Hello BC30cal
The Miroku 1873 that I own surpasses all of my Marlins in fit and finish. And I do very much like my Marlin lever guns.
The only other lever gun that I own that compares is my Japanese-made Browning BL-22 Grade 2, which has receiver engraving and beautiful figured wood with a glossy finish.
It's one of my bucket list guns. Both guns have a silky smooth metal finish, as smooth as polished glass.
Loading cartridges through the port in the 1873 is a slick as grease.
Functioning is flawless.
Accuracy is surprisingly good.
The only fault is that the rear sight sits too high because the front sight is too high.
Miroku appears to have used a replacement stepped sight elevator to compensate, which lifts the rear sight a bit higher.
The wood is plain and fairly unimpressive, but high quality walnut.
Anyone contemplating buying one however, should be aware that the drop in the stock is completely authentic, and is too low to achieve a modern comfortable cheek weld.
Contemplating this, the stock configuration appears very much like the old Hawken and J. Henry Plains rifles that preceeded the 1860 Henry and 1866 and 1873 Winchesters, which must have been the same.
