New gun confusion - Kid in a candy shop!

[Jgra13]

Hi guys, next year I turn 30 and am saving up to treat myself to a new gun, I have a (hopeful) budget of around £3000. I am considering new and second hand guns. New guns being considered include a mk60 grade 5, and a guerini Maxim. Second hand guns include a B25 2BG or a Perazzi MX8.My confusion/concern, is whether the second hand guns in my price bracket would be reliable, and/or expensive to fix if something did go wrong. But from reading previous threads suggestions are they are better made than the new guns on my list. What are people thoughts!? Thanks for any help!

 

Edited October 29, 2019 by Jgra13

[Whitebridges]

I don't know of a Perazzi MX80. Do you mean the MX8? 

You should be able to find a very nice gun for 3K so try a few before you buy.   

[archi]

You shouldn’t have any issues with a B2G if you get one from a reputable dealer

[welshwarrior]

All good guns on your list.  However none of them are any good to you if they don’t suit you not just fit that can be tweaked but actual handling etc.  I loved the maxim but just couldn’t shoot it well.  

[Jgra13]

Sorry I should of said I use my gun for absolutely everything, clays, pigeons, rats, rabbits and the odd pheasents on beaters day etc. Yes apologies for typo on MX8

 

 

Edited October 29, 2019 by Jgra13

[Scully]

Which ever one makes you smile the most. 

[Jgra13]

1 hour ago, Scully said:

Which ever one makes you smile the most. 

Problem is they all do when looking at them 😂 

[Walker570]

Afraid, only you can make that choice. Personally I would go buy a £500 or less knock about gun for the rats and pigeons etc., and the remainder on whatver a)fits you b) meets your fancy.

No use having an expensive or cheap gun if it doesn't fit.    There is so much choice these days I don't envy you.

[Wingman]

I would add the Beretta 692 to your list. I have one the black edition with adjustable comb and it’s a great gun. But as said select the one that feels and fits the best to you. 

[Scully]

And don’t overlook the DT10; some very nice examples about and a proven track record. 

[washerboy]

Try before you buy at a clay ground would be my advice, I did that and the cheapest gun in my price range fitted better and my first round was the best I ever shot with it. 

[ehb102]

Those are my kind of guns! 

I have a Perazzi MX8. It needs treating gently. I've already lost a stock. The leaf springs need treating with respect, one of the few guns that actually benefit from the use of snap caps apparently. I adore it. It makes other guns feel clunky. Good points is that there are a lot around, you can get parts and stocks. The gunsmith had several MX8 stocks I could have had if I was 6' and needed a much lower comb. So light! I use mine in the field to good effect. Mine is a sporterized trap gun btw.

 

B25s are great but the only one I know of is unchromed and a pain to use in the wet. Lovely gun to shoot. 

 

If you like those two look at the DT10 and the 686 Gold E for a budget option. 

[Wingman]

7 hours ago, Scully said:

And don’t overlook the DT10; some very nice examples about and a proven track record. 

Good shout scully that’s one that pretty high on my list of “wanted” guns. 

[figgy]

The DT10 in 30" is a lovely gun to shoot. We'll balanced with nice trigger pulls.

I like the looks of the nicer B25 guns like the special duck series but not picked one up I liked the fit and feel of.

The sheer amount of made to measure Perazzi guns makes finding one to fit you off the shelf can be difficult.

Don't think I'd be taking a nice sporter)game gun out rough shooting. 

For 3k you could buy a high grade five or grade six Browning or Miroku or a Beretta grade five and a cheap new semi auto for rough and pest shooting.

[Smokersmith]

Find the one you love, and buy it.

One thing that may helps is an open day where you can try a number of guns.... places like Orston are doing more of these, and you should at least be able to cover off your new guns on the list.

Reliability wise, a good B25 or MX8 will be fine.

[ninjaferret]

Guerini, will never part with mine

[Scully]

3 hours ago, Wingman said:

Good shout scully that’s one that pretty high on my list of “wanted” guns. 

I’ve liked the DT10 since it first appeared, but could never afford one. With the introduction of the DT11 it means prices are more reasonable. I got to handle one at Southwaite a couple of weeks ago and was very surprised at how light it was as I’ve always considered them to appear a heavy chunky gun. I much prefer the trap version and have found one with an adjustable comb on GT, but with more guns than I already have time to use, I don’t think it’s going to happen anytime soon. But who knows. 🙂

[Northerner]

B25 B2G only because i am lucky enough to have one. 😂

In all seriousness though, one thing to look at is the top lever on them. Open and close it a few times and look at the closed position of it. It should be to the right like below, if it is to the centre then you might have a season left. However is it is to the left is needs the locking bar building back up, so a bit of welding work done by a decent gunsmith. This is the top lever of my B25 C3 after having said work done.

 

For around £3k I would seriously look and see if you can step up to a B25 C3 here is my B2G above my C3. Nothing wrong with the B2 but.....

 

[Blueflame]

Hi, I would approach the new gun in a different way. The Perrazi and the DT 10 are both full weight guns about 8lbs , and would be hard work in a pigeon hide or for a mixed walk up day. If you are looking at a Perrazi then the MX12 models would be a better bet as they use coil springs instead of leaf springs ; these hardly ever break and are way cheaper to replace than the MX8’s leaf springs. I have a MX12 game gun and it’s not missed a beat in 7 years.

The Guerini Maxum is available in a game version with narrower solid rib and an auto safety, it’s lighter than the sporter . Having had both I would look for a game version as the best compromise; a lovely gun in all respects and fleur de lye steel proof. They have chrome lined barrels as well which help with cleaning etc. The Browning B25 guns are lovely but don’t have steel proof or chrome bores. They are expensive new about £16k for a B2G, so you are not likely to find a good used one within your budget. 

A Miroku MK 60 is a great gun , they have chrome bores but not steel proof as they come with tighter chokes. You could buy one and have it custom Teague choked which would give you great flexibility. They are lovely guns beautifully made and will last.

 I have had all of these through my hands and can speak from experience. 

[Scully]

I can’t agree regarding the weight of a gun in a hide. I have used my Perazzi in a hide on many occasions ( including an 8500 Trap gun ) and it’s heavier weight is ideal for soaking up recoil over a days shooting, although my ideal choice would be a self loader. 
Light guns should be avoided in hides in my experience, especially if using ‘punchy’ loads. 

[London Best]

Isn’t it odd how we arrive at different conclusions, often after the same or similar experiences? 
I prefer a lightweight gun all the time, whatever or wherever I am shooting, and wouldn’t dream of using a ‘punchy’ load. My idea of a ‘heavy’ gun is one weighing    6 3/4 pounds.   Good job we are all different or everything would be really boring eh?
 

[The Burpster]

To add to your confusion you could add a Blaser into the mix.....? Of your choices if it fitted me I would have the Perazzi or DT10. But if I had a windfall and could spend part of it on a new shotgun it would be a Blaser. Handle beautifully and feel like (and probably will) they will last for a 1000 years. 

[wymberley]

46 minutes ago, London Best said:

Isn’t it odd how we arrive at different conclusions, often after the same or similar experiences? 
I prefer a lightweight gun all the time, whatever or wherever I am shooting, and wouldn’t dream of using a ‘punchy’ load. My idea of a ‘heavy’ gun is one weighing    6 3/4 pounds.   Good job we are all different or everything would be really boring eh?
 

This isn't going to help the OP, but how right you are from my point of view. I'm a liability on the marsh so have not been 'fowling for many years and now have even knocked the walked up game on the head which just leaves the pigeon and corvids. My 'fowling was all lead shot and I've never felt the need for anything approaching 7lbs even with a 1&1/2 oz load which was enough for my needs. Although I've fiddled with makes and styles various, I've always come back to an AYA 25 either BL or SL. Until recently that is. I've just swapped my AYA 'Churchill' for a Webley and Scott 700 with 26" barrels. When I fancy a play the 700 is identical to my Chapuis except for the barrels being OU and both weigh 6 lb 9 oz so I can swap them over at will. Then I got really lucky and picked up a 20 bore - another OU -  which I've never owned before and found that I couldn't put it down and this again is the same spec as the two guns already mentioned but weighs in at 5 lb 9 oz. I'm just recovering from an ongoing medical condition for which successful treatment has been found after two falses starts. Just as this struck I had been given something very nice weighing 7 lb 9 oz. Never mind mounting it, at the moment I can't even release the forend catch. 75 is the wrong age to get rheumatoid arthritis and being unable to do much at all for some twelve months I think the 20 will get some use while I try and build up some wasted muscle.

The thing is though from all of this I've yet to feel undergunned although do appreciate the clay pigeon shooting aspect with numerous shots per session and recoil. So perhaps this might benefit the OP after all. At 75 I'm still enjoying change. (It just so happens that my preference for lighter guns is going to be beneficial in view of my medical problem.) 30 is no age to get set in your ways. I'd be inclined to go with Figgy and choose two. One cheaper (not necessarily self loading) for general roughing it use and another better quality one for posh days/clays. Buying each of a 'known' make should help mitigate any loss when trading in if applicable by which time you may have a better idea of what you'd really like without the pressure of having a timescale in which to decide. Besides, you'll have time to try all of the ones suggested in addition to the ones you'd already thought of.

[Blueflame]

Gun weight is a personal thing, there are some notable shots like Tom Payne, Will Garfit and George Digweed that use heavy 8lbs guns for pigeon shooting. That’s a lot of energy lifting and moving that gun on a big day. I’m getting too old for that and prefer a gun about 7lbs in weight as  the best compromise in the pigeon hide. And use an M2 and a Maxus for that job. Each to there own!

[Wingman]

I recently took my Beretta 682X trap gun for a longish (about 4 hours) walk around my permission.  By the end of the session my arms felt like I had been to the gym but it wasnt too bad to lug around.  Wont do it again I dont think, will probably go back to my side by side or 20 bore OU for longer mooches.