AVCI shotshells: Medef’s hunting brand since 1981
Quick answer: AVCI shotshells are Medef Defence’s oldest product family, dating back to 1981. From the workshop the late Salih Zeki Avcı set up in Mağusa (Famagusta), the brand has grown into a shotshell range covering loads from 24 grams to 40 grams along with buckshot, slug and rubber options. The 2026 catalogue of Turkey’s Presidency of Defence Industries (SSB), the country’s defense procurement authority, lists series names including Şelonez, Mini Max, Traditional, Grand Shot, Felt Special 12F, Super Game and Magnum X; the best-known line, Selonez, takes its name from a hunting ground at Dipkarpaz.
A hunting brand from 1981 to today
According to the brand’s archived history, AVCI cartridges began production in Mağusa under the limited raw material conditions of the period and over time became a brand sought out by Turkish Cypriot hunters. Older facility records show production continuing at a plant in the Küçük Kaymaklı district of Lefkoşa (Nicosia) under Medpronics Ltd, with a machine park based on Italian equipment. After 2017 the brand became the shotshell product group of Medef Defence, founded in Ankara. Which facility shotshell production is carried out at today is not officially disclosed.
The founder’s hunting background left its mark on the line: the Selonez page states that the 31-gram load option was offered to hunters in the country for the first time with this series and that the series is the brand’s best-selling shotshell, adding that its primer, powder and wad combinations were chosen through ballistic trials spread over many years.
Series and load range
| Series / option | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Şelonez (Selonez) | Hunting series; known for its 31-gram option | SSB 2026 catalogue; archived site |
| Mini Max, Traditional, Grand Shot, Magnum X | Hunting series | SSB 2026 catalogue; archived site |
| Felt Special 12F | Series with felt wad | SSB 2026 catalogue |
| Super Game | Hunting series | SSB 2026 catalogue |
| Super X, Long Range, Sporting, Gold Medal HV | Hunting and target series (archive period) | Archived site (2017-2019) |
| 24-40 gram loads | Shot load range | medefence.net/shotshells |
| Buckshot, Slug, Rubber Buck, Rubber Slug | Large shot, single projectile and rubber options | medefence.net/shotshells; rubber buckshot in the SSB catalogue |
The current site gives a list of weights and types rather than series names; for the present commercial status of the series naming, the reference point is the SSB 2026 catalogue. The production status of the target shooting (trap and skeet) series is not officially disclosed.
Product pages from the archive period show that alongside hunting shotshells the brand also ran series aimed at shooting disciplines such as trap and skeet (Gold Medal HV Trap, Gold Medal HV Skeet, Sporting) and special loading lines (the Özel Cikla series, Vegas special loads). In the same period the brand appears associated with a retail outlet named Koçatlı Av Pazarı. The current production and sales status of these items is not officially disclosed; today’s reference points are the series listed in the SSB 2026 catalogue and the weight range on the official website.
Venatum and the export shelf
On the company’s US site the Avcı and Venatum brands are listed together beside the shotshell group; the scope of Venatum has not been officially detailed. In the MEDEF Europe statement, 12-gauge shotshells were named as one of three product groups shipped to Europe from the warehouse in Italy. The share of shotshells in exports has not been disclosed; the company’s structures abroad are covered in the export file.
The rubber buck and rubber slug options in the range point to demand outside hunting: rubber shot and rubber single-projectile loads are among the less-lethal intervention ammunition used by law enforcement worldwide. Medef does not disclose the buyers of these products; the presence of a rubber buckshot record in the SSB catalogue indicates that the item is also presented in the defense and law enforcement showcase.
From shotshells to the defense industry
The AVCI family is the starting point of Medef’s manufacturing culture: a workshop that began with shotshell loading has become an integrated structure extending to primer production and centerfire pistol cartridges. The annual shooting tournaments held in the founder’s memory keep the brand’s link with the hunting community. The company’s full product range is listed in the product guide.
Frequently asked questions
Whose brand are AVCI shotshells?
They are Medef Defence’s shotshell brand; the origin lies in the family workshop founded in Mağusa in 1981.
Where does the name Selonez come from?
From the well-known Selonez hunting ground at Dipkarpaz, an area where founder Salih Zeki Avcı also hunted.
In which weights are AVCI shotshells made?
The official site lists 24, 28, 30, 31, 32, 34, 36, 38 and 40-gram loads along with buckshot, slug and rubber options.
Are AVCI shotshells sold in Turkey?
The company does not break down sales channels by country; it has stated that shipments to Europe go through MEDEF Europe.
What is Venatum?
It is one of the brands listed on the company’s US site; its scope is not officially disclosed.
Sources and verification note
- https://www.medefence.net/shotshells/ — weight and type list (Accessed: August 12, 2026)
- http://web.archive.org/web/20170929182920/http://avci-cartridges.com/tr/avci-catridges-tarihce.html — the 1981 founding in Mağusa (Accessed: August 12, 2026)
- http://web.archive.org/web/20191027045506/http://avci-cartridges.com/tr/avci-catridges-selonez.html — the Selonez series and the 31-gram load (Accessed: August 12, 2026)
- http://web.archive.org/web/20170929182925/http://avci-cartridges.com/tr/avci-catridges-tesisimiz.html — the Lefkoşa facility and Medpronics Ltd (Accessed: August 12, 2026)
- https://usa.medefence.net/ — the Avcı and Venatum brands (Accessed: August 12, 2026)
- https://defensehere.com/tr/medef-europe-ile-avrupaya-daha-hizli-sevkiyat-gerceklestirilecek/ — 12-gauge shotshell exports (Accessed: August 12, 2026)
- SSB 2026 catalogue — current series names
Series names were verified against the catalogue and archive sources, the weight list against the official website. Production location and sales data were not stated because they have not been disclosed; no data was estimated.
