Aguila Ammo

Aguila Ammo: Made in Mexico. Proven around the world.

Aguila is Spanish for “Eagle,” which is kind of ironic because that’s probably the last bird on earth you’d want to fire Aguila’s ammo at.

Aguila Ammo's History

Aguila Ammunition was founded by Remington Arms in Cuernavaca, Mexico in 1961. They were originally established under Cartuchos Deportivos de México (Sports Cartridges from Mexico), but that company changed its name to Industrias Tecnos in 1978. Aguila now operates independently of Remington. Their products are imported to America by Texas Armament & Technology, which is headquartered just across the border in Houston.

In addition to serving as the Mexican Armed Forces’ primary small arms ammo supplier, Aguila is currently one of the world’s largest manufacturers of rimfire-primed ammo. Aguila really rose to prominence in 2013 as the world 22 LR shortage created a huge demand for their specialty.

The Aguila Line-Up

As of 2016 Aguila offered 21 different types of rimfire ammo, including a variety of copper-plated hollow point (CPHP), copper-plated round nose (CPRN) and lead round nose (LRN) 22 LR. They also produce 22 Short, 22 Win Mag, 5mm Remington Rimfire Magnum, and even 22 Win Auto. (But not 9mm Flobert.)

Aguila is especially well-known for their subsonic 22 LR ammo, some of which utilizes unusually heavy 60 grain projectiles in order to ensure no firearm can achieve a supersonic muzzle velocity and resultant cracking report. Their 22 Colibri line of ammunition is remarkable because it isn’t actually loaded with propellant. Ignition of the primer serves as the sole source of propulsion for a 22 Colibri round’s bullet. (Take care never to fire 22 Colibri ammo in a rifle, as it’s guaranteed to cause a “squib” wherein the bullet gets lodged in the barrel.)

Aguila enjoys an excellent reputation for their rimfire ammo. It’s extremely reliable, as the Mexican manufacturer engineers their primers according to Olympic shooting standards. Anyone who has any reservations about Aguila’s rimfire ammo probably just hasn’t tried it out yet!

The Mexican company does not exclusively produce rimfire ammo. They also make centerfire handgun ammo ranging from 25 ACP to 10mm, as well as a variety of rifle rounds including 223 Rem, 5.56x45 and 7.62x51.

Aguila for Hunters

Aguila makes shotshells for hunting, target shooting and home defense as well. They made history in 1998 with the introduction of the Minishell: the world’s first 1-3/4” 12 Gauge shotshell. Available loaded with 00 buckshot, #7.5 shot or rifled slugs, Minishells effectively increase any shotgun’s magazine capacity (at the tradeoff of having a lighter than usual shot column or projectile).