John Jefferies Perazzi HPX

Most interestingly, some twenty plus years ago, John Jeffries brought us the 32” Sporter. It was his concept and the story is worth a little digression as 32” guns have had such a significant impact upon us since. John used to own a gun shop called Diamond Guns in Heathfield and he got to thinking all those years ago that the Perazzi trap-gun could be developed into something more suitable for English sporting.

The rest, of course, is history. Many trap guns were sporterised for claybusting before dedicated long barrelled sporters started to appear in quantity in the mid-1980s. But, John was the first, and his ‘DG’ (Diamond Guns) range was excellent – many were provided with two sets of barrel 30” and 32”. I used a taper rib DG 2 with 32” tubes for years (I sold off the 30s which I never seemed to use) and did well with it in competition until someone shot it! That’s another story, and, as I am packing for Africa, it can wait!

First Impressions

Suffice to say now, that although John retains an interest in clay shooting, he has also become a very keen game shot and has now built a gun dedicated to high bird work especially. We looked at his 20 bore HPX previously – and it was an excellent gun. This month we are going to consider his core product – the HPX 12 bore as I tested it a while back and as it has evolved. It has a 34” barrels combined with special rib and stock designs. First impressions are certainly good. The 34” test gun looks smart with its plain, typical Perazzi black action (though more adorned SC3 and SCO versions are available). RRP for the base model is a comparatively reasonable £7,950. The details of finish are good as one expects of Perazzi (and from John who does a surprising amount of extra work on every gun he sells).

Bringing the HPX to the shoulder does not dispel the positive first impression. This is, however, a very big and long beast! As tested, it weighed in at 8lbs 4oz., though my guess would have been a fraction less because it is so well-balanced. John puts great care into this aspect of the gun. His latest 34” 12s are hitting the scales at 8lbs 2oz.

As well as a slight ramp on the rib (and there are two rib options the subtleties of which deligh John’s heart), there is significant taper. The stock feels comfortable with an acutely angled grip with slight palm swell which is typical of nearly all John’s guns.

Long Barrels

Is there any advantage to the 34” tubes? Well, I have to say, as with so much in shooting it is a personal thing. They undoubtedly make the gun very pointable, and I will not be giving too much of the game away if I note that they do seem to make driven birds (at all ranges) easy. They are not, for me at least, such an obvious advantage on crossers (though I had no problems with skeet range birds). My own preference, honestly, is for 32” tubes that are fairly light. But, these HPX guns are rather special and warrant attention if high birds are your big thing. It is also notable that a certain sporting shot with initials ‘GD’ seems to have done quite well with a set of 34s on his Perazzi. He’s a man not averse to shooting a bit of game either (though whether George uses one for live qaurry, I don’t know).

Back to the HPX. The barrels bear Italian proof marks for 2 3/4 (70mm) cartridges (a 3” chamber might be useful in a specialist gun like this, not that I have shot a 3” shell more than a couple of dozen times at any live game). Forcing cones are of medium length and bores are fairly wide at 18.6 (Perazzis used to be much tighter - these bores are better and should contribute to reduced felt recoil and better patterns with large shot). The barrels on the test gun weighed 1600 grams. The lastest production, however, has shaved a little off this and typical barrel weight of an HPX is now 1585 grams. They are no side ribs, of course, a weight saving measure, but there is a very carefully conceived, slightly raised, tapered, and vented sighting rib.

The test gun had fixed chokes – both a three-quarter constriction. Workmanship on the barrels was very sound as is the Perazzi norm. Overall, they get a ‘very good’ for both external and internal finish. Like Beretta and Browning, one expects excellent barrels from Perazzi. Theirs are amongst the most consistent in the industry. If they have had a fault, it is that they have tended to be a bit too heavy, but this is an issue which John has addressed in the HPX.

Detachable Trigger

The action of the HPX has a low profile as is typical of the Boss and Woodward inspired design. It also has a detachable trigger lock of classic Perazzi MX8 pattern powered by leaf springs (although helical springs are an option on the broader Perazzi range, John - like me - prefers flat springs which improve lock time and arguably trigger pulls too. The single trigger is adjustable for length and recoil activated. It is non-selective. Few guns with detachable locks have a selective trigger mechanism (although there are a few exceptions). Most guns with removable trigger locks dispense with this feature to reduce complexity. One might add, that one hardly needs a selective trigger in a gun which has the same choke in both barrels (although you can order your HPX with whatever choke constrictions you want, or, indeed, with multichokes). The pulls were very good – usually a Perazzi strength.

Woodwork

The wood on the HPX was well figured, denser than the average, and had a nice matt oil finish of traditional type (by far the best thing for any gun). The chequering was neatly hand cut - good to see in an age when machines seem to do everything. The stock dimensions are fairly academic as you can have absolutely whatever you want (a fitting session with John is included in the base price of the gun). For the record, though, the HPX I shot had a drop of 40mm at comb and 45mm at heel. John favours a near parallel design. The grip was acute as noted, but comfortable. It is quite slim and the palm swell, not normally something I favour, was not overdone and suited the gun. The comb shape was quite full, but comfy.

The forend was of classic schnabel type which also helps to keep frontal weight done and is slimmer than just about anything else in the Perazzi range. It’s only disadvantage is that it restricts hand movement (which I am beginning to think may be a plus - too many high bird shots extend the front hand and impede their swing and the lifting efficiency of the front hand).

Shooting Impressions

This was a most intriguing gun to shoot. I thoroughly enjoyed my session with John who is always good company. We have long conversations about gun design. The gun worked extremely well at mid and long range driven birds off a high tower. It was also effective on a skeet range as noted.

I have not yet shot it at pheasants - something I will put right this season - but it is a gun which I suspect might make pheasant shooting easier for some people. The long barrels - though they may need a bit of impulsion - reduce the need for perceived lead. This is a strange quirk of long barrels (and short barrels by contrast often seem to need much more lead).

John has put an awful lot of hard work into this project. He goes the extra mile with each customer and he offers a very personal service. If all this sounds interesting, he will be delighted to let you try the gun.

PRICE: £7,950