All the small parts are case hardened on this one.  lever, hammer, barrel bands, buttplate.

Post a picture of your Miroku.

It's amusing that the guys who have never owned a Miroku say it isn't a better gun, but the guys who have owned both say it is.

I have a Miroku Side by Side shotgun , its almost too nice to touch !

I also have a pair of Browning 92s, 357 and 44 Mag.  These were made by Miroku.  This is the 44.





I have also owned a couple of Uberti leverguns, I no longer do.  They are OK, and available in a much wider variety, but I prefer the Japchesters.

My Miroku 1873 came drilled for a tang sight from the factory which is very handy. It also has a shorter lever throw and lighter springs than the Uberti I had (prior to sending it to Cody Conagher) which is nice, too. The action and even the dustcover movement is considerably smoother and more precise on the Miroku. The Miroku has oiled black walnut furniture. I'm not sure what Uberti uses under their shiny lacquer. A couple other nice touches are the caliber on the bottom of the cartridge lifter and a cut on the top of the lifter so brass ejects more to the right instead of straight up.

My Miroku wasn't more expensive than my Uberti and it is a whole lot more gun.

This is my 1866 Uberti 44-40. As you can see it has very nice wood.



These are typical 200 yd. targets fired from the rifle. The groups are about 6".





I bought the rifle used for $700. Why would I buy a Winchester??

Another Uberti, in .44 Magnum. Very nicely finished and hands-down the slickest toggle link rifle I've ever owned.



And a 100 yd. target-



Ran right at $1000. Again, why would I buy a Winchester?

If you like yours, wonderful. No need for excuses for buying it.

It is supposed to be proud.  It's to compensate for shrinkage over time. I assume that the farmed woods that are used probably have a fairly well known rate of shrinkage.

Hey, don't get me wrong, if I won the Mega Millions jackpot tonight ($367 Mil) I'd go out an get the finest name brand rifles I could find, the heck with the price. I'd have someone custom handload whatever I wanted.  I'd buy anything I felt I needed to enjoy shooting, including my own range.

But that's because I'd be swimming in cash and wouldn't care about the money I spent, just the enjoyment.  However, in the real world, I'm going to be looking at the value to me of what I buy.  I always have.  Value is as I define it, not what someone else tells me.  For me that means I'm not interested in paying the cost of a museum piece but I want a decently made one that will stand up to being a shooter.  Because, that's what I'd be buying it for, to shoot.

A good example is when I decided to finally get another 30-30 for my herd.  35-40 years ago I had a 1960 Win '94 and a bit later a 1962 Marlin 336.  Both were quality guns I got in like new condition, however, both didn't suit me that well as the Winchester, even with that vaunted name, had a floppy action and terrible trigger while the 336 felt like a block and the action had an annoying hitch in it, common for that model according to the gunsmith I took it to to fix it.

Anyway, in April 2012, I looked over the available new leverguns and decided upon a walnut stocked, pistol grip Mossberg 464.  Significantly better than either the new Winchesters or Marlins (not Remlins) of the time.  Did it have the 'Big Two' name?  No.  Did it have the best fit, finish, action, sights, and trigger?  By far.

My Miroku Winchester was no more expensive than my Uberti. I bought them both new.

My 92 in 44 mag is my favorite rifle. Gets shot all the time

All I know is that I'm lusting over the 1866 Yellow Boy and the 1873. And I've been lusting for them ever since the Lonesome Dove series in 1989. It appears these Miroku replicas are the best quality modern versions of these rifles in existence. So yes, I'd say these guns are worth the price, at least if you want one bad enough. And I do.

If you're wanting what you saw in Lonesome Dove, and who could blame you, the Uberti's are much more true to the original Winchesters than are the Winchesters. Now there's some irony for you....

Good to know the Miroku 73's don't have a rebounding hammer.
I had a Miroku 1892 in 32/20, and while I didn"t care for the rebounding hammer, the sliding tang safety I was fine with.
As a lefty, if you are going to have a safety, one that is ambidextrous is a plus.

I've owned a pair of Browning 1886's, a couple Citori's, and a BL-22, all have been as fine as can be.
No qualms about owning a Japanese made gun, as I was made there too ! (Born near Tokyo at an American Air base)

I've owned several Uberti's and all have been great. One 1873 Cimarron carbine had a crooked barrel, when it was zeroed at 100  yards the front side was all the way over to one side, and the rear was all the way over to the other. But in all fairness, I bought it used, maybe the previous owner closed a car door on it or something.

The new Marlins still get a lot of bashing because of the poor ones turned out right after the take-over.
I'd avoid any made from 2008 to 2011 or so.
I have an 1895 CBA from 2014, and an M1894 from 2016, and both are great in all respects. The polish and bluing are even better on the Remlins than my 2000 year JM Cowboy. The only thing that ticks me off is how whoever is doing the buffing tends to round off the edges of the octagon flats.
They must have hired a gorilla to do that.
The cross bolt safety is a big gripe, but that is a lot easier to fix than a rebounding hammer.
If you want to deactivate but not eliminate it permanently, you just remove the buttstock, turn in the set screw, and the safety is deactivated.
You can get a screw that replaces the cross bolt safety, will look just like another action screw, or you can get a saddle ring that replaces the cross bolt.

I have an 1873. Great gun, the Buckhorn sights suck ass.