I went to a new gun shop in Lexington, Kentucky on Saturday. They had a Merkel double rifle in 8MM Mauser, they said it was an 8x57. Nice grain in the wood but the stock was banged up some, metal and blueing weren't to bad although some of the screw heads were buggered up. They said the rifle was made in the 1920s, it has a price tag of over $6000.00. It is the first double rifle that I have ever seen in a local gun shop. It is a very little rifle smaller than a 410 double barrel shotgun. I fell in love with the rifle when I picked it up, I was glad it is way out of my price range or it would be in my gun safe right now. No it wouldn't be in my gun safe I would have taken the day off from work and I would be out shooting right now. Well one of these day when the kids are all gone I may own one. Bryan

Merkel is selling brand new ones for $4000. I just bought one.

Zimbabwe,
The new one you bought was it an 8x57?
Bryan

quote:

Originally posted by 7x57:
Zimbabwe,
The new one you bought was it an 8x57?
Bryan

7X57 The Modle 140 SXS double rifle frm Merkel comes in many chamberings, as noted in their info below. A far better cartridge is the 7X65R, or the 9.3X74R as they are rimmed cartridges. The 8X57 IRS is rimliss, and not as well suited to double rifles as the rimmed cartridges, IMO!

quote:

140 Side-by-Side Rifle - Technical data Intro Details Technical data Specifications and options Short steel action with Greener-style cross bolt and double conventional bottom bite, double trigger with front set trigger, automatic safety, cocking indicators
Stock: Quality walnut stock with pistol grip, with or without cheek piece.
Caliber: 6,5x57R, 7x57R, 7x65R, .308 Win., .30-06, .30R Blaser, 8x57IRS, 9,3x74R
Barrel length: 60 cm
Overall length: approx. 102 cm
Weight: approx. 3.6kg (depends on caliber and wood density)
Engraving: ‘Simple arabesque’
Intro Details Technical data Specifications and options

hey mac d..... a small correction

any metric cartridge designation with a letter "r" in it means a rimmed case

a rimmed 8mm is an 8 x 57 jr for 318 bore and
8 x 57 jrs for 323 bore

rimless versions do not have the "r"

hope this helps clear up future confusion, tom

mac d - congrats on your 7 x 57 double. that is a cracking good caliber for round the world use.
i have a merkel sidelock o/u that i used in wales & scotland with great success on stags and fallow deer.

the old boars showed the english what this cartridge could do as well as the spaniards did at san juan hill. it will not let you down, tom

7x57;
My Merkel is a Model 141 and is 8x57 RIMMED. The box is marked 8x57IRS. It is a European stocked and fitted gun,humpback stock,ejectors,single non-selective trigger,red flourescent front sight blade. The dealer had one other but it has already sold. Maybe merkel has some more available. These two were $3995 each. Worth calling GSI and asking. Barrels are NOT adjustable for regulation. Very nice gun, I'm looking forward to much enjoyment from it.

zimbabwe,
I am not going to buy the rifle that I looked at Saturday. I was very impressed with it though, I can see why some people love the double rifle. Bryan

quote:

Originally posted by tomo577:
hey mac d..... a small correction

any metric cartridge designation with a letter "r" in it means a rimmed case

a rimmed 8mm is an 8 x 57 jr for 318 bore and
8 x 57 jrs for 323 bore

rimless versions do not have the "r"

hope this helps clear up future confusion, tom

Tom, you are right of course, I simply looked at the letters wrong! IRS with the "S" indicateing .323 bore, and the JR indicates the origenal .318 bore!

Tom, I don't have a 7X57 double rifle, my small Merkel is a Mod 140E 9.3X74R! I have a H. Berella chambered for 8X57JR (.318)Cape gun with the 8MM barrel on the right,and a 16 bore shot barrel on the left, side lock hammer rifle!

That cape gun will place a 196 GR bullet on the sights at 100 yds, and a Brenneke slug right beside it, also at 100 yds, every time. The shot barrel will shoot a 98 % pattern with no. 7 1/2 shot at 35 yds as well. I have always been a big fan of the 8MM cartridges. I also had a S/S double rifle chambered for the 8X57JR as well,and I wish I still had that one. It accounted for several Muledeer, Black bear, and elk in the years I had it.

The regs I quoted in my other post were from Merkel's web-site (not GSI) from Germany, and they do not even list the Mod 141. Zimbabwe's rifle must be something fairly new.

Zimbabwe does your rifle have ejectors, cocking indicaters,and auto safety? That 8mm will be a very useful rifle in Arizona, and New Mexico! Congrats!

mac d 37 - you are a lucky man to own a berella
he was a good supplier of real quality guns & rifles. i had an o/u of his that i should never let go..... it is so hard trying to keep them all !

Mac D37,
My 141 has a single NON-selective trigger,ejectors,NO cocking indicators,auto safety and the barrels are NOT adjustable but use the conventional wedge, the front sight is a Patridge in red flourescent,coin finished reciever and european hogback stock with NO cheekpiece,21.6" barrels. I really like it. Would like to use it in Africa but probably never will. It would be good for everything up thru Widebeest that I would normally use a 30-06 for.

Zim
After my wifes success in Zimbabwe on 2 kudu, a zebra, and a wildebeest with her 308 and her drilling in 30-06 on another kudu and a warthog, I would not hesitate to use your 8x57 Merkel on any plains game.

PS. A double with 21.6" bbls, mighty short, mighty sleek, mighty slick.

I wish I had a 308 just like it. [Only because I have a bunch of 308 ammo, no flies on the 8x57 at all.]

quote:

Originally posted by zimbabwe:
Mac D37,
My 141 has a single NON-selective trigger,ejectors,NO cocking indicators,auto safety and the barrels are NOT adjustable but use the conventional wedge, the front sight is a Patridge in red flourescent,coin finished reciever and european hogback stock with NO cheekpiece,21.6" barrels. I really like it. Would like to use it in Africa but probably never will. It would be good for everything up thru Widebeest that I would normally use a 30-06 for.

Sounds like a neet little rifle, and with a good Luepold 1.5-5X 30mm scope, with a No. 4 German post and crosshair, with the tip of the post illuminated, it would be a perfect Leopard over bait rifle, as well as for all plains game!
ZIM, you ought to come on down to Texas, to hunt with us in Jan. That little Merkel will fit right in!

Just one more twist to the 8x57. Some makers Back in the thirtys some gunmakers made barrels with a .321 diameter. The Idea was that it could handle ether ammo. I have a O/U Merkel 8x57 that was made in the in the late 30's and it has .321 barrels.

7x57
Would you share the name of the shop that has the vintage Merkel. I would like to go down and check it out. It would be nice to make a comparison with mine

Akshooter,
Classic Firearms on Southland Drive.
Bryan

7 x 57

I have examined that rifle several times. It has been in stock there for at least 6 months.

I like the guys that run the shop. They used to work for Antique and Modern and started their own. I have bought a couple of guns from them since they opened. I will have to say on that one, though, that I think they are suffering from "double-itis". Its the only one in the shop and, IMHO, they are way too proud of it.

It has all the issues you mentioned, plus if you pull off the forearm, there is a lot of shallow pitting under the wood. It extends somewhat into the visible area. The bores, to me, don't look the best either.

As to caliber, it is definitely chambered for a rimmed round. If it is an 8x57, it is for one of the rimmed versions. The barrel markings show it to be made in the 20's, but it is not marked as to chambering, so it could be a number of cartridges. It appears to me to be the proper size to be an 8x57 JR or JRS, but only a barrel slug and a chamber cast can tell for sure. The germans made a lot of 8mm rimmed calibers around that time.

Like you, I loved the gun, but only for what it was. It seems reasonably tight and functional mechanically, but I think is really "tired". Wood, metal condition, metal finish etc need a lot of attention. IF a chamber cast showed it to be an 8x57 rimmed, I would think it would be a $2800-3000 rifle, and would still cost more than it is worth to refinish. If it is an oddball chambering, I wouldn't think that much.

Often older guns like that have a lot of character and appeal, but that doesn't equate to value.

Art,
What do you think of Antique and Modern Firearms? Bryan

I love going there. They get some really interesting pieces. They are not overly cheap, but they are competitive, and on their collector guns they generally deal in really good quality. I know for a fact they bend over backwards to stand behind their guns. One thing you have to realize is that they are primarily collectors and not dealers in the normal sense. The two owners are real experts in their own niches of the market. Although they carry them, they are not the type of shop to go to for a run of the mill hunting gun.

Thanks for the info on the shop. Sounds like there is a couple of shops to check out down in your area. Once deer season ends I'll still have a couple of months down here in Kentuckyiana to kill before going home to AK for the summer.