Have you noticed the clean, eye-catching packaging on ammunition with an eagle head called Aguila? Aguila, made by a company called Tecnos, in Mexico, since 1961, means eagle in Spanish. The main production plant is in the old Remington factory in Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico. The longevity of the brand is due to its premium performance, and Texas Armament & Technology (TxAT) started working with Tecnos in 2011 to set up a facility in Texas to produce premium ammunition for North America.
The grand opening of the stateside facility is due later this year. Company representatives say, “The plant had some construction delays, so it still isn’t up and running, but we are close to the final phase. Production will begin this year in late spring or early summer. By having a manufacturing facility in Texas, Aguila Ammunition is able to provide more supply for high-demand products such as our Minishell 7.5 and centerfire hollow point rounds.”
If this all sounds new, it’s because the branding campaign for the Aguila project only started in January of 2016. There are few avid shooters aware of the products and premium components.
With rimfire, centerfire and shotshell products in the Aguila lineup, the company sources only quality materials for all its components. In fact, with the extensive range of products, Aguila is the largest manufacturer of rimfire ammunition in the world, with 16 rimfire products that include long rifle, target, and pistol, competition, and specialty loads. When tested, the ammunition proved to shoot impressive groups with consistent accuracy. The Colibrí is the company’s powderless rimfire and offers a subsonic load with enough energy from the primer for close range hunting and shooting. The 20-grain bullet has a muzzle velocity of 420 fps and 376 at 100 yards. They also offer sniper subsonic, standard, high and hyper velocity rounds. There are several options in the .22 Magnum as well.
Last year, Aguila introduced the Mini shotshell, which is a 12-gauge load just 1 ¾ inches in length. The Mini is loaded with 7 ½ shot in a 5/8ths-ounce load, shooting 1,175 fps. With less recoil it is ideal for smaller framed shooters or pest control, and offers advantages for defense. It is becoming popular amongst clay shooters with drastically reduced recoil and noise. The Minishell is also available in buckshot and slugs.
Aguila also has 13 shotshell products for hunters, clay shooters, and for home defense. There are three Minishell products, 12-gauge field loads, 12-gauge competition loads, and complete offerings in 20-gauge, 16-gauge, 28-gauge and .410.
Competition shooters like the shotshell loads, as Aguila uses a 72-meter tower to roll all its shot. The height of the tower ensures perfect spheres and consistency in the making of each pellet. It has a big product offering in target loads, including an international load shooting 1,350 fps. The upland loads are standard or high velocity, and available in 20- or 12-gauge options. There are .410, 28 and 16-gauge loads for clay or upland hunters, which rounds out the lineup for anyone shooting lead.
For the centerfire enthusiast, there are 28 options in the current catalog. There are 32 products offered, in six calibers, covering big game and varmint hunting to defense and competition shooting. There are 26 products for pistol shooters, covering most popular calibers and loads.
Aguila isn’t new to the market, but with its innovative production facility in Texas expected to be operational within months, there will be greater availability throughout North American. The best way to find out how accurate and consistent the ammunition is, would be to try it. It is value priced with North American production but offers premium accuracy that needs to be seen to appreciated.
