Fiocchi Extrema .357 Magnum

NINEX19 · August 12, 2015, 09:13 AM

I have bought Fiocchi ammunition for at least the last 15 years in many different calibers. I am very satisfied with their products. Never have I had an issue.

Recently I bought their Extrema .357 Magnum 158 Grain XTPHP, specifically because I was looking for a small amount of nickel plated .357 Mag. cases. When I opened the box, I was very surprised to see that the head stamp was Starline. Is this a usual practice by them or any other major ammo manufacturing company? Did I get an off box? Do they sub contract out for their nickel plated cases and if so why not order them with their own stamp and not a "generic".

Over the years and all of the Fiocchi I have bought, they have always been their own head stamp. Anyone else buy this load and see the same thing?

NoSecondBest · August 12, 2015, 11:10 AM

For quite a few years now the major brass companies have been farming out the manufacturing of their brass. If not all of it, quite a bit of it. I was in a brass foundry ten years ago and observed many hundreds of thousands of rounds of brass in tubs ready to be shipped out. The foundry was not affiliated with any firearms manufacturer or ammo maker. It was all contract work. Why would you think Fiocchi made their own brass?

NINEX19 · August 12, 2015, 11:31 AM

I can understand them not making their own brass, though they are a large enough company where I would suspect they would. The question is why a big name company of this size would ship ammo with brass head stamped "Starline" and not their own stamp like all other of their ammo I have seen.

NoSecondBest · August 12, 2015, 02:48 PM

It may be that due to the ammo component shortages that's all they could get at the time?

Doyle · August 12, 2015, 03:01 PM

I can certainly see them outsourcing the actual brass production. I'm sure other small and medium sized ammo manufacturers do that. What does surprise me is that it was still Starline headstamped. I would have thought that their contract with Starline would have specified a custom headstamp.

Maybe what happened was that Starline DOES normally put a custom headstamp on the brass that they sell to Fiocchi but this particular lot either got the wrong headstamp or the person shipping the brass to Fiocchi got normal brass mixed up with the batch meant for Fiocchi.

August 12, 2015, 09:13 AM	#1
NINEX19 Senior Member Join Date: December 12, 2001 Location: Washington State Posts: 470	Fiocchi Extrema .357 Magnum I have bought Fiocchi ammunition for at least the last 15 years in many different calibers. I am very satisfied with their products. Never have I had an issue. Recently I bought their Extrema .357 Magnum 158 Grain XTPHP, specifically because I was looking for a small amount of nickel plated .357 Mag. cases. When I opened the box, I was very surprised to see that the head stamp was Starline. Is this a usual practice by them or any other major ammo manufacturing company? Did I get an off box? Do they sub contract out for their nickel plated cases and if so why not order them with their own stamp and not a "generic". Over the years and all of the Fiocchi I have bought, they have always been their own head stamp. Anyone else buy this load and see the same thing?

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August 12, 2015, 11:10 AM	#2
NoSecondBest Senior Member Join Date: December 7, 2009 Location: Western New York Posts: 2,736	For quite a few years now the major brass companies have been farming out the manufacturing of their brass. If not all of it, quite a bit of it. I was in a brass foundry ten years ago and observed many hundreds of thousands of rounds of brass in tubs ready to be shipped out. The foundry was not affiliated with any firearms manufacturer or ammo maker. It was all contract work. Why would you think Fiocchi made their own brass?

August 12, 2015, 11:31 AM	#3
NINEX19 Senior Member Join Date: December 12, 2001 Location: Washington State Posts: 470	I can understand them not making their own brass, though they are a large enough company where I would suspect they would. The question is why a big name company of this size would ship ammo with brass head stamped "Starline" and not their own stamp like all other of their ammo I have seen.

August 12, 2015, 02:48 PM	#4
NoSecondBest Senior Member Join Date: December 7, 2009 Location: Western New York Posts: 2,736	It may be that due to the ammo component shortages that's all they could get at the time?

August 12, 2015, 03:01 PM	#5
Doyle Senior Member Join Date: June 20, 2007 Location: Rainbow City, Alabama Posts: 7,167	I can certainly see them outsourcing the actual brass production. I'm sure other small and medium sized ammo manufacturers do that. What does surprise me is that it was still Starline headstamped. I would have thought that their contract with Starline would have specified a custom headstamp. Maybe what happened was that Starline DOES normally put a custom headstamp on the brass that they sell to Fiocchi but this particular lot either got the wrong headstamp or the person shipping the brass to Fiocchi got normal brass mixed up with the batch meant for Fiocchi.