If you had a choice between the two, in 500NE, which would you chose and why. There is the Krieghoff in the classifieds and I know where there is a used (2 shots)Merkel that I can get for under 8K.
I have a deposit on one of the Sabatti's, but guess I could suffer with another caliber if I got one of the above.
Thanks

If you insist on buying one of these two in 500 NE, buy the less expensive one.

quote:

If you insist on buying one of these two in 500 NE, buy the less expensive one.

Now THERE'S a glowing endorsement!!!!!

I own both, and if I was buying another, I would get the Krieghoff. They are accurate, comfortable to shoot, well made and the cocking lever is very safe. I am not knocking the Merkel -- I have shot five elephant with mine -- but just think the Krieghoff (have used mine on three elephant) is a better rifle all round. A strong endorsement of your selection of a .500 NE, it is one helluva of a cartridge and you will feel far more comfortable using it in close than you will with a .450/.400 or some lighter caliber.

I really like the K-gun too-- they are strong and usually very well regulated. I like the stock design too, it fits me well. If I ever get the chance at a 375 flanged in one at a good price I'm going to grab it.

Ed

I have shot a Merkel and I own a Krieghoff in .500/.416. They are BOTH great guns but
if they were both the same price and I had to pick just one, I would pick the K-gun. They are very solid guns and they usually shoot really well. On the other hand, if I could pick up a Merkel at a substantial reduction in price over the K-gun, I would be hard pressed to pass it up. My only reservation is that I think both guns are very light for caliber in a .500 NE. John Taylor notwithstanding, for me anyway, a 10.5 pound .500 NE just seems to beat the daylights out of me. Maybe there is a reason that Merkel has only been fired twice?

Sorry Big Five but that made me laugh

quote:

Originally posted by Biebs:

quote:

If you insist on buying one of these two in 500 NE, buy the less expensive one.

Now THERE'S a glowing endorsement!!!!!

If you want to see a picture of Big Five Jack, I think you need to grab your Webster's and look up "Curmudgeon" !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I would agree with Mike, given the choice at or near the same price, I would choose the Krieghoff.

quote:

Originally posted by MJines:
I own both, and if I was buying another, I would get the Krieghoff. They are accurate, comfortable to shoot, well made and the cocking lever is very safe. I am not knocking the Merkel -- I have shot five elephant with mine -- but just think the Krieghoff (have used mine on three elephant) is a better rifle all round. A strong endorsement of your selection of a .500 NE, it is one helluva of a cartridge and you will feel far more comfortable using it in close than you will with a .450/.400 or some lighter caliber.

I would agree with Mike on every point here! I have Merkels, and have shot K-guns, but after witnessing Mike shooting his 500NE K-gun down in Houston last October, you can take anything he says about the K-gun to the bank.

In my case the K-gun simply doesn’t fit me well, and would require a very expensive restocking to be useful to me, but if they fit me, the K-gun would be my pick between the two as well. The Merkels do fit me very well, so for me that has to be the pick for me personally.

I agree as well with the statement about the comfort with the 500NE over something like the 450/400NE if I were an elephant hunter. I'm not an elephant hunter, nor will I ever be, and for everything up to and including cape buffalo, the 450/400NE 3" double is my first choice for it's all around versatility. Don't take this as a dislike of the 500NE double! I absolutely love the 500NE doubles, and the 450/400NE 3" as well, and if someone here buys a 500NE Merkel or 450/400NE 3" of just about any make, in good condition, and finds he has made a mistake,and would rather have a 470NE Merkel, I have a pristine Merkel 470NE 140-2 Safari double that I will trade straight across for the 500NE, or a nice 10 pound 450/400NE 3”.

Mike do you need both 500NE doubles?

I would go with the K-gun, #1 reason you can buy extra barrels for it in four or five calibers, no fitting ready to go. You need to call me, come to Delta and shoot my 500, better yet I'll meet you at the Montrose Rod and gun club, with full loads and plinking loads best of both worlds, like having a 450/400 and a 500.

Thanks dirklawyer, I will take you up on that.

Dealer told me that the guy that owned it was about 5'6" and 160 lbs or so and wanted to use it for elephant. Two shots was all he wanted

quote:

Originally posted by MacD37:
Mike do you need both 500NE doubles?

Sort of embarrassed to admit that I have three -- in addition to the Merkel and Krieghoff, I have Dan McCarthy's .500 NE Searcy that he used on seven elephants. It is one of Butch's earlier .500 doubles. I have been trying to convince Buzz to trade me some hunting credit for the Merkel, no luck so far.

As pointed out by another, both rifles are light for 500 NE.

Hence my original post. I think all the experienced elephant

hunters that have used 500 NE rifles say the caliber is a very

fine choice. Even 400NitroExpress has said the Merk's are

serviceable rifles. Some guys like the cocking system of the

K's some don't. I would think the usual weights of the two

rifles better match up to .45 or .41 caliber ammo.

You will be glad they are not heavier once you have carried it for seven hours in the bush. If you are buying it to shoot at the range, buy a 12 pound rifle. If you are buying it to carry in the bush, buy the 10 pound rifle.

quote:

Originally posted by MJines:
You will be glad they are not heavier once you have carried it for seven hours in the bush. If you are buying it to shoot at the range, buy a 12 pound rifle. If you are buying it to carry in the bush, buy the 10 pound rifle.

If you buy the K and not the merkel let me know where the merkel is as i would be intrested in a that if its under 8K

quote:

Originally posted by MJines:
You will be glad they are not heavier once you have carried it for seven hours in the bush. If you are buying it to shoot at the range, buy a 12 pound rifle. If you are buying it to carry in the bush, buy the 10 pound rifle.

Or reduce your own weight with 10 pounds before you go for that elephant hunt and keep those 2 extra pounds on your rifle...

. . . seven hours of carrying a 12 pound double in the bush will take care of that for you.

Even John Boy said these pigs should only weigh 10 or 10 1/2 pounds and he walked for a living, with a gunbearer.

To try to justify 12 and 13 pound porkers is absurd.

You get overweight doubles from one-size-fits-all gun designs, lawyers (oops, nothing personal!), and kids that are too stupid to know better.

A target from my Krieghoff .470 NE at 50 yards. So far it has taken a buffalo and tuskless. It is fun to shoot.



I really like the Krieghoff's handling, accuracy, and the cocking/decocking device. It ain't the prettiest rifle in the world, but I don't care much about that. I have a 'pretty' .404 Jeffery Mauser:






The Merkel is a nice rifle also, but I would much rather have the Krieghoff. If I had more money I would get a Butch Searcy's double.

. . . trade you my Merkel for the Jeffery.

Beautiful rifle.

I would take MJines' opinion all the way to the bank. Buzz says MJ is an Elephant killing machine. I am getting an early Searcy in 470 NE, and the only thing I would change would be to turn it into a .500NE 3". I had a Krieghoff, and foolishly let it get away from me.

Rich

Thanks Mike, I always wanted a .404 Jeffery and found that one at Cabela's.

And, I'm trying to 'keep up with the Jineses' so when I got the chance to buy a Duane Wiebe .500 Jeffery I did...now if I could just shoot ten jillion elephants like you (and shoot them as well as you have). Now that would be something!

Now let's see, I trade the .404 for your Merkel and Buzz trades me an ele hunt for the Merkel...ha ha!

Those two .500 Jeffery's belong together long term. When you get ready to sell yours or I get ready to sell mine, we need to let the other person know. I should have mine back from Duane before too long, he is shortening the length of pull (since it was built for him), replacing the rail mounted scope with a claw mounted scope and doing a little fix on the grip cap. I am looking forward to getting it home.

I would fire both and see which one fits! Fit and handling is more important than the differences in the two makes.

NB- I own and love my Krieghoff - I really like the cocking system. I would prefer ejectors though. The guns do not open as far as the Woodward (extractor only) that I have used...if you do everything right the reload is fast. If you do not...that is when you see the extra 5º or so opening of the Woodward being worth it!. Ejectors would solve the problem...but it ain't going to happen and I am not likely to inherit the woodward...so I am putting in the practice with the Krieghoff!

I sent my K to K to get them to increase the opening angle. The way they come from the factory is a dangerous joke.

Don't know what they did but one should think about having it done.

Thank you Will!! Didn't know they coud/would do that! Peter Brass will have an email waiting for him in the morning!! It would make all the difference between 'satisfactory' and superb.

If it were I, Merkel. I hate that damned idiotic cocking system on the K-gun and their wood and fit and finish is about on par with most factory production rifles, a lot less than I would expect for a $12K gun. The K-guns I have shot have been comfortable to shoot and damn accurate, though.

quote:

Originally posted by MJines:
You will be glad they are not heavier once you have carried it for seven hours in the bush. If you are buying it to shoot at the range, buy a 12 pound rifle. If you are buying it to carry in the bush, buy the 10 pound rifle.

Words of wisdom gentlemen! You carry a double rifle a hell of a lot more than you shoot it, and under hunting conditions, you don't feel recoil, but when walking ten miles back to the hunting car, you surely feel those extra pounds in a heavy rifle.