doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com British Proofs in latter Miroku SXS

So this gun isn’t in my hands yet but should be soon. I’ve owned a number of Miroku SXSs and quite aware of their box lock guns being Imported to England. Those guns typically were copies of Birmingham guns down to their leaf springs.

This gun appears to be based on the BSS, coil springs and a through bolt, but has chopper lump barrels and weighs 6lbs 11oz (12ga). I’ve had 20ga BSSs that weighed more.

Has anyone else come across one of these guns?

Miroku MS 150 probably ,quite a few about ,but never in the same numbers as Spaniards....

Are they thought well of? It’s amazing Miroku was able to take a pound off of what a similar BSS would weigh in the states. Similar as far as 28” barrels and the action anyway.

6 pounds 11 ounces is not particularly light for a 12 bore built for the British market where loads tend to be relatively light, typically 1 ounce
or 1 1/16 although I anticipate that you will find that your gun was built and will have been British Proofed on importation with 2 3/4” or 70mm chambers.

Parker-Hale were the importers for many years.

OP,can`t offer a view on them ,as I don`t know anyone who had one and never heard a gunsmith talk about them ,sorry.

Had a browse though some old Parker-Hale catalogues. The Miroku over and unders feature more regularly, the side by sides not so much.



In the 1970 catalogue they show the Model 500E (BLE) and the 500 (BLNE) is mentioned but not the weights.



In the 1976/77 edition there is mention of the “new” MS-150 which is better described in the above 1981 entry where the weight is given as approximately 6 1/2 pounds.

Miroku have always had an excellent reputation for quality.

Post pictures of the British Proof Marks when you gun arrives and we can probably establish the year it was imported.

From the above photo, the profile of the receiver certainly makes it look like a BSS. I had a Miroku Model M 12ga, receiver with a straight back. Very nicely finished. Blued receiver, minimal engraving. Straight/splinter/DT. Extractors. Factory choked IC/IM. Looked like a very basic British boxlock. That's one I wish I'd kept.

I had a 500. Good skeet gun.