I concur with PJR, Perazzis are worth the price. Mine are all tubed Skeet guns, so I can't respond to lizziedog1's question about specific trap models -- I assume he's referring to American trap where Perazzi single barrel and combo models are prized. My club also has an Olympic trench where Perazzis are also popular.
As I've described in previous postings, I think of shotguns as coming in three phases, or stages. There's the Stage 1 (S1) gun that get's you into shotgunning. For many is a stick gun best described as a multipurpose gun or perhaps it's a HD/field 2-barrel set. My S1 gun was a Sear's (High Standard) 20-ga pump. With your S1 gun, you can explore various shotgunning activities and find the ones that you enjoy the most, or you can put in the closet and wait for something to go bump in the night. Many folks are happy with S1 guns for a lifetime of shooting activities.
If you decide to get into a specific shotgunning activity, be it water fowl or five-stand, you'll soon find the S1 isn't perfect for what you're doing. For me it was shooting Skeet, and 20-ga pump gun with a plain barrel with a poly-choke was hindering my progress. I soon traded my S1 for a Skeet model Winchester O/U. I think of an entry level activity specific gun as a Stage 2 gun. After 20-years of on-and-off club Skeet shooting, the bug got me again and I got into competitive shooting. As I tried to fine tune my skills I realized that I'd hit a ceiling with my Model 101. I'd shot a 98 with it when is was new and never been able to improve. Those of you who shoot Skeet know, consistent 98's will get you classified AA, but won't win much. If I wanted to shoot to my potential, I needed a new gun.
I think of a comp, or pro model, activity specific gun as a Stage 3 gun. Back then, the S3's on my short list were the K-80 and the Perazzi. As a design professional, I find the K-gun's external locking device bizarre; but, it was the Perazzi's drop out trigger group that was the selling pint. It has kept me in the match more than once. (One time I'd unknowingly left a tiny bit of rag lint in the sear when I cleaned the gun the night before. When I test fired, there was nothing -- I dropped the trigger, and in the bight sun, the lint was obvious -- I was back in action in less than a minute.)
With the S3, I soon shot my first 100-straight and more followed. For me, the Perazzi was worth every penny. One of my buddies was in the same boat: For many years he shot a Skeet Citori and his progress has stagnated, with a Perazzi his scores improved.
I don't want to sound like a snob; however, if all you've ever shot is a Stage 1 gun, then you can't appreciate a S3 gun -- you don't have the experience. It's like you've been dancing all of your life with soaking wet feet and all of a sudden you discover dry shoes and socks -- but, you can't explain it to the folks who are still dancing wet. To those of you who've been shooting a nice S2 gun: You know how much better it is than you old S1 -- trust me, a S3 can be that much better, again. Is it worth it? Maybe not if you're a casual shooter; but, to many, shooting to the best of your abilities is priceless.
