Perazzi MXS shotgun review

Perazzi MXS shotgun review
The latest entry-level gun from Perazzi is the MXS, though at £5,500, this makes for a relatively expensive level to enter.

Fortunately, Perazzi makes excellent quality guns which are fairly simple in design, strong and very well made.

The company dates to the 1950s and is still run by the Perazzi family in Italy. They were built on guns designed with their MX8 action, the famous drop-out trigger group.

The idea was that at the highest level of competition, should the trigger mechanism fail, the trigger group itself could be swapped within seconds, causing minimal disruption to the shooter and the competition itself.

The only disadvantage to this is that the action frame has to be fairly large to accommodate the removable trigger group.

Later came the MX12 action, in which the trigger group is not removable and is powered by coil springs. One of the advantages with this design is that the action can more easily be made with selective single trigger, with a top safe selector moving from side to side.

Whereas with the MX8, the selector is normally fixed to be either top or bottom firing first. Though it is possible to have a selector that works as a button sliding behind the trigger.

A Spring In Your Gun
One of the main differences between the MX8 and the MX12 is that the former is powered by vee springs and the latter by coil springs. There is always debate about which is best and both have their good points.

If a vee spring breaks, the gun stops working, but with the coil spring mechanism, the springs move over their entire length and so are far less likely to break.

I’ve never seen a broken main coil spring in a Perazzi, but if it ever happens the gun would in all likelihood continue to work.

The coil spring mechanism is also cheaper to make, as it is housed in the action frame itself rather than with the removable trigger group being a separate item.

On the MXS model, the coil spring mechanism is used and is selective via the safe button moving left or right while in the safe position.

Barrels are monoblock and are available with either 30in or 32in tubes. The side ribs are ventilated and finish just inside the fore-end to keep the weight in check. The top rib is ventilated and tapered from breech to muzzle to improve the sight picture.

Chokes are fixed ½ and ¾, while the chambers are 70mm, as this is essentially a competition gun.

On Perazzis, the chambers are chrome lined for durability, but the bores are not, so you need to keep a Perazzi clean. Treat it like an English gun or a Browning B25 and you’ll have no problems, but you need to be vigilant cleaning a Perazzi because the bores will mark quite easily.

The knuckle and hinge pins need to be greased well to prevent the surfaces from picking up and scouring one another. The action frame is available either blacked or with a nickel silver finish.

There is no engraving as such. The maker’s name and model legend are bold on either side of the action frame. The model is also on the belly of the action. The hinge of the action is highlighted with a sort of bulls-eye shape.

The fences of the action frame are not as intricately carved as the more expensive guns, but the emphasis with this gun is functionality and reliability.

Similarly, the monoblock is not quite as shaped as the more expensive models, but is very strong and functional. The MXS is not a fully bespoke gun in terms of the options available.

For that, you need to look at MX8 or MX12, but there are some choices with the stock dimensions.

The stock can be either right or left hand with a choice of drops of either 35mm and 50mm or 38mm and 53mm at comb and heel respectively. The length of pull is 380mm.

Finishing Details
Wood is kept simple with a standard Sporting profile and pistol grip. The fore-end is a slim beavertail that is positive and fits the hand well.
Wood quality is good on the test guns.

Often on more basic Perazzis, the wood can be rather plain, but on this gun it is better than I would expect to see on a Perazzi of this price. Speaking to the distributor, the guns feature a wood upgrade, which could explain the pleasant surprise when I opened the case.

The butt end of the stock is finished with a slim, solid-rubber pad. The pad has a leather-style finish that gives the right amount of grip and allows the gun to mount smoothly into the shoulder.

Finally, the Perazzi MXS comes in an ABS case.

JH