I have shot these. I used them for 5 stand and they worked great! I was using a Citori 3 barrel Skeet gun.

I say "think" as these shells were just dumped into my pouch, and I shot the things. In fact I just showed up without a gun, "gimme a gun and some ammo, I want to play" and this is what I ended up with. Yeah I know, I gotta quit taking all this stuff so serious.

Soft shot? Now that really surprises me. I used to buy Fiocchi shot, and have taken apart Fiocchi shells, their shot was harder than woodpecker lips, true, and the nickle plate shot, totally awesome!

Now I am curious.

Will Fennell - where are you??

I cannot find my shot sizes, and Fiochhi does not show these on US site.
http://www.fiocchiusa.com/cat_target.php
No luck finding a Fiochhi Euro listing.

I want to learn more about this, thanks for sharing!

 

[JohnBT]

Okay, the shot isn't soft. Instead of cutting up a cheap shell to get a soft lead pellet, I just compared the Fiocchi pellet to a similarly sized split shot by tapping them once with a ballpeen hammer on an anvil. The split shot was mashed almost flat, the Fiocchi compressed about a third.

Then I tried dropping the Fiocchi pellet on a maple workbench top - from 12 inches it bounced up about 5 inches. The round split shot, pinched closed, bounced about half that.

They're just a slightly oversized .410 load.

John

Edited to add: wwwasp1.nexa.it/NEIPFiocchiWeb/Estrai?COD=169

If you click on the ZOOM table they have a 17 g load with a GFL 28 code instead of the PL 28 on the ones I bought. This is the closest thing I could find on the Italian site.

Main page: wwwasp1.nexa.it/NEIPFiocchiWeb/Home?lang=_L1

 

[sm]

JohnBT,
Thanks for addtional information and links.
Fiocchi does use great components, I appreciate you testing the shot hardness. Fiochhi shot, is true and hard as I shared from my experiences earlier.

Keep us posted, I am real curious to hear how these pattern and perform please.

Steve

 

[popplecop]

I shoot a lot of thier shells in 24 & 28 gas. Both for clays and hunting. The load you have would make a good grouse load. I'd buy the remainder of the shells if you can get them for about $6 a box. Never shot 5 stand, but it sounds like they were a good load there too.