Yes I'm quite pleased with my Merkel in .500NE.

I got one of the very first .500's Merkel made - S/N 3, and I've shot it hundreds of times. It is accurate, reliable, handy, and fun to shoot.

Yes it's a handful. But any .500 will be. As said, a heavy rifle will hurt you more by way of fatigue in carrying than a lighter rifle will hurt in recoil.

You need to get the rifle and shoot, shoot, shoot. You will handle the recoil and be glad it's not heavier. If you buy any big bore rifle of whatever caliber and think you can be proficient with 30 or 40 rounds down the tubes you are wrong, even if the rifle weighs 12 pounds. Practice is the key. A lot of it, too. And that's the fun of it. We shoot "charging balloons" offhand at 50 yards. Great practice.

If I had the choice to magically add a pound to my rifle I would decline. I'm happy the way it is.

Curl