Ultra-Hi Brown Bess

[Type83]

Picked up this Ultra-Hi Brown Bess. Look’s unfired in original box. Not too familiar with this brand. Any information would be appreciated.

 

[Horse]

Looks like a great find. The name Ultra High sounds like a Japanese company. I seem to remember having a pistol with that name years ago. I notice the lack of sling swivels.

 

[dave_person]

Hi,
I believe that is by Miroku in Japan. To some folks they are the best commercial reproductions of Brown Bess muskets. The good points are that the metal components are of very high quality. They can be worked a bit to make them more historically accurate but the materials are very good. The barrels are some of the best and safest steel you can find anywhere for muzzleloading guns. The locks need work inside and out but they can be turned into first rate locks with polishing and tuning. The stamped markings on the outside are kind of goofy but at least they are correct despite the clumsy stamping. The stocks vary a lot, some are solid others not so much. They all have too much wood left on them. The trigger guard is misshaped. I don't know why they all have the bow flattened a bit and they can be annealed and pounded out to correct that. As with the Pedersoli Bess, the butt plate is too small and the tang crudely shaped compared with the original guns. By and large, they are usually good working repros that are still popular with a lot of reenacting folks. I like the metal parts and enjoy reshaping and finishing them up and then restocking them to make really good Brown Bess reproductions.

dave

 

[hanshi]

I know very little about the Bess but your copy looks really nice to me.

 

[Birddog1911]

Looks like a heck of a find.

 

[earlwb]

It looks good. I like it. Nice find.

 

[FlinterNick]

Miriko Bess, good find !

My only real complaints about this gun is the stock, everything else is great quality.

The stocks were often made of softer Birch which does not stain well and doesn’t handle the lock recoil, its not uncommon to find chips and cracks around the lock mortise because the mainspring is excessively strong.

The later production runs used hard maple and Navy Arms often restocked this in Cherry and Walnut.