More info on Miroku
For the Miroku fans, I found this buried in the Browning website:
http://www.browning.com/library/infonews/detail.asp?id=511
Interesting read, I own a number of Miroku-made firearms, from a Winchester SX3 to a Citori O/U and my most prized Browning BBR in 270 Win. I noted that Browning History page doesn't specifically mention that Miroku went belly-up in the mid-80's; apparently the current company arose from the ashes but more than that I have not been able to find out. I had been researching my BBR, as it is my best-shooting, most consistent rifle, when I ran into the NRA Museum website. The blurb on the site specifically goes into a bit more detail on Miroku, with the information (the bold Italic is mine)......
"These Mauser-type bolt-action rifles were manufactured in Japan by Miroku from 1978 to 1984. Another Browning-designed, Miroku (Japan)-made product, the BBR bolt-action rifle represents a trend. Increasingly, Japanese firms have been able to meet European standards. However, the Japanese are reluctant to reflect a warlike image. They have therefore stayed away from much involvement in the arms industry.
However, where there is a profit to be made, the Japanese, like businessmen around the world, are likely to go after it. The most interesting aspect of this situation is that most arms innovations come from Europe, e.g. Heckler & Koch.
The Japanese culture lends itself to refinement, not innovation, and Japanese arms manufacturers may remain cautious awhile longer. This is especially true since Miroku itself fell victim to problems involving manufacturing costs versus sales. The company went bankrupt, and the BBR is no longer manufactured. --Dr. William L. Roberts, THE AMERICAN LIBERTY COLLECTION; #180
Here's the link to the NRA Museum -
http://www.nramuseum.org/the-museum...owning-bbr-bolt-action-w-bausch-and-lomb.aspx it is a very interesting site, with a lot of information on both current select firearms and on historical firearms, including Gatling, etc.
OldNewGuy