After a lot of thinking I've finally decided on a Merkel 961L doubble rifle drilling in 8x57IRS and 20/76.
The dealer has only 1 gun in that combination, so if I don't like what I'm gonna see it will be 8-10 months waiting for another one...
The good thing is that I can order it with a choice of wood and engraving

M

The order for my Merkel 961L double rifle drilling is placed
Delivery in October, luxus wood, Game engraving, the 8x57IRS rifle barrels regulated at 100m for the Norma Oryx 196grs.

Can hardly wait....

M

That will be an excellent hunting gun.

Are you having a scope fitted?

I highly recommend you do, as I have found a scoped combo gun to be as effective a rifle as a bolt gun.

Will put a Swarovski Z6i(2) 1-6 Circle dot in quick detachable mounts on it..
Really like that scope and the reticle, pricey but excellent..

M

Excellent choice of scope.

I have used the Circle Dot reticle on a lot of game, and I really like it.

Hi,

Why buy a rifle drilling in Norway? What are you planning to use it for mostly...?

On the other hand, who cares ? ;-)Congrats!

Thanks!

The gun will be used on Roedeer driven hunts and for wild boar in foreign countries.

M

I have never hunted in Norway, but anyplace that furred game and feathered game are both in season, and located in the same area, a Drilling or Combo gun is a great hunting gun to have.

They also work great for varmint hunting.

My new Merkel is arriving next week...

M

Metric, I am looking forward to more pics after she arrives!

Finally she is here...

M

It looks really good! How long are the bbls? How much does it weigh?

DM

55 cm barrels, 3,2 kg. Sounds like a baby

Keep us posted on how she shoots.

Yes, please let us know how it shoots.

I've been drooling over the drillings lately too...

My first pick would be 9,3x74R x 9,3x74R over a 20ga

I`ve had one Merkel 961l(2x9,3x74R-20/76) for about a year now. Very satisfied owner, but it has been a challange to be able to shoot it well enough. I think I am a quite good shooter, but since this was my first double I had to work a lot with myself before the gun shot as good as I wanted. Now I am able to place 4 shots with in 8-10 cm @ 100 meters. Loaded with Lapua Mega 285 gr/VV 140 powder.



The rifle is topped with a Nightforce 2,5-10x24 with light mounted in a Recknagel G9 Plus.

I use it with the scope off when tracking down wounded game. It shoots beautifully also with Brenneke Exact at 50 meters.

Here are the shots from the factory that came wih the rifle.











So far I have shot hare, moose and roedeer with it. By the way the breed of the dog is a Wachtel hund. Got two of those:-)

Best regards Hunting terrier

Took a short trip to a friends shooting range yesterday. Fired 10 shots with the rifled barrels, and 2 with the smooth bore.

This is far away from a bolt action!! The heawy trigger pull, short barrels, low magnification scope etc makes it rather difficult.
The drilling had only been bore sighted, so the first 6 shots was made to get it "on spot".

The best "group" of right-left shots were about 2 1/4 inches apart at 70 meters. Not too impressive, but good enough for further practise.
I made a couple of quick shots with the shotgun barrel at 25 meters, and it was right on target The Swarovski Circle Dot is really a scope for this kind of shooting!

The Winter has made its grip around here now. Looking forward to long afternoons at the 100m range next spring.

Morten

I am on the path to the best of all worlds. I just acquired a Merkel 96K in 16-gauge over a 9.3x74R barrel with a 1.75x6 scope in swing mounts. I just found a 9.3x74R insert barrel for it. I also have 20-gauge inserts and a .22 long rifle insert. Now I have choices of a double rifle drilling, a double shotgun drilling, or a bockdrilling.

I share your enthusiasum for the drilling but I would be very carfull useing the 9.3x74 einstucklauf with your Merkel. I'm pritty sure these were made for only some specified guns mostly over and under and some heavy duty SXS. Your Merkel might not be compatable. I would send a message to the company who made the insert and see what they say.

Hi AK, and thanks for the heads-up. I actually was told that my drilling is compatable with the insert by a Merkel rep who was putting one in his own gun. Apparently, the newer 96K guns are some of the few conventional drillings that are strong enough to use with these.

quote:

why is the 7,62x53R not common in combos? Seems it would do anything the fairly common .30-06 does but with a rim!

Hystorically. There was police restriction in Russia for using army calibers in hunting rifles. So there was combo with 308 and 30-06, rather uncomfortable.
But I have combo MTs105 20\7,62x54R and very glad.
Apropos, .308 may be simply rechambered to 7,62x54R (53R - Finnish term for the same cartridge)

Went to the Range yesterday, finally a day warm enough for some shooting.
The Merkel put 3 shots with the right barrel in a one inch cluster. The left barrel will put its bullet about 1,5 inch to the left and somewhat lower.
One interesting thing is that the second shot(left barrel)should come within 6-10 seconds after the right. A to early shot(3-5sec) will be placed further to the left, while a shot after 20-30 seconds will be up to 10 inches(?) to the right.

Is there any sensible explanation on this "phenomena"? I know the barrel will heat the other one up, but....


M

Metric,

When I got my Ferlach over and under combination gun (16bore over 7x65R) it took me a while to get used to it. Firstly when you shoot any rifle barrel the barrle heats up and expands. On a single or bolt action, provided the bore is perfectly concentric it won,t warp to any appreciable degree - heavier the barrel the more stable - thats why target rifles have such heavy barrels so they can fire a shot string.

With any combination gun the barrels are very thin so they heat up. Given that they are also soldered to each other they will warp in the direction of the other barrels. On mine, 1st shot is bang on, 2nd quick one is 1" high (barrel is bottom so will warp upwards), 3rd is 3" high - ie reloading and shooting as fast as possible. If I let the barel cool between shots - a minute or so, longer in warm weather, then it puts three shots through a penny on my 70 yard range. Double rifles are regulated so that a right then left shot go together, and are regulated so that the two shoots are let off quickly as would happen when taking a couple of quick shots in the field. Not fire the right, think about things for a while and then fire the left. If you have the time to think about things, quietly reload - and you can do so quietly, and then take a 2nd aimed shot with the right barrel (or whichever is the front trigger). Once you have accepted this and are aware of this, its actually not an issue. Most game is taken down with that first shot, and the second is close enough as you are taking a follow up. Running Game is different and generally much closer - accuracy is good enough. At the end of the day provided you are consistently hitting a clay pigeon sized target every time, thats venison in the larder.

The other key thing is that these guns do not perform at all well with forend laying on a bag and just trigger hand on the stock - as seems to be the norm now for those used to shooting heavy barreled sniper type rifles. You need to positively hold the forend and stock into your should and control the recoil. If you are using a rest, then rest your front hand on a rest, and if needs be rest your trigger hand on a bean bag or trigger elbow on the bench. It took others to tell me that, and once done so I find it a joy to shoot and more than accurate enough to take Roe Deer / foxes out to 150+yds and have taken a number of the latter even further.

Thanks a lot, Heym SR20!

Have been reading something about this issue lately. You sum it all up.
The Swedish magazine "Vapentidningen" tested a Merkel 961L (like mine) last summer, and came to the same conclusions. The shots should come within 6-10 seconds, pretty much like a hunting situation.
I'm impressed by the precision of this gun; more than enough for my roedeer and moose hunting. Lightweight and handy, this is likely to become my new favourite

M

Three shots(R-L-R) with my Merkel 961L at 100m.



M

metric, that is good to go, well done.

The 8x57, and the 8x57R are not well known to most American hunters, but they are great calibres.

The 8x57R is a most excellent calibre for a Double Rifle, Drilling, and any other break open rifle.

I also took Merkel 96 for driven hunts and for boar hunting with dogs. It's 8x57-8x57-20. Very handy and lightweight.











Sorry for phone picture. 50 meters, 2 shots, open sights.

quote:

One interesting thing is that the second shot(left barrel)should come within 6-10 seconds after the right. A to early shot(3-5sec) will be placed further to the left, while a shot after 20-30 seconds will be up to 10 inches(?) to the right.

The same thing with my Merkel.

i have for sale sauer drilling, 16/70 with 303 BRITISH,
beautufull drilling fully engraved with bear engraved on stock

Got an old Roebuck with my Merkel 961L today.

M

I just ordered Merkel-USAs last double rifle drilling during their sale last week. Double 9.3X74R over 20ga. I have a scope and mounts and a .22 Magnum insert barrel for the shotgun barrel. It ought to prove interesting. It's supposed to weigh only 7 pounds.

Allan, I handled one at the SCI show this year....you'll love it :-)

The Merkel 961L came in today. It weighs 7lb, 3 oz. It already has Rechnagel swing mount bases. I think I'll get another Minox 1.2-6 scope from Cameraland. I have one on a Merkel 16/22HP combo and I really like it. I didn't find any documentation as to what it was regulated with, so I'll be calling Steyr tomorrow. I'll probably use Hornady 250s, as I already have ammo.

I found the regulating paperwork. 232 grain Norma Vulkans was the ammo used. I have the Norma factory duplication load for that, plus some hand loads from a previous gun. But the gun shoots to the sights at 50m with 250 Hornadys and 3" low with 286 Hornady factory ammo.