Does anyone know what year this model first begin production and how many were made? I looked at one today with a very low serial number and am curious. Any advice on quality?? I have not been impressed with the new Merkels I've looked at but this one is sweet.....

There is a stamp under the barrel that correspond to the year of Manufacture, the numbering is coded so it would not make sense without the coding. The S/N would be caliber first than sequential # like 470122 or 375244, this would be within the year of production. What I did was call the merkel facility in the US and ask them for the year it was made.

try this #9205) 655-8299