Richard Atkins tests the William Powell Perdix ‘crossover’ shotgun

Barrels are bored to 18.4mm internal diameter, the traditional Italian bore size before over-boring came into fashion. Being 0.0046in smaller than the standard 12-gauge bore size of 0.729in (18.51mm) diameter ensures the gun performs well with fibre and plastic wad ammunition. The tubes are 3in chambered and Magnum Steel Proof tested, so can be used for almost any game scenario. The 7mm wide raised and ventilated top rib leans toward the game-style, but is fine for clays, with the extra-wide ribs once in vogue now giving way to narrower designs between 8 and 10mm.

Perdix-broken

It is locked by a full-width flat bolt that emerges from the base of the standing breech and engages with a wedge-shaped recess in the barrel under lumps like a typical Browning. This format produces a medium-depth action, taller than a Beretta but lower than a Browning and has proven strong and reliable over many years.

The action body is machined from steel for maximum strength. Action design is conventional with substantial coil-spring-powered tumblers bottom hinged from the trigger plate, and overhead sears engaging with bents in the tumbler top faces. A second safety bent is also present in each tumbler in case the gun is jarred.

IMG_6891Barrel selection changes with a small sliding button set within the top-mounted safety catch, which reveals a single red dot when the bottom barrel is selected or two dots for the top. The safety is automatically applied as the top lever is operated to open the gun. Most clay shooters will prefer to have this altered – a simple operation.

A neat plunger holds the top lever offset when the barrels are open. This can be manually released by depressing the plunger release tip set into the top of the standing breech. This is useful when storing the gun in the supplied ABS hard travelling case to relieve pressure on the spring.

The trigger is curved and gold finished but not adjustable for position. This matters little with the half pistol grip stock as the gripping hand can be easily be positioned to suit.

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