All,

Ok, Ok, I have gotten the "Clays" bug and am now going through the rigors of deciding on which guns to buy.

I just got one of those Browning Citori "525" Sporting models in 28 ga...Shoots great. BUT, was at the range the other day and a buddy scoffed and remarked that I should have bought a Perazzi MX-20 instead of my lowly Browning.

OK, so now I'm preplexed...Seems that my little "Jap" B-gun has nicer fit and finish, better ergonoimics (plam-swell, adj trigger), etc, etc and costs about 1/3 of the "Spaghetti" gun...

...Chime in here - what gives? Is this a Lexus versus Mazeratti (Sp) thing or what? If it is then the choice is obvious...Lexus all the way!

Opinions please,

Jeff

Tell him that Perazzi is the #1 choice of the metrosexuals that are attracted to the clay sports because of the fashion opportunities

Best thing about it is seeing those dudes get their ass whooped by a guy with an 870.

I agree....We're on the same page!

JW

If you are trying to imply that the Browning is a better gun than the Perazzi, your arguments would fall on deaf ears. If you mean that your Browning is a better bang for the buck I would agree. I shoot skeet with 3 guys who have MX8 Perazzis. The fit and finish is on a par with Browning. Both are excellent on either brand.

Your friend is just trying to play gun snob with you. Just outshoot him with the 28.

quote:

Just outshoot him with the 28.

Exactly. It was always great fun to watch the 100 straight American style skeet shooters come to our sporting clays shoots and get creamed.

Chic,

Maybe I missed on what I was really looking to get out of this dialog.

From a performance standpoint, is the Perazzi worth the extra $$ for shooting clays...Will I gain any noticeable advantage shooting the "P" gun? If so, I'l gladly comitt to getting those guns.

I am strictly after performance here...I have all of the fancy guns I need - time for some shooters...No intent to compare the Browning to Perazzi. I realize that the Perazzis are very nice - but do they last longer, shoot more accurately, balance better in general??? - that's what I'm after here, nothing more.

Chic?


JW

I started shooting sporting clays with an 870 but in France they reclassified pump-actions to the same status as controlled handguns so I sold it and bought a Browning 325, which I still have. Now, it works just fine. But I think you should wait until you are averaging 22 out of 25, and then try some other guns from guys at the club or as loaners from the gun dealers. When you get good enough to average over 20, you are getting into the groove and you will start to better feel the minor differences in balance, pointability, etc. In fact, I radically changed my hold after two years and increased my averages considerably with the same 325. Now, the best gun I have ever shot, in terms of making it seem easier, was a Spanish O/U from Kemen. And beautiful it was to boot. Shoot a Kemen, shoot a Kreighoff, shoot a Beretta, then make your decision about what you really need. The Perazzis are nice and a lot like them but they may not increase your score on the range, although they may in the clubhouse.

Jeff.....no doubt the Browning is a fine gun but shooters don't use Perazzi as "the standard" because they like the way the name sounds. First the Perazzi's have made a name for themselves because they last and last and last and then they are easy to rebuild and shoot some more....put a 500-700 shots a week thru the Browning and the Perazzi and check them out at the end of the year...after 5 years and you will seee where the rep comes from.

Also, Perazzi is very much like Nikon in that the older equipment doesn't become obselete as improvemetns are made...barrels can be fit, triggers can be used, stocks are interchangable etc.

With respect to balance and "feel"...much to subjective but that's why Perazzi gives you so many choices with respect to barrel weights, stock styles, rib variations ...take the basic gun and "you can have it your way".

By the way, I have a very early MX-8 that I purchased when they first became available. It was purchased as a trap gun w/29 1/2" barrels. It now has the original barrels, a skeet carrier barrel with Kolar skeet tubes, a set of 32" O/U barrels, a 34" single barrel, and a set of 30" ltwt hunting barrels. It has 3 different forends and at least 6 or 7 stocks + 3 sets of triggers. I won't mention the number of rounds fired thru this gun but it's a lot...been rebuilt twice and locks up like a bank-vault.

I won't bad-mouth your Browning but you're kidding yourself when you try to compare it to a Perazzi.

Bill,

Thanks for the insight...I suspected that the "P"-guns were as you have described.

I have always been a proponent of anything that is built to last and has the capability to be rebuilt - moreover has been intentionally designed to be rebuilt -better yet.


For the record - I never claimed that my Browning was anywhere in the leage of the Perazzi.

So, what I'll do is wear out my Browning, use the money saved to buy shells and range time - figure out what my shooting style is really like and then buy the Perazzi to suit my style and come out with a win-win in the big picture.

That said - who is the best dealer in your opinion here in the states for Perazzi?

Thanks again for the input.

Jeff

Wink - Thanks for the tidbit - I am going to spend the saved $$ on shells and clays - develop a predictable style -try some other guns and get what works....Seems that with what Bill is saying - I should be able to customize a Perazzi to suit my particular shoting style - that aspect of the gun / any guns for that matter is a good logical way of doing things IMHO.

I'll give it a year or so of steady shooting and then home-in on a customized gun.

Jeff

One other thing to consider is how Perazzi's hold their value....and the other is how fast they seem to going up in price. I've found the incremental approach of buying something inexpensive with the plan of moving up in the future is usually the most expensive way to accrue eequipment. Let me suggest you look around the internet to some of the more reliable dealers and perhaps but a used one in excellent conditon...won't be as inexpensive as a Browning but it's a start.

Also,,,,give me some idea what part of the country you live in and I can point you in the right direction as to dealers.

Bill,

I'm in West Texas...Have surfed all over the net and have seen a LOT of guns!

MX-2000?

MX-8?

DHO?

SHO?

SCO?

Removeable trigger assembly - is that good?

OK - who has written the "Cliff's Notes" on these guns?

These are fairly complicated / confusing guns to shop for.

I don't give a hoot about fancy engraving...My Fabbris have that! I'm looking for pefromance here.

Thanks for following up.



Jeff

I suppose you have already tried http://www.perazzi.com (hit the "English" button, then catalogue, then shotguns, then competition models) to see that the combinations are mind boggling. Why not try to get Saeed or his brother to help you? Saeed's brother is, after all, an Olympic Gold Medalist.

Jeff....the DHO and SHO are sidelocks and while great guns are super-expensive but still less than a Fabbri. The SCO is a "sideplate" grade with engraving, usually very nice, but I'm not a big fan of most of the engravers used by Perazzi right now.

Perazzin tends to name their guns after special events.....MX-8 (Mexico Olympics 1968), MT-6 (Montreal Olympics 1976), MS-80 (Moscow 1980) etc......with many (but not all) of the differences being with the ribs with adjustable ribs being the current "must have" option.

I don't know of any dealers near you but for me, the go-to guy, has always been Giacomo who is the finest Perazzi gunsmith and gun-fitter I know and a damn nice guy to boot. Check out his web-site and then I would call him to discuss your "needs and desires".

It's OK to talk to Lee first to "rough out" what you want but when you get down to the real details of what you want make sure you're talking to Giacomo.

While we're discussing options, how do Kolar shotguns compare to Perazzis? They seem to be a lot more popular where I am.

Personal opinion as while I have shot a Kolar on several occassions I have never owned one.

I own and shoot several Perazzi's and Krieghoff's for trap, skeet and bird shooting. They are both high-quality guns with their own good points with each haveing a few quirks if their own....the Kolar, again to me, is a poor knock-off of a combination of the Krieghoff and the Remington 3200 and I think it's wildly over=priced.

I think the only real market for the Kolar is skeet where a carrier barrel just for holding a tube-set is a pretty decent combination but again not a value when compared to either the Perazzi or Krieghoff.

Thanks, I haven't heard much objective opinion either way. Most of the people I know who shoot them are live pigeon shooters. They never hunt with them though. Seems odd to me.

Most live-pigeon guns aren't all that suitable for hunting.....(1) most have very high combs making them shoot high which is good for pigeons but not so good for most other birds and (2) unless they have screw-in chokes they are too tightly choked for most hunting.

DB,

Darn'd right those Pigeon guns are tight choked!

Mine are choked at full and "fuller"...

...Any experience with Eurochasse???

Jeff

When I first got into shotgun shooting I was really proud of the Brownings I started off with. As time went on, though, I felt a need to get something "better." I now shoot trap with a Ljutic Mono Gun and I have a Browning O/U for doubles. I'd like to tell you that I shot the same scores with the Browning as I do the Ljutic, but honestly, I shoot the Ljutic better. I've just plain broken more 100 straights with it and my handicap average has gone way up. The Browning is a great beginner gun, but as you get better at shooting and more into the sport, don't be surprised if you feel the need to plunk a few grand down on a gun for yourself. It's worth it, though, the higher end guns last forever, and they're something your grandchildren will be able to use.

Jeff....there are several good dealers around. The one closest to me is John Herkowitz who owns Pacific Sporting...he is about 10 minutes away from Perazzi USA and has access to anything you might need and he gets things quickly. His web-site is http://www.pacificsportingarms.com/used_guns.htm

John can be a little brusque at times but he knows his business and has a lot of stock on hand...also takes trades on quality guns.

Jeff,
Sorry I had not checked back in here of late. If you are going to shoot a lot, the Perazzi would likely be a good value for you. As Bill said, they hold their value very well. You can also add barrels. Check on Gunsamerica and you will find barrels only for sale.

Bill has a lot more experience with them than I do. I just shoot next to them and get to handle them on occasion. I was very close to buying a Perazzi Competition 1 model a short while ago. The owner had Kolar ream out the barrel to make a carrier barrel out of it and then install Kolar tubes for the small gauges. I only shoot 20, 28 and 410 so it was very appealing as was the $3,000 price tag. I thought too long and it was sold.

Justin, the Ljutic serial number 1 has had over 2 MILLION round through it. I think that sets the standard for reliability. BTW, welcome to AR.

Chic,

Thanks for the input.

I'm working on a deal on a SCO right now and will let you know how it comes out.

Jeff