The Perazzi MR57: First American Look at the New Italian Olympian
With the new Perazzi MR57, the Italian shotgun maker, which holds 62 Olympic medals, has taken an audacious leap into redefining the competition over/under as a work of art that turns clay targets into fairy dust.
Perazzi has always believed that even the most successful platforms must continue to evolve alongside the sport. As shooting disciplines progress and target presentations become increasingly complex – particularly in sporting clays – the demands placed on both shooter and shotgun continue to change. The MR57 was designed with this evolution in mind.
At this level of performance, one platform is not necessarily better than another. As Perazzi sees it, each of their platforms offers its own handling characteristics, balance and shooting dynamic that will appeal to different shooters and disciplines. The MX, HT, and MR platforms each provide a distinct feel, while maintaining the precision, reliability and craftsmanship that define a Perazzi.
The Perazzi ethos is that a shotgun is designed around the interaction between the shooter and the gun. Perazzis are not simply engineered as components for manufacturing efficiency. The objective is to create a complete instrument that feels natural, refined, balanced and perfectly connected to the shooter.
Most experts will agree that the Perazzi MX platform, introduced in 1968, is the benchmark by which competition shotguns are judged. Its handling dynamics, reliability, style and overall performance have influenced generations of shotgun design and continue to define the standard for many shooters worldwide.
Perazzi’s High-Tech platform, introduced in 2015, is built upon the proven MX mechanical system while introducing subtle weight distribution refinements that softened felt recoil and enhanced consistency, forgiveness and recoil recovery. As evidenced in the record books, shooters quickly appreciated the HT platform for its smooth shooting characteristics and exceptional control with modern ammunition loads.
The MR57 continues this progression by further refining weight distribution, center of mass and rotational balance to create an even more natural and responsive handling experience.
The goal of the MR57 is to allow the shooter’s technique to flow effortlessly and naturally, while maintaining Perazzi’s unmistakable balance and dynamic handling. The MR57 represents an ideal blend of the qualities that have made the MX and HT platforms podium regulars. The more contemporary design language of the MR57 is a deliberate step forward that reflects the direction of the modern sport gun while still remaining unmistakably Perazzi.
The most significant technical development of the Perazzi MR57 may seem counterintuitive. Prevailing logic tends to favor either a neutral balance or a slight muzzle predisposition for clay target guns. The neutral shotgun feels controllable and responsive. By contrast, the thinking goes that the advantages of a muzzle-biased clays gun helps follow-through along the target trajectory.
The Perazzi MR57 is offered in three primary configurations: Skeet, Trap and Sporting.
The new Perazzi ushers in a contradictory way of thinking about clays-shooting science at work. Its weight distribution favors the receiver over the barrels. The objective is not merely a neutral equilibrium, but a slight rearward bias. The design key is a 3D trapezoid on the side of the receiver. It enabled Perazzi to shave the receiver exterior walls in some places and shift that mass onto the faceted trailing edge of the trapezoid. The effect is that the mass propels the post-shot recoil down and back, similar to a car that squats on acceleration.
Ask the good folks at Perazzi about their design philosophy and invariably they’ll compare it to a race car. And maybe it’s no coincidence that the Perazzi hard case is an energetic primary red similar to the legendary Rosso Corsa “Racing Red” of Italy’s Ferrari. And Ferrari will tell you that if you want a car that goes real fast, make it low.
Any number of shotgun manufacturers that produce competition models will tout their low-profile receivers for improved responsiveness, rapid target acquisition and brisk handling. But the breakthrough design of the slender Perazzi MR57 receiver is immediately apparent in the trapezoidal facets that transfer its mass into the shoulder and seemingly down into the shooter’s core – the body’s font of strength, coordination and balance.
Shoot a low-profile-receiver clays gun and you immediately recognize the improved responsiveness that benefits the shooting physiology from the sternum up, supported by the abdominal area and legs. With the Perazzi MR57, though, the entire target-shooting experience seemingly shifts downward to our body’s core – a transfer of power that amplifies and drives the Perazzi’s ingenious engineering. This is not merely good shotgun fit: its something deeper, an organic integration with your body’s source of high-stakes power. It’s something you probably never experienced before in a clays gun.
Perazzi managed to further mitigate recoil on the MR57 by combining the rearward thrust with a stock that has zero pitch. The theory is that with the pad flush in the shoulder pocket, and the recoil channeled down and back, the pad’s full surface against the body provides a larger, flat area for recoil absorption. Also, the direction of the recoil is engineered to take the jolt away from the face and down into the shoulder pocket. The results provide a distinct advantage for shooting pairs with a rapid and smooth recovery for the second shot.
I can say unequivocally that the Perazzi MR57 shoulders extremely fast because of the simulated lighter barrels. The payoff is that you gain an extra split second to reach the target breakpoint and pivot to the second target in pairs.
Perazzi’s MR57 is only offered in 12 gauge in standard grade with blue or nickel finish. The shotgun is available with a detachable trigger (flat or coil hammer springs) or a fixed non-removable trigger with coil hammer springs.
I shot a Perazzi MR57S on a challenging 5-Stand. The specifications of that shotgun were:
- Trigger type: Fixed
- Receiver finish: Blue
- Barrel length: 32 inches
- Bore Diameter: 18.7mm
- Sights: White front/Metal mid-bead
- Fixed Chokes: LM/IM (.016/.024)
- Rib Type: Tapered 11×7
- Side Ribs: Half ventilated
- Forend: MR slim beavertail
- Stock: Adjustable
- Drop: 1½ inches x 2¼ inches
- Cast: 1/16 inches x ¼ inch x 3/8 inches
- Length of pull: 14¾ inches
- Palm swell: Medium
- Wood grade: SCO
- Recoil pad: 22mm
- Overall weight: 8 lbs./9 oz.
- Case: Classic style single gun cas
The weight of the mechanical trigger was about 3.5 pounds of precision feel. The deep blued receiver, with its contrasting surfaces of gloss and matte, delivered a jewel-like overlay, although inside it was all business with a Boss lock-up. The integrated barrel selector and safety resided on the top strap.
Perazzi stocks and forends are known for their natural feel, elegant contours and refined proportions. The new checkering design of the Perazzi MR57 complements the forward-thinking bravura of the receiver exceptionally well. The adjustable comb hardware is simple, sturdy and easy to change.
In assembling the Perazzi MR57, I was immediately struck by the purposeful craftsmanship of the forend. Usually the forend is an afterthought that locks the barrels in place. On the Perazzi MR57, the sleek, flared shape was enhanced with perfectly placed channels for the fingers. The channels prevented you from strangling the forend, as some shooters may resort to, while providing comfort and control in the palm of your hand. But it was the forend’s heft that drew my attention. In addition to meeting Pereazzi’s specifications for ideal shootability, the forend ‘s weight gave the impression that it contributed to the overall structural integrity of the MR57. The perception was of an architectural mindset where all elements are understood to elegantly support each other.
We talk about the joy of shooting a 28-gauge shotgun because of its light weight and nimble handling. While the 12-gauge Perazzi MR57 won’t rival a 28 gauge, its weight distribution makes the barrels feel lighter than most other clays over/unders. Swing the gun on a fast crosser and the shotgun feel like it’s on ball bearings because the barrels are not burdened with the typical balance geometry. I got the distinct feeling that Maruo Perazzi would rather be sentenced to the Gulag than offer barrel weights on his shotguns.
After extensive ballistic testing and pattern evaluation, Perazzi’s forcing cones have been optimized, and will remain consistent with the MX and HT platforms. Perazzi will tell you that their forcing cones decrease the excessive flattening or lengthening of forcing cones that can negatively affect pattern quality and consistency due to gas slippage and reduced wad performance. The barrels are made of Perazzi’s proprietary tri-alloy steel entirely in-house.
The MR57 is positioned as a competitor to elite-class over/unders such as the Beretta SL2 and DT11 and Krieghoff’s K-80 (and time will tell whenever the new Blaser FBX comes to the U.S.).
Current pricing of the Perazzi MR57:
- MR57 (detachable trigger) starts at $18,830.00
- MR57 S (fixed trigger) starts at $19,200.00
- Adjustable comb: $595.00
- Interchangeable chokes: $1,365.00
- SC2 wood upgrade: $1,210.00
- All Nickel Package: $475.00
Most MR57 custom barrel specifications and bespoke stock dimensions are also available at no additional cost. Barrels with fixed chokes are available in standard MX and HT bore diameters with any choke constriction. They feature a conical choke taper with an approximately 6-inch parallel section and are available in standard bore diameters.
The Perazzi MR57 debuted in America at the 2026 World English Sporting Clays Championship April 22 – 26 at the National Shooting Complex in San Antonio, Texas. According to Perazzi, feedback on the shotgun was overwhelmingly positive.
The MR57 was developed to honor Mauro and Roberta Perazzi for their passion, commitment, contribution and dedication to the Perazzi legacy, to the sport, and to carrying forward founder Daniele Perazzi’s vision. The “57” recognizes the establishment of Armi Perazzi in 1957.
Perazzi’s MR57 clearly advances the company’s singular focus on precision, aesthetics and excellence. At the end of the day, the MR57 is most definitely a Perazzi – taken a step further.
Irwin Greenstein is the Publisher of Shotgun Life. You can reach him at the Shotgun Life Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/shotgunlife#
For more information about the Perazzi MR57 visit https://mr57.perazzi.it/en/
Irwin Greenstein is Publisher of Shotgun Life. Please send your comments to letters@shotgunlife.com.
Comments