Hello Bonanza,

I saw your interest in the Merkel .500 NE.

Last Spring a friend and I each bought one just after they came out. We have shot them hundreds of time since then and dearly love them. They are not completely trouble free, but the problems have been minor.

Ammo is absolutely no problem. Huntington's is the solution. RCBS dies are about $230.00, the same price as .470 dies. Brass is less than $2.00 per stick and lasts forever, given the low pressure. Woodleigh bullets are less than $1.00 each, available from many sources, including Huntington's and Midway. My load is 105 gr. IMR 4350 with the 570 grain Woodleigh and a Fed. 215 primer.

The exciting thing is that Cast Performance sells heat-treated LBT style bullets in 525 grains. They regulate perfectly with the same load, shoot to the same point of aim, and cost only $75.00 per 200 including shipping. That's $0.375 each. So we are shooting the big .500 for under $1.00 per round with no problems getting components.

On the other hand, you can buy factory ammo for about $11.00 per stick. Same price as .470. It is available from Galazan (Kynoch) and Westley Richards (Westley Richards branded).

A great plus of the .500 over the .470, aside from ballistics and nostalgia, is the fact that it is a 3" case. You can load it on a standard Rock Chucker press without much contortion. The .470 with its 3.25" case is much more difficult to produce on the Rock Chucker.

The Merkel weighs just over 10 lbs. It is very comfortable to shoot offhand, but a real brute off the bench. Carries handy as hell. I am using a Galco leather slip-on pad for some extra length. (I'm 6' 3" tall) My buddy got a pad put on his.

Accuracy is fine. I can shoot 4 shots off the bench into less than 2" no problem (Ouch!) with either the Woodleigh or the Cast Performance.

It's not an English DR, but Merkel goes back to the "Golden Age" just as the remaining English makers do. They know what they are doing, and the rifle is a solid performer. I recommend the plain model (140-2), not the "higher" grade (140-2.1) with the cartoon engraving @ $1,000.00. The crappy engraving detracts and takes money out of your pocket.

I don't own stock in Merkel, and I do absolutely love the classic British DR's and have a few. I also own DR's from other nations. I'd take the Merkel over a Searcy hands down.

OK, so I've been skulking around NitroExpress.com for a good while, keeping my silence. You got my first post!

Cheers to all!

CptCurl