In terms of craftsmanship, artistry, and competitive shooting acumen, the Perazzi shotgun brand ranks among the elite. Born from humble beginnings in 1957, this high-end Italian shotgun maker continues to appeal to hunters, sportsmen, and collectors around the globe.

A magnificent pair of factory master Robert Narcisi signed and engraved Perazzi 28 gauge SCO shotguns with case.

In addition to an exquisite selection of Perazzi shotguns for sale, Rock Island Auction Company features the finest works from other legendary Italian gunmakers like Beretta, Caesar Guerini, Abbiatico & Salvinelli, Rizzini, Fabbri, and more. Click on the images throughout this article to learn more about each exceptional example.

A cased pair of Giustacchini signed and factory engraved Beretta SO6EELL O/U shotguns.

The Perazzi Shotgun is Born

The son of a shoemaker, what young Daniele Perazzi lacked in wealth he made up for with a relentless work ethic and an inexhaustible drive to succeed. A 14-year-old Perazzi cut his teeth in the arms industry by apprenticing as a cleaner for a local gunsmith. Six years later, Perazzi patented and sold a design for a single trigger mechanism.

Daniele Perazzi went into business for himself in 1955, making custom shotguns from a little bench in his mother's kitchen. In 1957, at the age of 25, Perazzi realized his dream by establishing Armi Perazzi. The production plant was built in Botticino, a province in the northern Italian Lombardy region known for its winemaking heritage and breathtaking landscapes.

Daniele Perazzi's reputation for quality craftsmanship gained him enough customers and revenue to open a factory in 1957.

The truly formative years of Armi Perazzi began in 1960 with a partnership between Daniele Perazzi and Ivo Fabbri. Fabbri had worked as a toolmaker for Fiat in Turin, known as Italy's automobile city, and brought his experience with state-of-the-art computerized manufacturing to Perazzi's production process.

Perazzi Shotguns Shoot for Gold

1964, the year of the Tokyo Olympic Games, proved a turning point for the Perazzi company. Ennio Mattarelli, an Italian trap shooting champion and talented gun designer in his own right, became aware of the custom over/under shotguns being produced by Perazzi & Fabbri and sought the designers out. At the time, Ennio Mattarelli had been using a Browning, the dominant force in the competitive shooting market.

A 1951 manufactured, factory signed and engraved Felix Funken Belgian Browning Grade IV Superposed shotgun with case.

Mattarelli's collaboration with Perazzi resulted in a sidelock trap shotgun with a 29 inch barrel length, a 3/4 full choke, a stock with a straight-hand grip, and a barrel with a hollow top rib to reduce weight. Where the bolting and jointing were concerned, Perazzi and Fabbri were both greatly influenced by English models like the Boss & Co. example below.

A master engraved pre-war Boss & Co. 28 Gauge Best Quality sidelock O/U Ejector shotgun with an extra barrel set and case, built between 1921 and 1925.

Mattarelli's Perazzi shotgun was completed in two months. That October, Ennio Mattarelli became the first Italian to win a Gold medal in the 1964 Olympics with his world record score of 198/200 in men's trap. Perazzi developed further refinements to his design for Mattarelli's next outing in 1968, including higher ribs for better heat dissipation in Mexico's sweltering climate. The MX8 shotgun model, named for the Mexico City Olympic Games, would become the blueprint for every Perazzi competition gun to follow.

A 1975 manufactured, factory engraved and gold inlaid Perazzi MX8 shotgun with case.

The MX8 and its successors were used by champions around the world and rocketed Perazzi shotguns to international fame in the competitive shooting market. During the 2008 Beijing Olympics, every medal winner shouldered a Perazzi shotgun. In total, Perazzi shooters have scored 62 Olympic medals, including 21 gold, a record in the history of clay shooting Olympic events.

An Angelo and Laura Galeazzi engraved and signed pair of Perazzi Extra Super shotguns with case. Angelo famously engraved the Perazzi commissioned by Ennio Mattarelli for the 1964 Olympic Games.

Ivo Fabbri Shotguns

In 1965, Ivo Fabbri sold his shares back to Perazzi and dissolved their partnership. While Perazzi shotguns were focused on the competition shooting landscape, Fabbri was determined to construct the highest-end shotguns possible.

A Claudio Tomasoni master engraved and signed Ivo Fabbri sidelock O/U shotgun three barrel set with case.

Much like the vintage Ferraris, Lamborghinis, and Maserati, Fabbri shotguns offer a classic, high-performing over/under design engineered more like an Italian supercar than a traditional shotgun. Fabbri focuses solely on quality, producing only 30 shotguns per year.

With a client list that includes Steven Spielberg, Tom Selleck, and Eric Clapton, Fabbri shotguns have earned an exclusive status and represent one of the pinnacles in modern arms collecting. The vividly detailed Renaissance and fantasy-style engraving present on many Fabbri shotguns, like the breathtaking example pictured below, truly embodies the sporting arm as a canvas for exceptional artistic achievement.

A cased Claudio Tomasoni signed and engraved Ivo Fabbri sidelock O/U shotgun with a Greek Mythology theme.

The Perazzi Shotgun Goes Global

Perazzi's success in competitive shooting led to increased demand for not only the company's sidelock guns, but for models designed for other shotgunning disciplines as well. Daniele Perazzi expanded his line to offer more rugged options for every type of clay target shooting. Today, Perazzi produces countless trap, skeet, pigeon, and sporting options, as well as numerous over/under hunting shotgun and double rifle models and several side-by-side offerings.

A factory master Oscar Granetti signed and engraved 28 gauge SCO/C O/U shotgun two barrel set with case, one of the finest Perazzi shotguns for sale.

Like Fabbri, Perazzi shotguns enjoy an all-star clientele that includes names like Arnold Schwarzenegger, King Juan Carols of Spain, George H.W. Bush, and former Vice President Dick Cheney, who was using a 28 gauge Perazzi shotgun during a famous accidental shooting during a quail hunt. Highness Sheikh Saeed bin Maktoum Al Maktoum of Dubai helped popularize the Perazzi in the Middle East and won a gold medal with an MX8.

In 1973, Ithaca Gun Company in New York became an importer of Perazzi shotguns. Ithaca was forced to file for bankruptcy and reorganize in 1978, and after a brief partnership with Winchester, Perazzi established an American subsidiary, Perazzi USA, to help manage its ever-growing North American market.

A cased, 1977 manufactured, factory Fausto Galleazzi engraved Perazzi Single Barrel Trap shotgun owned by former President of Ithaca Gun Company John V. Moynes. The lot includes a correspondence between Moynes and Mauro Perazzi.

Building the Perazzi Shotgun

On the company's production process, Daniele's son, Mauro Perazzi, remarked, "Back in the 1600’s there was an Italian violin maker, Antonio Stradivari, who took great care in his work: legend goes that he cut the woods at the right moon, only on one specific night every year, then embalmed and treated each single wood component with secret paints, and then chiseled away and tuned his violins. He spent hundreds of hours to craft each instrument. This is why there are no second-choice Stradivarius around, only masterpieces. And why there are no second-choice Perazzis, each piece being unique and tailored to each customer."

Factory master Hassa signed and engraved Perazzi MX28 SCO/C O/U shotgun two barrel set with case.

Perazzi shotguns are fully customizable, with customers given a broad range of options for the blank and grade of wood, the rib height and width, the trigger group, and the receiver engraving. These bespoke offerings are made using a fusion of traditional craftsmanship and precision technology by a close-knit team of engineers, technicians, gunsmiths, woodworkers, and master engravers. Only 3,000 Perazzi shotguns a year are produced, each representing a distinct work of art.

A gorgeous pair of Perazzi shotguns for sale.

Perazzi's Legacy

Daniele passed away in 2012, just months after the Perazzi shotgun won 12 medals, including four gold, in the London Olympics. In late 2023, Czechoslovak Group, a global industrial and technology holding company, acquired an 80% stake in Perazzi, with the founding family retaining the remaining stake. Daniele Perazzi's daughter Roberta now serves as the company's chief financial officer, with his son Mauro managing design, production, sales, marketing, and dealer relations.

Perazzi DC 12 side-by-side shotgun with case.

Daniele Perazzi was a passionate sportsman who dedicated more than 60 years of his life to building high-grade shotguns that defined the competitive shooting market. It's no surprise that Daniele selected Ferrari Red to define his brand, the color of elegance, engineering, and peak performance.

On the memory of his father, Mauro said, "My favorite quote is from Clarence Buddington Kelland and makes me think of him – ‘My father didn’t tell me how to live; he lived and let me watch him do it."

America's Amber English won a gold medal with a Perazzi MX8 and set a new women's skeet Olympic record in 2020 with a score of 56.

Perazzi Shotguns for Sale

From the Olympic Games to the upland fields, the Perazzi shotgun has made its mark. The brand has become synonymous with strength, balance, beauty, and Italian craftsmanship, and Rock Island Auction Company offers some of the finest vintage and modern Perazzi shotguns for sale.

Factory master Oscar Granetti signed and engraved Perazzi 28 Gauge SCO/C O/U shotgun three barrel set with case.

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