Bonanza,

I haven't shot the Merkel .470, but I have a Merkel .500NE that I have shot several hundred times over the past year.

My .500 weighs 10 lbs. 3 oz. I initially thought it was on the light side, but as I shot it I began to appreciate its balance and ease of carry. Ultimately I came to the conclusion that I like the weight quite a lot. It's a bitch off the bench, but at 11 or 11 1/2 lbs. it still would be a bitch off the bench. Offhand it's a peach and doesn't hurt a bit. I haven't hunted with it yet, but I know for a fact I would rather carry it at just shy of 10 1/4 lbs than to carry one at 11 1/2 lbs. The pain of the all-day carry would be much worse to me than the little bit harder shove when pulling the trigger. That's a tradeoff, and I think Merkel got it right.

Just my opinion. I know that others may disagree. That's why they make DR's in so many varieties.

On the other hand, the CSMC Rigby SLE .470 being discussed on another thread, this one, at 9 lbs 4 oz. whould probably be quite a thumper! There's a point where the trade-off between portability and shootability goes the other way.

Best regards,
Curl

P.S. I'm not casting off on your Chapuis .470. It's a fine rifle, I'm sure.

Curl