Matchguns MG vs Pardini

I see a lot of posts about the Pardini rimfire pistol but not much forum traffic about the Matchguns pistols for BE shooting. I have also seen several Pardini pistols at the local indoor league but never seen an MG. Are MG pistols out of favor for BE shooting for some reason?

They seem like they offer almost the same features as the Pardini and at a comparable cost.

First off the price is not comparable. The MG-2 is $1600-$1700 if I recall, I'm on the waiting list for the next shipment. The Pardini is $2550.

From what I've heard the MG-2 trigger is amazing but I've not seen one in person to dry fire, most people also like the Pardini trigger. The MG-2 also has better red dot mounts available, the Pardini uses either the goofy pic rail on the very front of the barrel or you can use the dinky dovetails machined into the top which uses special rings and there are reports of the rings still sliding but mainly with the 32acp.

Parts availability will be better with the Pardini but our own Jon Eulette is the US service for the MG and will get issues taken care of.

If this will be your one and only match 22 I would probably go with with the Pardini but otherwise I'm inclined to go MG.

I can imagine that an electronic trigger is a completely different feel than a mechanical trigger. But that is purely speculation. I looked in the NRA and CMP rule books and did not see a rule against electronic triggers. Can we use them?

After I go distinguished I would like to trade in my SW-41 for a Pardini or MG. Seems like great guns to use except as far as I am aware, a similar angled grip option is not available for the .45 stage.

May I ask why you would go with a Pardini if you could only have one?
-TH

Hengehold,

Electronic triggers are not permitted in NRA Precision Pistol AFAIK. They are allowed in NRA/ISSF Free Pistol, but that is a completely different game. Not sure about other categories, but no doubt others more knowledgeable that me will chime in.

I have both a Pardini SP22 and an MG2. (I also have a Pardini HP32ACP and am eagerly awaiting receipt of a custom MG4 in 32ACP from Jon Eulette).

The Pardini SP22 is rock solid, very reliable (although some folks do seem to have some problems, don't really understand why). I practise with cheap Aguila Super EXtra SV which runs fine. I've shot Eley Target and Lapua Pistol King in matches, both are excellent. They are very easy to clean. Triggers are fully adjustable (but I do admit that I personally have struggled to adjust them properly). Pardini USA provide excellent back-up and service (although they do seem to struggle responding to email sometimes). They retain their value very well and used guns are in high demand. I never had a problem with red dot mounts, but then I did a bit of homework before I got them and used the best quality Warne sintered steel rings which are rock solid on the Pardini "micro-groove" even with the 32ACP. The standard grips are OK, nothing special, IMHO. Rink do a wide range of custom grips, as do many others. It is also possible to buy one gun and two "uppers" for 22 & 32, you do not have that option with an MG.

I got my pre-Evo MG2 used from another forum member. It is also extremely accurate, the trigger is possibly even better than the Pardini and it shoots very well. I have had some reliability issues, but MG USA resolved them at no cost to me even though I was not the original owner. No problems with any of the ammo I've tried, once the gun was in good working order. I've been using my MG2 primarily with OEM iron sights in CMP EIC and have achieved some very respectable scores considering my classification. But, I've also had a couple of complete wash-outs which, on post match reflection, turned out to be mostly my fault, generally due to insufficient familiarity with the gun in the heat of a match. The MG2 is a bit more fiddly to clean. The mechanism is quite unique and very strange, getting rounds out of the barrel in the event of a command to unload is a bit of a nightmare, but that is again mostly due to me not using it regularly enough so that all of the controls become second nature. They are a lot cheaper than a Pardini to buy new, but you have to order and wait. They rarely come on to the used market, so there is no real benchmark of used gun value. The standard grips are much nicer than Pardini's, but they are the typical Euro style shallow angle which I find uncomfortable. You can order Rink grips for an MG (but not the steep angle I prefer - closer to a 1911). Dick Horton has made several sets of custom grips for them and my set is on the way as I write.

Overall, if you want just one of them, I have to agree that at the present time a Pardini is the safer bet. More expensive to buy new, but very good resale value. I have not yet given my MG2 a thorough long-term test with a red dot on it, once I get a grip that really suits me I intend to do just that, so I may, possibly, change my opinion in the future!

Hope that this helps.

The reason I would go with a Pardini over the MG if it's your only match pistol is due to parts availability. Jon is still helping MG evolve the EVO for the US market and made some very substantial improvements and I believe still looks over each one imported since he lives near Kang the importer. They have made great progress from where the MG2 was years back but you may still have an issue to work out and the parts may or may not be in stock state side which could cost valuable time in the middle of the season. I've got one on order but also have a 208S, a 1911/22 Marvel custom, a GSP, and a upgraded Ruger MKIV target, if I'm out of the MG2 for a month or two while it's getting fixed its not gonna compromise my ability to shoot. For a single pistol owner it might. Might be a good opportunity to get both an MG2 and a Ruger MKIV which can be used until your MG2 arrives then can be used as a backup later. You could get an MG2, a MKIV and a Volquartsen trigger kit and still be money ahead of a Pardini.

Zane, very good points. I have effectively been keeping my MG2 as a back-up, in EIC format, but I have the rail and an UD in my tool box so that I could set it up quickly to replace my Pardini if needed when I'm travelling (I live far away from any Bullseye matches and so am always "away" when competing). But not everyone is in a position to own two or more expensive competition guns.

Develop your skills and match experience with a tuned Ruger whilst waiting for an MG2 delivery, then keep it as a back-up / EIC gun thereafter. Overall cost less than a new Pardini. Smart plan.

hengehold wrote:I see a lot of posts about the Pardini rimfire pistol but not much forum traffic about the Matchguns pistols for BE shooting. I have also seen several Pardini pistols at the local indoor league but never seen an MG. Are MG pistols out of favor for BE shooting for some reason?

They seem like they offer almost the same features as the Pardini and at a comparable cost.  

I own both pistols and love shooting both pistols, as do other members of this forum, so here is my take......   They are both excellent pistols.    I have shot master scores with each pistol, so no issues in accuracy, function, or reliability.   The thing with me is that they just feel completely different in hand, not a bad different, just different.   I have had the Pardini longer and have shot more rounds with it, so I guess I like the feel of the Pardini just a little better.   If I had to pick just one gun, I would pick the Pardini.

One man's opinion.

Wow, some really great feedback so far. Thank you very much for all of your opinions. I had an opportunity to shoot someone’s Pardini .22 pistol w/ red dot at a NMC match. It felt great to hold, I preferred it over the traditional 1911 grip angle. However, the trigger was set as a two-stage trigger on this particular gun. It felt odd to shoot a 2-stage trigger in timed & rapid stages. Is the Pardini trigger capable of setting up as a one stage trigger also?

-TH

Ultimately it would be preferable for me to have a platform that I could use to shoot rimfire and centerfire stages. The idea of swapping barrels in the middle of a match on a Pardini pistol sounds like it has potential for complications. Issues such as zero repeatability for example come to mind. Having two separate pistols set up for each such as the MG option sounds a little easier to deal with during a match. And since the cost of the MG pistol is lower than a Pardini it would probably cost about the same to have two MG pistols as it would cost to have a Pardini with a centerfire conversion kit.

I would like to hear about anybody’s experiences changing from rimfire to centerfire on a par Deney during a match. Any drama or problems with this barrel change?

-TH

Shot both thanks to another member, I don't own either, but I did like the MG2 better.  Just personal opinion and limited exposure.  Not really familiar or an expert with either.  The MG2 had an inexpensive tube mag, great dot mount, trigger was better, and the grip is tops IMO.  The Pardini seems more solid, better constrution and offers the established support/part network of course and an unquestioned pedigree.  Kang/Jon will take care of you.  

BTW the test targets on the MG2 are unreal.  Hopefully they’re legit...lol.

I love my MG2 EVO, It has multiple adjustments on the grip, sights and trigger blade much like a high end air pistol. The grip can be rotated and the grip angle adjusted to the users preference. The rear sight notch has adjustable width too get the perfect sight picture. The trigger blade can be adjusted for height, rotation and cant. The trigger is the best I've used, the magazines are inexpensive and the grips are as good as they get. It has removable counter weights if you want to change the balance. I would definitely one purchase again.
Scott Duthie

Hengehold, it is possible to set the Pardini trigger to single stage. Not difficult. I guess that is true for the MG trigger also.

But, I'm willing to bet that once you get one these great guns and become more familiar with it (and your skill is honed) you will find the two stage trigger preferable.

I have both, both in 32 and 22. After reading all of the above post, I think I agree with all of them, for the all the reasons posted.

Where can we buy Match Guns pistols in USA?

hengehold wrote:Where can we buy Match Guns pistols in USA?

Send a message to MGUSA.   He will give you his contact information.

It’s hard deciding on and investing in a nice .22 without handling or shooting one. But the MG looks nice

If you guys would fill up the order I could get mine lol. I don't expect to get mine till later this year.

I see the MG has a tungsten recoil dampening feature available. Is that legal for BE competition?
-TH

hengehold wrote:I

A question from an old BE shooter who can't get around to matches anymore; are the .32's being used outdoors? Are they accurate @ the long line?

The .38's, although owned by quite a few shooters, didn't show up often in matches.

I bought a couple of them for the day when the .45 might be too much. I'm 78 and still like the .45 best of the 3 although the .38 is an easy gun to shoot.

Is the attraction of .32's high quality guns and just pleasant to shoot?

NRA Precision Pistol Rules, January 2020

3.3 Distinguished Revolver - ...Specifically prohibited is any system of recoil control based upon compensators, barrel venting, barrel porting or weighted grips...

Unless the weights are in the grips, it seems to be legal...Never had a problem with the Pardini system, which uses steel or tungsten weights and springs.

A big advantage with the Pardini over most other pistols is there are not many parts to cause any issue.  Keep the action clean and it will be more reliable than most pistols on the line.  I feel it is worth the extra $$ to know it will function all of the time.

Wile E Coyote wrote:NRA Precision Pistol Rules, January 2020

3.3 Distinguished Revolver - ...Specifically prohibited is any system of recoil control based upon compensators, barrel venting, barrel porting or weighted grips...

Unless the weights are in the grips, it seems to be legal...Never had a problem with the Pardini system, which uses steel or tungsten weights and springs.

You are quoting Distinguised Revolver rules, are there any restrictions on gas or weight activated compensators for Precision Pistol?

I have a late model SP, in 22 LR and 32 ACP. I've finished two seasons, ZERO issues changing calibers during a match. I shot the first two seasons with a MD II hanging on the rail at the nose of each barrel shroud because I did not want Mr Murphy to hit me with forgetting windage and elevation corrections if I had one red dot mounted on the receiver rail. For most matches, I can change the units fast enough during the end of the 22 stage when the command is given by the RO to make the line safe and by the time the RO assistant comes to me on the line to check. At the very least I get the 22 shroud and bolt off and have the frame sitting there and it takes less than a minute into the break between 22 and CF stages.

I tested using one red dot on the receiver frame two months ago and I was beyond pleasantly surprised for the following reasons:
1. For 22 to 32 ACP, ON MY PISTOL, the windage difference is 2 clicks, elevation difference is three clicks at the long line-it's low enough that if I forgot on the long line it would not be a disaster on the first CF shot on the long line. Others report up changes between 3 and 13 clicks, it seems to vary by each gun.

2. There are ZERO issues on repeatability of POI when remove and replace the bolt and barrel shrouds-I do this all the time to lube the bold and barrel between every 100 round practice session with the same caliber unit.

3. I have not had the Pardini USA purchased rings slide with the recoil of the 32 ACP unit.

4. To me the balance feels better now that I moved the red dot to the frame rail.

I avoided moving the optic to the frame for two years because I started BE shooting two years ago and I did not want to court Mr Murphy with the shroud vs frame mount and click adjustment matter between 22 and 32 ACP while I was trying to master the rhythm of all of the other parts of the match process back then. So now for me I will be planning to keep the optic on the frame for the 2020 season. So far my just for the indoor 22 matches this season, I really like the balance change with the frame mounted optic.

I'd love to shoot a MG, a Master Class shooter was using one next to me at the last match and it looked like a nice unit, I got a chance to look it over. Maybe someday I'll have the time and opportunity to try one after a match. I always lust to try anything new and different in the precision shooting game much to the detriment of my bank account! 

The problem is that you don't see them always at every match but you will always see at least 2 or 3 Pardinis on the line at a 15 shooter or higher match. When you do see them they seem to be in the hands of masters or high masters which says that they are taking time to seek one out and deal with the gun's limited market share-maybe the best are seeking the best?

dronning wrote:

Wile E Coyote wrote:NRA Precision Pistol Rules, January 2020

3.3 Distinguished Revolver - ...Specifically prohibited is any system of recoil control based upon compensators, barrel venting, barrel porting or weighted grips...

Unless the weights are in the grips, it seems to be legal...Never had a problem with the Pardini system, which uses steel or tungsten weights and springs.

You are quoting Distinguised Revolver rules, are there any restrictions on gas or weight activated compensators for Precision Pistol?

I am aware that the quote is referencing Distinguished Revolver. That is the only reference to recoil compensation in the current NRA Precision Pistol Rules. Therefore, by omission, under current rules, there is no restriction on gas or weight activated compensators.