My basis of comparison is three two-pin guns (two skeet, one trap) and a Japanese Winchester. Oh, and an old field gun.

The Japanese parts are better finished than on the originals. As to new guns being stiff (i.e. the reproductions), it is not hard to do a little polishing here and there to smooth things out. I suspect my reproduction is as smooth or smoother than the best of my originals. As to exterior finish, the two-pins were rust blued and the reproductions are hot-blued; I prefer the softer rust blue finish, but that is not a quality issue.

The triggers on the new guns have an interrupter. Some people fall on their swords when they encounter this, but I don't mind it because every once in a while it prevents me from looking like fan-firing idiot. If you are sitting in an arm chair and playing with it, the trigger pull is a bit heavy and creepy. But to tell you the truth, when I pull the trigger on a moving target, I am so involved in the process that trigger characteristics rarely register, and I'm more than okay with the reproduction jobs.

They seem somewhat over-priced right now at what, somewhere around $1200?