Upmarket Clay Guns
The Perazzi has to head my list of upmarket clay guns. The MX8 was created for top trap shooter Ennio Materelli by Danielle Perazzi and his then partner Ivo Fabbri (who later left to set up on his own and start building a super gun without compromise or consideration of cost). Today, Perazzi makes quite a wide range of guns, but my favourite remains the original drop lock, MX8 with leaf springs (there is a coil spring option). Few guns, regardless of prices, can match the trigger pulls of this gun or the quality of its barrel making. What more can one say than George Digweed uses one?
The MX8 is a classic. It works. You can win world championships and Olympic gold medals with one. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, moreover. Kemen, Gamba, Perugini and Visini, and now, Purdey with their new sporter (part built by Perugini and Visini but with a London made action), have all created Perazzi clones. The Perazzi itself owes a lot to the London made Boss (it copies its primary bolting system and the ‘draws and wedges’ on its inner action walls and barrels). The action is beautifully engineered – by CNC, of course, and not too deep thanks to stud pin hinging and a bifurcated lump barrel design. The trigger is recoil activated. The whole mechanism is easily removed merely by pushing the safety forward beyond its normal position and pulling down on the trigger guard.
There are all sorts of decorative options including various engraving patterns and side-plates. Most important, Perazzi offer a complete custom gun-making service. It’s not just about stock measurements and style, you can have any barrel rib and stock you want on an MX8. And, you can choose to go out to the factory to be measured too. This is a remarkable service where you will be able to try your new stock before you leave. Prices from: £6,674. RUAG are the distributors (01579-362319).
The K80 Krieghoff is the ancestor of the Remington 32 (which first appeared in 1932). It was created by Remington as a response to the exciting new Browning Over and under – the Superposed – which appeared in the late 1920s. The 32 was the brainchild of designer called Crawford Loomis, his creation incorporated – and he may have got the idea from France – a sliding top-cover which locked the gun up and did away with the needs for other means of bolting. The 32 also boasted a low, if long, action with trunnion hinging. These features are retained in the modern Krieghoff – all else is new.
The 32 was not especially pricey for all the work that went into it. After the Second World War, Remington sold the manufacturing rights to a consortium of US shooters and these eventually passed to Krieghoff. Their gun, though significantly evolved, still remains quite like the old 32. There’s a postscript to the history, noting the Krieghoff success with their old 32, Remington introduced a 32 look-a-like, the 3200, in the early 1970s. This was a very different gun internally to the original. It was not a great commercial success, but continued in production until 1984. Miroku also produced a gun with a 32 style sliding top-cover: the model 3000, and is did Valmet (made now as the Finn Classic). None of these imitations come close to the original 32, let alone, the German engineered K 80, now so carefully refined to match the needs of different clay disciplines.
Looking at a modern Krieghoff, one’s eye is immediately drawn to unusual action with its sliding cover which, on moving forward, engages side wings on the barrels. The top lever is quite short but the thumb-piece is substantial and provides good purchase. The safety has an interesting feature – a push button lock so that it may be locked in position (it can fixed more permanently by means of a allen screw in the upper tang of the action when the stock is removed). The barrel selector is not combined with safety as in a Browning or Beretta, rather, it is positioned just forward of the trigger within the bow of the trigger guard (and, like the safety, may be locked). Another unusual feature of the Krieghoff is that the barrels do not have side ribs, the rib, moreover, is of a raised designed and quite high to the rear though of normal height to the front (it requires this elevating designed to achieve proper point-of-impact).
The Krieghoff is not especially svelte, nor is it light, but it is a beautifully made, very solid, clay crunching machined which seems to suit some people very well indeed. Prices start from about £9,250 for a fixed rib sporter. Though the Pro Sport and Pro Trap models are the most popular and start just over 10k. Alan Rhone is the distributor (01978) 66 00 01 http://www.alanrhone.com/
Kemen is the Basque word for strength. The company’s guns – clearly inspired by Perazzi and looking much like them on first glance - appeared in the UK over a decade back and made a sudden and very positive impact. Richard Faulds and George Digweed both shot 32” KM4s and posted huge scores with them. I tried the guns when they appeared and was so impressed that I bought and campaigned with it successfully as well. Indeed, it would still rank as one of my favourite over and under sporters.
The thing that distinguishes a Kemen are its long (typically 32”) relatively light barrels and its good stock shapes. This is where Kemen stole the march on Perazzi (though the more famous firm has done much to catch up since). Before Kemen arrived, most long barrelled sporters were front heavy. Kemen reduced barrel weight and managed to achieve pointability and what we might called swing-ability too. Their barrels are, typically, lively – especially to the front (where fixed chokes or thin wall multis are the norm). One can use them precisely, but also make sudden corrections to line if required.
Kemen, copied the Perazzi style of action as noted (though they introduced a different means of removing the lock). The Spanish had previously made cheap copies of Perazzi, but the Kemen was a quality gun, its modifications moreover made it distinct. They ended up with a 32" gun that felt like a 30". A well stocked, KM4 with 32” tubes weighing about 1550 grams is still a very hard gun to beat. The latest MKII version has a tapered design to the rear of the action and is a significant improvement on previous models because less would needs to be removed from the stock in the critical grip area. There is also an improved action finish. As with Perazzi, a full bespoke service is part of the deal. Prices from: £6,995.
