Perfectra brand ammo and gun issues, .380?

R

Recoil spring

New member
I bought some off brand Perfecta (Fiocchi?) .380 ammo real cheap at Wally World for around $12.00 a box, should have skipped that and went with something else. When I got home, read some mixed reviews online, was able to chamber and extract the ammo manually at home with my Ruger LCP and Kahr CW 380, pocket pistols, so had faith it would work.

Had read that Fiocchi is on the hot side, have used it in .38 special and 9 mm for years without problems. The Kahr only fired one round and then it had the guide rod stick out the front and the trigger refused to function, jam city. Ok, this gun is mechanically tight, it would not work with this brand of ammo. So tried it in the Ruger. Was actually able to fire off the entire box, but the take down pin kept working itself out to the left, never had that happen before, tried all 3 of my magazines, still the pin would work out half the time.

Field stripped both guns to inspect, no problems, and they have both been 100% reliable with Aguilla, Remington green box, and others. Did a full tear down and clean when I got home, no visible damage internally. I carry both of these with my CHL, so need something reliable. Was worried that I may have damaged my Ruger as the owner's manual for the Kahr and the Ruger prohibit Plus P loads, the Perfecta brand does not say Plus P on it, why did the take down pin keep working its way out? I have never seen anything like that before, did I damage my gun and why is Fiocchi so wacky in .380? Do the Ruger LCP series have issues with the take down pin walking out, never read of anyone dealing with that.

This is the second production LCP with the older heavy trigger pull, not the new version that has come out.

Thanks.
 
its ok for punching paper with light target loads.... if you count on any brand X type ammo for defense you will have to live (or die) by that choice. good luck.
 
I have shot several hundred rounds of 380 in my TCP and thousands of rounds of 9mm in my Ria 1911, S&W SD9VE and Taurus PT111 G2. I have never had an issue of any kind. It shoots great in all of them and every one has gone bang. I saw 380 at my local Walmart this week for just under $10 a box.
 
My bodyguard .380 will eat it up. But I've yet to find ammo it won't. The occasional light strike on Tula, but never a problem with perfecta.


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Ammo is too cheap to spend money on garbage that doesn't work for you. Spend an extra five and have some peace of mind.

I drink some bourbon, neat Is it worth saving $8 a month by buying Jim beam instead of wild turkey? No. Jim tastes bad and Turkey is never going to push my retention pin out.
 
Italian made

The box said "made in Italy", not Serbia. Had read that the Fiochi brand was off on dimensions, I even compared it to a cartridge made by Aquilla, and it looked the same, however, I should have used a micrometer as it was obviously off spec.

Found out that Tandemkross makes an after market pin that is supposed to really lock in the take down pin. Will see, I have never had any problems with this pin walking out in the past, but it is more broke in now and looser than it was when the gun was new.
 
Have not tried 380, but it is great in 9mm. I buy a lot of bulk 380 from Freedom Munitions. Always shoots great, is clean and accurate. Shipping for bulk is $7.99. I also buy a lot of bulk perfecta in 9mm with great results as well. Just a re branded Fiocchi. I also love Fiocchi Extrema for Carry.
 
I've shot thousands upon thousands of rounds of Perfecta in 9mm, .45 auto and .223. I can't recall one round not going bang, or jamming any of my guns in any way. That said, I don't own a Ruger, or a Kahr, or even a .380 for that matter.

It's made in Italy, and imported by Tula. Perhaps Tula commissioned Fiocchi to make it for them?

And how the hell do you pronounce Fiocchi? Is it Fee ah chi? Or is it Fee oh key?
 
My LCP loves running with Perfecta ammo.

I have seen LCP frame pins walk on a couple of guns, but I don't believe that it was ever an ammunition issue.


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Yup, Fiochi has worked great in .38 special and 9 mm for me in the past, no problem buying more. As much as I don't want any more Remington products, the last box (green) was just fine in both of my .380s. Might get another box. In the past Winchester made good ammo but they have really gone down on the quality control, nervous about buying any of their stuff now.

The take down pin was walking out on this Perfecta stuff. My big gripe with the LCP is the side pins that hold the frame in place walk out, seems a common problem with this gun.

As I rarely shoot either of my mouse guns and they mostly just sit in my pocket, I am not worried about accuracy or shoot ability as much with these.
 
Recoil spring said:
The box said "made in Italy", not Serbia.
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All of the Perfecta .380 ammo I've ever purchased has been made in Italy, but I have to confess that I haven't bought any in about 9 months, having stocked up when it first went on Rollback for $12.xx at Walmart. :)

Given that Perfecta is a distributor rather than a manufacturer brand (discussed below), it is possible that they buy it from different contractors at different times.

FWIW this ammo has works flawlessly in my Beretta 84BB; I don't have any other .380 pistols to try it in. It's definitely loaded a little warm. :)
BlackOmega said:
It's made in Italy, and imported by Tula. Perhaps Tula commissioned Fiocchi to make it for them?
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AFAIK this is the case. Other than the headstamps, it seems identical to Fiocchi branded .380.
BlackOmega said:
And how the hell do you pronounce Fiocchi? Is it Fee ah chi? Or is it Fee oh key?
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The second one. AFAIK Italian spelling is extremely consistent phonetically; "ch" is always a hard "k" sound, and "i" at the end of a word is always an "ee" sound, e.g. spaghetti.
 
My experience with Perfecta 9mm, 45acp, and 223 has been favorable. Shoots fine and is less expensive than the usual American brands.

.02. David. :)
 
Originally Posted by BlackOmega
And how the hell do you pronounce Fiocchi? Is it Fee ah chi? Or is it Fee oh key?
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Us shotgunners pronounce it Fee Oh Chee

Shot some of the Perfecta in my LCP today - was shooting low, but I am sure that is all on ME and my grip (and crappy old eyes). At 7 yards, the groups were good enough for all to be a nicely clustered COM hit.
 
My big gripe with the LCP is the side pins that hold the frame in place walk out, seems a common problem with this gun.
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I don't know if it is a common problem but the big brother to the LCP, the LC9, has a cover over the take down pin (it's listed as 'the takedown plate') that keeps the pin from walking out.
 
It has nothing to do with the ammo. LCP's have a history of breaking take down pins. They use a cheap metal. I would alway's replace mine every time I changed out the recoil springs. If not you may send a receiver down range like I did. Some owners would invest in Stainless steel pins which you could buy online. Many of the higher quality 380's use stainless steel pins obviously for that reason.

Also you may want to invest in a case gauge as some ammo is just off spec. Here is a pic of Tula Brass MAX.(9mm) I used these one time in my Blackhawk and knew something was off. (The round is suppose to fall in easily and have a flush fit.) Also check for OAL.

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Yes, the LC9 as far as I know does not have the Pin problems like the LCP, I have had two LC9's since they first came out. Much better quality than the LCP's in all area's. Great Pistol, Really shines and fast point and shoot training at 15 yds.
 
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