Nikko shotguns: Should I buy a Nikko shotgun? Were they good?

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Should I buy a Nikko shotgun? Were they any good?

The Nikkon range of guns was made in Japan and were known to be well made.

By Mike George

Tuesday, 31 January 2012

I have seen a Nikko shotgun for sale at a reasonable price. It looks good, but I have never heard of the make.

What can you tell me about it?

NIKKO SHOTGUNS
Mike George
You have had me searching for some old notes I made more than 20 years ago, which reveal that the last guns were shipped to the UK from Japan in the early 1980s.

The most popular model was the 5000, which came in trap, skeet and field versions.

I can find no records of a Sporter. The guns were well made, with good handling, but as they have been out of production for around 30 years spares are going to be a problem.

I can’t locate any on the internet.

I can also recall a gunsmith telling me that, with long use, the ejectors could become splayed outwards to the point they eventually over-rode the cartridge heads.

You can risk bending them back, but if you break one you are saddled with the cost of a gunsmith making a one-off.

Pretty much the same goes for any other spares you might need so, unless you are prepared to meet these costs, don’t buy it.