mk38 Alternatives

[Rod M]

Hi All,

At some stage in the not too distant future, I'd like to part-ex my (first) gun for something a bit nicer. I have a Miroku mk38 grade 1, with the (not very attractive) varnish finish. I love how the gun shoots, however, so the obvious option is to go for a nice, s/h, grade 5 version; this would also fall under my budget of around £2k. I was hoping to canvass for opinions on some similar guns that are worth a try before deciding. I would prefer to buy s/h and so far I've only come up with the browning ultra xs. The gun would be almost exclusively for sporting and I'm looking for a 30" m/c

Any other suggestions would be welcome.

Thanks

 

[FreeShot]

B725 - either ProTrap or ProSport

 

[Rod M]

B725 - either ProTrap or ProSport

These look to be a bit more than I'd like to spend, but I'll certainly have a look in case I can find a bargain.

 

[westley]

The CG's in sideplated guise are nice looking guns, just depends if you could live with one. I personally can not, but I shoot with someone that loves his CG Apex and shoots it very well, BUT he was always a 'Beretta Man'  !

 

[Salopian]

If you are considering changing from a Miroku , you deserve all the bad luck you can get , buy a K80.

 

[Rod M]

If you are considering changing from a Miroku , you deserve all the bad luck you can get , buy a K80.

I like to do my research. For the money, I can't see much beyond the Gr5 Miroku, but I'm pretty new to the sport, so always good to explore

 

[Doctor Lecter]

I like to do my research. For the money, I can't see much beyond the Gr5 Miroku, but I'm pretty new to the sport, so always good to explore

some great used sporters about  for your budget   ,   im using a zoli at the mo   and it seems  good ,    miroku  do take some beating though for  quality and value for money  !

 

[Westward]

The thing to bear in mind with MK38s of any grade is that they come with different specs, particularly barrels & chokes. Consequently they don't all feel and handle the same. 

The 725 ProTrap/ProSport guns feel very bulky and aren't everyone's cup of tea. The regular 725 is Browning's nod to Beretta with it's lighter barrels improved trigger pulls and general fit and feel. They're quite popular guns and there are higher grades available used at around you budget.

Personally I'm not a fan of Browning/Miroku and having tried just about everything out there I found that standard CG suits me very well. Again they are available in your budget.

 

[Rod M]

I get on much better with the chunkier guns, so sounds like the CGs may not be to my tastes

 

[westley]

The 'chunkiness' was one of the things I did not like about the CG, especially the palm swell.

 

[Rod M]

The 'chunkiness' was one of the things I did not like about the CG, especially the palm swell.

Ah, I'll see if I can handle one then

 

[b725black]

second hand CG's seem not to sell well, they certainly don't hold their price

 

[Westward]

CGs are definitely full size guns, the dimensions are very close to off the peg Perazzis and the 3 Summits I looked at varied from 8lbs 1oz to 8lbs 5oz. My bog standard Challenger weighs 8lb 3oz. The Silver Pigeons are slimmer, slightly lighter and less chunky and the 725s sort of between the two - but they do have a palm swell.

As to CG s/h prices, it depends on the model. The Impacts have had their time in the sun and people aren't queuing up to buy fully adjustable high ribs like they were 4 or 5 years ago and the mid rib Ascents don't seem as popular either, but the era of rock-bottom prices for used standard CGs is pretty much in the past.

 

[westley]

CGs are definitely full size guns, the dimensions are very close to off the peg Perazzis and the 3 Summits I looked at varied from 8lbs 1oz to 8lbs 5oz. My bog standard Challenger weighs 8lb 3oz. The Silver Pigeons are slimmer, slightly lighter and less chunky and the 725s sort of between the two - but they do have a palm swell.

As to CG s/h prices, it depends on the model. The Impacts have had their time in the sun and people aren't queuing up to buy fully adjustable high ribs like they were 4 or 5 years ago and the mid rib Ascents don't seem as popular either, but the era of rock-bottom prices for used standard CGs is pretty much in the past.

I think if you bought new, you would suffer a higher loss than the more popular makes, but that also means that there are some excellent used bargains to be had.

 

[chippy]

How about a Browning ultra. It will feel very Similar to your miroku

 

[ChrisPackham]

Rod, depending on where you live get yourself to a ground that sells sh guns and try as many as you can find!

 

[balltrap]

I like to do my research. For the money, I can't see much beyond the Gr5 Miroku, but I'm pretty new to the sport, so always good to explore

Rod........you cannot get a better gun than a Miroku for the money !

 

[AW13]

I was in a similar position recently with my Miroku MK60. I wanted a choked gun so I went into Chris Potters with no preconceptions and shouldered quite a few guns with the intention that the gun fit and feel would find me. I was not badge conscious and tried several, in the end I found a Browning 725 felt natural for me, but what suprised me was the barrel length, I much preferred the swing feel of a 28inch and the gun was the lighter Hunter version.  I have only shot about 500 carts through it so far and it feels and swings so naturally with good trigger pulls.  Early day but so far so good.

For some reason i seem to prefer a lighter gun, thankfully I never seem to suffer from recoil. 

In summary - don't have any preconceptions and shoulder as many as possibel until you find the one that seems right for you and get it fitted properly.

 

[Rod M]

Thanks for the advice all.

I will, of course, be trying out as many guns as I can get my mitts on when the time comes to change (that's half the fun, right?). Just trying to get an idea of what might work, so I make sure they get a go. As I said in the first post, I'm very happy with the mk38, but now I have several suggestions to shoulder (and hopefully shoot) in case another gun is even better for me.