I am looking to buy my first double i know i want a 9.3x74r but until i found this forum i was going to get chapuis now i think the merkel is the better buy from what i have read and i also like the fact that on the merkel you adjust the regulation i also want a low powered scope with quick detach mounts is that possible or will the scope affect the regulation of the gun when the scope is off and you are using the iron sights or is this only a issue on the chapuis i have saw some used merkels close to the price of the chapuis maybe 1500$ more are they worth it im leaning toward the merkel now but really it would be better if i bought a chapuis im not a wealthy man but really want a double

I owned and used a Chapuis UGEX in 9.3x74r and was very pleased wit it. It was probably the lightest and quickest handling double I have ever owned. I had a Leupold 1.5x5 VX-III in Ruger rings (blocks in rib were removed and replaced with custom Ruger bases using facrory screw holes) and accuracy was the best of any double I've ever owned. It kicked like the proverbial mule. Owned a Merkel 470 NE and was completely satisfied with it. Took one Elephant with it and it performed admirably. Last was a Merkel 141 in 8x57r. It was NOT adjustable but was regulated in the normal way. It had the same Leupold in MAK pivot mounts. It was as accurate as the Chapuis. As far as handling the Chapuis wins hands down. As far as quality I would grade all three as equal. I found absolutely nothing amiss in any of them. The Merkel 141 and the Chapuis were within dollars of each other as to price. If I were to buy another Double it would PROBABLY be a Zoli O/U or a Valmet. I don't think you can go wrong in either rifle and it really comes down to personal preference as do most of these types of decisions.

Research my previous posts.

I have been using a Chapuis 9,3x74R for several years.

It is one of my favorite rifles and one of my most favorite calibres.

I have the Chapuis swing type mounts on it with two scopes in rings. It holds zero perfectly.

I have hunted and shot it quite a bit.

I have taken game as far as 300 yards with it.

I have shot a few Merkels in 9,3 both the standard version and the newer smaller one on the 28ga frame.

I would recommend you handle all 3 of them and get the one that fits you, or you like the best.

You will really like the 9,3 double, not too much for deer, but enough for cape buff, giraffe, and elephant.

I love my Merkel 141 (e) that has adjustable regulation. I find that it handles amazingly well for me. Go to Kebco and you'll see some good prices on both the Chapuis and the Merkel. Ken, the owner, is a fine fellow with whom to do business!

Since he sells both, he may be a good source for info about comparisons, too.

Chapuis UGEX
I have a Valmet and a Chapuis.
The Chapuis is without a doubt quicker, but twice the price of the Valmet.

The Merkels in the calibre are also fine guns, I did not care for the .500 in the early production Merkel, though I'm told they have changed the now.

Both are fine rifles,but I prefer the Merkel to the chapuis. The merkel is more a treditional double rifle than the Chapuis. The 9.3X74R cartridge, however, is one of the most versitile cartridges one can have in a double rifle, especially with both well made iron sights, and QD scope attachment. Most find they use their double rifle in the USA, far more than in Africa, and the light well made S/S double rifle chambered for 9.3X74R is right for anything you will hunt in North America, and is minimum in many places in the world for everything. NE 450 No2 has taken just about everything you can think of with his Chapuis 9.3X74R rifle, and like me his 9.3 double rifle has become his favorite double. I personally witnessed him hit a coyote at 280 yds or so with both shots from his Cahpuis. The first shot hitting the coyote a little far back, spinning him, and the second barrel puting him down for the count. Most people consider the double rifle to be only good at short range, but it ain't so!

The 9.3 Merkel I have is the 140E which is the older rifle regulated perminately,it has selective ejectors, and weighs in at 8.3 pounds with 24" barrels,splinter fore-end, and for me ballances far better than the Chapuis, which is light for caliber IOM. The newer 141 Merkel has adjustable regulation, and shorter barrels 23" weighing in at slightly over 7 pounds, about the same as the Chapuis, and both kick like a mule, but a proper recoil pad will fix that little draw-back. The 141 comes with fiber optic iron sights, auto safety that can be made manual very easily, and is fitted with a splinter fore-end. The chapuis has a beavertail fore-end, which I can't stand on a double rifle or shotgun either, of course that can be fixed with a little wood work, and some re-checkering. All three can be had with facility for QD scope, and all are very accurate. On that the proper way to regulate the rifle is with the iron sights, then adjust the scope to point to a point that is half way between the centers of each individual barrel's groups. This way it is on, no matter which you are useing.

I have shot all three rifles, along with the O/U valmet, and IMO, the O/Us are not the best choice, if the barrels look like this "OO" you have a serious double rile, if they look like this "8" then you have a want-to-be double rifle. I have both types, but the O/Us are not something I would use against anything dangerous.

My pair of rifles for Africa today are a pair of Merkels, a 140-2 Safari 470NE, and a 140E 9.3X74R. They both shoot very well, and, for me, fit very well. Both the Chapuis and the Merkel are replaceable if lost,by simply buying a new one. The old used rifles are individual and are not redily replaceable.

It has always been my opinion that a person who is new to double rifles, should always buy a newly made double rifle, instead of trying to buy an old Britt double rifle. The reason for this is you can get burned badly if you don't know what to look for, and I find that some people when they get their first double rifle find they are not really double rifle people after all. The new double is less to buy, and the loss is not great when you re-sell.

In the end, both rifle are very good rifles, I simply prefer the Merkel,and I think it is worth the difference in price, but that is just me! I would reccomend you pick them both up, and handle them and buy the one "YOU" like the best.

.........Good luck, and when you get one or the other, welcome to the DRSS!