A leader and legend in ingenuity 

By Darryl Groundwater as featured in the October 2026 issue of The Report

The Nioa Group has recently added Fiocchi ammunition to the list of its industry products. Certainly, a familiar name to the seasoned competitor, Fiocchi is one of the most advertised shells in the international shotgun circles, and Queensland shooters will now have the pleasure of choosing another well-known brand of ammunition to compete with. 

Fiocchi is no recent player in firearms and ammunition manufacturing. Historically, this firm entered the weapons arena in 1876 and is acknowledged as one of the earliest manufacturers of ammunition. Originating in Italy, Fiocchi has expanded worldwide and its commercial ingenuity has survived for more than 150 years. 

A selected choice of 12-gauge ammunition was provided to The Report for evaluation, ranging from the general-purpose competition TT2 to the high-end Super Black, which is used for those elusive long trap targets as well as the further distanced sporting clay targets. 

With some reservation, I endeavoured to initiate an evaluation of this ammunition using the normal process of patterning, velocities and felt recoil. I conceded my process for a review of Fiocchi ammunition would provide questionable results. Patterning is heavily influenced by chokes and guns, velocities are impacted by the temperature on the day and, although recoil is also affected by temperatures, this assessment can be benchmarked by the felt recoil of other familiar cartridges on the day. 

By chance, I recently participated in a sporting clay competition at the Caboolture Clay Target Club. While mentioning the name Fiocchi to friends, Todd Bridge overheard and rushed over to enquire about sourcing some of this ammo. After some discussion, I realised there could be a far better path to evaluate this fine ammunition by interviewing Todd, a regular user and fan of Fiocchi ammunition. 

Todd Bridge

Todd Bridge has been a fan of Fiocchi ammunition for more than a decade.

Before moving to Australia, Todd represented the county of Essex in both FITASC and Sporting teams on several occasions. Here are some of his achievements using Fiocchi ammunition: 

• He won the Super Sporting championship out right with a 95/100. 

• Was joint Hi Gun champion in the Essex FITASC Championship. 

• He finished 2^nd in AA at the British Open Sport Trap. 

• Best Score in English Sporting with 98/100. 

• Reached AAA in English Sporting averaging 88.78% over 1000 targets at three separate grounds. 

 
A recent import from the UK, Todd has made his name in the sporting arena and his skills with a shotgun are well respected. The following is an interview with Todd Bridge talking about his experience with Fiocchi. 

Q: Todd, how long have you been in Australia? 

A: I came over here in 2024 with my partner and son to find a better life and to explore the world and further shooting interests. 

Q: You seem to be chasing a lot of targets over here; do you like the shooting in Australia? 

A: Initially, I hated the Australian events, and I hated FITASC (Fédération Internationale de Tir aux Armes Sportives de Chasse) in the UK, as it was my bogie and I preferred English Sporting. But now, I’ve grown to love Sporting and it is definitely the best shooting discipline. FITASC, Compak Sporting and Australian Sporting are the events that I now prefer. 

Q: You’re a very fine shot. Who educated you to possess the current level of shooting skills you now have? 

A: My grandfather started me off in shooting when I was around 14. He would give me a box of cartridges after I did the logging in the morning, then he would put me in a blind in the afternoon to shoot pigeons. I followed him around the traps learning, and after some time I left trap shooting and followed Sporting. My grandfather shot for England for many years and he is now retired. 

Q: With only one packet of cartridges to shoot with, your skills were honed more so on accuracy rather than coaching? 

A: Yes, with only 25 shells, one had to be very accurate and wait for the birds to come in close for the kill. Sometimes I was lucky to have 25 pigeons for 25 shells, while other times I had only three pigeons for my trouble. 

Q: Hailing from the UK and considering the vast choice of ammunition available, you mentioned you chose Fiocchi. Can you give me a reason why, and how long you have been shooting Fiocchi shells? 

A: A little bit like George Digweed, I’ve tried everything. I don’t know why but every time I tried something else, I always went back to Fiocchi. Fiocchi cartridges pattern unbelievably well in my Blazer. With three quarter in both barrels, I don’t change chokes for anything. For me, you won’t find anything better through the whole range of this brand, going from the TT1 right to the top end. There is no better range of cartridge out there. 

Q: How long have you enjoyed this relationship with the Fiocchi cartridge? 

A: I’ve had my Blazer for 10 years, so I’ve shot Fiocchi for about 12 years. I use Fiocchi for everything. For game shooting, I use Fiocchi fibre wads as well as plastic. With the vast choice that Fiocchi ammunition provides, I have no need to change. 

Q: Do you feel Fiocchi Italy amalgamating with Baschieri & Pellagri (B&P) is a good thing? 

A: Now that B&P is involved, I feel the amalgamation will take Fiocchi to the next level. B&P has a Gordon System that may improve recoil for the Fiocchi cartridge, but I find no need for change. I have patterned Fiocchi shells and find them brilliant as they are, and now that I have managed to find a supplier in Queensland, I will source my favorite TT2 shells. 

Q: At the shoot on Sunday, there was a 70-75 yard target that was intended, by the course setter, to test shooter and gun. This target was offered three times to the gun; how did you go with it? 

A: You provided me with three types of cartridges this morning: the TT2, Golden Competition and the Super Black. On the first call, I hit the target first shot with the TT2; the second call I used the Golden Competition and struck the target with the first barrel and on the third call I used Super Black with the same success. This type of target can be shot with Fiocchi confidence, as one may have some trouble finding a better cartridge to shoot these testing target with any consistency. 

Q: The expectation of Queensland shooters having a reliable supplier of Fiocchi ammunition would give a dedicated shooter, such as yourself, absolute comfort in knowing the ammo will be readily available. 

A: That’s best news ever. It’s like a kid in a sweet shop. For me, having a product that I’m familiar with gives me confidence to successfully achieve my goals in moving forward in the Australian Sporting Clays disciplines. I now have a good opportunity this year to get into the Queensland Team for the forthcoming SCA Nationals in Cooma. 

Special thanks to Todd for his time with me on this interview.