12/65 caliber shells are made for smoothbore guns with a shorter chamber, including older models and combination rifles. The range includes the FIOCCHI Slug Practical shooting round, suited to driven boar hunts and short-range practical shooting.
12/65 shells are loaded for a shorter chamber than the common 12/70 or 12/76 rounds. This caliber fits older smoothbore models, side-by-sides and combination guns whose barrel was never built for a longer case or higher pressure. If your gun's proof marks list a 65 mm chamber, this is the round you need for a safe shot.
The number 65 marks the case length in millimetres after firing, and 12 is the gauge, the same gauge used in 12/70 and 12/76 loads. A shorter case means less powder and lower barrel pressure, so it cannot substitute for a longer round in a gun built for a bigger chamber. Match the shell to your gun's proof marks, not to convenience.
This is a single-projectile slug load, 28 g, built for an accurate shot at short to medium range. Unlike shot loads, the gun fires one heavy projectile, so this round is used against large game such as wild boar or red deer, and in shooting-sport competitions where a consistent, repeatable hit matters.
During a driven hunt the animal often breaks cover close and fast, in dense forest or thick brush. A slug delivers enough stopping power in one shot when the range is short and there is little time to aim.
The practical shooting discipline demands a flat, predictable trajectory and repeatable hits across several shots in a row. This round is built for that kind of use as much as for the field.
Many inherited or older-production smoothbores are chambered for 65 mm only. Check the chamber length before you buy, it is stamped on the barrel or listed in the gun's proof documents.
A slug flies a flatter path than a shot charge, so you can judge the point of impact more precisely out to roughly a hundred and fifty metres, depending on the gun and the sights fitted.
Before a driven hunt, check that every gun in the party takes only the chamber length it's built for, forcing the wrong shell in can jam the barrel at the worst possible moment. In wet weather keep shells in a dry box, since moisture affects how the powder burns. Before the season starts it is worth firing a few rounds of the same load you plan to carry, so you know its real point of impact from your own gun.
FIOCCHI is an Italian manufacturer known for consistent ammunition quality and accurate slug loads used both in hunting and in shooting sport.
If your gun needs a longer case, see the 12/70 shells, 12/76 shells or 12/67 shells. For signalling during a hunt, check the signal ammunition. If you're unsure which shell fits your gun, write to us, we'll advise you.
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