doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com what are the opinions of P&V?

half looking for 20 ga O/U target gun and found a P&V but don't know much about them> Is the action similar to Perazzi?

The internet says yes.

...I just snagged a Zoli sort of like the one Joe had...but a 12 gauge, 32" barrels.

I expected it to be barrel heavy...its not. Maybe look for one of those?

I also grabbed a 32" 12 bore Wild. Its sweet at about 7 1/2 lbs.

I’m not well known here but will offer an opinion based on many years of shooting competition. I have observed most if not all of the better competition guns in extended use with mostly 1 1/4 oz loads of various speeds.

In sustained competition the two commonly used O/U guns that stand up to the shooting over time are Perazzi’s of the last 40 years with the type 4 forend and and K guns of the last 20-25 years with the improved triggers.

There are exceptions of course but I see no reason to buy a copy of a Perazzi when the real thing is readily available.

$$$

Lots of wisdom in Richard's post, IMO

Regarding cost, considering the expense of fitting, testing, various modifications that are often done, ammunition, travel, entry fees cost and availability of parts, stocks, barrels, triggers etc, the initial purchase price is a very small part of the equation.

Example:
You are at a shoot and a trigger spring breaks in your Perazzi, before you can get to your bag to replace the spring or complete trigger, three people offer you their trigger to get you shooting again. (I’ve seen it countless times.)

A used Perazzi always finds a buyer, a used Perazzi copy often gets a “what’s that” type question. Much larger buyers pool for Perazzi.

Not that buying any make of gun is a certain mistake but many things to factor into the decision.

I would buy a used Perazzi before buying a new P&V.

I should have also added that a Browning is a very durable gun and wins many shoots. Never a mistake.

Good luck with whatever decision you make. 👍

I agree, and did exactly that myself. I was offered a Winchester imported MX-8 with 31 1/2" barrels, in trap configuration, some 16-18 years ago for $2550 in its original hard case. In its condition I knew it was a flaming deal. It was choked F and F when I bought it. I had the chokes reamed out to .020" and .020" and located a buttstock more suitable to me. I competed in NSCA and shot it until the trigger group was beyond repair, then purchased a new trigger group for it.

It has been a joy to own and shoot all these years. I tried friends' target guns: Kreighoffs, Kemens, Kolars, Berettas, Guerinis . . . I can't even remember them all. I've never shot a target gun that I love like that old MX-8. I probably should sell off a bunch of my shotguns and buy me a long barreled 20 ga. one, too.

Thanks all, a P gun was my first choice.

P&V make best quality guns.
They don’t give them away.

However, in making the choice to purchase a dedicated target gun,

I recommend trying a whole bunch of different ones in different configurations until you find the one that swings the way you like.

There are about five or six different brands, used at peak, competitive levels. They are all just a little bit different in how they move, and within those, there will be one that you like above the others.

I started with a Sarzilmaz, moved on to a few Brownings, Beretta’s, then in comparison to Perazzi Mx2000, or Caesar Guerini Invictus m-Spec, I went with CG.
Tried pretty much every sub 15k variety out there with factory std stock,
I didn’t want to totally change how I shoot, I just wanted to shoot better with more reliability and easier opportunity for repair. The little tweaks add up after a certain point.

Buying a used Perazzi can be a n iffy proposition. Barrel and trigger mods abound. Older guns in particular have been around long enough to have attracted the attention of the dolts that thoughtlessly " fix them up". You would not believe some of the things that I've seen done to them. Having someone who is actually familiar with the guns evaluate a used one is close to a necessity.
Over the last forty years or so I've had a number of them. I still have several. I seldom shoot anything else.
Best of luck