Riccardo Mazzetti’s journey in Rapid Fire Pistol: From curiosity to career with Lapua Ammunition
Meet Lapua’s sponsored shooter Riccardo “Maz” Mazzetti – an Italian National Team shooter with over 20 years of experience competing at the highest level in the Olympic discipline of Rapid Fire Pistol. Known for his precision, discipline, and relentless drive, Maz embodies the spirit of Lapua’s “Passion for Precision”.
From Curiosity to Career
“When I look back to the beginning of my career, I can barely believe where I am now and what I’ve achieved.”
When I look back to the beginning of my career I barely can believe where I am now and what I achieved. I started shooting just for being curious about it and I can even say I was not at all talented for that. It’s just through hard work and passion that I could see the first improvements, but it took many years to get the first international achievement.
Now I’m a 41 years old professional athlete part of the Italian Army Team and I’m a specialist for the Olympic discipline named Rapid Fire Pistol, the only pure dynamic discipline within the Olympic program of rifle and pistol events.
ammunition That Matches the Mindset
Rapid Fire Pistol consists in shooting 5 shots on 5 different targets at the distance of 25 meters within a fixed amount of time. In its fastest program I must hit the center of those targets in 4 seconds. This means that the equipment must be perfectly set and personalized to support my performance under pressure. Lapua ammunition is a perfect choice for me, its high quality makes me confident that I won’t have malfunctions, and I can rely on very similar recoils and speed.
“I shoot thousands of rounds each year – every one with a clear goal in mind.”
I always practice with SK Pistol Match since I’m shooting several thousand rounds every year and this ammunition is a high-quality training one.
Sometimes I practice also using Lapua .32 S&W LWC to increase wrist stability, to action the trigger properly without moving the arm, to get use of the recoil and transfer the feeling when going back to .22 LR.
When travelling abroad for competition I just bring Center-X with me, and I have the few training sessions before the match with them to get used to the recoil and empower the feeling I have.
Consistency Through Testing
“At the start of every season, I test my ammunition lots – Lapua’s quality makes that process easy.”
At the beginning of the shooting season, I test my ammunition lots and decide which one will be for competing that year. Quality of Lapua Center-X is always so high that I can easily find a backup lot to be used safely in competition in case of need.
I’m proudly supported by Lapua since many years and with them I went through many successes: 3 Olympic Games participations, medals in World Cups and European Championships, world and national records. My highest competition score is 594 / 600 points shot in 2017 in a international competition in Poland.
I feel deeply honored by Lapua’s trust in my person and I’m sure that when supporting athletes, they don’t just count their medals won, but they really care about their commitment and passion. After all, one of Lapua’s slogan is: “passion for precision”, exactly what we have as shooting sport athletes. Grazie Lapua!
About Riccardo “Maz” Mazzetti
As a member of the Italian Army Team and specialist for the Olympic discipline named Rapid Fire Pistol, Maz has represented in three Olympic Games, achieving remarkable success throughout his career — including setting the final World Record in the World Cup in Beijing.
Beyond his achievements on the firing line, Riccardo is also deeply committed to shaping the future of the sport. As a member of the ISSF Athletes' Committee, he actively contributes to creating a better, more sustainable environment for the next generation of shooters.
"I'm driven by passion and my work ethic pushes me to reach my limits in any situation."
Ammunition of choice:
- Lapua Center-X (.22 LR) for competition
- Lapua .32 S&W LWC for wrist and trigger control practice
- SK Pistol Match for high-volume training