Hi guys,

I'm hoping some of you collectors may be able to help me out.

I have just put a deposit down on a Miroku MLR and am keen to find out it's date of manufacture.
I know the Browning BLR's have two letters in their serial numbers that represent the year of manufacture, but these two letters are numbers xxxxx(18)227 on the Miroku I'm about to purchase.
The 227 is the code for 'short action' which is the same coding as for a Browning, but does anyone know what the '18' represents on the Miroku.
Could it be 1981 and the Japs were a bit dyslexic?
Have searched high and low for info the Miroku build dates/history/serial numbers without any luck.
Any helpful info would be appreciated.

P.S. I have also posted this question under lever actions.

Cheers.
Boof.