03-Aug-2026
Ask a line of serious clay shooters what gun they would buy with a proper budget, and Perazzi will come up before you reach the end of the cage. The Brescia maker has armed Olympic champions for half a century, and two models dominate the conversation on the used UK market: the legendary MX8 and the MX2000 that evolved from it. Both are drop-dead serious competition tools. Both hold their value stubbornly. So which belongs in your slip? Here is how the two compare for UK buyers.
The MX8: The blueprint for modern competition guns
The MX8 is one of the most successful competition shotguns ever made. Introduced in the late 1960s and refined continuously since, it built its reputation in Olympic trap before spreading across every clay discipline. The action is Perazzi’s famously strong boxlock with Boss-style locking, built to digest hundreds of thousands of competition cartridges. The detachable trigger group, dropped out in seconds, remains one of the model’s defining features, letting a shooter swap a complete trigger mid-competition rather than retire with a broken spring.
What keeps the MX8 relevant is its handling. It carries its weight between the hands, swings with the kind of stability that trap and sporting shooters prize, and points where you look. An MX8 from decades ago, properly maintained, will still shoot to the same standard today, which is why used examples circulate so actively among UK clay shooters.
The MX2000: The MX8 Refined
The MX2000 is not a departure from the MX8 so much as a development of it. Mechanically, the guns are close relatives: the same action concept, the same detachable trigger design on most variants, but the MX2000 brought updated styling, refreshed engraving options and configuration choices aimed squarely at the modern sporting and trap shooter. Many examples wear adjustable combs and higher-grade wood as standard, features that MX8 owners often add afterwards.
For the buyer, the practical differences come down to specification and age. MX2000s are on average younger guns, more likely to be found with adjustable stocks and sporting-length barrels, and often carry a premium over an equivalent-condition MX8 for exactly those reasons. Shooters who want the classic, no-frills competition tool lean MX8; those who want modern fit adjustability out of the box lean MX2000.
Handling, Trigger and Fit
Put the two side by side and the family resemblance is obvious. Both are built on actions designed for a lifetime of heavy use, and both benefit from Perazzi’s practice of building guns to measure, which means the used market is full of stocks made for someone else. Fit matters more with a competition gun than any other purchase, so factor in the cost of stock alterations or a new stock if a particular gun’s dimensions are far from yours. Our guide to shotgun fit covers what to check.
Trigger-wise, the detachable groups on both models are a genuine ownership advantage. Spares are available, spring changes are simple for a competent gunsmith, and carrying a spare trigger group is standard practice among serious Perazzi campaigners.
What to check when buying used
Perazzis are bought to be used, and honest wear is nothing to fear; these actions are engineered for round counts that would retire lesser guns. Even so, a few checks are worth making. Confirm the gun is tight on face, examine the barrels for lifting ribs or dents, and ask about the trigger group’s history, particularly whether it runs coil or leaf springs. Check the stock for cracks behind the action, the usual stress point on any hard-worked competition gun. A gun with a documented service history from a recognised Perazzi specialist is worth paying more for.
It is also worth comparing the wider Perazzi family before committing. The MR57 offers a route into the marque at a lower price point, while the High Tech sits above the MX2000 in the current range. You can browse all Perazzi MX8 listings and Perazzi MX2000 listings side by side on Rightgun to see how specification and price line up in the current market.
Which should you buy?
If you want maximum gun for your money and plan to have the stock fitted to you anyway, a good MX8 is arguably the best value in serious competition shotguns; the model’s long production run means plenty of choice at every price level. If you want a younger gun with modern sporting features already in place, the MX2000 justifies its premium. Neither is a wrong answer; both are guns you buy once and shoot for decades.
Discipline matters too. Dedicated trap shooters gravitate to the MX8’s classic configurations, while sporting shooters often find the MX2000’s typical specification closer to what they need from day one. If you are still weighing up which discipline is your priority, our comparison of trap, skeet and sporting clays is a useful starting point, and our guide to the best shotgun cartridges for clay shooting will help you feed whichever gun you choose.
Running costs and ownership
Part of the Perazzi calculation is what the gun costs to live with, and here the news is good. Both models were designed for straightforward maintenance: the detachable trigger simplifies servicing, spares availability is strong through UK Perazzi specialists, and routine spring replacement is inexpensive insurance against a lost shoot. Budget for a professional strip and service when you first buy a used example; it establishes a baseline and catches anything the previous owner missed, and thereafter an annual check is ample for most club shooters. Cartridge choice matters more to your scores than to the gun; these actions shoot everything from light sporting loads to full competition cartridges without complaint. Insurance, secure storage and club fees are the same as for any competition shotgun, so the premium you pay for a Perazzi is almost entirely in the purchase price rather than the running costs, one reason resale values stay so firm.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Perazzi MX2000 the same gun as the MX8? They share the same fundamental action design and detachable trigger concept. The MX2000 is best understood as a modernised evolution of the MX8 with updated styling and specification options rather than a different gun.
Are Perazzi shotguns worth the money? For committed competition shooters, few guns hold value better or last longer. The combination of build quality, spares support and resale strength makes the real cost of ownership lower than the price tag suggests.
How many cartridges will a Perazzi action handle? These actions are designed for very high round counts and routinely survive hundreds of thousands of cartridges with routine servicing. Condition and service history matter more than age.
Do I need a licence to buy one in the UK? Yes, both models are conventional shotguns held on a shotgun certificate, like any over-and-under.
Browse Perazzi shotguns on Rightgun
Rightgun brings together Perazzi listings from sellers across the UK in one specialist marketplace, from working MX8s to high-grade MX2000s. Compare current MX8 and MX2000 listings, or explore the full Perazzi range. And if you are moving your Perazzi on, listing it on Rightgun puts it in front of the UK’s competition shooting community, the exact buyers who understand what it is worth.
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