Business Overview

Anyone looking for a trusted firearms and ammunition dealer in Malta usually ends up at Lock, Stock & Barrel Armoury in Santa Venera. The outlet has been licensed by the Malta Police Force to deal in firearms and ammunition since 1996. Founder Stephen A. Petroni opened it that year as a new branch of the family firm, Phoenix Group Ltd. His son Julian later joined him. Together they have grown the business into one of the most complete sources for sport shooters, collectors and professional clients on the island. The need might be a sporting pistol, a box of ammunition, a piece of antique militaria or specialist advice on a procurement contract. Whatever it is, the team approaches every enquiry with the same close attention to detail and respect for safety.

The sporting side of the business covers a complete range of firearms for target shooters and hunters alike. Customers find Read Morepistols and revolvers in popular calibres, plus pistol calibre carbines for those who want a rifle feel with handgun ammunition. Bolt action and semi automatic rifles sit alongside shotguns and muzzle loaders. Everything is sourced from established names such as SIG Sauer, Walther, Mauser, Hammerli and Tisas. For a quieter discipline, the air gun range runs from match air pistols and air rifles through to general air guns for plinking and pest control. This continues a family tradition that began in the 1950s, when Stephen Petroni's father sold air guns from a small outlet in Valletta. Every handgun, rifle and shotgun sold passes through the same strict Police licensing checks that protect buyer and seller alike.

Ammunition is stocked across rimfire, centrefire and shotgun categories. Components and propellant powder are also available, for the growing number of Maltese shooters who load their own rounds. The reloading equipment on the shelves covers everything from presses and dies to scales and case preparation tools. This lets members of local shooting clubs work to the exact specification their discipline demands. Reloading touches on safety as much as performance, so staff are always ready to talk through the right components and reloading kit for a particular calibre before a customer commits to a purchase.

Accuracy depends on more than the firearm itself, which is why the accessories counter is stocked with optics and other practical extras. Red dot sights, scopes, mounts, magnifiers and rangefinders sit alongside magazines and carrying cases. These give hunters and competition shooters the optics and storage they need to get the most from their equipment. Tactical lights and slings round out the range for shooters who want their setup ready for both the range and the field. Staff are happy to match optics to a specific rifle or pistol. That advice comes from years of hands on experience with the same brands they sell.

Keeping a firearm in good working order matters just as much as choosing the right one. The maintenance shelf reflects that with cleaning kits, rods, patches and liquid consumables suited to rifles, pistols and shotguns alike. When a firearm needs more than a clean, the outlet's resident gunsmith steps in. He provides hands on gun maintenance, technical advice and repair work, generally available on Saturday mornings by prior arrangement. Safe storage matters too, so Lock, Stock & Barrel stocks gun safes and handgun racks built to keep firearms secure at home. These help owners meet the storage conditions that Maltese firearm licences require, while giving peace of mind between range visits.

Collecting is where the business's roots run deepest. Stephen Petroni founded the Arms, Armour & Militaria Society in 1985. That group later grew into the Association of Maltese Arms Collectors & Shooters, and it helped bring about the modern Arms Act that replaced Malta's old colonial firearms law in 2005. That same expertise shapes the collectors' side of the shop today. Antique arms and militaria from Malta, Britain, America and Germany sit alongside edged weapons, Schedule firearms and inert replica pieces. These span the Napoleonic period through to the World Wars and beyond. Malta's collector licensing system allows enthusiasts to hold historic pieces, including machine guns, purely for preservation rather than use. The team helps collectors identify, value and correctly license new additions to a collection, including items inherited from family members.

Beyond the retail counter, Lock, Stock & Barrel Armoury has built a long standing relationship with Malta's national forces and the wider security sector. Its Defence & Law Enforcement Advisory service supports the Armed Forces of Malta, the Malta Police Force and private security companies with procurement decisions. This work draws on decades of sector knowledge to recommend the right platform for each requirement. It spans everything from standard sidearms through army supply contracts and police procurement programmes to the PMSC procurement briefs that come from private security companies operating across the region. The same depth of knowledge supports the company's film armoury arm. This has equipped television and film productions since 2003 with genuine and replica firearms, edged weapons and historic pieces, including machine guns, drawn from across military history.

Anyone in Malta looking to buy, sell, maintain, store or simply learn more about firearms, ammunition or militaria is welcome to visit. The outlet is in the Phoenix Business Centre, Santa Venera, open Monday to Saturday. Call, email or drop by during opening hours to discuss a purchase, a valuation, a gunsmith appointment or a procurement enquiry. The team has spent close to three decades earning the trust of Malta's shooting and collecting community, and is ready to put that experience to work for the next visitor through the door.