Help with Brown Bess Identification

Hi folks, looking for help to identify this Brown Bess. 42" barrel, 75 cal model. Any information you can impart is appreciated.

Miroku, Japanese. Looks like teak wood.

Yup. The funny crown and the "dented" trigger guard are diagnostic. Great Besses!

To add to @BillinOregon's comment, the lack of a sling loop in the trigger guard is another clue as to the origin of that Bess being the Miroku Bess. Along with the dented trigger guard and other markings, there was no sling loop. The Miroku factory made a very exact copy of the gun they were given.

Don’t want to steal this page but when I seen how fast people new just by a few pictures I was wondering about mine that I got from a neighbor lady. It’s a pedersoli carbine. But I hear about 1 or 2 and don’t understand what they are talking about. Apparently back in the day they did extra work on them this on has a thumb metal with letters, the but plate has letters down it.
Sorry if I’m out of line here but you guys seem to know Besses

Pedersoli has always made a replica of the 2nd Model Short Land Pattern Musket. There were some special orders that were made with engravings for a specific unit. @Greyrider, if you can, please take some pictures and post them. We can tell a lot more if we have some pictures.

OldSmoky1967 said:

Miroku, Japanese. Looks like teak wood.

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Yes, thanks! Since I made this post a couple of weeks back, I did a lot of searching on the internet and talked to a guy who owns one with a serial # close to mine. I'm told these were from the mid-70s when they were manufactured by Miroku and imported by Dixie for the bicentennial musket revival. The stock wood is cherry.

I love this gun. It was well taken care of by an older gentleman who was a reenactor. I've got the bore/breech cleaned up nicely, and will be taking to the range this week.

This is what I’m talking about.

tjiann said:

Yes, thanks! Since I made this post a couple of weeks back, I did a lot of searching on the internet and talked to a guy who owns one with a serial # close to mine. I'm told these were from the mid-70s when they were manufactured by Miroku and imported by Dixie for the bicentennial musket revival. The stock wood is cherry.

I love this gun. It was well taken care of by an older gentleman who was a reenactor. I've got the bore/breech cleaned up nicely, and will be taking to the range this week.

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If you need an extra lock for a spare I have one for sale.

That looks like an older Lyman proof stamp on a miroku brown bess barrel. For a short period of time Lyman was selling this with proofed barrels.

Miroku stocks were not teak, they were made of a very poor quality birch which didn’t stain very well and needed to be varnished heavily.

FlinterNick said:

That looks like an older Lyman proof stamp on a miroku brown bess barrel. For a short period of time Lyman was selling this with proofed barrels.

Miroku stocks were not teak, they were made of a very poor quality birch which didn’t stain very well and needed to be varnished heavily.

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I'm confused. You mean the stamp in front of the serial number? Isn't that Miokus? Also, I was told by other owners that these had cherry stocks. It's certainly not teak, and doesn't look like birch to me.

tjiann said:

I'm confused. You mean the stamp in front of the serial number? Also, I was told by other owners that these had cherry stocks. It's certainly not teak, and doesn't look like birch to me.

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Yes before the serial number.

Navy Arms stocked these in the customers selection of either Walnut, Cherry, or Maple back in the very early 1970’s bicentennial era.

That was stopped shortly after, Miroku began stocking them in birch, and then Dixie Gun Works had replacement stocks in maple.

That’s not a cherry stock in my opinion, most of these are birch, which is usually very blotchy and does not stain well.

Cherry has very long symmetrical grain patterns.

Birch tends to blotch in light and dark spots becuase the wood is naturally very waxy.

Cherry also stains much darker, if you were using a walnut stain.

OldSmoky1967 said:

If you need an extra lock for a spare I have one for sale.

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Same Miroku lock? Let me know what your asking. Thanks.

PM Sent

FlinterNick said:

Yes before the serial number.

Navy Arms stocked these in the customers selection of either Walnut, Cherry, or Maple back in the very early 1970’s bicentennial era.

That was stopped shortly after, Miroku began stocking them in birch, and then Dixie Gun Works had replacement stocks in maple.

That’s not a cherry stock in my opinion, most of these are birch, which is usually very blotchy and does not stain well.

Cherry has very long symmetrical grain patterns.

Birch tends to blotch in light and dark spots becuase the wood is naturally very waxy.

Cherry also stains much darker, if you were using a walnut stain.

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Well, not sure of wood I guess, but I think it's beautiful and certainly not poor quality.

tjiann said:

Well, not sure of wood I guess, but I think it's beautiful and certainly not poor quality.
View attachment 199107

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It is pretty. However, the originals were made from English Walnut, so there is a difference in hue/color as well as strength. That is why the originals are still around 200+ years later.