Gun

Perazzi MX12

.THE ENGLISH SPORTER

A third model joins the Perazzi line up of guns for the sporting disciplines. Richard Rawlingson takes a look.

Think of Perazzi and I am sure many of you will think of trap guns. In the hands of overseas stars and the likes of our own Peter Boden, the marque has indeed been a force to reckon with on the trap lines and many an aspiring Olympic champion has an MX8 on their wish list. In truth however - and it came as a surprise to me - Dynamit Nobel, the UK distributors, already sell many more sporters than they do trap models and they see the sporting disciplines as a area of real growth potential in the future. Recent moves show the commitment to sporting; with the launch early last year of the (relatively) budget-priced MX5 and now the introduction of another new model, the MX12.

In price terms the new gun will sit in between the MX5 and the famous MX8. The MX5 starts at £2495 and the MX12 will undercut the MX8 by some £240, with a recommended retail price of £3750 compared to £3990 for the base model MX8. As that pricing structure suggests, the new gun has more in common with the MX8 than its cheaper sibling, but with detail differences as we shall see.

Technical Overview

The first point to make is that the MX12 uses the familiar Perazzi action with the now so familiar Boss-inspired locking system, unlike the MX5 which is a totally different design. Put the MX12 and MX8 side by side and initially the differences are slight. Cosmetic detailing apart, only the absence of the familiar barrel selector behind the trigger blade sets the new gun apart. This small clue is the outward sign of fairly extensive differences under the skin however.

Unlike the MX8 the MX12 has a fixed trigger, so no lovely detachable trigger group to drop out for your mates to admire. Dynamit Nobel tell us that their research showed that all you sporting shooters out there don't really care too much for this feature. Leaving it out allows the maker to put in something you do like, namely a barrel selector in the familiar place on the top strap, combined with the safety catch. Take off the stock - as ever with a Perazzi a few seconds work - and you will see the differences more clearly. A neat and efficient coil-sprung lock is built on the floor of the action, with the selector and inertia block mechanism pivoting on the rear floor and linking to the selector/safety at the top.

The other major difference being promoted with the MX12 is a choice of true Imperial barrel lengths, the options being 30, 32 or 34(!) inches rather than the metric lengths normally supplied by the factory, which work out between half and three-quarters of an inch different. A big deal? I suspect not - it doesn't seem to do Beretta any harm that their 30" barrels are really 291" and if anyone believes it makes a difference to their shooting then they are either very picky indeed or fibbing.

The barrels themselves are nicely made and presented and in normal Italian fashion have been bored a touch on the tight side of nominal 12-bore size at .724". The choke constrictions on the test gun are 12 thou in the bottom barrel and 25 thou in the top, slightly tight of quarter and half. I assume that any constrictions can be supplied to order, although I would have no quarrel with the supplied selection for most sporting purposes. It was interesting to look at the choke profiles using the bore gauge. Perazzi have used a very long and gradual continuous taper, starting some 10 cm back from the muzzles, mimicking the profiles of some of the popular aftermarket extended chokes.   

Elsewhere the company seems to have paid attention to keeping barrel weight down as much as possible. Our test gun is a 30" fixed choke model with barrels weighing dead on 1500 grams. The portion hidden by the fore end is ribless and the main portion of the centre rib is ventilated , changing to solid for just the final six inches. The top rib is also raised and ventilated, tapering from 11 to 6mm, with a centre channel terminating in a single white bead. I have commented before on my preference for tapering ribs on sporters and this is one of the best.

I also like very much the plain 'semi-beavertail' fore end that Perazzi elect to use on their sporters; less showy certainly than the more familiar schnabel type, but always very comfortable to hold and promoting the 'index finger forward' style of shooting.

The stock has a feel which is still more Italian than English, with the bulk through the comb area that characterises so many guns from that part of the world. The grip though is more gently radiused than some earlier guns I recall and to me more comfortable. I am glad to see that no palm swell is fitted for I find these distracting on a sporting gun, although they can be effective on trap guns where the range of movement is so much less and repeatability is the prime aim. The stock is finished off with a slender 10mm recoil pad that has a sufficiently smooth face to avoid snagging when mounting.

Cosmetics

You don't get much in the way of adornment when you buy a basic Perazzi. In true Henry Ford style it is 'any colour as long as it is black' with, on this model, not even a shiny gold trigger to break the monotony. You can tell the new gun apart from an MX8 by the border engraving all around the frame of the action and that really is your lot as far as decoration goes. Dark wood continues the sombre theme, although the stock on our test gun showed some character and the chequering is nicely executed. The woodwork is finished in a satin effect lacquer which is likely to be durable but lacks the tactile qualities of a traditional oil finish.

In truth Perazzi make no claim for their basic competition guns in terms of great beauty. They are tools designed to do the job of breaking clays and all the effort goes into the quality of materials and construction and into getting the dynamics right. If you have the funds the company will certainly produce you a gun that is as good looking as it is effective, but the competition guns have a certain lean and 'stripped for action' appeal.

On Test

Perazzi have gone for a full weight on the MX12, with our gun tipping the scales at 3.65 kg - a fraction over 8lbs. You can expect 32" barrels to add a few ounces to that. The pedigree shows through when that dead weight on the scales is changed into dynamic weight as the gun is mounted and swung. Well balanced guns always have a knack of appearing lighter than they really are and this falls firmly into that category.

The stock dimensions are interesting. Our gun has been left on the long side at 375 mm (15 inches exactly) and while the drop at comb is an entirely predictable 35 mm, the makers have elected to have less drop at heel than is the norm these days - 45 mm - whereas most other off-the-peg sporters will be set at about 50 or 55 mm. This creates the immediate impression of a stock which is set on the high side, following the trend which many of our top sporting stars have set in recent times.

I have found some Perazzi sporters in the past to have rather sharp handling. I remember comparing one earlier model to a sports car set up for the track because of its quick reactions. Although it suits some styles I personally find guns with this kind of handling difficult to shoot consistently, particularly on the kind of shallow-angle, quartering-away targets which are such a feature of modern sporting layouts.

The new gun is indeed much more English in its handling, still agile and responsive but with a touch more inertia that I found smoother and easier to cope with. The overall balance is very neutral, with no appreciable bias towards butt or muzzles.

The gun may not have the famous Perazzi detachable trigger unit, but the quality of pulls is still much better than average. I would have marked them higher had they been a touch lighter. The bottom barrel measures 4H lbs on my gauge and the top 53 lbs. Both would benefit from being about three-quarters of a pound lighter for my taste. In all other respects the gun operates smoothly and efficiently; the ejectors are perfectly timed if not particularly powerful.

Summary

The MX12 marks an interesting attempt by Perazzi to broaden their appeal in the vital sporting sector of the market. The differences from the MX8 may appear subtle at first, but the cumulative effect adds up to something more. It is different and there is also the added benefit of a saving of £250, largely as a result of the omission of a detachable trigger unit. It certainly shows Perazzi's clear intention to build their share of sporting gun sales and a commendable willingness to listen to the shooters and tailor the product to their needs.

More information: Dynamit Nobel RWS (UK) Ltd, Upton Cross, Liskeard, Cornwall, PL14 5BQ Tel 01579 362319