EDITORIAL
A FAMILY TREE FOR HUNTERS A family tree always makes a statement. When you look at a family tree you remember your forefathers – and order your future at the same time. Merkel has done both in recent years, has reclaimed the legend of the city of Suhl.
They have almost completely done away with their gunsmithing traditions and turned to industrial manufacturing processes – which was unavoidable in the market economy system. They have undoubtedly developed outstanding products; but at what price?
The Merkel manufactory is unique among its type in the world. Without descending into nostalgia for the old East Germany, it is thanks to the GDR that we have this unique combination of high-tech forging and gunsmithing workshops. It was as if a cheese cloth had been cast over the country between 1949 and 1990. It kept the old traditions fresh. The situation was not exclusive to Merkel – but only in a few industrial branches did this prove to be an opportunity; to be able to continue working for 40 years, free from economic forces and virtually no technological pressure.
Merkel stayed. And, now situated in the middle of Germany, has used the last decade to re-engineer its product range, without changing its aestheticfunctional value. And out of Suhl expertise Merkel has given birth to a new gun category: MEM.
In these four decades we retained what was lost elsewhere. Many Suhl gunsmakers left the region after the war and were re-established in West Germany.
What Merkel can offer today is unique in the world. To the delight and the benefit of hunters all around the world, we can produce handmade masterpieces, which combine centuries old expertise with artistic handcraft and cutting-edge manufacturing techniques. Or prototypes, which brilliantly combine Suhl principles and systems and exemplify hunting gun culture of the highest technological level – we call these hunting guns MEM. Merkel is the last great hunting gun
manufactory in Suhl. Together with the independent Suhl master gunsmiths, we cultivate the knowledge and the skills which have accumulated since 1490 – and make hunting guns out of it. MEM and Meisterstück are the two poles of the Merkel hunt. They have developed from the love of a pastime which has always been part of human life. And from a totally innate sense of aesthetic.
Olaf Sauer Managing Director of the Merkel company.
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EDITORIAL
HISTORY
THE GERMAN DAMASCUS There are regions and cities that cultivate a legacy: mechanical watches in Glashütte, lace in Brussels, red wine in Bordeaux. Suhl’s legacy is guns – since 1490 according to the latest findings. And the knowledge of making fine guns is deeply rooted in the collective memory of the people of this region. The old city of Suhl is the gateway to the Thuringian Forest. Iron ore and the wood used to fire the ironworks are easily accessible here. Legend has it that gunsmiths from Nuremberg recognised
the advantages of the location and settled here. At the time guns for defence and protection were produced. Since the Middle Ages Suhl has been looked upon as the gunmaking city of Europe. Nevertheless the arts and crafts were not neglected in Suhl: the rifles were engraved on all sides and beautifully finished. The city soon earned the nickname “German Damascus” – the guns were richly decorated. The people of Suhl are proud of this name, because it brings to mind the great tradition of the
Damascus gunsmiths. They elevated engraving and manufacturing to high art in the Arabian world. In Suhl there was always a demarcation between military production and hunting guns. The “fine gun” remained the preserve of hunting – richly adorned and elegantly designed.
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Suhl rifles, 17th and 18th century.
HISTORY 7
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Suhl was always committed to hunting and the”fine gun”. 18th Century engraving.
HISTORY
THE FORMATIVE YEARS The industrial revolution made Germany the third largest industrial nation in the world. And in Suhl the craftman’s workshops turned into manufactories and later into gun factories. The Merkel brothers wanted to be part of the unprecedented transformation of the national economy at the turn of the 19th Century. Albert Oskar, Gebhard and Karl Paul Merkel came from a long line of engravers, stock makers and gunsmiths – and a family with many children. All eleven sons of the family found their way into the gunmaking trade. Albert Oskar and Gebhard Merkel were master gunsmiths. Karl Paul Merkel followed as a master stock maker – they founded a trading
company “for the purpose of joint manufacture of firearms and other articles.” On 1st September 1898 the company started work in the second district. This was the start of a development that is remarkable even in the gunmaking town of Suhl. During the formative years of the company the manufacture of hunting, sporting and luxury guns was booming in the old gunmaking town. The mechanical design of these guns was more elaborate and technically variable than military rifles. Merkel was committed to the “fine gun” at all times; even in wartime it was never more than a parts supplier for military production. While the two great wars of the 20th Century
turned some gunmakers into industrial enterprises, the Merkel workforce hardly ever rose above 350 employees during the war. Instead, the export-oriented company twice lost its important foreign markets. From the outset the Merkels pinned their hopes on innovation. The Bock over-and-under gun with the two barrels lying upon one another originates from Suhl, and Merkel registered the “Bock” as a trademark. Merkel revolutionised sporting shooting and hunting with these rifles.
ALBERT OSKAR MERKEL
GEBHARD MERKEL
KARL PAUL MERKEL
Master gunsmith
Master gunsmith
Master stock maker
HISTORY 9
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The article of agreement of Merkel brothers’ gun manufactory from the year 1898. The original is held in the Thuringia public records office, Gotha.
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Early patents and utility models document Suhl inventiveness – deed book from the Suhl district court.
HISTORY
THE BOOK OF THE GUNMAKER The workshop diary of Gebhard Merkel is a unique documentation of the work and ideas of the formative years of the Merkel brothers. The great gunsmith meticulously listed the production processes, the problems and solutions of the daily work. Gebhard Merkel’s ingenious trick: he blackened the rifle barrels, V-springs and lock components with an ink pad – and stamped their cross section 1:1 in the diary. The workshop books are today in the possession of decedents of the Merkel brothers – we thank them for making the facsimiles available.
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HISTORY
HISTORY
THE BIRTH CERTIFICATES The archive of the Merkel manufactory holds gun cards from a period spanning eleven decades – these are the birth certificates of our handcrafted rifles. They describe in detail the design, calibre, steels, stocks, versions, assembly and engraving – the document serves as a route card through the factory and finally as a certificate of origin to be used for subsequent maintenance of the hunting rifle. Many of these documents were lost after the war and in the turmoil of the reunification period.
The Merkel manufactory archive – gun cards from many decades are stored here.
HISTORY 13
BARON VON MÜNCHHAUSEN
MAHARAJAH OF BIJAWAR
DUKE LUDWIG WILHELM OF BAVARIA
KING PETER II OF YUGOSLAVIA
DR. RUDOLF H. SACK, RECORD MARKSMAN
FRANTZ ROSENBERG, BIG GAME HUNTER
PRINCE BHANUBHANDHU OF BANGKOK
PRINCE VIMVATKIT OF SIAM
CONSUL ANDRESEN FROM NORWAY
HISTORY
BETWEEN THE WARS From a business point of view, the First World War was a huge setback for Merkel. Merkelesque aesthetic is not sought after on the battlefield. The company – renowned for luxury and perfectly balanced hunting rifles – lost many foreign markets. Nevertheless, shortly after the war, Merkel rifles were again being exported to 28 countries around the world, although the company did not fully recover from the consequences of the war until 1924. In 1931 Merkel registered a trademark: from now on the rights to the term “Bock” (over-and-under) for hunting and sporting rifles were reserved for Merkel. The ingenious gun designer Gebhard Merkel died in 1933. He did not have the opportunity to witness one of the company’s greatest triumphs. In 1937 Merkel was awarded the “Grand Prix”
at the World Exhibition in Paris for its range of hunting rifles. The World Exhibition, which was held under the motto “Art and technology applied in modern life”, honoured the aesthetic of the Merkel product range. In 1938 the second generation assumed office: Ernst Merkel together with the adept businessman Adolf Schade, son-in-law of Karl-Paul Merkel, took over the management of the company. The Grand Prix boosted the export business. The company’s order books include the names of crowned heads of state, diplomats, maharajahs and industrial magnates. Famous big game hunters and explorers also ordered their rifles from Merkel in Suhl. Even the world boxing champion Max Schmeling favoured hunting rifles made by Merkel
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Advertisement with the “Grand Prix” from the 1937 World Exhibition.
HISTORY 15
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Sporting triumph: Dr. Rudolf H. Sack wins national and international titles in1935 with his Merkel over-and-under shotgun.
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“Félicitation”: in December 1937 the Parisian importer of Merkel rifles congratulates the company on its Grand Prix, which “is very well deserved”.
HISTORY
MAX SCHMELING’S 321E OVER-AND-UNDER DOUBLE RIFLE The new gun museum in Suhl documents the past and the present of the city – as chronicler and preserver of a rich tradition of Suhl gunmakers since 1535. Merkel is the last great hunting gun manufactory operating out of Suhl. Merkel marked the opening of the museum with a special gift: the manufactory presented the museum with the original gun card from 1936 of the legendary boxing world champion Max Schmeling. The heavyweight went hunting with a Merkel 321E over-and-under express, with a made-to-measure stock and an ejector. Bottom left: the shooting target of Schmeling’s rifle.
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Boxing world champion and marksman, Max Schmeling.
HISTORY 17
Schmeling’s gun card from 1936. The original is today on show in the gun museum in the city of Suhl.
HISTORY
WAR AND THE POSTWAR PERIOD Before the start of Second World War the company ran its own sales offices in many countries around the world. Merkel’s sales network spread from Argentina to Bessarabia to France, Greece, Norway, Rumania, Spain and the USA. This network was again broken up by the Second World War.
By the end of 1945 hunting guns were being manufactured again; by 1947 almost 700 rifles had been sent to Eastern Europe as reparation payments. Merkel developed into a showcase company of the German Democratic Republic.
Hunting guns played a subordinate role in the war production from 1939. Merkel became a parts supplier for carburettor engines, carbines and rangefinders – and the number of employees rose to 350 in peak periods. Even in the anti-training atmosphere of wartime Germany, the Merkel company took the initiative to restructure the job specifications of the gunmaking trades, thereby ensuring the continuation of handcrafted gunmaking.
The dispossession of the founding families followed in 1948 – under disastrous conditions, the descendants of the Merkels lost everything to Socialism; everything the brothers has built up and the second generation had developed. In 1952 the state-owned company again had 200 employees manufacturing hunting guns. The company was integrated into a state combine, but the brand and the products remained independent.
The war ended in Suhl on 3 April 1945 at 8.30 in the morning – of all the factories in the city, only Merkel was to escape dismantlement. The good reputation of the precious hunting guns spared Merkel this fate – the machine workshops, which were hi-tech for the time, were kept in Suhl.
In 1953 the GDR government presented Merkel hunting rifles to the two most powerful men on earth at that time, Dwight D. Eisenhower and Nikita S. Chruschtschow. And in 1963 the first man in space, the cosmonaut Juri Gagarin, was honoured with a Merkel Drilling.
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Postwar production at Merkel.
HISTORY 19
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In 1963 Juri Gagarin was presented with a Merkel Drilling model 30.
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Socialism: the Merkel family was dispossessed in 1948.
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Mass reception for the Russian cosmonauts in Suhl.
HISTORY
THE GERMAN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC – AND REUNIFICATION The socialist workers‘ and farmers‘ state cultivated its export hit. In the 1970s a range of luxury guns was developed and sold around the world. The gun card archives include the names of illustrious personalities such as Gamal Abdel Nasser, Josip Brosz Tito and Mao Tse Tung. Even Franz Josef Strauß, the Bavarian Minister President and enthusiastic hunter, ordered his rifles from Suhl. Between 1945 and 1987, production of Merkel over-and-under guns alone reached 150,000. The GDR celebrated the success of Merkel rifles with a set of special postage stamps. With hunting and sporting gun production flourishing after the war, Suhl became an important sports shooting centre. Around 100,000 visitors came to Thuringia for the world championships in 1986. For a few days the city with a long tradition of making firearms was the undisputed centre of world shooting sports. In his enthusiasm for the Merkel product range, the Mexican president of the International Shooting Sport Federation, Olegario Vázquez
Raña, proclaimed: “I think these are the most perfect hunting rifles in the world.” He thought the Merkel over-and-under shotgun to be, “the queen of hunting rifles“. And he should know – not only did Vázquez Raña hold the highest sports shooting office in the world, he was also world famous as a practicing trick shot artist. Between 1954 and 1989 sporting shooters using Merkel rifles won 45 titles at world and European championships. In 1989 the German Democratic Republic came to end – the revolution came from below. It was unprecedented in its courageousness and its bloodlessness. With the slogan “We are the nation”, the people of the GDR freed themselves from the ruling powers. Reunification was accompanied by considerable turmoil – many jobs were lost in Suhl. Nevertheless, the Suhl combine remained the largest producer of hunting guns in Europe. This is where the coveted Merkel rifles were manufactured – however, they were still at the technical level of the 1950s.
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Merkel BDF 303ET I BDF 203ES
HISTORY 21
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Matthias Dunkel, today working in the Merkel sales, 1986 world skeet shooting finalist.
Complete set of GDR postal stamps …
The GDR sports shooting team achieved success with Merkel at the Seoul Olympics in1988.
… reverence to Suhl – and Merkel.
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HISTORY
THE TECHNOLOGICAL BREAKTHROUGH Uncertain ownership status accompanied Merkel to the end of the millennium – then the traditional brand found its feet again. Investors provided the backing which laid the foundations for new products and the continuation of the Suhl gunmaking tradition. At the time of the change it became clear that there would be no future without maintaining the values of the past. Industrial precision cannot exist without handcraft skills. Merkel was always and remains today a major promoter of the different professions of the gunmaking art – because the company knows, needs and fosters its roots and skills. Merkel is very aware of the heritage of Suhl gunmaking. The last great manufacturer of the old gunmaking town still sees itself as a manufactory in the image of the Merkel brothers. The Merkels were children of the Industrial Revolution – and understood how to adapt to these enormous leaps in technology. Despite the machinery, which was hi-tech at the time, they preserved the individual and hand-
crafted character of their rifles. As early as the mid 1990s, the complete range of Merkel hunting guns underwent careful reengineering. Where technical advancement increased the safety of the riflemen, it was used. Where stateof-the-art technology improved the precision and prolonged the service life of a rifle, it was applied. The visual appearance of a Merkel 303 made in 1924 differs only in details from a modern 303 over-and-under shotgun. And in 1924, as in 2008, these wonderful hunting guns were at the cutting edge of gun technology. From the outset the Merkel brand was characterised by the work of specially trained craftsmen; by employees who know how to make a gunlock with only simple tools and without machines. And this, although they know how to handle computer-controlled machines and the most up-to-date surface finishing systems. Technology by tradition.
Craftsmanship: hand soldered barrels.
HISTORY 23
According to plan: the CAD design drawing of the Merkel B3 over-and-under gun – and the original.
HISTORY
MERKEL TODAY Merkel‘s only production site is in Suhl – we view the location as a guarantee of quality that is recognised in many countries around the world. The Suhl manufactory is an exceptional combination of hunting gun manufacturing and high-tech forging. Merkel combines the traditional manufacturing methods of handcrafted hunting guns with the highest standards of quality and safety – all achieved in what is, for this day and age, an unusually deep in-house range of manufacture, from cold forged barrels to hand engraving. With every part of a Merkel gun, careful consideration is given to whether, from the customer’s point of view, it should be handmade or machine produced. Today Merkel exports to more than 40 countries all over the world and has close to 200 employees – each one a highly qualified specialist. They often come from families that have worked in the gunmaking trade for generations. They bring to us the manufacturing skills and expertise to find unusual solutions. Merkel employees define themselves and their work on the basis of
the long tradition of Suhl gunsmithing. Merkel is one of the very few factories that can manufacture both modern firearms and handcrafted hunting guns. No matter which category a customer chooses, a Merkel carries the Suhl genes: reverence to and the heritage of the German Damascus. And this has its own basic principles. MERKEL TOP-DOWN: Merkel guns offer the customer the power reserves of the unique Merkel top-down principle. This means that the highest calibre of every gun class defines the breech of all the underlying versions. The breech of the Africa side-by-side rifle thus sets the standard for all the other side-by-side guns. STEEL ON STEEL: With Merkel locking mechanisms, the principle applies that steel is always locked on steel. HANDED-DOWN QUALITY: We have mastered the traditional manufacturing methods, which even today produce unequalled quality – we hand
them down and develop them further. For example, we continue to practice the time-consuming process of brush oxidisation because it provides extra quality for our customers.
HISTORY 25
Merkel ‘Taube’ over-and-under combination rifle/shotgun from the year 1927.
Merkel B4 over-and-under combination rifle/shotgun from the year 2008.
PHILOSOPHY
THE IDEA OF THE MERKEL LOOP The strip of the saxonian mathematician and topologist, August Ferdinand Möbius, symbolises Merkel loop. Möbius was a contemporary of the Merkel brothers. In 1858 Möbius stuck together the two ends of a paper strip that had been turned through 180 degrees and determined that this strip could not be cut into two strips along
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August Ferdinand Möbius
its length. Instead of falling into two parts, the result was one long strip. Möbius loaned his insight to Merkel. The world of Merkel hunting guns equates to that of the strip twisted to make a loop – the Merkel loop that apparently has two sides (Meisterstück and MEM), but which in fact only has one surface (Suhl).
MEISTERSTÜCK: Arabesque Traditional hunting guns: the symbol of the Merkel Meisterstück is the classical Arabesque, the traditional engraving on hunting rifles. Arabesques are artistically stylised tendrils.
PHILOSOPHY 27
MEM: Floral motif Modern hunting guns: cutting edge technology with the cultural genes of the Suhl gunmaking art. This is MEM – Merkel Engineered Manufacturing. The floral motif symbolises this category.
PHILOSOPHY
MEISTERSTÜCK AND MEM At Merkel the world of hunting guns is divided into two. Traditional, handcrafted works of art can be found here as well as modern hunting guns produced by contemporary methods. Merkel is one of the few manufacturers in the world that can produce both categories. On the one hand the Meisterstück, the largely handcrafted rifle, manufactured according to concepts that have applied in the old gunmaking town of Suhl for centuries. The name of these icons of handmade guns is inspired Gebhard Merkel’s original drilling 1.4, which was named the “Meisterstück”.
MEISTERSTÜCK: 303E over-and-under shotgun
MEM: SR1 semiautomatic rifle
This first Meisterstück – in its time a technologically groundbreaking drilling – is the godfather of the whole class of traditional hunting rifles that are handmade in our manufactory. It in its chequered history, the gunmaking town of Suhl has always been able to draw its strength and ideas for new products from the rich heritage of firearms expertise of the region. This is symbolised by the MEM hunting gun category These three letters are double coded: on the one hand the mem is the art term for the culture gene – i.e. the hereditary aspects of cultural identity. On the other hand, MEM stands for
Merkel Engineered Manufacturing – high-tech in combination with engineering expertise and Suhl gunmaking know-how. Every MEM from Merkel is based on the knowledge and the hunting cultural genes of the old gunmaking town, realised with state-of-the-art technology and the most modern material. It is our gunmakers, the guardians of Meisterstück and MEM guns, who make sure that no soulless industrial products leave the Merkel manufactory.
PHILOSOPHY 29
MEISTERSTĂœCK: Upon request: handcut checkering (left). MEM: A laser beam cuts the checkering into a stock (right).
PHILOSOPHY
MEISTERSTÜCK It is the special aesthetic that sets a Meisterstück apart from conventional guns. The contours are characterised by their individual freeform. The freeform of the gunmakers makes every Meisterstück unique in design – a genuine oneoff from Merkel. The component parts of various materials are made to a calculated, fractional oversize to allow perfectly flush surfaces and exact dimensions when they are fitted together. This is only possible with the finest handcraft – not with industrial processes. A Meisterstück has a special feel. Steel and wood are individually and uniquely made for each other and combine to from an incomparable entity. The transitions between the barrel sets, receivers and stocks are perfectly casted – a critical eye checks every dimension. The production process is made to measure for the Meisterstück. For example, it takes more than 35 handwork production stages and almost 80 hours to make a Merkel 303E – and that’s just the mechanical processing.
The finishing and refinement process takes another 40 hours, at least. Special engravings often take more than 170 working hours. A Meisterstück is oriented towards the perfect result – and not primarily towards a rationalised production process. In this sense a Meisterstück is free spirit, to a certain extent unaffected by economic forces. A hunting rifle from another time. The reward of perfect handcraftsmanship is an elegant, finely designed masterpiece that sits perfectly in the hand.
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OVER-AND-UNDER SHOTGUN 303E ENGLISH ARABESQUE . MEDIUM SCROLLS
PHILOSOPHY
MEM Modern hunting rifles are designed differently from handcrafted rifles, combinations and shotguns. The initial development process is theoretical, based on trial models. MEM hunting rifles come into being in the process of computer aided design (CAD) – with close cooperation between practitioners, constructing engineers and designers. What they have conceived and developed is manufactured and assembled in the Merkel manufactory. MEM stands for Merkel Engineered Manufacturing: a Merkel SR1 semiautomatic rifle, the single shot rifles of the B or K class and the KR1 bolt action rifle combine the knowledge of the Suhl gunmakers in a new way. The result of an involved development process is hunting guns that, above all, guarantee precision and reliability. MEM rifles have evolved from handeddown expertise and from development applications of cutting edge technology – and precisely for this reason they have to prove themselves in practice, before they are put on the market. The Merkel
bolt action or semiautomatic rifle have thousands of test shots behind them before they are launched on the market. High-speed cameras and complex measurement technologies provide us with data and parameters – and the conviction that we know more about the modern hunting rifle and its safe handling than most other manufacturers in the world.
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SEMIAUTOMATIC RIFLE SR1 KEILER GOLD
MANUFACTORY
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MANUFACTORY
MANUFACTORY
THE ESSENCE OF THE MANUFACTORY
The term “manufactory” originates from the time the Merkel brothers founded their company. From the beginning, the manufactory combined traditional manual skills with modern industrial production methods.
The Merkels were children of the Industrial Revolution – but they were also craftsmen. And thus they knew how to combine machine work and handwork most effectively. Merkel has preserved this knowledge. Even MEM rifles, with
their high proportion of machine work, are nevertheless individually manufactured products, in which gunmaker’s skills are paired with engineering technology. They are manufactured in the same self-conception and with the
MANUFACTORY 37
same care as Meisterstücke – very often on the same machines and by the same people. The manufactory is a living organism and the finished goods are products of the experience, the skill and (even if it
sounds overstated) the pride of those that manufacture them. This applies just as much to a modern Merkel rifle of the MEM category as to a traditionally manufactured Meisterstück.
An old Merkel design drawing of a side-by-side shotgun on goatskin parchment. The material is pieced together and sewn – it depicts a rifle on a scale of 1:1.
MANUFACTORY
MORE THAN JUST PURE HANDWORK Merkel was always a promoter of the gunmaking handcraft – that is still the case today. And of course we hold in high regard purely handmade hunting guns, made from solid metal, that do not use any industrially produced parts. But we also know the technological limits of these guns. Merkel manufacturing goes one step beyond the boundaries of handwork. Every Merkel MEM and every Merkel Meisterstück is the result of a process that compliments the traditional handcrafts with the most up-to-date tools, if this benefits the product and the customer. Innovation is not an empty cliché for us; it has been the mainspring of our success since the very beginning. Electrical discharge machining and the CNC production of workpieces are part of this modern process, that helps produce time-honoured Merkel hunting rifles or modern MEM rifles of the highest quality. Electroerosive wire-cutting works with minimum tolerances in a range of 0.005 to 0.01 millimetres. Die sinking produces sharp edges with al-
most the same precision – for example, the guides of the bottom bites of break open guns are made this way. Computer-controlled 5-axis milling centres work with tolerances from +/- 0.01 millimetres – these are the values required for the manufacture of mechanical wristwatches. We use them for processing steel or duralumin parts as well as for wood. Thanks to CNC milling we produce stocks with perfectly flush joints to the steel parts of the barrel and receiver.
Shotgun barrels in the production line.
That such precision parts are subsequently fitted by hand or finished with a traditional coating is no contradiction for us. It all goes to improve the quality of the finished product. Our employees have all learned the classical gunsmith’s craft – and refined it with knowledge of high-tech production processes. This is exactly where Merkel offers more.
Unique, handmade: white 303 action.
MANUFACTORY 39
No contradiction to high-tech: the barrel lugs of a side-by-side shotgun are trimmed with a file.
CNC machining for perfect workpiece production.
The result of combined handwork und high-tech machine work.
MANUFACTORY
FROM ONE-OF-A-KIND TO SERIES PRODUCTION The wide range of in-house production is typical of Merkel manufacturing. All key processes are carried out in our manufactory. Merkel makes all the essential components of a gun itself: barrels, stocks, lock components, locking mechanism parts and barrel sets. Assembly, ballistic testing and final inspection – we only rely on ourselves to carry out these processes. There are product groups where Merkel makes no more than a single hunting gun per year. There are others where several thousand units are produced. This flexibility in production quantities is characteristic of Merkel manufacturing. At the request of a customer we can offer highly individualised hunting guns – right down to the single item. At the same time we produce Meisterstücks in series, where this series production seemed infeasible before the turn of the millennium. There is hardly another hunting gun manufacturer in the world that covers such an extensive product range. This
stretches from traditional hunting rifles – our Meisterstücks – right through to semiautomatic rifles of the MEM category. Or from the massive Africa side-by-side rifle to the modern bolt action rifle. One example: in our manufactory we combine the classical handcraft of the colour case hardening of a side-by-side shotgun receiver with scientific methods of material and surface research. With three-dimensional computer simulations or controlled shooting with the aid of high-speed cameras, we draw nearer to the ideal rifle. According to the Merkel definition, the ultimate aim of the ideal rifle combines functional aesthetic, high precision, the highest quality and a service life that will last for generations. Even if they are distinguished by a perfect finish and enjoy great popularity among collectors, our rifles are all made for contemporary hunting. And even if we work with cutting-edge technology, every Merkel rifle remains an individual one-of-a-kind.
MANUFACTORY 41
Precision from the MEM series: the Merkel SR1 semiautomatic rifle.
MANUFACTORY
FROM THE IDEA TO THE PRODUCT Merkel employees discuss the requirements profile of a new hunting gun in informal working groups which include gunsmiths, engineers and hunters. The first question is always, what should it be able to do? The decisive impulse often comes from the market. A company that exports to over 40 countries in the world knows that there is no such thing as “the hunt”. Different hunting cultures, gun legislation and hunting laws, changes in hunting conditions and game population as well as hunting fashion influence which gun sells in which market – and which does not. In discussion groups with importers, dealers and hunters, Merkel is continually discussing what the market needs – and how Merkel can cover and serve this demand. Merkel manufacturing is also subject to certain basic principles: to apply the best possible technology for the respective purpose and product, to lock steel against steel, to guarantee the Merkel top-down principle and to always find the optimal combination of handcraft and machine production.
Once the requirements profile is defined, the work begins with a specifications sheet and the development assignment. The aesthetic must keep pace with the functionality. That is why the Merkel development team is backed up by a team of designers from the outset. This enables the technology and form to grow together – in the same way that traditional hunting guns come into being. The development process is an interplay of structured, unstructured and creative components – one could also simply call it creativity. This can take several years. But the time is well invested: at the end of the day a hunting gun should emerge that lasts a lifetime and is still functional even after 50 or 100 years. That’s how we see sustainability: a rifle that our grandchildren will be able to enjoy.
Design studies of a Merkel SR1.
MANUFACTORY 43
SEMI-AUTOMATIC SR1 MODEL STANDARD
MANUFACTORY
QUALITY – AT MINUS 20 DEGREES Quality is a word that’s often used. It becomes much clearer if you imagine the hunt at minus 20 degrees. A prime wild boar, 60 meters shooting distance, the best light for shooting and a ghostly silence over the hunting ground. Now it’s all down to you; and so that even in this bleak hunting ground you can depend on your Merkel, we have been thinking far ahead. The Merkel quality management system MQM goes far beyond the requirements of ISO 9001. MQM is a process oriented, holistic quality management system for all Meisterstück and MEM rifles. Quality is primarily a question of perfect planning and organisation. At Merkel the developers think far into the future. They define load limits and extreme situations – and their effect on every single component of the gun. The production process and the materials are derived from this index of maximum demands. These findings form the basis of MQM. This includes process accompanying
testing of individual parts on the site of their production, permanent error detection and the quickest possible corrective action. We are one of the few manufacturers of hunting guns that make all the important components ourselves – including the barrels. We only purchase supply parts from companies who have committed to our quality code. We verify their products in the incoming goods department on the basis of internationally valid statistical procedures.
Quality with certificate.
During and after assembly we test every single manufactured gun for function, precision, handling, operability, appearance and finish; these tests go far beyond the requirements of the legal regulations. Merkel has a field office of the State Proof House in the factory – proof of the confidence and status of our manufactory. No hunting gun leaves the manufactory without the state seal. All this for that single moment, because we know: quality is quality at minus 20 degrees. SR1 continuous firing test with certificate.
MANUFACTORY 45
Quality is produced – and tested.
Attention to detail: dimensional check of a trigger blade.
A matter of pride: down to the micrometer.
MANUFACTORY
THE PROCESS – MAKING A MEISTERSTĂœCK Parts store: Forearm and buttstock parts Barrel set parts
Barrel maker: Making the barrel set
NC production: Barrel set processing
Breech block and trigger parts
Barrel set
Burnisher: Matting and burnishing
Action wooden parts
Action maker: Adjust breech block and first assembly
State firing test: with overpressure
Engraver: Engraving Stock maker: Oiling and drying
Stock maker: Checkering and waxing Engraver: Engraving
Breech block
Repairer: Filing and dismantling
Burnisher: Burnishing
Small parts unfinished
Burnisher: Burnishing
Blueing, chemical Nickel coating, nitrating
Small parts finished
Action maker: Assembly and disassembly
MANUFACTORY 47
Hardening: Heat treatment
Action maker: Assembly
Stock maker: Stock working
Action maker: as repairer
Test firer: Precision shooting
Stock maker: Disassembly
Action maker: Final assembly
Final inspection: Test firing, Final test
Brush and dip oxidisation
Hardening: Nitrating Hardening: Colour case hardening
Cleaning and refining
MANUFACTORY
HIGH-GRADE PARTS The finest recipes require the best ingredients. We make no differentiation when it comes to manufacturing parts. The components of our hunting rifles are all made to the same quality criteria and often from the same materials – no matter whether they are for MEM or Meisterstück rifles. The intended use and demands placed on the guns determine which material is used and how it is processed. A hunting gun consists of 130 component parts – and we manufacture every important part in our Suhl manufactory. The whole is more than the sum of its parts – but we know that the whole comes down to every part. It is often a matter of a hundredth of a millimetre.
When a shot is fired, a bite plate on the receiver absorbs the thrust load – and must close perfectly and run smoothly. Or it is a question of materials that have special properties: V-springs of spring steel, which accelerate the hammer with unequalled vehemence. The basic manufacturing of every part follows its own laws and requires specific expertise. There is one essential difference in the dimensional tolerances of the parts of Merkel’s two manufactured gun categories: Meisterstück parts are made to a required oversize, to allow more play when they are fitted and aligned to each other. MEM parts at made to exactly defined manufacturing tolerances.
Ejector hammers for side-by-side guns.
Forging blanks for SR1 housing.
MANUFACTORY 49
Production stages of the housing of the semiautomatic rifle SR1.
Forearm blanks in the wood warehouse.
Wood scantlings of the highest quality.
KR1 bolt action rifle barrels with integrated locking mechanism.
MANUFACTORY
THE MODERN WIRE CUTTER The stage where the mechanical processing of difficult to machine materials reaches its limits is the stage where electrical discharge machining (EDM) comes into play. We use this technology to make traditional rifle parts such as cocking rods, set triggers and auxiliary levers for our Meisterst체cks. Many MEM parts are also produced in this way. A major advantage of the electro-erosive processing is the very high level of dimensional accuracy; even extremely hard materials such as hardened steel, titanium or hard metal can be processed. It is also possible to produce edge-free edges and sharpedged geometric shapes. The erosive processes used by Merkel are
computer controlled die-sink EDM and wire-cut EDM. With wire-cut EDM a very fine brass live wire cuts parts from the workpiece in a non-conductive fluid (dielectric). Temperatures from 1,000 to 5,000 째C are reached in a discharge channel, which lead to melting and evaporation of the material particles. The achievable manufacturing tolerances are in the micrometer range. With die-sink EDM, sparks are generated via a conducting tool (electrode) onto the workpiece to be processed. These sparks remove tiny particles of material. The electrode is programmed with the negative form of the workpiece surface to be created.
Computer controlled wire-cut EDM.
Electroerosive wire cutter.
MANUFACTORY 51
The manufactory’s EDM production line.
Man-machine team: tolerances similar to the watch making industry.
High-precision: EDM sink machines
MANUFACTORY
CNC PROCESSING The term CNC “computer numerical control” – describes a world in which lathes and milling machines are controlled by computer programs. The high level of investment in production with multi-axis machining centres and in highly qualified staff is rewarded with the highest quality. In the Merkel manufactory, this occasionally leads to apparently bizarre combinations of this technology and the gunmaking handcraft. Once the barrel maker has constructed and justified his barrel set with tongs and torch, solder and wire, this handmade semi-finished part is clamped onto the high-tech CNC machines. For example, the computer controlled milling centre processes the hooks of the barrel set of break open gun, which later bind the barrels and the action into one part. Thus a single unit comes into being that can withstand the enormous pressure of a gunpowder explosion – with an unparalleled combination of handcraft intuition and computer precision. Handwork meets high-tech: the forged barrel is clamped in the CNC milling machine.
MANUFACTORY 53
Only the best for wood: CNC processing of a butt stock.
Technical discussion of a Drilling barrel set.
Flying filings: a CNC controlled lathe cuts the barrel thread of a semiautomatic rifle.
MANUFACTORY
BARREL MAKING Merkel is one of the very few hunting gun manufacturers in the world that makes its own gun barrels. What is more: many renowned hunting gun manufacturers in Europe place their trust in Merkel and buy their shotgun and rifle barrels from the Suhl manufactory. The hammer mills are the heart of the Merkel manufactory. Two elaborate cold forging machines process steel for the barrels of MEM and Meisterstßck guns. The barrel blanks are made of hardened and tempered, high-strength chromevanadium or chrome-molybdenum steel. This process produces barrels with calibre diameter tolerances of under 15 thousandth of a millimetre. The barrel blanks are hammered into shape by the four hammerheads of the cold forging machine with the force of four times 1.25 million Newton – equivalent to four times 125 tonnes. A plug gauge is inserted into the barrel blank, which bears the negative profile of the fields and grooves – and transfers these to the inside of the barrel during the forging process. The result is cold forged
barrel as opposed to a conventionally made barrel. Characteristic of Merkel barrels is the tapered form: the barrel narrows from the receiver to the muzzle by approximately ten thousandth of a millimetre. This prevents premature wearing of the barrel and enhances the precision of the shot. Merkel cold forging is based on four key technologies: deep-hole drilling, grinding, honing and annealing. Once the hole has be bored the grinding and honing follow, which produces extremely smooth inner surfaces in readiness for forging. These technologies, which are used in engine construction to finish the sliding surfaces of the cylinder, smooth the Merkel barrels to two thousandth millimetre exactitude, significantly increasing the service life and the precision of the barrel. Forging is followed by stress-free annealing in a vacuum furnace. Inevitable stresses build up in the steel during forging, which are dissipated by this heat treatment over a period of several hours.
High quality barrel steel.
Everything running smoothly: honing
MANUFACTORY 55
Deep-hole drilling: making a barrel from a steel rod.
Grinding: the barrel is ground to the perfect size.
Cold forging with an elemental force hammer mill.
Annealing dissipates the stresses in the steel.
MANUFACTORY
FLAMING WALNUT Over the centuries walnut has proved to be the ideal wood for making rifle stocks: The striped or sometimes flaming or bird’s eye grain gives the wood a particularly elegant appearance. It shows its structural or colour differences with a tangential, i.e. a flat section cut. Walnut wood is medium-heavy to heavy, strong and very elastic. This flexibility combined with great strength makes it the ideal wood for gunstocks. The walnut is a stately tree, which grows to a height of between 15 and 25 metres. “Turkish walnut” is the typical category of gunstock wood used for Merkel hunting rifles. The best qualities come from trees up to 300 years old, growing in cold high altitude areas. Here the trees grow slowly and develop
a pronounced grain. After the tree is felled, the wood is cut up and dried and stored for several years. Experienced master stock makers can already tell at this stage what future splendours the blanks hold. The Merkel master stock makers know where they can buy the most beautiful walnut woods in the world. The wood scantlings, the blanks, are sorted into eleven gunstock wood categories in the Merkel gunstock warehouse. This is where the company’s capital in wood is held; several thousand gunstock blanks are stored here until they are selected for processing for a suitable gun.
The drying oven is loaded.
MANUFACTORY 57
Wood expert classifying the gunstock blanks.
A glaze indicates the future effect of the grain.
Capital in the form of wood: the walnut blanks in the warehouse.
After the drying oven: testing the residual moisture content.
MANUFACTORY
GUNSTOCK IN FORM The master stock maker selects the blanks with a trained eye. This is not a simple undertaking, because he has to assemble suitable wood pieces for the forearm and butt stock and at the same time anticipate their inner values. Most time-consuming are the three-piece forearms – so popular with over-andunder guns – which take a great deal of effort to match up. The well dried blanks are then sawn and shaped on a copy-milling machine. With a great deal of instinctive feeling and some strenuous grinding work, the wood for the stock parts is aligned to the metal.
An old form for calculating the individual gunstock measurements of the customer.
MANUFACTORY 59
Fourfold copy-milling of butt stocks.
Reference specimens: butt stock models.
Milling the exact contours of a pistol grip.
The computer helps: CNC controlled gunstock milling.
MANUFACTORY
THE ART OF THE BARREL MAKER When the Merkel brothers founded their company in 1898, the ingenious gunsmith Gebhard Merkel brought an idea into the partnership. It concerned an innovative technology for soldering gun barrel sets – which was later patented. According to this process, neither exclusively hard solder nor exclusively soft solder should be used, but a combination of both. However, and this is the art of the barrel maker, the required temperatures must not be allowed to damage the structure of the material. Hard solder joints guarantee the highest stability, where locking forces have to be absorbed. And soft solder improves the heat dissipation through its high level of flexibility. Our barrel makers say: the barrel can breathe – so it has room to expand. This terminology also indicates the understanding that our staff members have of their prod-
uct. They breath life into the barrel set with skilled hands and centuries of Suhl experience. Tension-free and elegant, stable but aesthetically slim and light – these contrary objectives can only be achieved with barrel sets soldered in this way. The secret of Merkel precision is the experience of the employees in assembling the barrels. Despite high manufacturing precision, the components require caliber-specific fine tuning by hand, to ensure the hunting rifle hits the target precisely. The intersection of the barrels, that point where the barrel axes of multi-barrel hunting rifles meet, is individually determined according to the respective caliber combinations.
Soft soldering the sight rail.
MANUFACTORY 61
Hard solder joints in the soldering furnace.
Precision work: aligning the barrel set.
Preparation for soft soldering.
Grinding the muzzle of a barrel set.
MANUFACTORY
PURE PRECISION Our action makers assemble the gunlocks and actions. And here the Merkel range is almost unique: Greener or Kersten cross bolts, combined with double bottom bite, also tilted block and cylinder breeches. Single, double and triple locking systems in Anson & Deeley, Blitz or sidelock design. Not to forget various ejector systems, such as coil springs and ejector locks. To date, every Merkel action maker has mastered the art of making the mechanism of a hunting rifle by hand, even when using simple tools. This knowledge remains the basis for the construction of high-precision parts, which are then assembled to make the gunlock. The action maker is the one who makes the steel practicable and brings it to life. To ensure the firearm works, action makers work without tolerances. This profession is based on pure precision mechanics – on the same level as the fine watchmaker. The action maker and his favourite tool – pliers for fitting the mainspring.
MANUFACTORY 63
Checking the click-stop device of a double rifle drilling. A snap ring is fitted with pincers.
White-finished action of a 303E over-and-under shotgun.
Visual inspection of the gap-free gunlock fit.
MANUFACTORY
THE FIRST SHOT The ballistic test is the acid test for the new hunting rifle. For the first shot on the shooting range, the rifle is loaded with cartridges that develop a 30% gas pressure increase in rifles, compared to conventional ammunition. With shotguns the gas pressure is increased by up to 100%. The rifles is fired with these cartridges for the first time – and then meticulously tested. The chamber, breech, receiver and barrels are checked for faultless condition and dimensional accuracy.
that the hunting rifle is safe for use. The serial number, calibration mark and manufacturers label Merkel, Suhl, make the new rifle an unmistakable and unique specimen. The Merkel manufactory accommodates an official field office of the Suhl Proof House. Within the company, gun tests are carried out by Merkel according to the German Firearms Act – under the supervision of the State Proof House: Another sign of confidence in the traditional Suhl company.
Stamp of the State Proof House.
If the rifle passes the test, the shot identification and date of the ballistic test are affixed to the gun; they certify
Shot with overpressure.
MANUFACTORY
ZERO T ASSEMBLY
65
Traditionally manufactured hunting guns – Merkel Meisterstücks – are assembled twice. The first time, the “white fitter” assembles the steel parts. These are white parts, i.e. tempered parts with untreated surfaces. These individual parts have been made to a certain tolerance in the prefabrication stage – now the white fitter makes fine adjustments by hand and aligns the tolerances to each other. Merkel Meisterstücks are assembled without tolerances: this is what “Zero T” stands for. A fully functional hunting rifle is assembled; only to be dismantled again, surface treated and further processed.
The perfect fit: a Drilling action assembled without tolerances.
MANUFACTORY
THE BRILLIANCE OF WOOD The stock is an essential functional element of a rifle – but the optical and haptic qualities must also be right. To achieve this Merkel uses the best walnut woods of each category. It is not only the task of the stock to provide the rifleman with a supporting structure for shoulder, cheek and hands. The butt stock also absorbs the repulsion power of the shot. The dimensions and the design of the stock affect the precision, appearance and the aesthetics of the rifle – as well as its ergonomics. It is a question of bringing the cast, drop, length of the stock wrist and the stock into equilibrium. This requires great skill on the part of the stock maker. The functional dimensions are transferred to the unprocessed stock by means of the state-of-the-art machines
before experienced craftsmen get to work on the stock. Iron and wood are perfectly aligned by hand. This can sometimes takes several hours. Then comes the stock finish: the surfaces of the stock woods are perfected. The stock is watered and ground and the process repeated until open pores are no longer visible. The stock can then be finished in either silk-matt, gloss or pore-filled. This is followed by oiling, which accentuates the finest nuances of the grain. Finally, the checkering is cut by hand or with a laser beam; this enhances both the grip and the elegance of the stock.
Checkering – cut by hand.
MANUFACTORY 67
The metal parts are fitted with a firmer chisel.
Fine finishing a cheek piece with a sanding wedge.
The gunstock oil accentuates the grain.
The butt stock before and after the surface finishing.
MANUFACTORY
THE ART OF THE ENGRAVER The engraver’s work on the hunting gun is where art and handcraft overlap. Merkel engravers have fashioned hundreds of classical patterns and found thousands of individual solutions since the company was founded. The Suhl nickname “German Damascus” is both a claim and an obligation of Merkel engravers. The artistry of its engravers is one of the great strengths of the Merkel manufactory. The animal or the nature motif on the hunting gun is a piece of hunting culture – it relates directly to the archaic cave drawings of the original hunters. It is both decoration and an invocation of hunting fortune. It also gives expression to the magic of the hunt.
in his trade. Engravers pass through a classical apprenticeship and then many years of vocational adjustment, until they are ready for all-round deployment in the manufactory. Nevertheless, every engraver is a specialist in his motifs – there are masters of arabesque patterns with stylised tendrils and masters of animal motifs. They work on a rotating vice. With graver, chisel and hammer they decorate the metal parts of the Merkel rifles with delicate filigree work. The artistry of the decoration is achieved by a combination of colour case hardening, engraving, stock cutting and inlay work, right through to the hand engraved signature.
Merkel employs more than 15 engravers – each and every one a specialist
Receiver engraving with fantasy foliage.
MANUFACTORY 69
The rotating vice is the workplace of the engraver.
Traditional tools of the engraver.
Animal motif engraving on a sidelock.
MANUFACTORY
COLOUR CASE HARDENING created on steel surfaces with the aid of leather carbon. The purely empirical experience of Suhl colour case hardening has been handed down from generation to generation. Even today, the chemical and physical processes of colour case hardening have not been completely researched. The wide range of influencing factors make every result unique. With colour case hardening, a steel surface is hardened by enrichment with carbon. The play of colours ranges from blue to brown and yellow to different shads of red. The steel surface is heat treated: leather carbon releases tannic acid, which produces the individual colours. Merkel leather carbon for colour case hardening is produced according to an old formula – a modern paint coating of the resultant fine surfaces offers additional corrosion protection and assures the finished surface lasts. This tradition is permanent.
Colour case hardening with the gunsmith – certified Suhl production.
MANUFACTORY 71
Leather carbon – home made.
For colour case hardening, steel and charcoal …
… are heated red hot in the furnace ...
... then immersed in water.
MANUFACTORY
MASTER OF SURFACES It is the surfaces that make for the fascination of a Merkel hunting gun. Traditionally, a range of professions are engaged in producing immaculate finishes in the Suhl manufactory.
Brush oxidisation: these are the pots, crucibles, standard containers filled with different fluids, which – if applied correctly – impart a fine surface to the hunting guns.
The skilled burnishers with their acute sense for hard steel ensure the perfect surface. Burnishing is hard graft – but what counts is the result. There is no alternative to the quality of the handwork – particularly with Meisterstücks. After burnishing, the metal surface is sensitive and short-lived.
Our masters of blueing keep their cards close to their chests. For the outsider it is also hard to comprehend this sequence of over 30 work steps that takes almost a whole working week. The brushwork is done at a defined moisture level. And the steels are given time to achieve a specified level of oxidisation. This is where the expert hand ensures a perfect finish. The masters of blueing invest more than eight hours handwork in every Merkel Meisterstück.
Now it’s the turn of the masters of blueing: separate parts are heat blued. But the high art is the brush oxidisation. This may be somewhat old fashioned and time-consuming, but it’s worth it to us to achieve the results of the gunmetal gloss on the steel parts of our Meisterstücks. Conventional heat blueing of the barrel would place a strain on the soft solder joints on the Meisterstück barrel set and possibly give rise to symptoms of corrosion.
But the time is well invested in a hunting gun made for generations and protected by a permanent black-oxide finish.
Hot baths, secret formulas.
MANUFACTORY 73
Master of the crucibles and baths – the surface specialist.
Acute sense for hard surfaces – the burnisher.
Brush oxidisation: targeted oxidisation make the barrels durable.
Jewelled finish on the inside of a sidelock.
MANUFACTORY
MAN WITH FINE FEELING The name “black fitter� is somewhat misleading. He is the gunsmith for precision work. He fits together components that have undergone diverse finishing processes and acquired perfect surfaces. In the process he smoothes out any possible distortions of the material which occurred during hardening. In the meantime the barrel set has been matt coated, burnished, then engraved and blued. The receiver and many small parts have been burnished and engraved, nitrified or colour case hardened. Now all the parts are fitted together. The black fitter is at the end of a process which is based on quality, perfection and durable products. He proudly holds what the manufactory has produced.
The black fitter tensions the V-spring of the sidelock.
MANUFACTORY 75
The individual parts of a side-by-side shotgun sidelock action.
“Black fitting“: the trigger plate is fitted.
Fitting the set trigger on a Merkel 2011 over-and-under combination rifle/shotgun.
MANUFACTORY
PRECISE SHOT The finishing touch to make a Merkel hunting gun a precision instrument, is the test firing at the manufactory shooting range. Our specialists test the gun using an open sight at 50 metres or with a with a scope at 75 or 100 metres. Here the reference ammunition of well-known manufacturers is used, the point of impact corrected and the shot precision defined. When test-firing with the scope, the height and side adjusters are exactly positioned. The result is precise shot grouping. These are electronically documented and archived – a form of birth certificate and a certification of precision for every Merkel gun. The test firing is a celebratory moment – now the Merkel rifles and shotguns are ready for use in the hunting ground or on the shooting range.
Precise test firing at 100 metres distance.
MANUFACTORY 77
The test firer fine tunes the barrel set.
The shooting channel in the manufactory.
The first shot with quality ammunition of every caliber.
MANUFACTORY
THE FINAL INSPECTION At the final inspection the new hunting gun is examined from various points of view: Two hearts are beating in the breast of the inspector. The eyes of the gunmaker see the components and functionality of the rifle. He opens the breech, checks the action, function and fit of all the parts of the gun. Nothing escapes this stringent examination. Then the new gun is observed “through the customer’s eyes”. Nothing should spoil the customer’s enjoyment of the new hunting rifle, or detract from the aesthetic of the gun. “Test the rifle as if you were going to buy it yourself,” is the guiding principle that makes for satisfied hunters or sports shooters.
Opening the masterpiece: the inside of the receiver fulfils the promise of the outside.
MANUFACTORY 79
Quality control of the chamber of a side-by-side shotgun.
MEM Modern hunting guns: cutting edge technology with the genes of the Suhl gunmaking art: this is MEM. The acronym stands for Merkel Engineered Manufacturing and also alludes to the “culture gene� mem. The floral motif, an illustration of nature, symbolises this category of the Merkel brand.
MEM 193
HUNTING GROUND
KRASNOJARSK I RUSSIA
HUNTING GROUND
195
MEM
MEM SINGLE SHOT RIFLES
MEM single shot rifles reinterpret Suhl traditional models such as the Carpathian rifle – with modern manufacturing methods.
MEM SINGLE SHOT RIFLES
197
OVER-AND-UNDER
OVER-AND-UNDER
COMBINATION GUN
RIFLE
BERGSTUTZEN
SINGLE SHOT RIFLE
K CLASS SINGLE-SHOT RIFLES
SINGLE SHOT RIFLE K3 ERFURT DESIGN
SINGLE SHOT RIFLES
199
MEM
K CLASS SINGLE SHOT RIFLES
BUILT FOR THE PRECISION SHOT MEM single shot rifles of the Merkel K class have gained a special reputation for distance shooting among precision marksmen. These single barrel guns are predestined for hunting in mountainous regions and for deerstalking. They combine easy-to-handle size with low weight – ideal prerequisites for this physically demanding type of hunting. The K class locks with a typical MEM technology, which the Suhl gunmaker Franz Jäger patented in 1906, and which since then is considered one of the most rugged breech for single shot rifles. A steel block catches into a keyway of the barrel and locks it – the steel on steel principle applies. The tilted block breech allows a light duralumin receiver to be used, which enhances the responsiveness of the light-weight K3. The finely tuned trigger with perfectly adjustable trigger weight is a further indication that this gun class is designed for the precision shot; as does the simple but exactly repeatable Suhl tilt-up mount. Although technically innovative, the form of this hunting gun draws on
the traditional Suhl style. The stock has the Merkel curvature; the side plates are inlayed in a prism and fastened with engraved screws. The greater weight of the K4 with its steel receiver and octagonal barrel (approx. 300 grams) makes the gun something special. It is designed for hunters who link the precision shot with the stabilising mass of the rifle – and continues the long tradition of the Merkel Carpathian rifle.
201
SINGLE SHOT RIFLE K3 ERFURT DESIGN
K CLASS SINGLE SHOT RIFLES
CHARACTERISTICS
Break open with handcocking system - the safe combination.
SINGLE SHOT RIFLE K3 ERFURT DESIGN
MEM SINGLE SHOT RIFLES
203
The muzzle: Stutzen, K3 and K4 with octagonal barrel (from the left).
The Suhl tilted block breech of a K3.
Low sight line, highly shot-proof: Suhl tilt-up mount.
Fine adjustment possible: the adjustable trigger.
SINGLE SHOT RIFLE K3 | STUTZEN K3
FOR DEERSTALKING AND THE MOUNTAINS The single barrel rifle is a special gun. Aficionados value its optimised shot performance to weight ratio. A special form of single-barrel rifle, the Stutzen, is mainly found in Alpine regions. The K3 single shot Stutzen is a variation on the K class, which combines the short rifle with the full barrel stock forearm. Lovers of this special gun appreciate its handiness in practice – when stalking, in the raised hide and also in transport. The K3 Stutzen combines impressive shortness with efficient gun technology.
SINGLE SHOT RIFLE K3: KALIBER: .243 Win., 6,5x57R, 6,5x65R, .270 Win., 7x57R, 7x65R, .300 Win. Mag., .308 Win., .30-06, .30R Blaser, 7mm Rem. Mag., 8x57IRS, 9,3x74R BARREL LENGTH: 60 cm OVERALL LENGTH: app. 101 cm WEIGHT: app. 2,5 kg WOOD CLASS: basic wood class 2 SINGLE SHOT RIFLE K3 STUTZEN: CALIBER: .7x57R, 7x65R, .308 Win., .30-06, .30R Blaser, 8x57 IRS, 9,3x74R BARREL LENGTH: 50 cm OVERALL LENGTH: app. 91 cm WEIGHT: app. 2,4 kg WOOD CLASS: basic wood class 4
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205
SINGLE SHOT RIFLE K3 ERFURT DESIGN | WOOD CLASS 9
SINGLE SHOT RIFLE STUTZEN K3 GAME SCENE „JAGD“ MODEL | WOOD CLASS 4
SINGLE SHOT RIFLE K4
FLORSTEDT‘S CARPATHIAN RIFLE Alexander Florstedt (1863-1929) was a famous writer on hunting at the beginning of the 20th Century. The Carpathian Mountains were not only his favourite hunting grounds; he also composed the standard work on hunting in this magical mountain range in Eastern Europe. In line with his needs and according to his detailed requirements, Merkel developed the first Carpathian rifle. The current version of this traditional rifle is the K4. Its distinctive marks are the octagonal barrel and the steel receiver. The K4 thereby brings more stabilising mass to the scales – important for a steady firing position. A rifle exactly to the specifications laid down by Florstedt, an advocate of the precision single shot. The K4 is available in “Jagd” design – also with colour case hardening. SINGLE SHOT RIFLE K4: finely tuned adjustable trigger | single lock hand-cocking
system | automatic safety device - while opening automatically de-cock the gun | Jäger tilted block breech with steel receiver | pistol grip, bavarian cheeck piece and hogback comb CALIBER: 6,5x65R, 7x65R, .300 Win. Mag., .308 Win., .30-06, .30R Blaser, 7mm Rem. Mag., 8x57IRS BARREL LENGTH: 60 cm OVERALL LENGTH: app. 101 cm WEIGHT: app. 2,8 kg WOOD CLASS: basic wood class 4
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SINGLE SHOT RIFLE K4 GAME SCENE „JAGD“ MODEL | WOOD CLASS 4
SINGLE SHOT RIFLE K4 DESIGN SUHL | WOOD CLASS 7
B CLASS OVER-AND-UNDER GUNS
OVER-AND-UNDER COMBINATION GUN B3 SUHL DESIGN
OVER-AND-UNDER GUNS BOCKBÜCHSFLINTEN
209
MEM
B CLASS OVER-AND-UNDER GUNS
OVER-AND-UNDERS WITH SUHL GENES In 1898 the Merkel brothers came to a decision to build the most ambitious over-and-under guns in the world. The B3 and B4 are the modern MEM sisters of the traditional 200 and 303 series from the formative years. These robust and practical guns are built around a duralumin receiver and carry the Suhl genes in the form of the J채ger tilted block breech. This can be detached without tools, and locks steel-on-steel in the barrel. Merkel does not compromise with the barrel. All rifle and shotgun barrels are cold forged in the Merkel manufactory. The B class is
remarkably short and light and correspondingly responsive. The lower barrels of the B class are horizontally and vertically adjustable, and free floating. This guarantees an outstanding heat dissipation. The models are differentiated by their locks and allow for different trigger preferences. The B3 model has a double lock with manual cocking system, the B4 model a single lock system, enabling precision shooting with a finely tuned adjustable trigger.
211
OVER-AND-UNDER COMBINATION GUN B3 GAME SCENE „JAGD“ MODEL
B CLASS OVER-AND-UNDER GUNS
CHARACTERISTICS
Rugged J채ger tilted block breech.
OVER-AND-UNDER COMBINATON GUN B3 ERFURT DESIGN
MEM OVER-AND-UNDER GUNS
213
Safe manual cocking system: decocked until just before the shot.
The forearm of the B3 has the typical Merkel Schnabel.
Versatile and flexible: interchangeable barrels for the B4.
Always the identical point of impact: Suhl tilt-up mount.
B3 OVER-AND-UNDER COMBINATION GUN
COMBINED GUNS WITH DOUBLE LOCKS Versatile and safe in practice: the B3 is a modern over-and-under combination rifle/shotgun of the MEM category with a double lock and manual cocking system. The tilted block breech, top sear levers and safety catches are Suhl quality products, and give this hunting gun a high level of safety in the field. The free floating cold forged rifle barrel from the Merkel manufactory guarantees precision; the shotgun barrel is steel shot capable, in line with current trends. Additional safety: when opening the breech the locks are automatically decocked. The B class shows its Suhl roots in its details: traditional stock, the side plates are fastened by means of the prism technique. The forearm is rounded off with the typical Merkel snobble-tip. Interchangeable overand-under double rifle barrels are an optional extra.
OVER-AND-UNDER COMBINATION GUN B3: two lock hand cocking system | with safety automatic - while opening it decocked the gun | rugged J채ger tilted block breech | barrel adjustment | double trigger with front set trigger | pistol grip, bavarian cheek piece and hogsback comb | rubber butt plate SHOTGUN CALIBER: 12/76, 20/76 CHOKE: 1/2 (steel-shot proofed) RIFLE CALIBER: .223 Rem., .243 Win., 6,5x57R, 7x57R, 7x65R, .308Win, .30-06, .30R Blaser, 8x57IRS, 9,3x74R BARREL LENGTH: 60 cm OVERALL LENGTH: app. 102 cm WEIGHT: app. 3,1 kg WOOD CLASS: basic wood class 2
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OVER-AND-UNDER COMBINATION GUN B3 SUHL DESIGN | WOOD CLASS 9
OVER-AND-UNDER COMBINATION GUN B3 ERFURT DESIGN | WOOD CLASS 7
B4 OVER-AND-UNDER COMBINATION GUN
FINELY TUNED TRIGGER The B4 over-and-under combination rifle/shotgun combines precision with safety. Finely tuned triggers combined with a single box lock enable highprecision shooting. The single lock manual cocking system on the stock wrist allows the gun to be carried in a decocked status, and rapidly cocked when required. The rifle barrel adjustment under the forearm is a technical delicacy. The high-grade processing right up to the steel middle barrel rail is characteristic of the gun as a whole.
OVER-AND-UNDER COMBINATION GUN B4: single lock hand-cocking system | with safety automatic – while opening it decocked the gun | rugged Jäger tilted block breech | barrel adjustment | fine tuned double trigger | pistol grip, bavarian cheek piece and hogback comb | rubber butt plate SHOTGUN CALIBER: 12/76, 20/76 CHOKE: - 1/2 (steel-shot proofed) RIFLE CALIBER: .223 Rem., .243 Win., 6,5x57R, 7x57R, 7x65R, .308Win, .30-06, .30R Blaser, 8x57IRS, 9,3x74R BARREL LENGTH: 60 cm OVERALL LENGTH: app. 102 cm WEIGHT: app. 3,1 kg WOOD CLASS: basic wood class 2
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OVER-AND-UNDER COMBINATION GUN B4 PREMIUM DESIGN | WOOD CLASS 4
OVER-AND-UNDER COMBINATION GUN B4 CUSTOM MODEL | WOOD CLASS 4
B4 BERGSTUTZEN
TWO RIFLES IN ONE
Two in one: the Bergstutzen is a compact rifle, which combines two precise rifle barrels of different calibre in one gun. Thus the hunter is well armed for all sorts of hoofed game. Merkel combines the manual cocking system with two finely tuned triggers. The single lock system guarantees maximum safety – and two fine trigger blades. The calibres of the large and small rifle barrels allow a variety of combinations. Moreover, over-and-under rifle/shotgun interchangeable barrels can easily be installed retroactively. A standard feature of the B4 is the adjustable lower barrel, which can be adjusted to the height of the forearm. The barrel adjustment is protected by the forearm with the typical Merkel Schnabel.
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BERGSTUTZEN B4 WEIMAR DESIGN | WOOD CLASS 5
OVER-AND-UNDER BERGSTUTZEN B4: single lock hand-cocking system | with safety automatic - while opening it decocked the gun | rugged J채ger tilted block breech | barrel adjustment | fine tuned double trigger | pistol grip, bavarian cheek piece and hogback comb | rubber butt plate
LARGE CALIBER: .222 Rem., 5,6x50R Mag., 5,6x52R SMALL CALIBER: 7x57R, 7x65R, .308 Win., .30-06, .30R Blaser, 8x57IRS, 9,3x74R BARREL LENGTH: 55 cm OVERALL LENGTH: app. 97 cm WEIGHT: app. 3,3 kg WOOD CLASS: basic wood class 2
B3 OVER-AND-UNDER RIFLE
DRIVEN HUNT SPECIALISTS The over-and-under is the classic Merkel hunting gun. The B3 is specially designed for the driven hunt and the rapid second shot. The features include double locks, manual cocking system, and adjustable single trigger. Merkel has brought the practical features of this MEM development up to the technically highest level. The technology is combined with the high-strength Suhl tilted block breech. The slim barrel set is constructed without an upper tube, which saves on weight; the lower barrel is free floating. The muzzle adjustment is protected by the forearm. The lines of this over-and-under rifle follow the Suhl tradition: from the Schnabel on the forearm to the curved side of the stock.
OVER-AND-UNDER RIFLE B3: double lock hand cocking system | safety automatic - gun automatically decocks while opening | detachable J채ger tilted block breech | bottom barrel free loating | adjustable in windage and elevation | single trigger- non selective, optional with double rigger with set trigger | pistol grip, bavarian cheek piece and hogsback comb | rubber recoil pad CALIBER: .30-06, .30R Blaser, 8x57IRS, 9,3x74R BARREL LENGTH: 55 cm OVERALL LENGTH: app. 97 cm WEIGHT: app. 3,2 kg WOOD CLASS: basic wood class 4
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OVER-AND-UNDER RIFLE B3 GAME SCENE „JAGD“ MODEL
OVER-AND-UNDER RIFLE B3 PREMIUM DESIGN WITH SIDE PLATES
DEKORATIVE STANDARDS
ENGRAVING EXAMPLES A rich selection of engraving pattern styles are available for Merkel MEM guns. K3 STANDARD K3 STANDARD: simple arabesques engraving. K3 PREMIUM: side plates with simple arabesque engraving. Side and bottom engraved with english style arabesque. K3/K4 JAGD: side plates with game scene engraving different motives. Side and bottom engraved with english style arabesque.
K3 PREMIUM
K3/K4 JAGD
MEM GRAVUR- EXEMPEL
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B3 OVER-AND-UNDER RIFLE STANDARD: Grey receiver with simple engraving.
B3 OVER AND UNDER RIFLE JAGD: Side plates with game scene. Different motives. Side and bottom engraved english style arabesque.
B3 OVER-AND-UNDER RIFLE PREMIUM: Side plates with simple arabesque. Side and bottom engraved with english style arabesque.
B3 OVER AND UNDER RIFLE DE LUXE: Black receiver, side plates and stock of high grade wood.
OVER-AND-UNDER GUNS
MEM DE LUXE JENA DESIGN: Fine handmade engraving, two-animal motif on each side, arabesque, oak-leaf or “old German leaf” infill. Engraved barrel breech and trigger guard. Walnut stock with excellent grain pattern and fine checkering basic wood class 5.
WEIMAR DESIGN: Fine handmade engraving, two-animal motif in relief on each side. Arabesque, oak-leaf or “old German leaf” infill. Choice of infill and animals. Engraved barrel breech and trigger guard. Stock finely carved to complement the infill style. Selected highly grained walnut wood, with basic wood class 6.
MEM
ERFURT DESIGN: Long side plates, finely chiselled hunting scenes with up to four animal motifs on each side and one animal motif on the underside of the receiver. Choice of infill and animals. Fully engraved barrel breech and trigger guard. Stock made of highly figured walnut with fine stock carving. Basic wood class 6. Silver pistol grip cap with monogram.
SUHL DESIGN: Long side plates, elaborate relief engraving with up to four animal motifs on each side and one animal motif engraved on the underside of the receiver. Choice of infill and ornamentation. Breech end of barrel fully engraved with fine gold border; gold-plated triggers. Finely carved stock highly figured with strongly contrasting grain. Basic wood class 7. Silver pistol grip cap with monogram.
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HUNTING GROUND
OASIS WADI MILEIHA MOUNTAINS I UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
HUNTING GROUND
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MEM
SINGLE BARREL MULTI-LOADER
Historical ballistic data from the old gunmaking town.
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SEMIAUTOMATIC RIFLE
BOLT ACTION RIFLE
SINGLE BARREL MULTI-LOADER
SUHL – WITHOUT RECEIVER The history of the old gunmaking town of Suhl was never limited to traditional break barrel guns. Merkel and its preference for hunting rifles played a special role here. Nevertheless in the reengineering phase at the turn of the millennium Merkel developed repeating and self-loading hunting guns – widely esteemed precision engineering masterpieces. The Suhl manufactory drew on many sources and experts in the process. But the Suhl qualities were never forgotten. Many of the concepts on which the actions were based originated in the city of Suhl.
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SEMIAUTOMATIC RIFLE SR1 STANDARD DESIGN
SEMIAUTOMATIC RIFLE SR1
SEMIAUTOMATIC RIFLE SR1 KEILER GOLD DESIGN
SR1 SEMIAUTOMATIC RIFLE
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MEM
SEMIAUTOMATIC RIFLE SR1
SUHL SELF-LOADER The market launch of the SR1 semiautomatic rifle in 2006 changed the image of the Merkel brand. Besides the traditional hunting gun, Merkel had now its own interpretation on the theme of the “semi-automatic� in its product range and thus proved its competence in all segments of hunting gun construction. Merkel developed this product together with self-loader specialists and designers. Aerospace technology supplied a number of functional and material solutions. A 1,500 cartridge continuous loads test with eleven different cartridge loads, under the official supervision of the State Proof House in Suhl, confirmed the highest level of safety and fitness for purpose of this rifle. In the spring of 2006, the first semiautomatic rifle left the Suhl manufactory.
Hunting scene with running wild boars.
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SEMIAUTOMATIC RIFLE SR1 Big hunting scene with red deer.
CUSTOM MODEL
SEMIAUTOMATIC RIFLE SR1
CHARACTERISTICS
Solid rotary bolt head with six locking lugs.
SEMIAUTOMATIC RIFLE SR1 PREMIUM DESIGN
Safe handling: the slot-in magazine for rapid reloading.
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Modular construction: easily dismantled for cleaning and transport.
Driven hunt scope rail: prepared for different mounts.
Stock wedges: cast and drop self-adjusted.
Adjustable luminous front sight for unfavourable light conditions.
SEMIAUTOMATIC RIFLE SR1 STANDARD | SR1 PREMIUM
ESPRIT OF THE GUN MAKER At first glance the SR1, with its ergonomic design, appears aesthetically removed from the values of the company. On second glance, however, the high precision, the form-fitted design and the functionality of this hunting gun discloses the “esprit” of the Suhl gunmaking art. Example: the self-cleaning system of the gas-pressure self-loader allows the use of a wide range of ammunition without manual intervention in the gas system.
SELFLOADING RIFLE SR1: gas selfloading system | solid rotary bolt head with 6 locking lugs | safety automatic - shot release with locked action only | free floating precision barrel | driven hunt sight | butt stock with straight stock back | adjustable drop and cast off | rubber recoil pad Caliber: .223 Rem., 7x64, .308 Win., .30-06, 8x57IS, 9,3x62, .300 Win. Mag. MAGAZINE: 2 and 5 shots (standard caliber), 2 rounds (Magnum caliber) BARREL LENGTH: 50 cm (Magnum: 51 cm) OVERALL LENGTH app. 106 cm (Magnum: ca. 107 cm) WEIGHT: app. 3,2 kg WOOD CLASS: basic wood class 1
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SEMIAUTOMATIC RIFLE SR1 STANDARD MODEL | WOOD CLASS 3
SEMIAUTOMATIC RIFLE SR1 PREMIUM MODEL | WOOD CLASS 5
SR1 KEILER GOLD SEMIAUTOMATIC RIFLE | SR1 JAGD
PRACTICALLY AESTHETIC The SR1 sets the standard in matters of ergonomics – this hunting rifle is optimally adapted to the human form. All the operating elements are perfectly accessible and handily designed. The gun can also be handled without problem when wearing gloves. The smooth, closed forms protect against soiling and do not catch against clothes or branches. An added extra for the aesthetes, this practical hunting gun is also finely engraved.
SELFLOADING RIFLE SR1: Gas selfloading system | solid rotary bolt head with 6 locking lugs | safety automatic - shot release with locked action only | free floating precision barrel | driven hunt sight | butt stock with straight back | adjustable drop and cast off | rubber recoil pad
CALIBER: .223 Rem., 7x64, .308 Win., .30-06, 8x57IS, 9,3x62, .300 Win. Mag. MAGAZINE: 2 and 5 shots (standard caliber), 2 rounds (Magnum caliber) BARREL LENGTH: 50 cm (Magnum: 51 cm) OVERALL LENGTH: ca. 106 cm (Magnum: ca. 107 cm) WEIGHT: ca. 3,2 kg WOOD CLASS: basic wood class 4
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SEMIAUTOMATIC RIFLE SR1 KEILER GOLD MODEL
SEMIAUTOMATIC RIFLE SR1 JAGD MODEL
BOLT ACTION RIFLE KR1
BOLT ACTION RIFLE CUSTOM MODEL WITH GOLD INLAYS
KR1 BOLT ACTION RIFLE
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MEM
BOLT ACTION RIFLE KR1
HANDY GUN WITH SHORT STROKE BOLT ACTION In terms of design and functionality, Merkel’s short bolt action has gone its own way – the shortest way; and attracted much attention in the process. Typical of MEM rifles from Merkel. A traditional principle has been cast in a new form. The breech is extremely short, with a small opening angle. This enables rapid repeat shooting. The bolt carrier covers the lock and chamber and pro-
tects the action. The reliable rotary bolt head is a classic with high-level safety reserves – tested to 8,000 bar. The KR1 has some subtle features to facilitate transport: a quick release magazine, easy disassembly and handy transport dimensions, plus various mount possibilities and a modular calibre concept. Typical MEM – the good old Suhl genes.
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KR1 BOLT ACTION RIFLE CUSTOM MODEL WITH GOLD INLAYS
BOLT ACTION RIFLE KR1
CHARACTERISTICS
Rotary bolt head: solid and tested to 8,000 bar.
BOLT ACTION RIFLE KR1 CUSTOM MODEL
Easy reloading: despite the scope the loading port is free.
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Good traveller: compact transport dimensions, easy to disassemble.
Unloading pull the plate down and remove the magazine.
In your sights: Suhl tilt-up mount for reproducible results.
Self-made barrels: barrel versions from the Merkel manufactory.
BOLT ACTION RIFLE KR1 STANDARD | KR1 PREMIUM
PLAIN ELEGANCE Purists value its functionality – and the basis model of the Merkel bolt action offers functionality in abundance. All technical options and functions are available. The rifle is easy to disassemble with compact transport dimensions. Changing calibres is easy by interchanging barrels and, where necessary, magazines and locking bolt head. The user-friendly short stroke bolt action shows its worth during repeat shooting. The detachable magazine developed by Merkel is located beneath the trigger plate, enabling the magazine to be changed quickly. All models are also available with left-handed actions.
BOLT ACTION KR1: Bolt head with six locking lugs with small opening angle | three position saftey on the tang | combination trigger with set | magazine capacity 3+1 (2+1 for Magnum caliber) | butt stock with hogsback comb, pistol grip with Bavarian cheeck piece (starting with Premium design) | rubber recoil pad CALIBER GROUP Short: .222 Rem., .223 Rem Standard: 6,5x55SE, .243 Win., .270 Win., .308 Win., .30-06, 7x64, 7mm-08 Rem., 8x57IS, 9,3x62 Magnum: 7mm Rem. Mag., .270 WSM, .300 WSM, .300 Win. Mag., .338 Win. Mag. BARREL LENGTH: 51,5; 56,5; 61,5 cm OVERALL LENGTH: app. 98 cm WEIGHT: app. 2,9 kg WOOD CLASS: basic wood class 2
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BOLT ACTION KR1 STANDARD DESIGN | LEFT HAND ACTION
BOLT ACTION KR1 PREMIUM DESIGN | WOOD CLASS 4
KR1 STUTZEN BOLT ACTION RIFLE | KR1 JAGD
THE INDIVIDUAL BOLT ACTION RIFLE The KR1 represents a modern, modular rifle concept in the Merkel MEM category. The model versions on offer can be further individually configurated. This rifle can also be individualised through high-grade handcraftsmanship. One of the most desirable designs is that of the KR1 Stutzen. The full stock of select walnut with precious fish scale checkering make this bolt action rifle an individual and aesthetic hunting gun. Beside the high-grade wood, a standard feature of the Jagd model is the fluted barrel with driven-hunt sight.
BOLT ACTION KR1 STUTZEN: Bolt head with six locking lugs with small opening angle | three position saftey on the tang | combination trigger with set | magazine capacity 3+1 (2+1 for Magnum caliber) | butt stock with hogsback comb, pistol grip with Bavarian cheeck piece (starting with Premium design) | rubber recoil pad CALIBER: .243 Win., .308 Win., .30-06, 7x57, 7x64, 8x57IS, 9,3x62 BARREL LENGTH: 51,5 cm OVERALL LENGTH: 98 cm WEIGHT: app. 2,9 kg WOOD CLASS: basic wood class 4 BOLT ACTION KR1 JAGD: Specification and caliber according to KR1 Standard
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BOLT ACTION KR1 STUTZEN DESIGN | WOOD CLASS 4
BOLT ACTION KR1: JAGD DESIGN | WOOD CLASS 5
KR1 JENA BOLT ACTION RIFLE | KR1 WEIMAR
FINEST THURINGIA BOLT ACTION RIFLES City names have always been a classification criterion for the high-grade outfitting of Merkel hunting rifles. The basic rule is, the nearer the location to the gunmaking town of Suhl on the map, the more valuable the outfitting. Good for the man who knows his Thuringia geography. The Jena design is distinguished by a select walnut stock and handmade arabesque engraving. The trigger and bolt head are titan-nitrated. The Weimar design is additionally fitted with a rounded bolt housing, which is hand engraved with animal motifs and optional trim. The stock is made of highly figured walnut with a rosewood forearm tip – a Meisterstück in the MEM category.
BOLT ACTION KR1 JENA | WEIMAR: Bolt head with six locking lugs with small opening angle | three position saftey on the tang | combination trigger with set | magazine capacity 3+1 (2+1 for Magnum caliber) | butt stock with hogsback comb, pistol grip with Bavarian cheeck piece (starting with Premium design) | rubber recoil pad CALIBER GROUP Short: .222 Rem., .223 Rem. Standard: 6,5x55SE, .243 Win., .270 Win., .308 Win., .30-06, 7x64, 7mm-08 Rem., 8x57IS, 9,3x62 Magnum: 7mm Rem. Mag., .270 WSM, .300 WSM, .300 Win. Mag., .338 Win. Mag. BARREL LENGTH: 51,5; 56,5; 61,5 cm OVERALL LENGTH: app. 98 cm WEIGHT: app. 2,9 kg WOOD CLASS: basic wood class 5
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BOLT ACTION KR1 JENA DESIGN | WOOD CLASS 5
BOLT ACTION KR1: WEIMAR DESIGN | WOOD CLASS 6
MEISTERSTÜCK This is a hunting gun comprising more than one hundred components – but it is not an industrial product. It is manufactured according to old concepts with a great deal of handcraft – nevertheless, contemporary technology makes the Meisterstück a modern gun. It is made to last for generations – a Merkel Meisterstück.
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MEISTERSTÜCK
HUNTING GROUND
TUSCANY I ITALY
HUNTING GROUND
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MEISTERSTÜCK
OVER-AND-UNDER GUNS
Many of the specifications from the formative years still apply today: Extract from a Merkel catalogue of the 1930s.
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OVER-AND-UNDER
OVER-AND-UNDER
OVER-AND-UNDER
SHOTGUN
COMBINATION GUN
EXPRESS RIFLE
BERGSTUTZEN
OVER-AND-UNDER GUNS
OVER-AND-UNDER – AN IDEA FROM SUHL The Bock over-and-under gun is an idea from Suhl – and is closely associated with the Merkel brothers. The name derives from the soldiers, who propped up their arquebuses to improve accuracy. Presumably the term “Bock” rifle derives from this procedure, where one barrel was “propped” upon another. Initially, it was only a patent by Gebhard Merkel for a special solder joint for over-and-under barrels that made the over and under gun ready for series production, and increased its popularity. It became so popular, that Merkel introduced a special manufacturing process for “Bock” over-and-under guns as early as 1905. In the following years Merkel became famous for its Bock over-and-under guns, such as the 200 series (today the 2000 series). These hunting guns were much more than just a vertical version of side-by-side guns. The over-andunder gun offered a number of advantages. Aiming over one barrel with
the front sight on the muzzle does not restrict the vision more than is necessary. By comparison, the two barrels of the side-by-side shotgun conceal part of the field of vision – particularly with a moving shot. In 1931 Merkel registered the term “Bock” as a trademark for hunting and sporting guns – the design concept proved to be a revolution in hunting gun construction. Since 1924 the Merkel 303 has been rated one of the best balanced and responsive hunting shotguns: the new slim line made this possible. It was the sports shooters who first noticed the superiority of the over-andunder gun when shooting in motion. The over-and-under shotgun was far superior to the classic side-by-side shotgun when shooting skeet, which is why it took only a few years for the “Bock” over-and-under gun to establish itself in the sport.
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OVER-AND-UNDER RIFLE 323E JAGD DESIGN
SIDELOCK OVER-AND-UNDER GUN 303 SERIES
OVER-AND-UNDER SHOTGUN 303E ENGLISH ARABESQUE | MEDIUM SCROLLS
OVER-AND-UNDER GUNS 300 SERIES
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MEISTERSTÜCK
SIDELOCK OVER-AND-UNDER GUN 303 SERIES
THE IDEAL HUNTING RIFLE By the 1920s Merkel had perfected the over-and-under gun to such a degree that development work was started on building the ideal rifle – the ultimate over-and-under gun. The product was supposed to make history – in the hunting grounds as well as on the sports shooting ranges of the world. The 303 series was developed with the intention of combining the most sophisticated technology with a perfect appearance to make the ideal over-and-under gun. And in 1924 Merkel actually managed to launch an archetype; an over-and-under gun which has been replicated in different parts of the world. Often copied but never matched. The 303 over-and-
under gun remains the original, virtually unchanged since its inception, still made with a high proportion of handwork. For the former president of the International Shooting Sport Federation, the Mexican Olegario Vázquez Raña, it is “the queen of hunting guns” – one of the best balanced guns in the world. The interaction of all the components of a 303 series gun is equivalent to that of mechanical watch. The sidelock with its V-springs is in fact an energy storage system, which calls to mind the master watchmaker Henlein’s first experiences with spring steel – and the first pocket watches. The two sidelocks can be detached via a concealed sidelock lever and shine in
fine technical elegance. These sidelocks are the highlights of the handcraft of the action maker. V-springs reach a tension force of up to 250 Newton and transfer this stored energy to the hammer more rapidly and explosively than coil springs. The shot development time is considerably shortened. This is the time from pulling the trigger to the time the shot leaves the barrel. These fragile milliseconds, in which the marksman has nothing to do except hold his gun on target, are crucial to sporting and hunting success – and experienced marksmen value every reduction as a quantum leap. The V-spring was and is one of the most vital solutions to this problem. The 303 series
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shows the importance Merkel attaches to safety. The rifle has four stand-alone locking mechanisms. The main load is born by the Kersten cross bolt with double bottom bite. This is supplemented by a locking element called "the circle” at Merkel. When a shot is fired, this component ensures form-fitted power transmission between the barrel and the receiver.
V-spring sidelock with lever and jewelled finish.
OVER-AND-UNDER COMBINATION GUN 313E JAGD DESIGN I SPECIAL ENGRAVING WITH GOLD INLAYS
SIDELOCK OVER-AND-UNDER GUN 303 SERIES
CHARACTERISTICS
V-spring sidelocks – detachable – with precious finishing.
OVER-AND-UNDER SHOTGUN 303E ENGLISH ARABESQUE
Elaborate ejector locks – for the 303, a matter of course.
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The articulated trigger prevents injury when shooting.
Three piece forearm for an elegant, slim appearance.
The Kersten cross bolt: classic over-and-under locking mechanism.
The tie on the pistol grip: precious detail on the stock of highgrade wood.
SIDELOCK OVER-AND-UNDER SHOTGUN 303E
MADE TO LAST GENERATIONS
Since 1924 – and probably for as long as hunters exist: the 303 is the over-and-under classic among the Merkel Meisterstücks. In 1932 this rifle cost around 1550 Reichsmarks; more than the Opel P4, which cost 1400 Reichsmarks at that time. No question about it: the 303 was and is a luxury product. Its functional principles and its appearance still correspond to the original idea of the perfect over-and-under gun – but the materials used and the performance of this gun have been constantly adapted to the current state of technology. Is there a better form of sustainability than being made to last for generations?
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OVER-AND-UNDER SHOTGUN 303E ENGLISH ARABESQUE | WOODCLASS 7
OVER AND UNDER SHOTGUN 303E: sidelocks with V-springs and concealed leaver for tool-less detach form the receiver | Kersten cross bolt with double conventional bottom bite | double trigger with an excellent characteristic | front trigger articulated | optional selective single trigger | manual trigger safety with intercepting safety sear | hammer ejectors with V-springs | engraving English arabesquese | highly figured luxury grade walnut, pistol grip or English styled stock | handcrafted stocks to individual specifications | three-piece forearm for a slim line | optional pairs CALIBER: 12/76 and 20/76 CHOKE: 1/4-1/2 (steel-shot proofed), 1/4-3/4, 1/2-1/1 BARREL-LENGTH: 71 cm (cal. 12), 68 cm (cal. 20) OVERALL LENGTH: app. 114 cm (cal. 12), app. 111 cm (cal. 20) weight: app. 3,2 kg WOODCLASS: basic wood class 7
SIDELOCK OVER-AND-UNDER SHOTGUN 303E
WOOD AND STEEL IN PERFECT HARMONY
You take the finest walnut wood, hard steel and a great deal of craftsmanship and gunmaking expertise – and you make one of the most superb over-and-under guns in the world. The 303E was always a hunting gun for the connoisseur – custom-made and embellished according to old Suhl formulas, and individualised to meet the desires of the future owner. The pictured example combines an English stock with a detailed hare engraving.
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OVER AND UNDER SHOTGUN 303E CUSTOM MODEL | ENGLISH STOCK | WOOD CLASS 10
OVER AND UNDER SHOTGUN 303E: sidelocks with V-springs and concealed leaver for tool-less detach | Kersten cross bolt with double conventional bottom bite | double trigger with an excellent characteristic | front trigger articulated | optional selective single trigger | manual safety with intercepting safety sear | hammer ejectors with V-springs | engraving English arabesquese | highly figured luxury grade walnut, pistol grip or English styled stock | handcrafted stocks to individual specifications | three-piece forearm for a slim line | optional pairs CALIBER: 12/76 and 20/76 CHOKE: 1/4-1/2 (steel-shot proofed), 1/4-3/4, 1/2-1/1 BARREL-LENGTH: 71 cm (cal. 12), 68 cm (cal. 20) OVERALL LENGTH: app. 114 cm (cal. 12), app. 111 cm (cal. 20) WEIGHT: app. 3,2 kg WOODCLASS: basic wood class 7
OVER-AND-UNDER COMBINATION GUN 313E | OVER-AND-UNDER RIFLE 323E
OVER-AND-UNDER CLASSICS Merkel sidelock over-and-under guns leave many options open. The 12 and 20 calibre receivers can accept combination gun or double rifle barrel assemblies. Interchangeable barrel assemblies can also be installed retroactively. The exclusive features of 313E und 323E correspond to the over-and-under shotgun of this series. Both have a double trigger with articulated trigger. The stock has a pistol grip, a German cheek piece and hogback comb.
OVER-AND-UNDER COMBINATION 313E: RIFLE CALIBER: 6,5x57R, 7x57R, 7x65R, .308 Win., .30-06, .30R Blaser, 8x57IRS, 9,3x74R SHOTGUN CALIBER: 12/76 or 20/76 BARREL LENGTH: 60 cm OVER ALL LENGTH: 103 cm WEIGHT: app. 3,5 kg ENGRAVING: game scene engraving Jagd WOOD CLASS: basic wood class 7 OVER-AND-UNDER EXPRESS 323E: CALIBER: 7x57R, 7x65R, .308Win., .30-06, .30R Blaser, 8x57IRS, 9,3x74R, .375 H&H BARREL LENGTH: 60 cm OVERALL LENGTH: 103 cm WEIGHT: app. 3,7 kg engraving: game scene engraving "JAGD" WOOD CLASS: basic wood class 7
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OVER-AND-UNDER COMBINATION GUN 313E JAGD DESIGN | WOODCLASS 8
OVER-AND-UNDER RIFLE 323E CUSTOM MODEL | WOODCLASS 8
OVER-AND-UNDER GUNS 2000 SERIES
OVER-AND-UNDER SHOTGUN 2003E JAGD DESIGN
OVER-AND-UNDER GUNS 2000 SERIES
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MEISTERSTÜCK
OVER-AND-UNDER GUNS 2000 SERIES
THE ROBUST OLDER SISTER The triumphal procession of Merkel over-and-under guns started with the 200 series in the 1920s. A gun with a long tradition – but free from preciousness. The 200 series was reengineered in 1995 and then – in homage to the outgoing millennium – renamed the 2000 series. From an historical viewpoint, this was the first time that Merkel combined handwork with industrial processes, gunmaking culture with series precision in one class of gun. The individual parts for this series have always been manufactured in the Merkel high-precision parts department. The gunmaker comes into his own when fitting and refining the parts: the free forms of these Meisterstücks can only be perfected with painstaking handwork. The main difference to the 303 series is that 2000 series over-and-under guns are made with a boxlock. Only the flagship of the series traditionally has sidelocks. The Merkel lock is a Suhl modification of the Anson & Deeley boxlock of 1875, with compres-
sion spring ejectors. This classic lock is highly functional and offers maximum reliability. This derives from the puristic simplicity of the design. All the functional parts are accommodated in the receiver, and no compromises are made where aesthetics are concerned. At Merkel each calibre has its own dimensioned steel receiver, which makes for perfect optical harmony from the barrel to the action (calibre-adapted receiver). And the slim line can be perfectly rounded off by selecting the matching three-piece forearm – distinguishable by its finely engraved screws. A stock mounted in three parts enables more elegant forearm forms than a onepiece, which has to fit over the lower barrel. Similarities with the 303 series: in terms of individualisation the 2000 series does not fall short of its fine sister. Every finishing stage is offered by Merkel – through to the individual engraving of long side plates.
The over-and-under combination guns and over-and-under rifles of the 2000 series are equipped with the Merkel Duo manual cocking system. This allows the two locks to be cocked immediately before the shots are fired using the manual cocking system, or alternatively cocking via the barrels, and thus rapid following shots. The muzzle adjustment (horizontal and vertical) of the over-and-under double rifle is technical treat. This unique and complex Merkel system functions via a thread-adjustable slot wedges. This enables the gunmaker to finely adjust the barrels – without stressing the hard and soft solder joints.
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OVER-AND-UNDER COMBINATION GUN 2012E JAGD DESIGN
OVER-AND-UNDER GUNS 2000 SERIES
CHARACTERISTICS
Typical of Merkel over-and-under guns: the solid Kersten cross bolt locks the steel receiver. Disconnectable ejectors, as standard.
OVER-AND-UNDER SHOTGUN 2003C JAGD DESIGN
Precision detail for all 2000 series guns: single selective trigger.
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Pure precision engineering: detachable sidelock via lever of a 2003 over-and-under shotgun.
The over-and-under shotguns with multi-chokes, as standard. The over-and-under rifles are equipped with muzzle adjustment.
Slim and elegant forearm, assembled from three wooden parts: standard with 2002C, 2003C, 2012 and 2022.
All options: multi-chokes for the 2000 o/u shotguns.
OVER-AND-UNDER SHOTGUN 2000C
GAME SHOTGUNS: COMPLETELY FITTED OUT
The over-and-under shotgun 2000 series has a long hunting tradition and has achieved a great deal of sporting success. Besides the dominant 12 calibre, Merkel also makes lightweight shotguns in the 2000 series. The 20 caliber is characterised by its light weight, excellent responsiveness and comfortable recoil. The “C” in the in type designation signifies the complete fitting out of the gun: C stands for “Complete”. From a technical point of view, complete fitting out means: steel-shot capability and interchangeable chokes, selective single trigger, adjustable in the length. A convenient detail: the shotguns are equipped with disconnectable ejectors as standard. Optically, the 2000C gleams with rich arabesque engraving.
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OVER AND UNDER SHOTGUN 2000C DESIGN ENGLISH ARABESQUE
OVER AND UNDER SHOTGUN 2000C: modified Anson & Deeley locks in steel receiver | Kersten cross bolt | selective single trigger, adjustable in the length | manual safety with intercepting safety sear | disconnectable ejectors | engraving English arabesque | stock with pistol grip and cheek piece (other stock available) | interchangeable chokes steel-shot proofed (2 chokes included) Caliber: 12/76 or 20/76 Choke: 1/4-1/2 (steel-shot proofed), 1/4-3/4, 1/2-1/1 barrel length: 71 cm (cal. 12), 68 cm (cal. 20) OVERALL length: app. 112 cm (cal. 12), app. 109 cm (cal. 20) weight: app. 3,1 kg wood class: basic wood class 2
OVER-AND-UNDER SHOTGUN 2001C
GAME SCENE ENGRAVING AS STANDARD The C version of the 2001 is characterised by high-grade wood and extensive game scene engraving with arabesque trimming on the steel receiver assembly. Even the forearm catch, trigger and locking lever are richly decorated with Merkel engraving.
OVER AND UNDER SHOTGUN 2001C: modified Anson-Deeley locks in steel receiver | Kersten cross bolt | selective single trigger, adjustable in the length | manual safety with intercepting safety sear | disconnectable ejectors | game scene engraving Jagd | stock with pistol grip and cheek piece (other stock available) | interchangeable chokes steel-shot proofed (2 chokes included) Caliber: 12/76 or 20/76 Choke: 1/4-1/2 (steel-shot proofed), 1/4-3/4, 1/2-1/1 barrel length: 71 cm (cal. 12), 68 cm (cal. 20) overall length: app. 112 cm (cal. 12), app. 109 cm (cal. 20) weight: app. 3,1 kg wood class: basic wood class 4
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OVER-AND-UNDER SHOTGUN 2001C JAGD DESIGN
OVER-AND-UNDER SHOTGUN 2001C PRINCE OF WALES PISTOL GRIP | THREE-PIECE FORARM
OVER-AND-UNDER SHOTGUN 2002C
SIDE PLATES – ROOM FOR DECORATION The long side plates are a traditional feature of fine hunting guns. They offer room for decorative engraving and optically extend the receiver. Merkel has produced the 2002C for lovers of these guns. The prismatically inset side plates make an impression with their perfectly handcrafted workmanship. A stock of class 5 walnut, a “Jagd” (game scene) engraving and the three-piece forearm with engraved screws bring the 2002C to “complete” perfection.
OVER AND UNDER SHOTGUN 2002C: modified Anson&Deeley locks in steel receiver | Kersten cross bolt | selective single trigger, adjustable in the length | Manual safety with intercepting safety sear | disconnectable ejectors | game scene engraving Jagd | Stock with pistol grip and cheek piece (other stock available) | three-piece forearm | interchangeable chokes steelshot proofed (2 chokes included) Caliber: 12/76 or 20/76 Choke: 1/4-1/2 (steel-shot proofed), 1/4-3/4, 1/2-1/1 barrel length: 71 cm (cal. 12), 68 cm (cal. 20) overall length: app. 112 cm (cal. 12), app. 109 cm (cal. 20) weight: app. 3,1 kg wood class: basic wood class 5
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OVER-AND-UNDER SHOTGUN 2002C JAGD DESIGN | WOODCLASS 8
OVER-AND-UNDER SHOTGUN 2002C CUSTOM MADE | COLOUR CASE HARDEND AND GOLD INLAY | WOODCLASS 8
OVER-AND-UNDER SHOTGUN 2003C
WITH FINE SIDELOCKS
The 2003C version is the flagship of the 2000 series – it relates to a forerunner from the pervious century, the 203, which was the link between the 200 and 303 series. Like its predecessor, the 2003C makes an impression with its special Merkel sidelocks. The precision engineered parts draw their energy from powerful compression springs, which combine optimised shot development time and excellent trigger pull, with extreme robustness for everyday use. A functional gun for the hunt – and also for the fireplace room, because the sidelocks are removable.
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OVER AND UNDER SHOTGUN 2003C JAGD DESIGN | WOOD CLASS 8
OVER AND UNDER SHOTGUN 2003C: steel receiver | detachable Sidelocks with compression springs | Kersten cross bolt | double trigger with an excellent characteristic – typical for side locks | manual safety with intercepting safety sear | disconnectable ejectors | game scene engraving Jagd | highly figured luxury grade walnut, pistol grip and cheeck | three-piece forearm for a slim line | interchangeable chokes (steelshot proofed) Caliber: 12/76 Choke: 1/4-1/2 (steel-shot proofed), 1/4-3/4, 1/2-1/1 barrel length: 71 cm (cal. 12) overall length: app. 112 cm (cal.12) weight: app. 3,1 kg wood class: basic wood class 6
OVER-AND-UNDER COMBINATION GUNS 2010D I 2011D I 2012D
UNIVERSALIST IN THE HUNTING GROUND
The over-and-under combination rifle/shotgun is a patented universal gun for well mixed hunting grounds. The 2010D has its roots way back in the beginning of the previous century. At the time it was considered to be a robust tool with no airs and graces – but with all sorts of technical finesses. A further one was the Duo manual cocking system – this is what the “D” signifies in the model designation. These combination guns are manual cocking guns before the first shot is fired: the gun can be decocked and safely carried until just before the shot. If the gun is immediately reloaded, the rifle becomes a classical self-cocking gun and rapid following shots are possible without recocking. If no shot is fired, the lock can simply be decocked again. The over-and-under combinations gun models varies in wood grade and long side plates.
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OVER-AND-UNDER COMBINATION GUN 2011D JAGD DESIGN | WOOD CLASS 3
OVER-AND-UNDER COMBINATION GUN 2010D I 2011D I 2012D: modified Anson & Deeley locks in steel receiver | Kersten cross bolt | selective single trigger, adjustable in the length I manual safety with intercepting safety sear I disconnectable ejectors |pistol grip, cheekpiece and hogsback comb I picture shows a prepared swing mount Caliber: 6,5x57R, 7x57R, 7x65R, .308 Win., .30-06, .30R Blaser, 8x57IRS, 9,3x74R SHOTGUN CALIBER: 12/76, 20/76 BARREL LENGTH: 60 cm OVERAL LENGTH: app. 101 cm weight: app. 3,4 kg WOOD CLASS: basic wood class 2
OVER-AND-UNDER DOUBLE RIFLE 2020D I 2021D I 2022D
THE RAPID SECOND SHOT
The over-and-under double rifle 2000 series are fast-action and precise rifles – classical driven hunt specialists. Merkel has further refined the characteristics of the gun with a combination of various details. The single trigger allows a rapid second shot. The Merkel Duo manual cocking system combines high-level safety when carrying the decocked gun with the option of quick reloading and shooting without further cocking. The set trigger finally comes into operation when the precision shot is fired from the high seat. All this, with an elegance and responsiveness which has been the trademark of Merkel rifles for more than a century. The over-and-under rifle models varies in wood grade and long side plates.
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OVER-AND-UNDER RIFLE 2022D CUSTOM MODEL | WOOD CLASS 5
OVER AND UNDER RIFLE 2022D | 2021D | 2022D: modified Anson & Deeley locks | rugged steel action | Kersten cross bolt | non selective single trigger, with set trigger | manual safety with intercepting safety sear | with ejectors | pistol grip, cheekpiece and hogsback comb | horizontal and vertical muzzle adjustment | picture shows a prepared claw mount Caliber: 7x57R, 7x65R, .30-06, .30R Blaser, 8x57IRS, 9,3x74R Barrel length: 60 cm Overal length: 101 cm Weight: app. 3,5 kg Wood class: basic wood class 2
HUNTING GROUND
YUKON TRAIL I CANADA
HUNTING GROUND
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SIDE-BY-SIDE GUNS
A passion for side-by-side guns – an early poster from the gun manufactory of the Merkel brothers.
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SIDE-BY-SIDE SHOTGUN
SIDE-BY-SIDE RIFLE
SIDE-BY-SIDE COMBINATION GUN
SIDE-BY-SIDE RIFLE WITH MUZZLE ADJUSTMENT
SIDE-BY-SIDE GUNS
LATERAL THINKING The gun with two side-by-side barrels is based on one of the oldest hunting gun construction principles. Tradition, style and elegance live on. If one thinks of side-by-side guns, one imagines English lords in their tweeds, marching across the fields, their side-by-side shotguns over their shoulders. Or the big game hunter in Africa, hunting buffalo – his side-by-side rifle ready to fire. Despite a technological preference for over-and-under guns, Merkel started developing and manufacturing sideby-side guns soon after the company was founded. Side-by-side rifles and side-by-side shotguns quickly became part of the production range. By 1903 one-off specimens were already being handmade from solid metal. There is hardly a more elegant object than a light side-by-side shotgun. Their purpose is evident in their design: the responsive swing along the flight path of the wildfowl; stylish guns with a glorious past. Side-by-side rifles also have a lot to offer aesthetically; even though they have to meet particular
physical challenges at the same time. The breech is a maximum-load component with every break barrel gun. Large calibres in particular release elemental gas pressures and forces. The design of the side-by-side gun brings a further challenge: because only one barrel is fired at a time the gun action has to contend with a lateral torques. Every shot from one of the two barrels exerts a lateral load on the breech. Knowing that, you can imagine the enormous challenges involved in designing a large calibre side-by-side rifle. Merkel is one of the few companies that manufacture these rifles in series. Here the legend of Suhl combines with modern technologies in processing the breech and the barrels. Both of these fundamental parts are manufactured exclusively in the Merkel manufactory. Traditional large calibre side-by-side guns used to be expensive, unique, handmade specimens. The engineers and gunmakers from Merkel have worked to stabilise and standardise these individual articles. Yet, a side-by-side rifle remains a major purchase. Thanks
to continuous reengineering, large calibre side-by-side rifles are now made with state-of-the-art manufacturing technology. A hunting gun to last for generations – even with intensive use.
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SIDE-BY-SIDE SHOTGUN 65E JAGD DESIGN
SIDE-BY-SIDE SHOTGUNS
SIDE-BY-SIDE SHOTGUN 60E CUSTOM MODEL I SILVER INLAYS I BARREL ENGRAVING
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SIDE-BY-SIDE SHOTGUNS
FINEST DOUBLE FROM SUHL Meisterstück side-by-side shotguns are light and wonderfully elegant hunting guns; fine representatives of the good old days. The side-by-side arrangement of the barrels is a classical design principle of hunting guns – this principle has been applied in Suhl since the early days. Even if the Merkel brothers were more committed to the over-and-under gun at the start, the Merkel philosophy was soon devolved to the traditional side-by-side gun. An example of this is the aesthetic line of the slim soldered barrels – a trademark of Merkel Meisterstücks. Whether with Anson & Deeley locks or sidelocks, the Suhl shotguns soon developed their own style and cleverly improvised on the existing systems and solutions.
Besides the classical barrel hook, Suhl soon adopted the cross bolt developed by William Greener – which represented gunmaking at its finest. Merkel maintains the elegance and optical lightness of these shotguns by consistent adherence to traditions. The individually adapted receivers also play a role. Three different receivers are manufactured for the three calibres on offer – calibre-adapted. This keeps the receivers slim and the guns light and responsive. With the shotguns too, steel is interlocked against steel and the Merkel top-down principle is applied. Thus the receiver of a side-by-side shotgun is constructed in such a way that it can withstand the same gas pressure as a Safari rifle.
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SIDE-BY-SIDE SHOTGUN 45E JAGD DESIGN
SIDE-BY-SIDE SHOTGUNS
CHARACTERISTICS
Simply beautiful, simply good: Anson & Deeley locks.
SIDE-BY-SIDE SHOTGUN 65E GAME SCENE JAGD DESIGN
Bird's eye view: unsurpassed slim-line aesthetic.
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For fine side-by-side guns: detachable V-spring sidelocks.
Greener style cross bolt with double bottom bite.
Double trigger as standard – with optional single trigger.
Handsome stock: fine checkered butt plate for the 45E and 65E.
SIDE-BY-SIDE SHOTGUN 40E
SWINGING ALONG The 40E is the basis Meisterstück of the side-by-side shotgun range. Light and elegant, it sets the standard in terms of responsiveness. As with all Meisterstücks, custom-made stocks are optional with the 40E – but Merkel 40E standard stocks also have that made-to-measure feel. The shotguns are perfectly balanced when swinging and have a comfortable recoil. Equipped with totally reliable Anson & Deeley locks.
SIDE-BY-SIDE SHOTGUN 40E: Anson & Deeley locks | steel action | Greener-style cross bolt and double bottom bite | double trigger, optional single trigger | automatic safety | with ejectors | pistol grip and cheek piece CALIBER: 12/76 , 20/76 CHOKE: 1/4 - 1/2 (steel-shot proofed), 1/4 - 3/4, 1/2 - 1/1 BARREL LENGTH: 71 cm (cal. 12), 68 cm (cal. 20) OVERALL LENGTH: app. 113 cm (cal. 12), 110 cm (cal. 20) WEIGHT: app. 2,8 kg WOOD CLASS: basic wood class 2
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SIDE-BY-SIDE SHOTGUN 40E MODEL ARABESQUE | WOOD CLASS 3
SIDE-BY-SIDE SHOTGUN 40E CUSTOM MODEL | WOOD CLASS 5
SIDE-BY-SIDE SHOTGUN 41E
THE SLIM RECEIVER
The elegant sister of the 40E is dressed to kill. Fine and delicate, light and responsive: the 41E side-by-side shotgun is the possibly the lightest and definitely the most elegant double-barrelled shotgun from the Suhl factory. This Meisterst端ck combines the elegant 28 calibre barrel with a custom-made steel receiver. The stock is perfectly aligned to the action and the barrel. And in conjunction with the barrels, which are soldered according to Merkel tradition, it does not weigh one gram more than is necessary. Whether on shooting range or in the wild: the 41E sets the standard where balanced swinging of the shotgun is required.
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SIDE-BY-SIDE SHOTGUN 41E GAME SCENE "JAGD" MODEL | WOOD CLASS 6
SIDE-BY-SIDE SHOTGUN 41E: Anson & Deeley locks | steel action | Greener-style cross bolt and double bottom bite | double trigger | automatic safety | with ejectors | English stock CALIBER: 28/70, .410 CHOKE: improved cylinder -1/2 (cal. 28), 1/2 - 1/1 (cal. .410) BARREL LENGTH: 71 cm OVERALL LENGTH: 113 cm WEIGHT: app. 2,5 kg WOOD CLASS: basic wood class 5
SIDELOCK SIDE-BY-SIDE SHOTGUN 60E
A REAL COLLECTOR’S PIECE This functional Meisterstück is the collector’s piece among the shotguns. Special feature: sidelocks made in Suhl by Merkel combine precision engineering with the explosive power of the intricately made V-springs – gems of the gunmakers art. The pay-back with these steel-propelled masterpieces is minimum shot development times and the fascination of detachable, refined sidelocks. Wood and steel are masterfully combined to form the whole unit. The overall impression is enhanced by the hand rubbed oil finish, which adds an additional lustre to the stock.
SIDE-BY-SIDE SHOTGUN 60E: detachable sidelocks | steel action | Greener-style cross bolt and double bottom bite | excellent double trigger | automatic safety | with ejectors | pistol grip and cheek piece
CALIBER: 12/76, 20/76 CHOKE: 1/4 - 1/2 (steel-shot proofed), 1/4 - 3/4, 1/2 - 1/1 BARREL LENGTH: 71 cm (cal. 12), 68 cm (cal. 20) OVERALL LENGTH: app. 113 cm (cal. 12), app. 110 cm (cal. 20) WEIGHT: app. 3,1 kg (cal. 12), app. 2,8 kg (cal. 20) WOOD CLASS: basic wood class 5
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SIDE-BY-SIDE SHOTGUN 60E GAME SCENE "JAGD" MODEL
SIDE-BY-SIDE SHOTGUN 60E CUSTOM MODEL | ENGLISH ARABESQUE | ENGLISH STOCK | WOOD CLASS 6
SIDELOCK SIDE-BY-SIDE SHOTGUN 60E | CUSTOM MADE MODELS
FINE SHOTGUNS – CUSTOM MADE You have to travel far to find a custom made shotgun like this. Or you can come to Merkel in Suhl. Our manufactory, with its dozens of in-house engravers and experienced master gunmakers, offers an incomparable range of individual solutions. The basic design of the side-by-side shotguns is already at an impressive technical level. Upon request, the best technology is then refined by the best craftsmen to produce custom made Meisterstück shotguns from Merkel. Great attention is paid to detail to produce stocks and engraving according to customer specifications, for example with gold-plated triggers, stock monogram plates and checkering variations.
SIDE-BY-SIDE SHOTGUN 60E: detachable sidelocks | steel action | Greener-style cross bolt and double bottom bite | excellent double trigger | automatic safety with intercepting safety sear | with ejectors | pistol grip and cheek piece
CALIBER: 12/76, 20/76 CHOKE: 1/4 - 1/2 (steel-shot proofed), 1/4 - 3/4, 1/2 - 1/1 BARREL LENGTH: 71 cm (cal. 12), 68 cm (cal. 20) OVERAL LENGTH: app. 113 cm (cal. 12), app. 110 cm (cal. 20) WEIGHT: app. 3,1 kg (cal. 12), app. 2,8 kg (cal. 20) WOOD CLASS: basic wood class 5
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SIDE-BY-SIDE SHOTGUN 60E CUSTOM MODEL WITH GOLD INLAYS | FILLED PORES | ENGLISH STOCK | WOOD CLASS 7
SIDE-BY-SIDE SHOTGUN 60E CUSTOM MODEL WITH GOLD INLAYS | COLOUR CASE HARDENED | WOOD CLASS 8
SIDELOCK SIDE-BY-SIDE SHOTGUN 61E
THE BEST GUN IN TOWN The elegant sister of the 60E is based on the slender 28 calibre receiver. Around the steel receiver, Merkel has constructed a gun that was originally conceived as Suhl’s answer to the best guns from traditional English manufacturers. Today this shotgun is technically in a unique position and competes, if at all, with the products of small gunsmithing workshops. The 61E combines modern precision engineering with master craftsmanship to achieve a very sophisticated product – which, nevertheless, retains its distinctive Suhl style.
SIDE-BY-SIDE SHOTGUN 60E: detachable sidelocks | steel action | Greener-style cross bolt and double bottom bite | excellent double trigger | automatic safety with intercepting safety sear | with ejectors | English stock CALIBER: 28/70, .410 CHOKE: improved cylinder -1/2 (cal. 28), 1/2 - 1/1 (cal. .410) BARREL LENGTH: 71 cm OVERALL LENGTH: app. 113 cm WEIGHT: app. 2,5 kg WOOD CLASS: basic wood class 5
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SIDE-BY-SIDE SHOTGUN 61E GAME SCENE "JAGD" MODEL
SIDE-BY-SIDE SHOTGUN 61E CUSTOM MODEL WITH GOLD INLAYS
SIDE-BY-SIDE SHOTGUN 45E
THE VERY BRITISH
The 45E side-by-side shotgun combines Suhl quality and precision with English style – in the stock as well as in the metal surfaces. English stock finished with fine hand-cut checkering at the butt plate and monogram plate in silver. The steel action is grey nitrated – as are the trigger guard, locking lever and safety slide.
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SIDE-BY-SIDE SHOTGUN 45E GAME SCENE "JAGD" MODEL
SIDE-BY-SIDE SHOTGUN 45E: Anson & Deeley locks | steel action | Greener-style cross bolt and double bottom bite | double trigger | automatic safety | with ejectors | English stock CALIBER: 12/76, 20/76 CHOKE: 1/4 - 1/2 (steel-shot proofed), 1/4 - 3/4, 1/2 - 1/1 BARREL LENGTH: 71 cm (cal. 12), 68 cm (cal. 20) OVERALL LENGTH: app. 113 cm (cal. 12), 110 cm (cal. 20) WEIGHT: app. 2,8 kg WOOD CLASS: basic wood class 4
SIDELOCK SIDE-BY-SIDE SHOTGUN 65E
BRITISH BEAUTY
The sidelocks make the 65E side-by-side shotgun even more elegant than its sister, the 45E with the boxlock. Otherwise this shotgun is also made in the English style: the steel action assembly is in discreet grey nitrate – as are the trigger guard, locking lever and safety slide. English stock with hand-cut checkering at the butt plate. The selected wood enhances the elegant overall impression. Removable sidelocks and monogram plate are also features of this refined shotgun – British beauty.
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SIDE-BY-SIDE SHOTGUN 65E GAME SCENE "JAGD" MODEL
SIDE-BY-SIDE SHOTGUN 65E: detachable sidelocks | steel action | Greener-style cross bolt and double bottom bite | excellent double trigger | automatic safety with intercepting safety sear | with ejectors | English stock CALIBER: 12/76, 20/76 CHOKE: 1/4 - 1/2 (steel-shot proofed), 1/4 - 3/4, 1/2 - 1/1 BARREL LENGTH: 71 cm (cal. 12), 68 cm (cal. 20) OVERALL LENGTH: app. 113 cm (cal. 12), app. 110 cm (cal. 20) WEIGHT: app. 3,1 kg (cal. 12), app. 2,8 kg (cal. 20) WOOD CLASS: basic wood class 5
COMBINATION GUN 240 I SIDELOCK COMBINATION GUN 260
VERSATILE AND LIGHT The rifle/shotgun with its combination of shot and bullet is a traditional form of gun in European hunting culture. Combinations were the first combined hunting guns, offering a versatility to mach the diversity of game on the old continent. Not only hunting enthusiasts value this gun: this Meisterst端ck enables professionals to use interchangeable barrels. With the option of conversion to a side-by-side shotgun or a side-by-side rifle, this hunting gun is an all-rounder. The exclusive features of the 40E and 60E are also incorporated in the combination of this series. Both have a double trigger with forward set trigger.
COMBINATION RIFLE/SHOTGUN 240: RIFLE CALIBER: 6,5x57R, 7x57R, 7x65R, 8x57IRS SHOTGUN CALIBER: 20/76 CHOKE: 1/2 for steel shot, 1/1 BARREL LENGTH: app. 60 cm OVERALL LENGTH: app. 102 cm WEIGHT: app. 3,3 kg WOOD CLASS: basic wood class 4 COMBINATION RIFLE/SHOTGUN 260: Technical specifications the same as the Combination 240, except removeable sidelocks and wood class starts from class 5
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COMBINATION GUN 240 GAME SCENE "JAGD" MODEL
COMBINATION GUN 260 GAME SCENE "JAGD" MODEL
SIDE-BY-SIDE RIFLES
SIDE-BY-SIDE RIFLE 160 GAME SCENE "JAGD" MODEL
SIDE-BY-SIDE RIFLES
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SIDE-BY-SIDE RIFLE
SOLID AS A ROCK The side-by-side rifle is the traditional gun used for high-class big game hunting – a hunting gun befitting its station. Classic areas of application are hunting situations where a quick and sure second shot is needed – e.g. the driven hunt. Merkel precision engineering has also made sure that the side-by-side rifle also cuts a good figure on the high seat. The set trigger option gives the gun precision-shot capability. The side-by-side rifle is not only a very elegant gun; it is also very reliable and responsive. All the mechanical systems are doubled and can thus function autonomously. That is the reason why experienced hunters value this rifle. To
this day, the side-by-side rifle calls big game hunting in Africa to mind – but its legend lives on in every other region of the world. Inbuilt power and safety reserves are part of Merkel’s quality concept. The Merkel side-by-side rifle is the basis for the Merkel top-down principle for all side-by-side guns. The actions of lower load guns are identical with those of the high-power safari rifles – even if the side-by-side shotguns only fire low-load shot.
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SIDE-BY-SIDE RIFLE 141 GAME SCENE "JAGD" MODEL
SIDE-BY-SIDE RIFLES
CHARACTERISTICS
Simply beautiful, simply good: Anson & Deeley locks.
SIDE-BY-SIDE RIFLE 140 CUSTOM MODEL
Hard soldered: the barrels of the side-by-side rifles 140 and 160.
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V-springs in the sidelock: powerful energy storage system.
Greener style cross bolt with double bottom bite.
Muzzle adjustment for side-by-side rifles 141 and 161.
Models 141 and 161: prepared for swing mount and driven hunt sights.
SIDE-BY-SIDE RIFLE 140
THE MOVING DOUBLE
A special offer for aficionados of soldered barrel sets: classically designed Merkel side-by-side rifles. The soldered barrels and the adapted 20 calibre receiver ensure an agreeable recoil due to the greater weight. Side-by-side shotgun barrels of calibre 20/76 and rifle/shotgun barrels are available as interchangeable barrel options. The forward trigger has a set prepared base for the swing mount,; thus the side-by-side rifle also excels with the precision shot. That means an extended range of use for this Meisterst端ck. The pivot mount, which is a standard fixture, enables flexible use of different scopes. Driven hunt sight, as standard.
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SIDE-BY-SIDE RIFLE 140 GAME SCENE "JAGD" MODEL
SIDE-BY-SIDE RIFLE 140: Anson & Deeley locks | steel action | Greener-style cross bolt and double bottom bite | double trigger with front set trigger, optional single trigger | automatic trigger safety | optional with ejectors | hard soldered barrels with muzzle adjustment, horizontal and vertical | engraving English arabesque or game scene "JAGD" | pistol grip, cheek piece and hogback comb | rubber butt plate CALIBER: 7x65R, .30-06, .30R Blaser, 8x57IRS, 9,3x74R BARREL LENGTH: 60 cm OVERALL LENGTH: app. 102 cm WEIGHT: app. 3,4 kg WOOD CLASS: basic wood class 4
SIDE-BY-SIDE RIFLE 141
THE SLIM VERSION The 141 model is a variation of the 140 side-by-side rifle. The particularly narrow receiver and the short barrels make this gun one of the lightest side-by-side rifles in the world. The option of vertical and horizontal muzzle adjustment facilitates retrofitting a scope or changing to ammunition with a different load or bullet weight. The rifle is prepared for the fitting of a pivot mount; a driven hunt sight is supplied as standard. This compact action is the result of masterly gunmaking expertise – and rewards future owners with an exceptionally slim and responsive hunting gun.
SIDE-BY-SIDE RIFLE 141: Anson & Deeley locks | steel action | Greener-style cross bolt and double bottom bite | double trigger with front set trigger, optional single trigger | automatic trigger safety | optional with ejectors | hard soldered barrels with muzzle adjustment, horizontal and vertical | engraving English arabesque or game scene "JAGD" | pistol grip, cheek piece and hogback comb | rubber butt plate CALIBER: 7x65R, .30-06, .30R Blaser, 8x57IRS, 9,3x74R BARREL LENGTH: 55 cm OVERALL LENGTH: app. 97 cm WEIGHT: app. 3,0 kg WOOD CLASS: basic wood class 4
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SIDE-BY-SIDE RIFLE 141 MODEL ARABESQUE
SIDE-BY-SIDE RIFLE 141 CUSTOM MODEL WITH OUT CHEEK PIECE
SIDE-BY-SIDE RIFLE 160
MOVING DOUBLE WITH SIDELOCKS The side-by-side rifle with the finest sidelocks stands out in terms of technology and aesthetics. The locks work with V-springs, which guarantees short shot development times. The steel surfaces provide plenty of space for decorative illustration at the hands of experienced engravers. Precision shooting from the high seat is facilitated by the set trigger on the forward trigger blade. The classical sidelocks of the side-by-side rifle make for excellent trigger pull. The sidelocks can be removed without tools – for cleaning or just to appreciate the workmanship.
SIDE-BY-SIDE RIFLE 160: removeable V-spring sidelocks with intercepting sear | steel action | Greener-style cross bolt and double bottom bite | excellent double trigger with front set trigger | optional with ejectors | pistol grip, cheek piece and hogback comb | rubber butt plate CALIBER: 7x65R, .30-06, .30R Blaser, 8x57IRS, 9,3x74R BARREL LENGTH: app. 60 cm OVERALL LENGTH: app. 102 cm WEIGHT: app. 3,4 kg WOOD CLASS: basic wood class 5
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SIDE-BY-SIDE RIFLE 160 MODEL ARABESQUE
SIDE-BY-SIDE RIFLE 160 GAME SCENE "JAGD" MODEL
SIDE-BY-SIDE RIFLE 161
SLIM VERSION WITH SIDELOCKS This gun is the sidelock version of the 141 side-by-side rifle. It combines the typical characteristics of a timeless sidelock rifle with impressive elegance and responsiveness. The refined transitions between steel and stock signalise a high proportion of handcraft. Again, short barrels are used, combined with a driven hunt sight and an a prepared base for swing mounts. The horizontal and vertical muzzle adjustment by means of slot wedges is the sort of handcrafted work of art that you can only find at Merkel.
SIDE-BY-SIDE RIFLE 161: removeable V-spring sidelocks with intercepting sear | steel action | Greener-style cross bolt and double bottom bite | excellent double trigger with front set trigger | automatic trigger safety | optional with ejectors | pistol grip, cheek piece and hogback comb | rubber butt plate CALIBER: 7x65R, .30-06, .30R Blaser, 8x57IRS, 9,3x74R BARREL LENGTH: 55 cm OVERALL LENGTH: app. 97 cm WEIGHT: app. 3,0 kg WOOD CLASS: 5
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SIDE-BY-SIDE RIFLE 161 MODEL ARABESQUE
SIDE-BY-SIDE RIFLE 161 GAME SCENE "JAGD" MODEL
HUNTING GROUND
SERENGETI I AFRICA
HUNTING GROUND
161
MEISTERSTÜCK
SAFARI SIDE-BY-SIDE RIFLES
SAFARI SIDE-BY-SIDE RIFLE 160AE CUSTOM MODEL
SAFARI SIDE-BY-SIDE RIFLES
163
MEISTERSTÜCK
SAFARI SIDE-BY-SIDE RIFLES
AFRICA! AFRICA! Traditionally, the big game hunter in the stories told around the campfire and in yellowing photographs is always carrying a side-by-side gun. And not without reason: the hunt for dangerous game has its own set of rules. Rifles used for this type of adventure must fulfil very specific, demanding requirements. In addition to tried-and-tested highpower big game caliber, Merkel side-by-side rifles of the Africa series offer everything the hunter needs to successfully and safely meet the challenges of the Safari. Robustness, reliability and intuitive handling – these are the properties that matter when every split second counts. The recoil and balance of these unique rifles are optimised by the “inert mass” in the buttstock and barrel set, which have been exactly calculated by Merkel. The resultant greater weight reduces the recoil. This enables the gun to be kept on target for the rapid second shot – experience the Merkel Africa Express.
MEISTERSTÜCK SAFARI SIDE-BY-SIDE RIFLES
165
SAFARI SIDE-BY-SIDE RIFLE 160 AE CUSTOM MODEL
SAFARI SIDE-BY-SIDE RIFLES
CHARACTERISTICS
Indestructible classic: the Anson & Deeley locks.
SAFARI SIDE-BY-SIDE RIFLE 140AE CUSTOM MODEL
The hinged trigger prevents injury to the trigger finger.
MEISTERSTÜCK SAFARI SIDE-BY-SIDE RIFLES
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Detachable sidelocks – surfaces for fine engraving.
Greater safety: Greener cross bolt with double bottom bite.
Express sight with sight leaf: shooting at variable distances.
Power in form: muzzle silhouette of the large calibre Africa gun.
SAFARI SIDE-BY-SIDE RIFLE 140AE
THE WORKHORSE The basis version of the Africa rifles is the favoured gun of many professional hunters. The Merkel version of the Anson & Deeley boxlock is traditionally valued for its unrivalled reliability for big game hunting. An uncomplicated workhorse, based on the experience of over 100 years of rifle development for big game hunting. All the mechanical systems are doubled and can thus function autonomously – this is particularly important in dangerous situations, where life and limb are at risk.
SAFARI SIDE-BY-SIDE RIFLE 140AE: Anson & Deeley locks | steel action | Greenerstyle cross bolt and double bottom bite | double trigger with articulated front trigger | manual safety with intercepting sears | with ejectors | African express sight | pistol grip, cheek piece and straight stock | rubber recoil pad CALIBER: .375 H&H Mag., .416 Rigby, .470 N. E., .500 N.E. BARREL LENGTH: 60 cm OVERALL LENGTH: app. 102 cm WEIGHT: app. 4,6 kg WOOD CLASS: 4 to 7
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SAFARI SIDE-BY-SIDE RIFLE 140AE CUSTOM MODEL WITH COLOUR CASE HARDEND AND GOLD INLAYS | WOODCLASS 5
SAFARI SIDE-BY-SIDE RIFLE 140AE MODEL ARABESQUE | WOODCLASS 5
SAFARI SIDE-BY-SIDE RIFLE 160AE
THE SIDELOCK AFRICA RIFLE The precision and reliability of Merkel safari rifles has delighted big game hunters and heads of state for generations. The 160 version combines the largest calibre with sidelocks – which also offers our engravers additional scope of decorating the long sidelocks. One of the most beautiful rifles – for the most exciting form of hunting.
SAFARI SIDE-BY-SIDE RIFLE 160AE: removeable V-spring sidelocks with intercepting sear | steel action | Greener-style cross bolt and double bottom bite | excellent double trigger with articulated front trigger | manual safety with intercepting sears | with ejectors | Safari express sight | pistol grip, cheek piece and straight stock | rubber recoil pad CALIBER: .375 H&H Mag., .416 Rigby, .470 N. E., .500 N.E. BARREL LENGTH: 60 cm OVERALL LENGTH: app. 102 cm WEIGHT: app. 4,6 kg wood class: from 5 to 7
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SAFARI SIDE-BY-SIDE RIFLE 160AE CUSTOM MODEL
SAFARI SIDE-BY-SIDE RIFLE 160AE GAME SCENE "JAGD" MODEL
DECORATIVE STANDARDS
ENGRAVING EXAMPLES
Arabesque engraving on a Anson & Deeley gun.
SIDE-BY-SIDE SHOTGUN 45E GAME SCENE "JAGD" MODEL
Arabesque engraving on a sidelock gun.
MEISTERSTĂœCK GRAVUR-EXEMPEL
173
Game scene "JAGD" engraving on a Anson & Deeley shotgun.
Game scene "JAGD" engraving on a Anson & Deeley rifle.
Game scene "JAGD" engraving on a sidelock shotgun.
Game scene "JAGD" engraving on a sidelock rifle.
HUNTING GROUND
THURINGIA FOREST I DEUTSCHLAND
HUNTING GROUND
175
MEISTERSTÜCK
DRILLINGS
Company founder Gebhard Merkel always had a heart for drillings – the universal gun was manufactured in the Merkel manufactory from the beginning.
MEISTERSTÜCK DRILLINGS
177
DRILLING
DOUBLE RIFLE DRILLING
SHOTGUN DRILLING
BERGSTUTZEN DRILLING
RIFLE DRILLING
DRILLINGS
DOUBLE RIFLE DRILLING 961 LS CUSTOM MODEL
DRILLINGS
179
MEISTERSTÜCK
DRILLINGS
THE ELEGANT UNIVERSALIST The drilling used to be called the “forester’s gun”. The various barrel combinations make this splendid implement a universal gun. The term “forester’s gun” also includes the notion of high-level professionalism. This professionalism is demanded of the marksman at the moment when stress levels are at their highest: when firing the shot. In the past, the arrangement of barrels and trigger blades made it difficult to master the drilling in stressful situations. For this reason, Merkel has further improved the legendary Suhl drilling and developed a safe trigger constellation to guard against drilling confusion on the hunting ground. The principle: Suhl gunmaking art with three Blitz locks – in a new combination. Merkel has always been a drilling specialist. With the new drilling family in
the Meisterstück category, the company is now producing probably the most extensive drilling range on the market. The classic drilling (two shotgun barrels and one rifle barrel) comes into its own in small game hunting. The Bergstutzen drilling (one shotgun barrel, plus one small and one large rifle barrel) excels in the mixed hunting ground and the double rifle drilling (two rifle barrels, one shotgun barrel) has proved itself to be a responsive gun for the driven hunt. The universal gun has retained its versatility where interchangeable barrels are concerned – Merkel offers all versions as an optional extra. In addition, the “uni-type” rifle drilling and shotgun drilling are available. The breech of the Merkel drilling has a triple locking system. Firstly with the Greener cross bolt between the two upper barrels, secondly with two barrel lugs.
181
RIFLE DRILLING 961 LS CUSTOM MODEL
DRILLINGS
CHARACTERISTICS EXECUTION 96: The three-position cocking slide is the control element of the Merkel drilling. REAR: In the rear position the locks of the 2 upper barrels are safe (3 lock is uncocked). MIDDLE: The locks of the 2 upper barrel are unsafe, the lock of the bottom barrel is unlocked. In this position the front and the rear trigger fires the upper right and left barrel. FRONT: Is the safety slide in the front position the lock of the bottom barrel is cocked. In this position the front trigger fires the lower barrel and the rear trigger the upper left barrel. EXECUTION 961: In this execution all three locks of the drilling are cocked automatically with breaking down gun. When the safety slide is in the rear position both triggers are safe. In firing position (in the front) the drilling is ready to fire and the front trigger works as single trigger for the locks of the right and the left upper barrels. The rear trigger exclusively operates the lock of the lower barrel.
Three-position cocking slide: safety and manual cocking system in one.
MEISTERSTĂœCK
MERKEL: THE SUHLER DRILLING
DRILLINGS
183
Drilling 96K/96KS (drilling)
DB-DR 96L/961L 96LS/961LS (double rifle drilling)
BS-DR 96LD/96LDS (Bergstutzen-Drilling)
Execution 96
Execution 96
Execution 96
Trigger/function:
Trigger/function:
Trigger/function:
1. trigger * right shotgun
1. trigger * right rifle barrel
1. trigger * right rifle barrel (large)
barrel
2. trigger left rifle barrel
2. trigger left rifle barrel (small)
2. trigger left shotgun barrel
cocking slide: 1. trigger lower
cocking slide 1. trigger lower
cocking slide: 1. trigger *
shotgun barrel
shotgun barrel
B-DR 961L/961LS (rifle drilling)
Drilling 961 (shotgun drilling)
Execution 961
Execution 961
lower rifle barrel
Execution 961
* = set trigger
Trigger/function:
Trigger/function:
Trigger/function:
3 locks self cocking system
3 locks self cocking system
3 locks self cocking system
1. trigger both rifle barrels
1. trigger both rifle barrels
1. trigger both shotgun barrels
2. trigger lower shotgun barrel
2. trigger lower rifle barrel
2. trigger lower shotgun barrel
Execution 96:
Execution 961:
L = slim 28 gauge receiver
S = long side plates
trigger system with set trigger/s for the high seat hunt
fast trigger system with single trigger for the driven hunt
K = cocking slide
D = double set trigger
DRILLING 96K | 96KS
DRILLING WITHOUT CONFUSION The basis Merkel drilling is built around the 96K three-lock system; this gun is the all-rounder in the small game hunting ground. The system is a technical delicacy, which makes drillings as elegant as they are efficient. The Blitz locks are controlled via the three-position cocking slide on the stock tang. The front trigger is fitted with a set trigger for the precision shot. Depending on the position of the cocking slide, the right barrel or lower barrel can be fired in the engaged position. The 96KS version is fitted with long side plates.
DRILLING 96K | 96KS: three lock system (Blitz locks) with manual cocking slide | steel receiver | Greener style cross bolt and double bottom bite | double trigger with set trigger | pistol grip; cheek piece and hogsback comb | rubber butt plate SHOTGUN CALIBER: 12/76, 20/76 RIFLE CALIBER: .223 Rem., 243. Win., 7x57R, 7x65R, .308 Win., .30R Blaser, .30-06, 8x57IRS, 9,3x74R CHOKE: improved cylinder - 1/2 (steel-shot proofed), 1/4 - 3/4, 1/2 - 1/1 BARREL LENGTH: cal. 12 (55 cm and 60 cm), cal. 20 (55 cm) OVERALL LENGTH: 98 cm or 103 cm WEIGHT: app. 3,1 kg WOOD CLASS: basic wood class 2
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185
DRILLING 96K CUSTOM MODEL COLOUR CASE HARDENED | WOOD CLASS 5
DRILLING 96KS GAME SCENE "JAGD" MODEL | WOOD CLASS 5
DOUBLE RIFLE DRILLING 961L | 961LS | 96L | 96LS
DRILLING WITH RAPID SHOT OPTION The new development of a particularly slim drilling receiver (28 caliber) makes the current generation of Merkel drillings ever lighter and more elegant. One version of this light species is the double rifle drilling 961L, with a driven hunt trigger. The front trigger serves as a single trigger for the two upper rifle barrels. This enables a rapid second shot without the need to change grip. The rear trigger is reserved for the lower shotgun barrel. The 96LS and 961LS versions are fitted with long side plates. The 96L/96LS models use the same locking system as the 96K/96KS drilling.
DOUBLE RIFLE DRILLING 961L/ 961LS: real three lock system (Blitz locks) with safety slide | steel receiver | Greener style cross bolt and double bottom bite | double trigger with single trigger in the front | pistol grip, cheek piece and hogsback comb | rubber butt plate DOUBLE RIFLE DRILLING 96L / 96LS: specification as 96K/ 96KS, manual cocking for the lower shotgun barrel. SHOTGUN CALIBER: 20/76 CHOKE: 1/2 (steel-shot proofed) RIFLE CALIBER: .30-06, .30R Blaser, 8x57IRS, 9,3x74R BARREL LENGTH: 55 cm OVERALL LENGTH: app. 98 cm WEIGHT: app. 3,2 kg WOOD CLASS: basic wood class 4
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187
DOUBLE RIFLE DRILLING 961L MODEL ARABESQUE
DOUBLE RIFLE DRILLING 961LS CUSTOM MODEL | WOOD CLASS 8
BERGSTUTZEN DRILLING 96LD | 96LDS
FULL RANGE DRILLINGS
The Bergstutzen drilling is a typical gun used on a high seat for a single shot. With two rifle barrels of different caliber and one shotgun barrel, this drilling is a gun that offers every opportunity to the hunter, whatever game he encounters in the glade. The set trigger on both triggers enables a precision shot with both rifle barrels. Die 96LDS is fitted with long side plates (no illustration).
MEISTERSTÜCK DRILLINGS
189
BERGSTUTZEN DRILLING 96LD GAME SCENE "JAGD" MODEL
BERGSTUTZEN DRILLING 96LD | 96LDS: three lock system (Blitz locks) with manual cocking | steel receiver | Greener style cross bolt and double bottom bite | double trigger with set trigger in both triggers | pistol grip; cheek piece and hogsback comb | rubber butt plate
SHOTGUN CALIBER: 20/76 LARGE CALIBER: .30-06, .30R Blaser, 8x57IRS, 9,3x74R SMALL CALIBER: 5,6 x 52R, .222 Rem CHOKE: 1/2 steelshot proofed BARREL LENGTH: 55 cm OVERALL LENGTH: app. 98 cm WEIGHT: app. 3,3 kg WOOD CLASS: basic wood class 4
RIFLE DRILLING 961L | 961LS | SHOTGUN DRILLING 961LS
UNI-TYPE DRILLINGS Merkel manufactures two special threeshot guns as uni-type drillings. Here an extra quick single trigger system comes into operation. The front trigger serves as a single trigger for the two upper rifle barrels of the rifle drilling or the two upper shotgun barrels of the shotgun drilling. This enables a rapid second shot without the need to change grip. The rear trigger is reserved for the lower rifle barrel of the rifle drilling or the lower shotgun barrel of the shotgun drilling. The 961LS versions are fitted with long side plates.
RIFLE DRILLING 961L / 961LS / SHOTGUN DRILLING 961L / 961LS: real three lock system (Blitz locks) with safety slide | steel receiver | Greener style cross bolt and double bottom bite | double trigger with single trigger in the front | pistol grip, cheek piece and hogsback comb | rubber butt plate RIFLE DRILLING: RIFLE CALIBER: 8x57IRS, 9,3x74R BARREL LENGTH: 55 cm OVERALL LENGTH: app. 98 cm WEIGHT: app. 3,5 kg SHOTGUN DRILLIG: SHOTGUN CALIBER: 20/76 BARREL LENGTH: 55 cm OVERALL LENGTH app. 98 cm WEIGHT: app. 3,2 kg WOOD CLASS: basic wood class 4
MEISTERSTÜCK DRILLINGS
191
RIFLE DRILLING 961LS CUSTOM MODEL WITH COLOUR CASE HARDENED AND GOLD INLAYS
SHOTGUN DRILLING 961LS CUSTOM MODEL WIT GOLD INLAYS
ENGRAVING
255
ENGRAVING
ENGRAVING
THE MAGIC OF ENGRAVING Hunting, magic and art have been inextricably linked from the beginning. It could be that it was hunting that inspired people to make art. And it was art that became the implement of magic during the hunt. Since then works of art have magically evoked hunting success which was a necessity of life – specialists speak of “symbolic magic”. The result of the hunt is demonstrated and anticipated in symbols. The hunters paint the animal on the cave walls, to enchant it, so to speak. Prehistoric men symbolically threw the spear at the cave wall paintings and believed their weapons would hit the animal when the hunt was for real. The engraving of the rifle emanates from the tradition of the symbolic magic. Two main categories of motifs can be identified: stylised tendrils – called arabesques. And the naturalistic motifs, according to Dürer, the so-called nature or animal motifs. The first stage of the engraving work is transcribing the outline onto the
workpiece. This requires a trained eye, scriber and steel compasses. The actual engraving is a metal-shaving technique. It is performed with a light hammer and graver. Gravers are fine chisels in various thickness with shaped blades and wooden handles.
plines – decorate Merkel hunting rifles to make them unique specimens.
The workpiece is clamped in 360 degree rotating vice for processing. Fine shading is cut with a hand graver, used without a hammer and driven only by the strength of the engraver. In Italian this graver is called “bulino” – this gives the name to this art form with the graver. Files in various forms and cut levels as well as abrasive cloth in different grains round off the range of tools used by the engraver. There is a diversity of other ornamentation form around engraving: colour case hardening, gold or silver inlaying, punching or chasing and inlaying with various precious materials. Over 15 male and female engravers – each one a master of the trade and experienced in all the engraving disci-
Decorated pistol grip cap.
ENGRAVING 257
Detailed work with hand graver.
A festival of arabesques: the Merkel logo is engraved.
ENGRAVING
ALMOST EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE Engraving is a combination of handcraft and concentration. The men and women at Merkel process the hard steel for hours and make an organic work of art from the plain piece of metal that will adorn a hunting rifle. Engraving at Merkel is individual work: there are virtually no limits placed on the customer‘s wishes. The following illustrations should therefore be taken solely as stimulating examples. Almost anything is possible.
Hard-earned masterpiece: ’Jagd’ ornamental engraving.
ENGRAVING 259
Suhl “Bulino“ engraving with chiselled base.
Deep relief engraving with vivid game motifs and leaf ornamentation.
Ornamental engraving “English Arabesque“.
Colour case hardening with gold inlays.
ENGRAVING
THE CLASSIC: ARABESQUE AND ORNAMENTS Ornamental engraving is the classical engraving style. ‘English arabesque’ in various designs is the traditional decoration of a hunting rifle. Leaf or tendril scrolls as well as oak-leaf, thistle and vine engraving are often used for infill and trimming. In principle, every steel part on a rifle can be decorated: receiver, locking lever, breech end of the barrel and trigger guard – right down to individual screws.
English arabeques small scrolls on a side lock side-by-side shotgun 60E.
English arabeques engraving in medaillon form on a side lock side-by-side shotgun 60E.
ENGRAVING 261
Very fine English arabesques.
Arabesque with central flower bouquet on a side lock side-by-side shotgun 60E.
ENGRAVING
COLOUR CASE HARDENING – UNIQUE Colour case hardening is a traditional method of surface hardening of metal parts on guns. With this technique, coal from leather carbon penetrates into the surface of the steel parts – these parts are then hardened by immersion in water and their surfaces show a marbled structure of brownish blue hues – individual and unique.
Colour case hardened receiver surrounded with silver wire, gold inlay and thistle engraving.
Polished thistle-leaf.
ENGRAVING 263
Colour case hardened KR1 action with simple arabesque engraving.
colour case hardened KR1 action with simple arabesque engraving.
ENGRAVING
POWERFUL RELIEFS Relief engraving requires a lot of feeling for the steel – and a sense for the third dimension. Relief engravings are raised and thus tactile and tangible: a feast for the senses.
Relief engraving and gold inlaid buck with oak-leaf infill.
Gold inlaid fallow deer on the sidelock and barrel breech.
ENGRAVING 265
Forest life: relief engraving with hares.
Wildfowl motif and wine leaf infill.
ENGRAVING
FINEST BULINO ENGRAVING Ultra-fine lines and shaded highlights are the hallmark of Bulino style engraving with the hand graver. This tool is called a ‘Bulino’ in Italian – and has given its name to this type of engraving. This technique is used to create engravings that appear as if they were drawn or even photographed. They draw their fascination from their realistic images – so close to reality that the hunting dog in Bulino style sometimes seems to be the spitting image of man’s best friend. Hunting scene: hound and small game..
Side plate decoration in Bulino engraving, with ornate receiver and barrel breech.
ENGRAVING 267
Antelope at the watering hole - surrounded by goldwire and English arabesques.
Gold inlaid fallow deer with Bulino engraved trim.
ENGRAVING
GAME SCENE ENGRAVING Realistic animal depiction began in the 15th Century with Antonio Pisano und Albrecht D端rer. The still life and the so-called game scene developed from these origins. The engraver requires a knowledge of the anatomy, habitat and proportions of the depicted game and the corresponding flora.
Bellowing stag, relief engraved and gold inlay.
The dogs chasing a sounder of wild boars.
ENGRAVING 269
Antelope at the watering hole – entwined by gold arabesques.
Relief engraved lion and buffalo surrounded with gold wire and English arabesques.
ENGRAVING
FULLY ENGRAVED DRILLING Assuming one did all the engraving on a hunting rifle that one possibly could – the only restriction would be the concentration on the engraving itself. Presumably, this fine rifle would look something like the Merkel Drilling presented here.
Bulino engraving: wolves attacking an elk.
Bulino engraving: bears skirmish over the body of a stag.
271
A lynx in fi nely chiselled Italian leaves. A fox on the trigger guard.
Top lever with head of a wild boar.
ENGRAVING
FOX, HOUND AND HARE Engravings can say a lot about the character and personality of the hunter who calls the engraved rifle his own. Fox and hare adorn the two sides of this sidelock MeisterstĂźck. Both inlaid in gold and surrounded in rich arabesque, they go their ways. If you turn the rifle over, you will find the attentive huntsman‘s dog unnoticed between the two.
Richly adorned sidelock, left: here the fox prowls.
Richly adorned sidelock, right: the quick hare.
273
Between Reynard and hare: The gold inlaid hound has already got the scent.
Special barrel engraving.
WOOD CLASSES
FINE WOODS IN ELEVEN CLASSES Stock wood is a product of nature. The illustrated stocks are representative examples. Variation in colour, grain and wood structure within the quality classes are not only unavoidable, rather an expression of individuality.
WOOD CLASS 1
WOOD CLASS 2
WOOD CLASS 3
WOOD CLASS 4
WOOD CLASSES 277
WOOD CLASS 5
WOOD CLASS 6
WOOD CLASS 7
WOOD CLASS 8
WOOD CLASS 9
WOOD CLASS 10
WOOD CLASS 11
OPTIC – SCOPE MOUNTS
WELL MOUNTED The mount joins the gun and the scope. It is the guarantee of a constant point of impact. It must suit the rifle and its characteristics. SUHL TILT-UP MOUNT (SAM): This mount model requires 4 adaption slots in the barrel in the barrel – this is a standard feature in the Merkel MEM KR1, B3, B4, K3 and K4 rifles. If the scope is attached, the mounting base catches directly on the barrel. A low sight line, high stability when shooting and an identical point of impact can be taken for granted.
SUHL PIVOT MOUNT (SSM): This is right mount if different scopes are to be used. Upon attachment the scope is fixed at a point 90 degrees to the barrel and then pivoted to the barrel axis in the mounting base. SUHL CLAW MOUNT (SEM): Smart and inconspicuous: this mount is regularly used with Meisterstücks. Its design is elaborate, but the reward is the sleek aesthetic of a rifle without a scope and a low sight line.
Divers options a selection of SAM-mounts.
OPTIC
OPTICS – DOCTER SCOPES
FOCUS ON THE ESSENTIAL
At Analytik Jena AG, Docter represents the field of sight and observation optics – in past years the synergies from a traditional optics centre and cuttingedge technology have been reflected in trendsetting and practicable products. The sensitive interaction of optics, precision engineering and electronics make Docter telescopes and scopes world class. They draw on the glorious Jena past for new ideas – above all
where miniaturisation is concerned. A product of this category is the revolutionary miniaturised reflex DOCTERsight for the driven hunt. The Docter brand is a reference to the optics manufacturer Bernhard Docter and his revolutionary idea of producing optical scopes with the glass blank molding process. Telescopic sights and telescopes of the Docter brand
combine the practical and functional requirements of the hunt with the technological resources of Analytik Jena AG to produce products of the highest quality. This is impressively backed up with a 30 year commercial guarantee.
DOCTER
If you are talking about cutting edge technology in optics, then Jena in the heart of Thuringia has been the centre point of many definitive developments since time immemorial. Analytik Jena AG, with its Docter brand is part of the tradition of the Jena optics industry – and very close to hunting in practice.
279
OPTICS – DOCTER SCOPES
THE VARIABLES Scopes with variable magnification are the all-rounder of modern hunting. Their great strength: the hunter is perfectly equipped for many hunting situations with a single scope – whether raised hide, stalking or driven hunt.
DOCTER classic 1,5-6x42
The scope can be easily adjusted on the ocular to suit the rifleman and the distance: failing eyesight is corrected on the ocular ring by ± 2.5 dioptres. The magnification factor can be set steplessly and free of play on the zoom ring.
DOCTER classic 2,5-10x48
Docter scopes leave the factory adjusted for parallax-free operation at a distance of 100 metres. During the hunt and for special applications, such as mountain hunting at great distance, the point of impact can be corrected via the height and lateral adjustment. One click of the reticle adjustment corresponds to exactly one centimetre at 100 metres distance.
DOCTER classic 3-12x56
1
4
4A
PLEX
DBA
OPTIC
DOCTER classic 2,5-10x48
The illuminated reticle ideally supplements the variable scope in unfavourable light conditions. Even when dusk sets in, this feature enables a safe and precise shot. Important detail: the brightness of the illuminated reticle can be steplessly regulated and thus perfectly adjusted to the ambient light and the sensitivity of the individual. The possibility of dazzling is excluded. The high-precision LED used for Docter is characterised by low current consumption and long battery life – standard lithium batteries are used.
DOCTER classic 3-12x56
LP
LK
DOCTER Sport 8-25x50
One scope for the distance shot: The Docter Sport 8-25x50 offers outstanding imaging capability from 8 to 25 times magnification. A standard feature of this scope is a parallax compensation. The reticle is at the second image level and therefore appears to be always the same size, irrespective of the selected magnification.
4
PLEX
DOT
DOCTER
281
OPTICS – DOCTER SCOPES WITH ILLUMINATED RETICLE
TO THE POINT The premium class of Docter scopes is called Unipoint. This series is distinguished by a digitally controlled daylight reticle in the ocular image level. The central control element of the illuminated reticle is the red button “Tipcontrol”. This is an on and off switch and dimmer in one – and this button has a dual memory. It offers the option of medium brightness or the previous brightness setting when it is switched on. The latter is a particularly convenient function for the driven hunt.
+
–
As with all Docter scopes, the premium class impresses not only with its high-performance optics, which can be adapted to the eyesight of the user (left), but also with precision engineering solutions that operate fully free of play (right).
OPTIC
DOCTER unipoint 1–4x24
DOCTER unipoint 1,5–6x42
Minimum demand of electric power, maximum operational reliability: the ingenious reticle illumination is powered by standard lithium batteries.
DOCTER unipoint 2,5–10x50
DOCTER unipoint 3–12x56
0
4–0
DOCTER
283
OPTICS – DOCTER REFLEX SIGHTS
DRIVEN HUNT OPTICS Reflexes are what count at the driven hunt – and since the advent of the DOCTERsight, the reflex sight too. With its market launch, this optical driven hunt specialist became the measure of all things in terms of optical quality, precision and miniaturisation. With DOCTERsight aiming for the quick, moving shot is done with both eyes – and the rifleman is therefore fully relaxed. The point of impact is visualised with a red light dot. Intelligent solutions make the miniature reflex sight a technological leader. Thanks to the ambient light-dependent control the light dot always has the right brightness and does not dazzle. The patented optical system is parallax free for the typical driven hunt distance of 40 metres. High-grade glass and hard anodized aluminium alloys make the sight robust and durable. And thanks to various mounting options, it can be mounted on virtually every long and short gun.
2,37 cm (0,93 inch)
2,54 cm (1 inch)
4,6 cm (1,81 inch) * Enlarged illustration
DOCTER SIGHT – TECHNICAL DATA Height adjusting range Lateral adjusting range Control values for a scale division Covering of the light dot Alternative Parallax-free observation distance Shooting stability Functional temperature Storage temperature Power supply
720 cm / 100 m 540 cm / 100 m 1,0 angular minute: 3 cm / 100 m 3,5 angular minute: 10 cm / 100 m 7,0 angular minute: 20 cm / 100 m 40 m 1000 G - 25 °C bis + 40 °C - 40 °C bis + 70 °C 1 x 3 V lithium batteries (CR2032)
OPTIC
OPTIC – DOCTER LIGHT ENGINEERING
POWER HOUSE IN MATTERS OF LIGHT
DOCTER
285
There are many torches on the market – Aspherilux LED spotlights are only available from Docter. In this high-tech flashlight the optics specialists from Thuringia have combine state-of-the-art light diode technology with the company‘s expertise to produce aspherical lenses. The light of the 1-watt Z-power LED is clustered by optical engineering without loss – resulting in a bright, circular and shadowless luminous field, which is unequalled on the market. The capability of the spotlight in the field is also impressive. A robust aluminium die cast housing protects the optics and electronics. A fully charged battery supplies power for up to ten hours
service – at a charging time of only around 150 minutes. The handy size and working range between 40 centimetres and 15 metres match up to the needs of the most demanding hunters.
* Original size
OPTIC – DOCTER BINOCULARS
INTO FOCUS Those who wish to gauge the impressive quality of Docter binoculars need to get deeper into the secrets of optics. Docter offers roof prism binoculars in two different systems. They are mainly differentiated by their light intensity and overall length and size.
The Docter 8x42 is fitted with a prism system according to Schmidt-Pechan – it has an extremely short design. These binoculars with robust aluminium magnesium housing is first choice for every day use in favourable light conditions – and also fits into any jacket pocket for the Sunday afternoon walk. DOCTER 8x42
Docter 8x42: handily designed four lens binoculars with aluminium magnesium housing. The robust all-purpose field glass – not just for the hunt.
Practical: focus adjustment and dioptre adjustment via two decoupled adjusting wheels. They are situated in between the oculars.
OPTIC
The Docter 8x58 is a light intensive twilight glass for everyday hunting. Its design is based on the V-form roof prism system from Ernst Abbe and Albert König; this does not require a mirror. This patented design makes for unprecedented light intensity of the 58 millimetre lenses. The lens system used is a four lens achromatic objective. This design principle prevents colour fringe and corrects colour aberration. The central double adjusting wheel is used for both dioptre compensation (up to +/- 2.5) and focus adjustment. The pressure waterproof housing is made of high-grade plastic – and is supplied with an ocular protective cap and neoprene strap as standard. All binoculars from Docter have a nitrogen filling, which guarantees condensation-free vision; they are robust and extremely shock resistant. And: Analytik Jena grants a 30 year guarantee on all binoculars and scopes.
DOCTER 8x58 B/CF
The roof prism system of the twilight glass 8x58 is based on the AbbeKönig design. Impressive: the outstanding light intensity.
Convenient: the “twist up“ eye cups also offer spectacle wearers the full field of vision.
DOCTER
287
ACCESSORIES
YOUR PERSONAL HUNT Deluxe gun case Fine guns – well packed. The deluxe gun case is made-to-measure for Merkel hunting guns. Whether shotguns, rifles or combination guns with interchangeable barrels – with or without
scopes – everything fits neatly and well arranged in the case. Two lock secure your favourite guns. Hard-wearing outer fabric, the corners are reinforced with leather. BUTT STOCK MAGAZINE Always at hand: transport your ammunition reserve conveniently in the stock. Merkel butt stock magazines are precision made: neatly fitted and lockable. and Pistol grip caps You can further individualise your Merkel gun with butt stock ends of fine wood or pistol grip caps of finely engraved metal.
ACCESSORIES 291
PIQUE POLO SHIRT Short arm polo shirt of pure cotton pique. In Merkel green, embroidered with the Merkel logo. Sizes: M-XXL.
FLEECE JACKET Warmth to take with you: windproof with zipper, two practical pockets, zipped breast pocket. Padded shoulders and arms. Sizes: M-XXL.
MERKEL HUNTERS CAP In Merkel green; universal adjustable size.
PAPER WEIGHT Sturdy paper weights from the Merkel manufactory: manufactured from walnut wood with colour case hardened or nitride finished steel plates. DESKTOP ACCESSORY From the Merkel manufactory: desktop accessory of walnut wood with engraved steel or nickel silver inlay. It displays hunting motifs. With blown glass pen and matching inkwell.
COMPENDIUM I
MERKEL: TECHNOLOGY FOR CONNOISSEURS It is part of the philosophy of the Merkel manufactory to continually develop and improve the technology of the Suhl hunting gun – without discarding proven solutions. This compendium documents and explains many of the technical solutions pertaining to the hunting gun from Suhl. TRIGGERS The variety of trigger combinations is as varied as the hunt. Merkel caters for the individual needs of hunters with a wide range of different triggers.
DOUBLE TRIGGER: Two trigger blades, one behind the other, serve as a sure sign of different barrels. The forward trigger serves the right/upper barrel, the rear rigger the left/lower barrel. If required, Merkel combines double triggers with set triggers for the precision shot. With heavy rifles the double trigger is often designed as a hinged trigger. This trigger form helps prevent recoil-related injury of the trigger finger. FINELY TUNED TRIGGER: Finely tuned triggers are designed with a low trigger weight, without the need for
a set trigger. Safe operation of finely tuned triggers requires a manual cocking system. SET TRIGGER: With special system constellations, Merkel endorses the set trigger as an instrument of the precision shot. The set trigger serves to reduce the trigger weight immediately before the shot, in order to prevent the gun jumping when the trigger is pulled. With the set trigger used by Merkel (“French set trigger”) the trigger blade is pushed forward – then the gun is engaged. A set trigger reduces the trigger weight by about one fifth of the normal trigger force. FINELY TUNED TRIGGER of the K3 single shot rifle – three-stage adjustable without the use of tools.
FEINABZUG der Kipplaufbüchse K3 – werkzeuglos dreistufig regulierbar.
COMPENDIUM 293
EJECTORS Ejectors eject the bullet casing after the shot is fired, and are always expedient where quick reloading is important. The ejector shows its worth at the driven hunt, small game hunting and on safari in Africa. This is why many of Merkel’s side-by-side shotguns, side-by-side rifles, over-andunder shotguns and over-and-under double rifles are equipped with ejectors.
EJECTOR LOCK: This type of ejector is a real small rifle gunlock with a hammer, which strikes the cartridge ejector when the trigger is pulled and accelerates it together with the case. Each barrel requires its own ejector lock. When the barrel reaches a defined angle by opening the gun, the ejector lock releases the fired barrel and catapults the case out of the cartridge chamber.
COIL SPRING EJECTOR: The widely used coil spring ejector is particularly suitable for over-and-under shotguns. Here the cartridge ejector is constantly under spring pressure when the gun is cocked. When the barrel is fired the ejector remains tensioned until the gun is opened. When a defined opening angle is exceeded the ejector is released.
EJECTOR LOCK of a 303E over-andunder shotgun, ejected.
COMPENDIUM II
MERKEL: TECHNOLOGY FOR CONNOISSEURS LOCKS AND ACTIONS The gunlock is the energy storage system of the gun, which serves to trigger this energy safely and reliably. Merkel uses a whole range of different locks – partly due to the requirements of the design, partly due to the requirements of aesthetics or tradition. BLITZ LOCK: With the blitz lock system, the functional parts are mounted on the inside of the lock plate – this ensures that the receiver is not weakened by mounting and drilling. The lock action can be removed en bloc from the action assembly. The locks are cocked by tilting of the barrels and the energy stored in springs – very similar to the box lock. Merkel uses this lock action for its drilling family, and can thus offer one of the very few three-lock drillings on the market. With the Blitz lock drilling the locks are cocked by tilting the barrels – or with the manual cocking system. DUO MANUAL COCKING LOCK: The Duo manual cocking system combines
the safety of the manual cocking system with the option of rapid reloading. After the shot has been fired this manual cocking system becomes a self cocking system, which draws its energy from tilting the barrels – further cocking after loading is not necessary. MANUAL COCKING LOCK: With the manual cocking lock the energy to strike the hammer is generated by the thumb via a cocking slide on the stock wrist. The gun is carried in a decocked state and is only cocked just before the shot. Merkel offers manual cocking systems both with single lock and double lock actions.
BOXLOCK: The boxlock, patented by William Anson and John Deeley in 1875, is probably the most widely used lock action for single shot rifles. The boxlock contains the very few functional parts of this locking system. The simple design is the basis of its legendary reliability. This boxlock is so perfect, that any deviation from the idea of its inventors would represent a complication and degradation of the design. Merkel has therefore only modified the Anson & Deeley boxlock for its over-and-under guns. The boxlock is cocked by tilting the barrels.
BLITZ LOCK, decocked.
COMPENDIUM 295
SIDELOCK: The sidelock is the oldest and most elaborate lock model. Its original form can be found in early hammer guns. With modern sidelocks the external hammer has been relocated and is now on the inside of the lock. In the case of Merkel sidelocks, only the vehement V-springs are used in the side-by-side guns and the 303 series. They have the advantage of shorter shot development times than compression springs. Through the special lever ratios, sidelocks enable an agreeably low trigger weight. For additional safety, Merkel generally fits this lock with catch levers.
GAS OPERATED LOADING SYSTEM: Gas pressure loaders are semi-automatic firearms, with which during the shot development a part of the gases of the propellant is withdrawn from the barrel and acts on the self-loading mechanism. The breech is unlocked and opened with this energy; the empty cartridge casing is ejected. With the subsequent closing of the breech by the action spring a new cartridge is fed into the chamber. The Merkel SR1 semiautomatic rifle is a gas pressure loader with rotary bolt head and six locking lugs – it is locked directly in the barrel.
ANSON & DEELEY LOCK,
SIDELOCKS,
decocked.
303E.
COMPENDIUM III
MERKEL: TECHNOLOGY FOR CONNOISSEURS LOCKS AND ACTIONS The breech locks the breechloader when a shot is fired. Merkel guns always lock at least double and always with a combination of different breech versions – depending on the design and the breech load, up to fivefold. GREENER-STYLE CROSSBOLT: With the Greener-style cross bolt a barrel extension protrudes into a slot in the receiver. There it is locked with a steel bolt. The locking mechanism was developed by the English gunmaker William Greener (1864-1900). This locking mechanism prevents the tilting of the barrels and at Merkel is only used as an auxiliary locking system to barrel lug locking. BOLT ACTION: The bolt action (also cylinder lock) is the classic repeater action, which is also often used with semiautomatic rifles. At Merkel the bolt action generally locks in the barrel. This facilitates shot precision, and increases the safety and service life of the gun. The six locking lug action is tested for pressure up to 8000 bar.
KERSTEN CROSSBOLT: The Kersten or double greener cross bolt is the locking mechanism used for over-and-under guns or powerful side-by-side guns. Two barrel extensions at the breech end of the barrel lead into two slots in the receiver and are locked with steel bolts.
mechanism. Franz Jäger’s development is extremely rugged and torque-free – with Merkel gun of the B class it can be removed from the receiver without the use of tools.
BARREL LUG LOCKING: An elaborate locking mechanism for break open guns: for Merkel guns they are used to lock the high-grade Meisterstücks. A breech block leading into the receiver catches into both barrel lugs and double locks the barrel in the receiver – a double locking mechanism for more safety. TILTED BLOCK BREECH: In break open guns, the tilted block breech, developed by Franz Jäger in Suhl and patented in 1906, locks directly into a slot of the barrel – steel on steel. The locking mechanism involves a steel block with a lug that catches into the slot. The breech, which Merkel uses with many MEM guns, enables the use of duralumin receivers, without having tor dispense with the steel on steel locking
Bolt head with six locking lugs.
COMPENDIUM 297
Greener cross bolt.
Kersten cross bolt.
double bottom bite locking.
J채ger tilted block breech.
COMPENDIUM IV
SPECIFICS OF THE MERKEL MANUFACTORY The Merkel manufactory is a gun factory like no other. Here a conscious effort is made to make things differently than anywhere else, if this serves the gun, its safety, its efficiency or its aesthetic.
CALIBER ADAPTED RECEIVERS: The old rule still applies today: the caliber of the barrels determines the dimensions of the receiver. With Merkel hunting guns the receivers are made-tomeasure to the supplied caliber – which
enhances the appearance and elegance of the gun, and avoids unnecessary weight. It would be easier to offer a universal receiver – but this would be less attractive and less elegant. STEEL ON STEEL PRINCIPLE: For reasons of safety Merkel’s locking mechanisms are exclusively steel on steel – i.e. steel barrels with steel bolts. The Jäger tilted block breech is used as and additional locking system in duralumin receivers.
KALIBERADAPTIERTE BASKÜLE: Kaliber 28, 20 und 12.
STABILISING INERT MASS SYSTEM: People who hunt with large caliber guns, have to deal with heavy recoil forces. Whilst other manufacturers inset shock absorbers with movable parts in the buttstock, Merkel uses a well balanced system of various inert masses. The inert masses integrated into the buttstock of an Africa rifle are perfectly aligned to the weight of the hard soldered barrels of this gun – thus the balance is retained for swinging the gun and the recoil is also reduced. And this without any movable part that could destabilise the handling.
COMPENDIUM 299
THREE-PIECE FOREARM: The forearm is by definition the part of the stock in front of the breech block. In over-andunder gun the forearm encompasses the lower barrel. Three-piece forearms are time-consuming to make, because all the wood pieces of a gun have to be matched with each other – in geometry and in wood grain. Three-piece forearms make for a slim-line rifle; and they offer the advantage that they can be mounted around the barrel. MUZZLE ADJUSTMENT: When changing ammunition, cartridge load or scopes on double-barrel guns, it may be necessary to readjust the point of impact of the barrels to each other. With traditionally manufactured guns with soldered barrels, this also requires laborious soldering work. Merkel uses a precision engineering solution for muzzle adjustment. Two openings in the muzzle enable fine horizontal and vertical adjustment of the barrels (bidirectional) via thread-adjustable slot wedges. This makes the work of experience gunmakers much easier and more precise than with the solder method.
TOP-DOWN PRINCIPLE: At Merkel, for reasons of safety, it is the receivers with the highest caliber of a rifle series that determine the power reserves of all the underlying receivers. Thus it is the Africa rifle that sets the standard – even for a side-by-side shotgun. MERKEL BARRELS: One hundred percent control of the central technologies of gun barrel manufacture is a fundamental principle at Merkel. This is why Merkel manufactures all shotgun and rifle barrels itself in the Suhl manufactory and does not use barrels made by other manufacturers. The barrels are made on two cold forging machines in a hammering process. Merkel supplies many well-known industrial manufacturers and handcraft gunmakers with barrels from Suhl. HANDED-DOWN QUALITY: At Merkel, quality from tradition means that we maintain production processes if they serve the quality or safety of our rifles. With soldered barrels or with brush oxidisation, for example, we rely on traditional methods, which produce
barrels unrivalled in their elegance and the finest surfaces. Merkel maintains these processes in the tradition of the Suhl gunmakers. SOLDERED BARREL SETS: In the formative years of the company, Gebhard Merkel registered a patent for stress-free soldering of gun barrels. The barrel assembly and bonding by means of hard and soft soldering is a skill that today is only mastered by a few gunmakers.
Three-piece forearm.
PUBLISHING DETAILS MERKEL Jagd- und Sportwaffen GmbH
Photograph and image credits (the figures refer to the numbers to
Schützenstraße 26 I D-98527 Suhl
the right of an illustration):
Phone: + 49-3681-854-0 I Fax: + 49-3681-854 -201 info@merkel-die-jagd.de I www.merkel-die-jagd.de
1: Postcard out of the Merkel archive I 2: engraving out the 18th century I 3: Memorandum of association of the „Waffenfabrik Gebrüder Merkel“
Many people and institutions have contributed to the creation of
(ThStA Gotha, country court - notary Rudolf Emmerich - deed register 1898
this family tree. We thank the following for their kind support:
Bl. 443r) I 4: Gebrauchsmuster-Rolle aus dem Archiv des Waffenmuseums
· Suhl City Archive
Suhl I 5: Shop diary from Fritz Wenig | 6: Ad for the Grand Prix | 7: Article
· Peter Arfmann and the Suhl Weapons Museum
Dr. Sack (ThSTA Meiningen. Merkel Nr. 44) I 8: Letter of congratulation
· Gotha State Library
(ThSTA Meiningen. Merkel Nr. 22) I 9: Max Schmeling (http://de.wikipedia.
· Fritz Weniger on behalf of the descendants of the Merkel family
org/wiki/Max_Schmeling) I 10: Shop photo of the photo album the former managing director Kessel I 11: Disappropriation deed (ThSTA Meinigen.
Brand development, research, concept, layout and realisation:
Merkel Nr. 44) I 12: Gagarin photo - Suhler town archive (Photographer:
id pool GmbH I Krefelder Straße 32 I D-70376 Stuttgart
Manfred Raps) | 13: Garagrin photo - Suhler town archive (Press picture
office@id-pool.de I www.id-pool.de
Rolf Kornmann. Repro: Gerd Manig) | 14: Over and under shotgun ( Magazine „DDR Export. Zeitschrift des Außenhandels“) | 15: Matthias Dunkel
Historical research and text: Holger Siegel I id pool GmbH
( Magazine „DDR Export. Zeitschrift des Außenhandels“) | 16: Stamps
Art direction and Design: Frank Reichert I id pool GmbH
(http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Briefmarken) I 17: August F. Möbius (http:// de.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_Ferdinand_Möbius).
Photographs: Arnulf Hettrich (Stuttgart) I Thomas Lange (Suhl) Thomas Kärcher (Ulm) I istockphoto.com I Repro: Martin Hähn
Because we continously develop and enhance our products de-
(Farbecht, Dusslingen) I Printing: Ottodruck (Oberndorf)
scribed in our catalogue are subject to change. Also many of our products are custom made. The guns only be purchased by people
Printed on Galaxi Keramik, a certified paper made out of sustainable forest management.
in possession of a valid permit. All rights reserved.