Perazzi’s MXS Sporting 12 gauge lets you tap into a long vein of Olympic trap and skeet victories at the same price of mass-produced shotguns from manufacturers with competitive aspirations and also-ran engineering.

With a price tag of $6,700, the MXS Sporting opens the door to enthusiasts who have been shut out of Perazzi ownership by a $10,000 entry price for its exclusively bespoke shotguns.

Now, for the first time in its stellar 56-year history, Perazzi has supplemented its coveted one-off premium shotguns with a new model that is produced in limited, production standardized runs — a departure that enables the MXS Sporting to cost one-third the price of Perazzi’s otherwise least expensive custom shotgun, the MX8.

The Perazzi MXS Sporting evaluated by the author.

Regardless, the MXS Sporting is clearly a Perazzi.

Perazzi’s MXS Sporting possesses an authority that initially is identified as gun weight. But at some eight-plus pounds, the MXS Sporting is lithe for low-gun clays sports. In fact, that MXS Sporting sovereignty originates from Perazzi’s commitment to precision hand-fitting of individual components refined over the decades from a business cultivated on bespoke long guns.

With the MXS Sporting, Perazzi reduced manufacturing overhead in the Brescia, Italy facility by adopting a paradigm shift that expands market share for the boutique firm to the greater benefit of clays shooters worldwide.

Essentially, the same CNC machinery that manufactures parts from software schematics for the premium models is reconfigured for short runs of MXS Sporting components. That means the company can produce a few firearms at a time with the exact same specifications.

The new 12-gauge Perazzi MXS Sporting is available in a single receiver style nickel or blued.

Additional savings are realized from the limited number of options. The MXS Sporting is sold only as a 12 gauge. Available barrels lengths (with half-ventilated side ribs) are 28¾, 30 and 32 inches. Chokes can be fixed as modified/improved modified or screw-in with an array of standard constrictions costing an extra $515. You’ll pay $357 for an adjustable comb. Left- or right-handed stocks are enhanced with a palm swell. No engraving choices are presented. The receiver comes in either nickel or blued. The MXS Sporting employs the customary Boss system for sturdy axial lock-up. You get a slim Prince of Wales forend. Only the fixed, coil-spring, selective trigger is issued. Length of pull is either 14⅝ or 14¾ inches.

The restrained options list lets Perazzi machine extremely tight tolerances into the MXS Sporting without forethought to a universal catalogue of contingencies. At the same time, the MXS Sporting is able to retain the brilliant metallurgy, unwavering barrel regulation and competition-grade trigger that routinely garner Olympic gold.

Although the streamlined production runs dramatically cut fabrication costs, Perazzi spends nearly as much time hand-finishing the MXS Sporting as on a commissioned shotgun. It’s this final step that exudes the commanding monolithic feel of the shotgun upon assembling the receiver, barrels and forend from the factory case.

Perazzi’s MXS Sporting in 12 gauge.

Ultimately, shooting the new MXS Sporting will dispel concerns about Perazzi lowering the bar on quality in order to meet the junior price point. Several rounds of 5-stand at the Silver Dollar Shooter’s Club in Odessa, Florida proved, beyond any shadow of doubt, that the 12-gauge MXS Sporting is a thoroughbred Perazzi.

The early-production MXS made available was a European model that diverged slightly from the forthcoming American composition. Notable differences were the relaxed pistol grip compared with the tighter radius pistol grip that Americans prefer for clays competitions. The shotgun featured a single, fiber-optic bead on its 32-inch barrels while those imported into the U.S are fitted with the popular two-bead arrangement.

In terms of quality, the shotgun opened in the same way that Guinness pours from a tap — smooth. Laborious, break-in periods for over/unders are relegated to the realm of over-priced, primped beauty queens.
After choking the MXS Sporting improved cylinder/modified I stepped into the cage and started calling for targets.

Perazzi doesn’t rely on weighting systems in the barrel and stock to provide a seamless integrated feel, and this MXS Sporting makes that point quite emphatically.
Receiver ergonomics were excellent. It fit comfortably in my hand without calling attention to any deficiencies in form or handling.

The Perazzi MXS Sporting delivers the thrill of precision.

Starting the swing was effortless. You never felt that the momentum some shooters prefer in a heavy gun overpowers the target line to the break point. By contrast, the balance and integrated feel of the gun will do whatever you want with zero exertion and maximum control. Not that the MXS Sporting is nimble; the shotgun lets you take targets in a measured and patient mount and follow-through for maximum focus, visibility and interception. Think about most presentations on a sporting clays course and you’ll come to appreciate that composure trumps gun speed.

Nonetheless, Perazzi’s MXS Sporting will break targets as quickly as you’re able. It’s the shotgun’s other qualities that help you reach the sweet spot with surprising ease and forgivenes.

At $6,700, Perazzi will establish a new benchmark in trigger excellence for the category with the MXS Sporting. I challenge anyone to shoot a new $6,700 shotgun with a trigger this good. After a demo round, the MXS Sporting will sell itself against other similarly priced shotguns unless you’re one of those folks who prefer embossed gold birds on case colored side plates over the thrill of precision.

Irwin Greenstein is the Publisher of Shotgun Life. You can reach him at contact@shotgunlife.com.
Useful resources:
The Perazzi web site

Irwin Greenstein

Irwin Greenstein is Publisher of Shotgun Life. Please send your comments to letters@shotgunlife.com.

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