BTW,
My Merkel .470NE is regulated for 50 meters, and at 100 yards, the bullets have crossed and are diverging, but a 1.6" crossed group at 100 yards ain't bad. It has a 50 meter fixed leaf and a 100 meter fold down leaf.

50 meters:

LR
RL .... 1.6 cm

100 yards:

R L
R L .... 1.6 inches, center to center

100 yards is all the "far" I need to be shooting this thing anyway.

Having a V rear sight and a good round bead front sight is faster to acquire when shouldering the gun. I found that the square notch rear and front post sight was not the fastest combination for me. I found that I had to slow down to consciously look for the front sight when mounting my gun to my shoulder.

475guy,
Obviously that gun did not fit you, or you needed some new shooting spectacles.

The flat square-notch rear and the bold post front are as vast as any V and bead, AND covers up less of the target.

RIP

It didn't fit me at all. I had to shorten the stock and put a pad on it. I found that with the replacement sights, I didn't need my specs to shoot.

Thanks for the input and opinions! After further review I am having the Pachmayr pad installed and the mercury reducer installed....the sights will get the "paint treatment" as I have done in the past on my combat .45 autos...works great on them. I'll post the results. Thanks, again, and Merry Christmas to all.

Gary B.

on my mekel I took the lead weight out. Using it hunting I found I carried it for 2 weeks and shot it once. Also on my old eyes I ended up insetting a couple of pieces of fiber optic material on both the front and rear, Green in front and red in back. Really easy to see and use, just the the green ontop of the red.

Don't put mercury Reducers in it, ruins the balance, learn to shoot it...Load some reduced RL-15 loads with 5 grs. of dacron to about 2000 FPS, mild recoil an accruate, and I have shot a lot of Buffalo with that very load...

I would suggest you forget that Bearclaws and other bullets and use Woodleighs to get it shooting right with both solids and softs...then play with the other bullets if you must, but the Bearclaw is not as good a bullet for buffalo as the Woodleigh IMO...

Then try some GS cup points or flat nose solids from Northfork and see if they shoot...If the cup points shoot then I wouldn't use anything else..You can hear those babies hit a Buffalo, sounds like you hit a rug on a clothes line with a boat paddle! and I assure you he won't make many tracks...

For a max load start with 105 grs. of IMR-4831 and load it up until the barrels come together, that is usually around 108 grs. in a Searcy, don't know in a Merkel...

I looked at a 9.3 Merkle double the other day and fell in love on the spot...sweet littl gun. The .470 Merkel sure did fit me and pointed well.

Gary,
that merkel nearly handles like a fine 410, doesn't it?

Do NOT stick merc tubes in it.... start reloading with cast bullets... if you can get them, ty 600s at 1500fps... feels like a 30/30, and you be able to train UP with that load.

don't worry about regulation with that load... if it's 6 up and 6 out, EVERY TIME who cares, you are learning the gun...

work that load up to 1800-1900fps, and switch back to jacketed bullets... woodlieghs are as "cheap" as hawks here.

Wayne D, at (608) 647-8070, will make your cast bullets for you

jeffe

Ray and Jeffe....OK...I give up, no merc tube....but I am getting the Pachmayr pad...reduced loads or not that plastic but plate has got to go! Jeffe, yes, I have a little 28 ga double, albeit lighter, that doesn't come to the shoulder any nicer than the Merkel...I just love the feel of the gun. Ray, I'll order some cup points and load them up...I seen the posts here that rave about them. I'm not married to the Bear Claws...the gun came regulated with the Sledgehammer and I'd thought I'd try to duplicate that load then move on.
Ray, on the cup points,,,any reason RL 15 wouldn't work? Because of all the handcannons I reload for, along with my 9.3, I have A LOT of 15 on hand. And yes, I have the dense black foam AND the dacron pillow filler.

Thanks, guys.

Gary B.

Mac, Dugaboy, has a Merkel 9.3X74R. It's a sweet handling well made rifle. It truely does point as if it were a fine .410 double shotgun. I keep looking for a deal on one.



Also NE450#2's Chapuis in 9.3X74R is a fine double.



Garby, please email me at rkmojo@aol.com

Garby,
Chances are that 108 grs. of IMR-4831 with a 500 gr. bullet at 2245 FPS and and 85 grs. of RL-15 with the same 500 gr. bullet and 5 grs. of dacron at 2020 FPS will come to POI together at 50 yards..but you must work up to that and try it in your particular gun, if not then you will have to tweek those loads up and down a grain at a time until they do.....

My Searcy shoots both of those loads into one hole at 50 yards...I used the RL-15 load with a cup point in Africa this year to compare it to the IMR load with cup points for killing effect, couldn't tell any difference other than the IMR load got a bit more expansion as expected, observation of killing effect showed little difference..

Gary
In my 450 No2 I have used [for full power loads], IMR 3031, IMR4831, and RL-15. I found that 3031 had the most pressure, 4831 kicked the most, and RL-15 had the lowest pressure. All 3 shoot good in my rifle, but I like RL-15 the best.
I still use 3031 with the 350 gr. Hornady RN for a velocity of 2330fps.
In a friends 470 we used 75 grains of IMR 3031 with Hawk 350 gr. .035jkt, it regulated and shot right with the 500 grain factory loads the rifle was regulated for.

My 450 No2 regulates 350 grain bullets with the same powder charge that I use for the 480/500 grainers, I just have a lot of 3031 on hand.

For a much lighter load use Nitro for Black loading data.
With a 350 to 400 grain bullet [like the Hornadays for the 475 revolver] start with 45 grains of IMR4198 and work up until the load hits to the sights. YOU MUST USE ABOUT 15 GRAINS OF POLY AS A FILLER.
In my 450 No2 a 300 gr jacketed bullet with 52gr of 4198 gives 1878fps
a 400 grain cast with 50gr of 4198 gives 1822fps.
These loads are fun to shoot and still have plenty of power for deer and pigs.