
While some have the excessive drop in the stock common to older American guns, many NIDs have fairly modern dimensions, making them easier for us to shoot. NIDs were made in many gauges and grades until the gun was discontinued in 1948. About 1,000 of those magnum 10s were made, and they turn up for sale from time to time, if you want to shoot your ducks and geese the old-fashioned way. It proved tough enough that when Winchester decided to introduce a new, 3 ½-inch 10-gauge magnum cartridge, they worked with Ithaca to build a gun for it, a 10-gauge NID. Designed to shoot the most powerful contemporary ammo, the NID was state of the art for 1925, with the same lightning-fast locktime of the Flues, and with a stronger frame, stout coil springs, and a durable rotary bolt. Ithaca replaced its aging Flues model with the New Ithaca Double in 1925. There is a lot of old-fashioned gun making in any Miroku shotgun from any era. I visited the Miroku factory in 2010, and even then, the fitting of action parts and regulation of the barrels was all done by hand, by skilled workers moving at incredible speed. Miroku guns are still made and sold under the Miroku name in many countries, and they are deservedly popular. Most were sold under the Charles Daly name, but you could also find them as Mirokus and “My Luck” (an attempted anglicization of “Miroku”) guns. Prior to that time, from about 1959 on, you could buy Mirokus here. One of the stipulations of Browning’s agreement with Japanese gun maker Miroku in the 70s was that Miroku would stop selling guns in the United States.

Miroku O/U (Especially 20s) A Charles Daily Miroku 12-gauge. Some have ejectors, some have extractors, and most of them can be yours for under $1000. They are great, bombproof, lightweight bird guns.

The pins seat deeper as the gun wears, and the lack of a hinge pin makes the receiver very low in profile, which in theory lets the gun point more naturally. From the 1950s to the 1980s when the 680 series began, Beretta made several different, but similar, precursors, starting in the 1950s: The S series, the BL series, the Snipe series, and perhaps others I’m not aware of all share the same action design of two pins that protrude from the breech face and fit into holes between the top and bottom barrels. They have a low-profile action that makes them natural pointers, and they will shoot forever. The Beretta 680 and now, 690, are among the most popular O/Us in the world for good reason. Early Beretta O/Us A used Beretta can often be found for under $1000.
