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Reader Survey >Five high-end game guns compared: £5,915 to £19,500
- Last updated: 13/08/2026
Five top-of-the-range over-and-under game guns lined up in price order, from £5,915 to £19,500, with what each step up the ladder actually buys you and who imports it into the UK.
Spend more than about £5,000 on a game gun and you leave the world of straightforward value behind. Every gun on this page will do the job; what changes as the price climbs is how much of the finishing was done by hand, what grade of walnut you get, and whether the action was designed for game shooting or adapted from a competition gun. This is a look at where the money actually goes across five of the best.
The guns are listed cheapest first. All prices are the manufacturers’ or UK distributors’ RRPs at the time of publication and may since have changed, so treat them as a guide and check with the importer or your dealer before you buy.
Built with a combination of tradition and the latest technology, the Browning 825 Game Prestige is a gun that will really perform.
The cheapest gun here, and the newest design. The Browning 825 combines traditional craftsmanship with the latest advancements in over-and-under shotgun design. Built for discerning game shooters, it features elegant game scene engraving, a high-grade walnut stock and Browning’s newly engineered 825 action, delivering exceptional balance, reliability and great shooting comfort.
The redesigned trigger system provides a crisp, consistent pull, while the back-bored barrels and Invector DS choke system ensure outstanding pattern performance across a variety of game loads. Beautifully finished and engineered to perform, the 825 Game Prestige is a refined shotgun for those who demand true excellence in the field.
Rizzini’s hand-selected, highly figured walnut and meticulous engraving comes at a sensible price.
An extra £1,735 over the Browning buys you a sideplate. Battista Rizzini has mastered the art of delivering boutique Italian craftsmanship at a price point that makes eminent sense for the discerning UK game Shot, and the Artemis Deluxe represents the pinnacle of that achievement. Featuring hand-selected, highly figured Grade 3 Turkish walnut paired with a silver coin-finished sideplate receiver, it showcases intricate game scene and deep acanthus scroll engraving meticulously hand-finished by master artisans.
In the hands, the 12-bore feels beautifully balanced, hinging directly on the pin for a fluid, natural point of aim. The solid top rib and Prince of Wales stock drive smoothly through fast, curling birds over high topography. Meanwhile, steel shot-proofed barrels and five flush-fit multichokes ensure total versatility for modern cartridge choices. Equally at home on walked-up or driven days, the Artemis Deluxe is a striking, dependable game gun that seamlessly bridges production efficiency and bespoke luxury.
The grace and performance of a classic English game gun without breaking the bank.
Under £10,000, and the closest thing here to an English gun. If you are looking for a sideplate over-and-under that exudes the grace of a bespoke English game gun without the eye-watering price tag, the Caesar Guerini Forum could be the perfect answer. It stands as the jewel in Guerini’s crown, boasting exquisite hand-finished deep scroll engraving and delicate drop points that highlight its elegant receiver profile.
Out in the field, the Forum is far more than a pretty face. The balance is centred exquisitely between the hands, allowing the 30in barrels to float smoothly on to high, driven birds with effortless control. Paired with select oil-finished Grade 5 Turkish walnut, it feels every bit as luxurious as it looks. With its crisp trigger-pulls, flawless pattern distribution and smooth recoil absorption, the Forum offers the passionate game Shot an irresistible mix of Italian artisan beauty, field reliability and true aesthetic prestige on the peg.
A gun that combines precision, strength and superb balance for a smooth, instinctive swing.
The first serious step up in money, and the one with the strongest secondhand reputation. The Perazzi MX12 Game Gun remains the benchmark for modern over-and-unders, particularly when tackling high-driven pheasants over deep Welsh valleys. Built in Brescia with exceptional precision, it combines outstanding mechanical strength with superb balance and a smooth, instinctive swing.
Unlike its competition-focused stablemate the MX8, the MX12 features a fixed trigger group, allowing a narrower receiver and slimmer, stronger stock grip that enhances pointability, making the gun feel like a natural extension of the shooter. Its renowned Boss-style locking system delivers exceptional strength, comfortably handling heavy game loads while reducing felt recoil to improve control and consistency on challenging high birds. Beautifully balanced, expertly choked and finished with understated Italian elegance, the MX12 is more than a game gun – it’s a lifetime investment for discerning game Shots. For those seeking both performance and artistry, the iconic MX12 is also available with optional SC3 engraving, showcasing Perazzi’s exceptional craftsmanship.
The DT11 EELL is heavier than most game guns, but it handles effortlessly and looks incredible.
More than three times the price of the Browning, and the most decorated gun here. While Beretta’s DT11 platform earned its formidable reputation on the Olympic clay circuit, the EELL edition transforms this mechanical titan into a refined masterpiece for high-bird shooting. Standing for Extra Extra Lusso, the EELL treatment adorns the wide-body detachable trigger unit receiver with hand-finished, full-coverage game scene and scroll engraving, framed by exceptional figured walnut.
In the hands, it is a gun of supreme purpose. The signature Steelium Pro barrels – boasting an ultra-long internal taper – deliver astonishing pattern density while taming the sharpest recoil from heavy, high driven-game loads. Though the DT11 EELL is heavier than a traditional game gun, that mass translates into effortless momentum and relentless consistency on tall late-season pheasants. The detachable lock mechanism offers target-grade trigger-pulls, making this shotgun an uncompromising powerhouse for the Shot who demands the ultimate in ballistic performance beautifully wrapped in classic Italian luxury.
At £5,915 the Browning 825 Game Prestige gives you the newest action design of the five, back-bored barrels and the Invector DS choke system, with high-grade walnut and game scene engraving. The extra £1,735 to the Rizzini Artemis Deluxe buys a silver coin-finished sideplate, hand-finished acanthus scroll, Grade 3 Turkish walnut and, uniquely in this group, barrels stated as steel shot-proofed with five flush-fit multichokes.
Another £2,200 to the Caesar Guerini Forum takes you to Grade 5 walnut, deep scroll engraving and drop points, and the English gun idiom for Italian money. The £3,650 jump to the Perazzi MX12 is a change of philosophy rather than decoration: a fixed trigger group, a narrower receiver and a Boss-style locking system, from a maker with a strong secondhand reputation. The final £6,000 to the Beretta DT11 EELL buys full-coverage hand-finished engraving over a receiver with an Olympic clay pedigree, and the weight that comes with it.
The Browning 825 Game Prestige 12M at £5,915, which is also the newest action design of the five. It gets you a redesigned trigger system, back-bored barrels with the Invector DS choke system, a high-grade walnut stock and game scene engraving.
Only the Rizzini Artemis Deluxe is stated as steel shot-proofed, and it comes with five flush-fit multichokes for modern cartridge choices. Check the proof marks and the maker’s guidance on steel with the UK importer before you buy any of the others.
Six thousand pounds and two different approaches. The MX12 uses a fixed trigger group, which lets Perazzi run a narrower receiver and a slimmer, stronger stock grip for pointability, and it is finished with understated Italian elegance. The DT11 EELL keeps the wide-body detachable trigger unit from Beretta’s Olympic clay platform, so you get target-grade trigger-pulls and Steelium Pro barrels, plus full-coverage hand-finished engraving. The Beretta is also heavier than a traditional game gun.
Beretta comes through GMK, Caesar Guerini through Anglo Italian Arms, Rizzini through Anglo Spanish Imports (ASI) and Perazzi through Perazzi UK. Browning runs its own UK dealer network. Any of them will point you at a stocking dealer where you can handle the gun.
