What gauge? I'd say it is more than a couple of hundred overpriced, if a 12. The Venture grade guns were extractor guns, w/a one piece extractor and while that may be desireable in some ways, it does not command any price premium. Quality wise, the metal and the wood to metal fit is pretty much the same throughout the whole run of Miroku Dalys irrespective of grade. The Superior grades are most easily identified by a stippled 'ram's horn' pattern on the top of the back of the frame. Both Field & Superior grades were ejector guns. Either of those two models are fine servicable guns, IMHO. I have shot a 20ga. Field grade enough to require it being rebuilt three times since the 1960's tho. It is my favorite dove shooter, choked tight & tighter with short 26"bbls & has yet to ever have a recoil pad affixed to it's buttsock, a bit over 6 pounds and it might kiss you if you premounted it. With 25 grams of shot it is a delight and with 28grams [1oz] it is self abuse, and no fun at all in a hot corner. What wears out is the firing pins & their holes in the bushings that go through the breech face, so that ultimately the gun needs to be fitted with oversized pins and have the holes reamed accordingly, the symptom being that the gun becomes hard to open and visual inspection will reveal the pins dragging across the fired primers, particularly the lower one. In fact, the pins are 'cocking' in their eliptically worn holes as they do not make direct in line hits to the primer. It is also possible after many tens of thousands of rounds to break a main spring or an ejector as well. Parts are avialble and the guns are well worth repairing if you choose to do so. They utilize a leaf main spring.
OK, now that I have ridden that tangent to ground, I think a Venture grade 12 is worth a max of $500~$550, a 20 perhaps 6 and a 28 or .410 ?? I've never seen one of either of the smaller gauges in a Venture grade. FWIW, Field grade guns were roughly $160 in the Viet Nam era. Superiors were a bit less than a HUN above that.
