I need a little help on a prebuy for a Merkel 140 I just picked up today. The rifle is a 9.3 ejector rifle and looks to have seen very little use. The latch is right of center and she locks up very tight. My question is when checking for on face I remove the forearm and check for movement laterally and longitudinally, correct? Also do I perform this with the latch locked or in the full unlock (full right travel)? In the locked postion without the forearm it is tight, trip the lever and there is obvious movement. Compared that to My Merkel 470 extractor gun and there was no movement detected locked or not.

Please advise! Thank You!!

Note: while performing the test I am also applying positive force holding the rifle in the closed position.

Kelly:

Sounds to me like you're doing it right.

To review: Remove the forearm. Hold the rifle upside down, paralell to the ground. Hold the toplever in the full open position with your right forefinger. Keeping downward pressure on the barrels with your left hand, try to wiggle it. Upside down, the weight of the barrels will help keep the action closed when it's unlocked. If you've got movement, it's off face.

If it's off face, check everything else. If the bores are good, wood sound, etc., well that isn't automatically a deal killer. Call J. J. and discuss. Putting it back on face usually isn't a big deal. However, on a rifle this recent (I presume), I worry as to HOW it got off face. I think I'd want J. J. to look at it to be sure that it isn't stretched, and can be easily repaired. If so, reduce the price by the cost of re-jointing (at least), and you're good to go. If it can't, RUN.
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"Serious rifles have two barrels, everything else just burns gunpowder."

Mark,

Thanks for the advise! I thought I was doing it right. The rifle has enough movement I can actually hear it as I perform the test. Nice looking rifle otherwise! Will have to give the seller a call and come up with a solution that suits both of us!

It may be no big deal. Still a late post-war gun that off face makes me a touch nervous. I know where there's a Chapuis .375/20 bore two barrel set. Somebody put some agressive .375s through it, and it's badly off face. Action stretched and irreparable. Some still think that there's nothing wrong with overpressure loads in double rifles, and you don't want to get stuck with one of their rifles. Make the deal contingent on getting it checked out.
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"Serious rifles have two barrels, everything else just burns gunpowder."

quote:

Make the deal contingent on getting it checked out.

Will do Mark, Thank You!

Sent the rifle to JJ and upon his inspection he acknowledged that there is movement but said the gun is fine! He said as long as it is tight with forearm off, in locked position is what matters. He went on to say it is loose in the unlock postion because its a Merkel and not a Purdey. I see his point but I believe I will keep shopping for a Merkel that is tight in the unlocked position just in case I have to sell it some day!! Checked my Merkel 470 and it is tight like a Purdey!!

Your Merkel is tight because a certain indian guy broke it in for you ha ha

quote:

Originally posted by Mississippian:
Sent the rifle to JJ and upon his inspection he acknowledged that there is movement but said the gun is fine! He said as long as it is tight with forearm off, in locked position is what matters. He went on to say it is loose in the unlock postion because its a Merkel and not a Purdey. I see his point but I believe I will keep shopping for a Merkel that is tight in the unlocked position just in case I have to sell it some day!! Checked my Merkel 470 and it is tight like a Purdey!!

For what it's worth, I agree with JJ on this one. However both my Merkels are tight either way locked or unlocked. Still the action being tight with the rifle in a locked position is what counts!

................However, this advice is worth exactly what the reader pays for it! Just my opinion, nothing more.
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quote:

Originally posted by MacD37:

quote:

Originally posted by Mississippian:
Sent the rifle to JJ and upon his inspection he acknowledged that there is movement but said the gun is fine! He said as long as it is tight with forearm off, in locked position is what matters. He went on to say it is loose in the unlock postion because its a Merkel and not a Purdey. I see his point but I believe I will keep shopping for a Merkel that is tight in the unlocked position just in case I have to sell it some day!! Checked my Merkel 470 and it is tight like a Purdey!!

For what it's worth, I agree with JJ on this one. However both my Merkels are tight either way locked or unlocked. Still the action being tight with the rifle in a locked position is what counts!

................However, this advice is worth exactly what the reader pays for it! Just my opinion, nothing more.
...........................

Folks this is an up-date for the post above! It turns out there was more wrong with the little Merkel than is indicated in the post above. It seems someone did a little amature cobbeling on the rear sight, and a few dings and scrapes that were enough with thwe looseness to kill the sale for Mississippian.

This is an example of trying make judgements on a rifle from a short discription. It is not the best thing to do un-seen!