Home Forums Lever Action Central Lever Actions - General Any love for Miroku-made Winchester lever guns?

I have a few and think they're as well made as any lever gun I've ever owned. Never see much in the way of anyone collecting them or even hunting with them. Does anyone actually hunt with their Mirokus?

Bought one here years ago......NIB 45 Colt IIRC

Was too darn purty to shoot......

But finally did......ended up selling it......

Stuck with the real Marlins

You really have to compare the Miroku Winchester to the Browning guns from the 80’s to see the Browning guns were better made.

The later Miroku guns are OK, but not the quality of the Browning…

I've hunted with the Browning 86 (45-70) a number of times but I've mostly shot steel with it offhand, it's not any fun to shoot off the bench or sticks.

Who made the Browning lever guns in the 80s? I thought Miroku made them then, too. I'm speaking to the 1886, 1892, 1894, etc, not the BLRs. As far as I know, the only difference between an Browning 1892 from the 80s and a presently produced Winchester 1892, other than a safety or other minor details, is the use of the name Winchester, which FN/Browning acquired the rights to some years ago.

Not at all. The newer guns are not as good. They sacrificed fit and finish to produce a cheaper gun…

Never noticed that. My first .44 Mag rifle was a B92 from the mid 80s. It was an excellent gun that I foolishly sold in the 90s. Fit and finsh were far above any Marlin I ever had. I didn't acquire another 1892 until a couple of years ago, a Winchester-marked Browning. Fit and finish is just as stellar as my previous gun. My 1886 and 1894 Miroku-made Winchesters are equally stellar in that regard. No Marlin I've owned or own comes close. There is even a lack of machining marks inside the receiver and the finishes are equally good inside and out.

"To pretty to hunt with" is something I've read with some frequency. The one thing I don't see much is anyone hunting with their Miroku levers. Just curious what that it. All my Mirokus are very accurate guns and I've never had a malfuntion in any of them.

10Glocks,
I have posted multiple times about hunting game in America and DG in Africa with my Miroku/Winchester 1895 .405 WCF and 1886 45-90.

Where you been?

Seriously, you could probably do a search and find some such posts. Also on Africa Hunting forum, Leverguns.com , and a few others.

The only Miroku Lever guns I have are my steel 81 BLR and my Winchester 1885 38-55 single shot . Don't see how the quality could be any better comparing them to any other factory made rifles I have ever handled. I don't expect handmade custom gun quality from a factory made standard production rifle and anybody that does is being unrealistic. I have owned Miroku made shotguns also and the quality always was excellent .

I've had and used Miroku and Belgian rifles and
shotguns both. No difference in the performance
or reliability of either one. Only the collector's
value I'd guess. The birds and animals never
knew any difference

That 1895 in .405 is an intriguing gun. I have zero use for a .405 but then again, I own a bunch of guns I don't need. But I notice it comes up for sale quite a bit more often than any other caliber. If I saw a new one come up in .30-06, I might have a hard time resisting it.

I have a Browning 1886 made by them. It is very well made and smooth cycling. I like it so much that when Miroku started making the Mod 92 I thought about getting one. This was almost 30 years ago. They were not well made then and rattled just by gently shaking them. Since then things have changed and gotten a lot better. I wish they were still made in the U.S. but wouldn't mind getting some more.

Browning 1895. 30-06. And an elkslayer. A great rifle. I installed a Providence Tool Co. #21 receiver sight on it. Really helped my aging eyes.



I also stripped the polyurethane finish and applied an nice oil finish. Installed a very thin Pachmayr pad to prevent slippage and such.

Rifle perfection! Congrats on that one. That's a bucket gun for me for sure.

I have three Miroku-made Winchesters.

1894 Short Rifle .30-30


1892 .44 Mag


1886 Extra Light .45-70


So far, I've only hunted with the .30-30, once. All three are well finished and tight. All are very accurate and none has malfunctioned. The 1892 will cycle 300 grains no problem. I haven't run an Buffalo Bore 305gr hard casts through it

I hunted with my high grade 86 browning. Beautiful gun to say the least. Took a whitetail deer with it. I won’t own it if I can’t shoot it.

webster bank ct

I think they are excellent rifles. I shoot and hunt with them all the time. Like everything else their prices are climbing, but there are still bargain deals on them.

Nice collection!

No thanks. I don't want any safeties on my Winchesters nor do I want to see "made in Japan" stamped anywhere on an American icon.

I can live with the safety but I can't abide the made in Japan stamp on a Cowboy gun.

I leave it off all the time except when cycling unfired rounds. The rebounding hammer is nothing more than a forced half cock. I didn't know if I would like either but they've become non-issues.

I wish my Remington-made Marlins said Made In Japan. They'd probably be much better if they did.