Miroku MK60 Grade 5 or Browning Crown

[Bear68]

I've saved for the past few years to buy a higher grade gun for game shooting. I prefer fixed choke guns, and have narrowed the options down to one of the above with 30" barrels.

An MK60 is around £2700, and the Crown is nearly £2000 more. I normally use fibre wad cartridges; I think (?) the Miroku is back bored, and the Crown isn't. Apart from that, I like the solid rib and the rounded fore-end on the Crown, but it's a lot more to pay for a few cosmetic differences. Is there anything else I should be aware of?

I'd appreciate your views; either gun will be the most expensive I've bought, and I intend to keep it for the rest of my shooting life.

[johnphilip]

For starters i would say the one that fits you best .

[dr. lecter]

buy my mk 60  32" r/h     mint    2017 gun .   

[wymberley]

Not everyones' cup of tea, but if you want to have a little dabble thinking outside of the usual boxes, have a look at Chapuis as you're talking game. Worth paying attention to the range of no cost options. You may not like it, may not want it, but I'll wager it makes you sit up and pay attention if nothing else. Fixed chokes, double triggers, straight hand stock 30" barrels and not back-bored (fibre noted), etc, etc - what's not to like.

[figgy]

Have a look at the Gilsan XLR Miroku online, nominal bore like the crown same grades of wood and a grand less cash.

[Gungoesbang]

18 minutes ago, wymberley said:

Not everyones' cup of tea, but if you want to have a little dabble thinking outside of the usual boxes, have a look at Chapuis as you're talking game. Worth paying attention to the range of no cost options. You may not like it, may not want it, but I'll wager it makes you sit up and pay attention if nothing else. Fixed chokes, double triggers, straight hand stock 30" barrels and not back-bored (fibre noted), etc, etc - what's not to like.

I’d look at these if I were you as well. And if you’re stretching your budget to 5000 for the crown the hand engraved models of Chapuis are outstanding value at a little more than 5000. They make a proper bespoke gun - just for what you requested and they look great. 

However, they don’t have the “name” that browning do. Although Chapuis have many dealers in the UK, the huge range of spares, and second hand options the big names have, are an advantage - but you’ll spend much more to get a beretta or browning which looks like one of these. 

[Lloyd90]

Get the gun fitted to you and then you can have whatever you like  

[markm]

Miroku MK-60.

 

Buy yourself a nice case, cartridge bag and sleeve. You’re fixed for life and won’t regret the MK. 

 

In 20 years time you’ll still get parts for it. 

Edited December 22, 2018 by markm

[rimfire4969]

I would also be looking at Caesar Guerini Magnus, Ellipse, Maxum, Apex if you really want to splash the cash the Invictus or Forum. Very well made and finished guns for less. 

[welshwarrior]

Have you shot either of them? If not you need to shoot the guns and see what works best for you.  

[wymberley]

1 hour ago, rimfire4969 said:

I would also be looking at Caesar Guerini Magnus, Ellipse, Maxum, Apex if you really want to splash the cash the Invictus or Forum. Very well made and finished guns for less. 

Yep, they say the sincerest form of flattery is..............

[dougall]

look at 2nd hand Browning Heritage too.......well looked after/near new at good prices..........if you are 'it must be new' then the Miroku is the 1 to buy...personally would not buy new again unless going down the 'full made to measure 'Perazzi type approach......a Mk60 is alot of gun for the money...a heritage is prettier if you like that sort of thing.......

 

[sabel25]

1 hour ago, wymberley said:

Yep, they say the sincerest form of flattery is..............

Second that Having 4 one being the Maxum game

Well worth a look  There's a nice used one on GT £2295  and a new one £3150

[Smokersmith]

If it’s a long term purchase, look for a nice 2nd hand B25 ....

Edited December 23, 2018 by Smokersmith

[JRDS]

I looked at both and bought a Crown, they are a fabulous gun with the barrel dimensions set up for Fibre cartridges.  The 30 handled alot quicker than the 32 so that is what I went for.  Yes more money and probably not as good value as the Miroku but I would have regretted not buying the Crown if I had gone the other way.

Edited December 23, 2018 by JRDS

[Smokersmith]

Xmas came early!! Enjoy 😊 

[wymberley]

1 hour ago, sabel25 said:

Second that Having 4 one being the Maxum game

Well worth a look  There's a nice used one on GT £2295  and a new one £3150

" The monoblock is engineered in a way that it interlocks with a plate at the bottom of the action, similar to that found on the recently launched Caesar Guerini competition & Game Invictus model shotguns, Chapuis have been making an over & under gun like this for over 25 years. "

[TIGHTCHOKE]

6 minutes ago, wymberley said:

" The monoblock is engineered in a way that it interlocks with a plate at the bottom of the action, similar to that found on the recently launched Caesar Guerini competition & Game Invictus model shotguns, Chapuis have been making an over & under gun like this for over 25 years. "

And they will soon have sold the 2nd one!

[sabel25]

7 minutes ago, TIGHTCHOKE said:

And they will soon have sold the 2nd one!

Is that  because you're buying it?

[wymberley]

8 minutes ago, TIGHTCHOKE said:

And they will soon have sold the 2nd one!

Yep.

The moving finger writes; and having writ..............

[TIGHTCHOKE]

1 minute ago, sabel25 said:

Is that  because you're buying it?

No, I have plenty of Beretta's, a Browning and several other weapons, I do not need to go down the obscure French route!

[winnie&bezza]

18 hours ago, wymberley said:

Not everyones' cup of tea, but if you want to have a little dabble thinking outside of the usual boxes, have a look at Chapuis as you're talking game. Worth paying attention to the range of no cost options. You may not like it, may not want it, but I'll wager it makes you sit up and pay attention if nothing else. Fixed chokes, double triggers, straight hand stock 30" barrels and not back-bored (fibre noted), etc, etc - what's not to like.

I think they are one of the best looking O/U’s on the market.

Im quite fussy with O/U’s ( not that I can afford to) and Brownings and Mirokus dong really float my boat to look at. Berettas are a bit better in the higher grades. 

The Chapuis action is like a cross breed between the three and looks fantastic. If I had the money I’d have one tomorrow.

Would love to handle one. 

[wymberley]

4 hours ago, winnie&bezza said:

I think they are one of the best looking O/U’s on the market.

Im quite fussy with O/U’s ( not that I can afford to) and Brownings and Mirokus dong really float my boat to look at. Berettas are a bit better in the higher grades. 

The Chapuis action is like a cross breed between the three and looks fantastic. If I had the money I’d have one tomorrow.

Would love to handle one. 

Quite right. Never mind the youngsters who aren't old enough in their years to remember that it wasn't all that long ago that an OU was deemed to be obscure.

Yep, the Italians do fashion and do it well, but the French (damnit!) do style which is never out of fashion.

Mind you, I get the impression that yet again - and which appears to be on the increase - we're talking amongst ourselves. One would have thought that with a reasonable cross sections of opinion already given the OP who has just spent a while reading them would have thought them worthy of comment or even just a brief thanks for members taking the effort to respond.

Edited December 23, 2018 by wymberley

[Bear68]

Thank you for the replies; sorry, a busy day with the family yesterday. I've shot Browning / Miroku guns for nearly 20 years, and am likely to stick with one or the other. I've handled a Crown at my local gunshop, which I really liked, and am waiting for them to get an MK60 for comparison. They do have a second hand CG Invictus on the rack which I'll also have a look at. I've only seen Chapuis guns on the internet, and although I like the styling and the idea of having a made to measure gun appeals, I don't really know anything about them; how are they for reliability and availability of parts etc?

Edited December 24, 2018 by Bear68

[Bear68]

20 hours ago, JRDS said:

I looked at both and bought a Crown, they are a fabulous gun with the barrel dimensions set up for Fibre cartridges.  The 30 handled alot quicker than the 32 so that is what I went for.  Yes more money and probably not as good value as the Miroku but I would have regretted not buying the Crown if I had gone the other way.

That's very much the dilemma that prompted my original post. I suppose the bore dimensions is probably one of the main concerns for me, although I shoot with a back-bored Browning 525 and have never noticed any real difference between fibre and plastic wads so am probably over thinking the issue.

Edited December 24, 2018 by Bear68