Miroku 1873 Grade I In .45 Colt

[Steve S.]

     Ordered and was delivered last Thursday; unboxed and degreased to reveal surprisingly detailed fit and finish. Wood was classic Grade I with a fairly plain fore end and a butt stock with some simple curl - simple, classic, utilitarian wood but well finished - fine for a hunter/ shooter. Wood to metal was flawless, bluing was flawless, metal work was flawless - all screw heads were perfect - moving parts were tight but smooth - no handling dings, dents or scratches (even on a minor level) - for a factory gun, very impressive - looked and felt like a very well made rifle. Installed a Marbles tang - fit was perfect - added a classic look. All in all, money well spent. Will be shooting the piece when the weather breaks.

[dusty texian]

Sounds like you are gonna like that one. Should be a shooter!!!,,,DT

[treebeard]

Pictures!!

[OD#3]

Just curious, was that from Grab-a-gun?  I bought one from them quite a while ago in .45 Colt and hadn't realized that it was still on my wish list there, and they sent an email notification last week that they were back in stock.  Curious, I checked, and it was already gone.  I check my email often.  I don't think the various distributors get many of these, so I felt lucky to snag mine when I did.  Back when I bought mine, I was checking and sending email around 2:00 AM when a new email popped up advising me of its in-stock status.  I quickly ordered it and then saw that my single order must have snagged the only one they had, since it immediately started showing "out of stock" again.  Congrats!  I think you'll be real happy with it.  I liked mine so much, that my Uberti quickly became trading fodder.

[Steve S.]

     I purchased my rifle from Doug Schofield in Pennsylvania - first time I have purchased from the net - he is great to work with, price was great and he kept his word thru the entire process - was extremely pleased with the purchase and the rifle. I will see how my standard load (250 LFN, 8 grains Unique, Winchester pistol primer, Winchester brass) performs when the weather clears.

[OD#3]

I don't know if you shoot much .45 Colt in leverguns, but it has a bad reputation for blow by.  I'm firmly wedded to the .45 Colt cartridge and have no .44-40's.  So to approach the superior case sealing qualities of the thinner .44-40 brass, I have been taking the extra step in my reloading procedure to anneal the case necks.  I have yet to have a soot mark on the side of any of he .45 Colt brass so treated when firing in leverguns.  If you're not already doing that, I urge you to consider it.

Good luck with your Miroku '73.  I have said before on this forum and others that Miroku has become synonymous with "quality firearms" for me.  Should anyone disparage your rifle because it was made in Japan, ignore them.  Miroku rilfes are among the very few that I'll buy sight unseen anymore.  I wouldn't have cared if my '73 bore the Winchester trademark or not, as long as it was made by Miroku.

Again, congratulations for scoring a Miroku '73.   I'm eager to read your range report.   

[Steve S.]

     OD#3, I know not much about annealing a case (the process) but I will start my reading - my present load is sooty with blow by. I presently own a Citori XS (Miroku made) that is a very well made shotgun - had it for years; I have owned other Miroku stuff in the past and have always found it to be well made (I also own some US manufactured stuff that is very well made). Short story - when I was picking up my Citori from my LGS years ago, there was a WW II Vet in the shop - he began a rant about "the Japs", Pearl Harbor, building up their country, etc. - when he was finished, the LGS guy that was helping me simply said, "Yeah, but they make good stuff." - they just do. I am a Vietnam Vet and can understand the 180 from being trained to kill an enemy and then to buying their stuff but I have learned that It does not change the truth - Miroku just simply makes good stuff. Thanks.

[PJ Hardtack]

I have a Japanese made '86 and my wife and I both have Japanese '92's. The quality is heads and shoulders above my Ubertis.

I remember when many turned their noses up at Japanese made 'Winchesters', disparaging them at every turn. Usually by people who didn't own one. I've yet to see a Japanese rifle or shotgun that was a bummer, but I've had personal experience with poor quality control in Italian made pistols and rifles.

I recently returned a 'Cheap Sharps' and bought another Shiloh. You get what you paid for. Rounded corners on the octagon barrel, machining marks all over the place, sharp edges on operating surfaces, etc.

The day Miroku decides to market a series of '74 Sharps clones, Shiloh is in a whole of trouble.

[Coffinmaker]

I personally, from a Gunsmith's perspective, cannot fault the Miroku '73 for quality.  I Probably won't fault the quality of the Miroku '66.  Miroku
can and does built really nice guns.  I have a Miroku Over/Under that I've had since the early 70s.  An excellent shotgun.  
My beef is with a paper company marketing Miroku guns as the new "Winchester's" while Winchester hasn't existed as a gun company
for decades.  Winchester doesn't manufacture anything anymore other than creative marketing.
I'll get off my Soap Box now.

Coffinmaker

[OD#3]

You'll see many techniques for annealing brass on the internet, from standing the cases in water while holding a propane flame to them (then tipping them over after turning orange) to fancy annealing rigs that cost hundreds of dollars.  I select a ratchet wrench socket just slightly larger than the rim diameter of the cartridge I'm annealing and short enough to expose the neck and then some.  I run a bolt through the mouth and down through the hole in the bottom of the socket and secure it with a nut on the other side.  I chuck the bolt into a dril.  Then I place a bucket of water at my feet and a propane torch on the bench in front of me in a darkened room.  Then I insert a case (head down, of course) into the socket.  Though it is a very loose fit, spinning the socket in the drill will also spin the case, even if it wobbles a bit.  I spin the case neck in the flame until I see the slightest bit of red starting and then up-end the socket over the bucket of water.  The case falls into the water and quenches completely and quickly; the casehead never has a chance to get hot, and the spinning ensures even heating on the neck.  Usually for .45 Colt and .45-70, about 6 seconds in the flame is all it takes.  

I've read a lot of warnings about over-annealing the cases and the need for using Tempilaq or some other method to accurately measure when the neck has reached 600 to 700 degrees for a proper anneal.  I have never used any temperature measuring device other than my eyes.  I "over-annealed" plenty of cases when I first started, letting them glow orange before quenching them.  Though I don't go quite that hot anymore, I never did notice any adverse effects with the "over-annealed" cases.  Benchrest shooters might fuss about exacting annealing standards to achieve ideal case neck tension, and I expect they'd have issues with my annealing process.  But my loads are as accurate as I could hope for with iron sights, and I've mostly been concerned with preventing blow-by and increasing case life by not work-hardening the case mouth from repeated crimping.  In this, my annealing process has been very successful.  I have yet to get a split neck; my case attrition rate is due solely to cases getting lost in the grass, and I get absolutely NO blow-by on any of my .45 Colt, .45-60, or 45-70 loads.  This matters to me, because I have leverguns in those calibers, and I appreciate not getting any fouling on the lifters of my toggle-link actions.  My .45 Colt Miroku '73 shoots every bit as clean as other people's .44-40 '73's.  And the Miroku 1886 I have in .45-70 is such a pain to disassemble, I REALLY appreciate not having to break it down completely for cleaning after a range trip.  

Of course, annealing is an extra step that high volume cowboy action shooters who reload don't want to have to mess with, and I understand that.  For them, .44-40 probably makes the most practical sense.  But I'm wedded to the .45 Colt cartridge, and I'm not a cowboy action shooter, despite my membership on this forum.  I just needed a way to make the .45 Colt cartridge work well in my leverguns, and when I got some other leverguns in larger cartridges, I started annealing those cartridges as well.  Whether the .45-70 or .45-60 would have smoked on me without annealing is something I will never know, because extended case life is enough of a justification for me to anneal those cases, too.  I bought my Miroku '86 used, and it had unburned smokeless grains and fouling all through its action when I received it.  So the former owner had experienced quite a bit of blow-by that I have never since experienced.  Whether this is from annealing or the hotter loads I reserve for this strong '86 action, I don't know.  But I'll continue to anneal my .45-70 cases anyway, if only for the longer case life it gives me.  



Best of luck with your Miroku '73, and congratulations on snagging a real gem!

Edit to add:
Coffinmaker posted his reply before I was finished typing my response.  I very much respect his opinions; his experience has been very helpful to me--directly and indirectly.  So it is alarming that he faults the Miroku '73 for quality.  I hope this was a typo, and that he meant to say that he DOESN'T fault the Miroku '73 for quality.  Regardless, I have the same beef as he does, when it comes to what Winchester has become.  But I like Miroku quality so much, that I didn't buy my Miroku '73 because it was a "Winchester".  I bought it because I was so impressed with the quality of my Miroku-made '92 and '86 that I just had to have one of their '73's.  And I have been very impressed with its quality.  Since then, I've acquired a Miroku-made '95 and couldn't be happier with it.  This praise for Miroku firearms is coming from a guy who seems to get more than his fair share of lemons when he buys guns.  Even Colt and S&W, two of my most favorite gun manufacturers, have let me down a time or two.  Miroku is the only firearm manufacturer remaining that I feel completely comfortable buying "sight-unseen" from.  I prefer "Made in America", but Miroku's quality just won me over.

[Fox Creek Kid]

No one is "wed" to a ctg. They simply don't want to change. Let's be honest here.    A person can buy Lee 44-40 dies on the cheap. I only anneal large Sharps ctg. brass & if I had to anneal pistol brass to make it function I would personally be seriously considering another ctg. That's just too much BS to go through to save what is basically peanuts.

[OD#3]

I'll agree that it wasn't a "shotgun" wedding; it was something I chose long ago when I began amassing a small coterie of .45 Colt handguns and wanted my leverguns to take the same cartridge and loads.  I started with a Rossi Puma in .45 Colt, moved up to a Uberti '73 and upgraded again to the Miroku '73.  If there was a reasonably inexpensive way to rebarrel my Miroku B-92 from .44 mag. to .45 Colt, I'd jump on it; I had to lay up a supply of jacketed bullets for the B-92 due to its confounded way of not handling cast bullets very well.

I have .44-40 dies, at least 200 pieces of brass, and a bullet mould.  I even had a Uberti 1866 in that caliber that I was going to load up some cartridges for until a buddy showed up at my house with a "bucket list" gun that I "needed" much more than that Uberti 1866.  I never got to shoot it, so I never experienced the joy of skipping the annealing process while still enjoying soot-free cases.  I considered divesting myself of all .44-40 components after trading away the Uberti '66, but I couldn't shake the feeling that I just may one day acquire another firearm in that caliber. 

[PJ Hardtack]

Some people want to simplify by loading one cartridge for rifle and pistol. By dropping the .45 Colt in favour of a 44-40, he'd have to buy pistols in the same calibre.

I anneal all of my BPCR brass (45-70, 50-70, .43 Spanish) and if I was that keen on my .45 Colt ammo, I'd anneal that as well. It takes seconds per case with an electric screwdriver and a socket device to hold the case. I don't water quench, letting the case fall onto a non-flammable surface to cool.

Been doing it for years now. Over cooked some brass during the learning curve, but now have it down to a science. I don't suffer split case mouths, which matters with BPCR brass.

[OD#3]

I considered skipping the water quench early on to avoid the drying out process necessary.  But with the way I go about cleaning my cases now, there really isn't a good reason not to.  I wash my BP cases, then deprime, then anneal, then wet tumble with stainless steel pins.  So the water quench has no bearing on time spent in case prep, and it just becomes extra insurance against annealing the case head (though I'm sure it would require severe overheating of the case neck to even come close to overheating the case head).

[Coffinmaker]

OOPS!!!  OOPS!!!  OOPS!!

I just re-read my post and had to edit it.  I meant it to say "I CANNOT FAULT the quality of the Miroku '73.  Sometimes I "think it" but
don't get it typed that way.  OOPS!!!
I personally have nothing but good things to say about Miroku quality!!  Sorry 'Bout that!!

Coffinmaker

[OD#3]

Whew!  Thanks for the correction! I wasn't sure for a minute there who to doubt--you, or me and my own ability to objectively evaluate quality in a firearm.  Glad it was a typo, because I've come to really respect your opinion over the years.

[PJ Hardtack]

"Gabriel Law", a pal of mine that posts on Cas City just bought a NIB Browning '86 from the US of the same generation as mine - no tang safety or rebounding hammer. He paid a premium price for it, but was happy to do so.

He could have had a new Pedersoli 71/86 for the same money, but it wouldn't be a Mioroku/Browning.

Gabe has a critical eye as he is a master builder of flintlock/percussion Hawken and Long Rifles. Only comment he made quality-wise was that the stock was of "good furniture grade walnut". Mine has that grade of wood as well, but I can sure live with it.

My only gripe with the B-92's is their alloy barrel bands, easily replaceable with blued steel. The actions also seem a little "notchey" compared to the larger '86, likely a factor of size and mass.

[OD#3]

Yeah, I was very surprised when I discovered the alloy barrel bands on my B-92.  It seemed out of place for an otherwise high-quality firearm.  And the rifling in most of the B92 .44 mag barrels is similar to Marlin multigroove--shallow with 11 or more grooves.  Many don't shoot cast well because of this, though I haven't tried it yet with cast. 

My '86 is one of the earlier Miroku/Browning saddle ring carbines.  Its action is also smoother than the B-92, but I don't know how much that is related to size and mass or the internal differences; the model 92 is a bit simpler internally. 

I traded for my '86, but I think I gave over $800 worth of trade goods for it, and I was very happy to do so.  I gave even more for the model '95 SRC I bought this summer.  Again, I was very happy to do so. 

Oddly, despite outstanding quality, Miroku rifles can be hard to sell nowadays.  It defies explanation sometimes.  For instance there was an older Miroku/Browning model '95 in 30-40 Krag in fantastic condition at a recent gunshow.  Asking price was $750, and my buddy talked the guy down to $650 and still walked away; he wasn't willing to put more than $500 into it, and I was unable to convince him that the asking price was a bargain and $650 was a steal.  If I hadn't been broke, I'd have jumped all over that one. 

[Coffinmaker]

I'll wade in here again.  Just for grins and giggles    The "roughness" and "notchy" feeling in the 92 (doesn't matter who made it),
is a design feature.  NO kidding. 
It comes from an incredibly over-sprung lever latch and an ejector spring better suited as a suspension component on a Sherman Tank.
Couple that with a Dodge Ram main spring and a rebounding hammer (Miroku) and you get those niggly little hiccups.  Very correctable.
A 92 can be made very smooth and light.  ALL 92s need a little TLC.

I remember back in the "way back" when the "new" Browning 86 came out, an acquaintance of mine bought two.  Engraved with some
kind of "coin" finish.  Wrapped the levers shut so the action couldn't  be cycled and put them away forever.  How stupid.  Such nice guns
to never burn powder.

I ...... like others, do not understand the trepidation of some idiots (sorry if I insult a friend) to spend money on Miroku built guns.  Presented with a Miroku built '95 for $600 and I would probably have dislocated my shoulder trying to get at my wallet

Coffinmaker

[Fox Creek Kid]

I'll wade in here again.  Just for grins and giggles    The "roughness" and "notchy" feeling in the 92 (doesn't matter who made it),
is a design feature.  NO kidding...

True story:  I was once in a gunsmith's shop BS'ng when a mutual acquaintance of ours who shot CAS walked in with his Rossi '92 clone. He took it out and showed us that he had done his own polishing to such a degree of 'perfection' that the lever fell down on its own!!!      He said it no longer had the 'rough spots' that he had been told were inherent in the design having to do with lug lockup. The gunsmith damn near fainted!!