Shotgun section

So new to the UK market that hardly anyone has actually heard of them, the new Boito Mirua I it seems is a serious selling piece of kit back home in Brazil where it’s manufactured by E.R. Amantino. Available in 12, 20 and 410, these basic smoothbores are regarded by their owners as good working tools - a fact substantiated by UK importers Highland Outdoors. Very popular in some of the more inhospitable parts of the world, I’m reliably informed that Africans have taken to them with enthusiasm, and having hunted over there and now tried a Miura I for myself I can understand why. Conditions are harsh and unlike the clients who arrive complete with the ‘Big Name’ weaponry, the Professional Hunters and the like prefer to sink their hard earned into a basic piece of reliable kit that’ll keep going for years - irrespective of the unsympathetic and abrasive treatment it’ll have to endure.

Two For One

Referred to as the Ext Combo Set in Highland Outdoor’s advert the ‘combo’ bit does come as something of a surprise since the term usually refers to more than one set of barrels. This time however it actually denotes the fact that the Miura that arrives in a type of bubble pack also comes complete with two stocks that provide the shooters with two differing lengths. This means one is for an adult and one for a junior, an inch and a half difference between the pair or alternatively winter and summer clothing, the choice being yours. And they’re easy to exchange, remove the recoil pad and unscrew the stock bolt and the stocks are on and off within a couple of minutes. 

The oiled furniture itself, which displays a first – rate quality of fit, has been stained dark brown with small panels of shallow chequering around the slender grip and forend. The almost London style, square angled forend is enhanced with full length finger grooves and held in place by a rotating latch system whilst both stocks are finished off with a deep, soft rubber butt pad that’s way in excess of the recoil the gun would be expected to generate.

Back In Black

Apart from the satin silver, nigh on granular surfaced trigger – blade that looks slightly incongruous against the rest of the gun, black predominates. The deep action is unashamedly that of a 20 bore, the gloss finish decorated with a simple scroll either side, the maker’s name and the gun’s serial number. Internally a long cocking lever feeds into the lockwork just below the action face whilst two pins extend from either side of the top firing pin to lock the 26”, 3” magnum monobloc barrels into position.

The barrels themselves are substantial. Well struck and nicely blacked to match the rest of the metalwork, both fixed restriction muzzles are approximately full and full whilst the two tubes are joined together with a vented mid-rib with a vented cross-cut 7mm top-rib runs the entire length and culminates with a small, squat brass bead. And if further proof of the barrels quality was needed, when you hold them in your hand prior to attaching them to the action, you realise that they add substantially to the Miura’s overall weight and have been designed to withstand the heaviest possible loads.   

Same But Different

Unlike many 410 shotguns, dimensionally the Miura is what I’d refer to as full sized mainly due to the fact that at heart it’s a 20 bore. This in turn means it’s actually the right size for a fully grown adult unlike other 410’s that at times tend to be scaled down. The Miura itself weighs an exact 7lbs with identical drops at comb and heel of 1 13/32nd and 2 5/8th with of course lengths of pull of 14½” on the longer stock or 13” for the shorter version all other measurements the exact same.

The trigger weight is a tad hefty at 6lbs 4oz although the lack of creep ensures that although the sensation is a tad mechanical, it’s easy to predict and strikingly responsive, the mechanical action noticeably quick between barrels. Whilst the sensation and the actual deployment of the trigger isn’t the most refined you’ll encounter you tend not to notice the shortcomings when shooting the gun and if the Miura has been bought with a junior or learner in mind the weight contributes considerably to the elimination of unexpected discharge due to eagerness and excitement. 

Now able to test the physical alignment of any gauge of shotgun courtesy of Arrow Laser Shot’s new insert system, not only did the Miura mount quickly it unerringly looked exactly where I did, a flat view over the rib ideal for both moving shots and rifled style shooting. Loading up with a selection of 2½” Express and 3” Eley Trap 410, whilst the Miura was never designed as a clay breaker it did acquit itself admirably well. However, move onto crows, magpies and the grey squirrel and this Brazilian smoothbore comes into its own. As a comfortable companion for a stroll through the woods as a snap-shot shotgun that reacts when needed or a precision ‘open sight’ stationary target destroyer, the Boito can’t fail to astound, the more or less full and full choking holding the shot pattern extremely tight.

For this you have to thank what at first seems the Miura’s downfall, namely the weight. I personally find many 410 shotguns too light and as such tend to over swing them unless I make a conscious effort to slow down, a physical reaction that tends to work against me. But with the Miura more or less a 20-bore with what are quite heavy barrels, the gun reacts and responds as a 20 would whilst encompassing the deftness, exactness and magnum qualities of powerful 410 cartridges the gun has been designed to accommodate.

Add into the equation the fact that the Miura balances exactly underneath the hinges, the mass and dynamics promote a more controlled swing with a surprising degree of handling refinement. Even when loaded with magnum shells you can hardly feel any recoil whatsoever. The two things you have to remember is that the top lever needs to be pushed all the way to the right to activate the auto, none selective sliding safety catch and that all you have is a single one-piece lifter, the actual extraction of spent cases being down to you.

Looks Alone

It’s a safe bet that the Miura won’t win any beauty contests and if looks alone were the main criteria for buying a shotgun such as this Boito then sale would no doubt be severely limited. However, for me the main criteria is what a gun shoots like that counts and this is where this 410 comes into its own and why it becomes easy to understand why they sell so well in other parts of the world. This gun is one of the most entertaining sub-gauges I’ve shot in a long time, whilst the Miura’s weight and dimensions actually suited me.

Take my word for it, once you’ve shot a Miura you’ll want one and for the asking price of £539 complete with the two stocks there’s hardly any reason why you shouldn’t go and get one. The other thing I’ll say is that if the 410 shoots like it does, I’m genuinely look forward to trying the 12 and 20 bore versions that cost more or less the same. Until this Boito made an appearance, the only guns that I thought came out of Brazil were Taurus pistols - whih often out-performed the handguns they were copying.  It now seems that the country also produces an interesting range of functional, affordable shotguns that really do the business - this 410 being a prime example.

PRICE: £539 srp