The late Browning BSS guns also carried the same stamp about being assembled in Korea. Some owners of the "REAL Japanese BSS" seemed to worry about whether those "assembled in Korea" sxs were of lesser quality. In any case, Browning got out of the sxs business in the late 80's to focus on their very successful Miroku-made OUs. When you could still find Miroku sxs on the market in the US, there were also some that carried the Western Field name (while also marked Miroku), which means that they were sold by Montgomery Ward before they got out of the gun business. Those are also solid guns for not a lot of money.
Back when Browning was preparing to introduce the Cynergy OU, they invited a group of outdoor writers out to South Dakota to shoot both targets and pheasants with their new guns. Because the prices on Spanish sxs were going up pretty rapidly back then, several of us suggested to the Browning guys that there might be a niche for the BSS in the US market again. They told us that all the Miroku employees who made sxs had retired. Given the difficulties Ruger encountered when they decided to make a sxs, that looks to have been a smart decision.
