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I've found a used Merkel .470 online. The dealer sent me some pictures. Any idea what these marks are on the muzzle/crown?

Merkel Muzzle

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I've found a used Merkel .470 online. The dealer sent me some pictures. Any idea what these marks are on the muzzle/crown?

Merkel Muzzle

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Are you referring to the dark spots? That looks like some sort of a stain in the solder. Can you inspect it in person?

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I'm wondering about the dark spots, the dark line connecting the 2 muzzles, and the marks around both crowns.

Yes, It's only about a 90 minute drive to go have a look, but I'm just trying to understand what I'd be looking at, and how to know what to avoid.

Thank you.

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You are in Ontario, but I'm not sure where (it's a big province after all). I would suggest you jump in the car and take a trip to Epps and personally inspect the new Merkel .500 NE they have in stock. This will give you a reference point to know what a factory finished Merkel muzzle looks like.

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So I went to look at the Merkel I have and there is no discernible chamfer on the outside edge of the barrels at the muzzle. It is very square and almost what one might call "sharp". There is a small chamfer on the inside of the bore as one would expect where the crown was finished at the factory. Mine is a 9.3 x 74R, but I expect that factory finishes at the muzzle would be much the same irrespective of bore. My other doubles of recent manufacture show similar traits, but the Heyms have a tiny bit more pronounced internal crown chamfer. The external edges of the muzzle display the same squared off trait as the Merkel with no discernible chamfer. Hope this helps......

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I've found a used Merkel .470 online. The dealer sent me some pictures. Any idea what these marks are on the muzzle/crown?

Merkel Muzzle

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There's not a thing wrong with those muzzles. The chamfering is correct, and the polish marks look just right. The black marks are discoloration from firing - powder residue and nothing more.

Merkel has the practice of leaving the barrel wedge prominent. The finisher used a flat hone to polish the face of the muzzles. He first polished horizontally above and below the square wedge. Then he polished vertically to the left and to the right of the wedge. So in the final finish you will see vertical polish marks to the left and right with horizontal polish marks above and below the wedge. All are defined by the width and height of the prominent wedge.

The black marks will clean off with a bit of solvent and judicious rubbing.

To make you feel a little better I just pulled out the barrels to my Merkel .500NE. They are exactly the same, even to the point of having some powder residue. I know that mine has not been altered in any way, since I bought the rifle brand new.




A Merkel is a very well-made and serviceable rifle. They fit and handle well. They represent very good value in today's market.

Curl

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RoscoeStephenson.com

YOUR DOUBLE RIFLE IS YOUR BEST FRIEND.

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Re-regulation was a thought that also crossed my mind. It is entirely possible, but why the metal work, aka filing, chamfering, etc?

To re-regulate, I would think a melting of the solder and a reposition of the barrels using the existing and uncut / unfiled metal work would suffice. Maybe a flat file to clean up any roughness where extraneous solder may have collected, but why the chamfering creativity?

Others here on the forum are far more qualified than myself to comment on the process of re-regulating and the required cosmetics associated thereto. I would imagine that maybe the ribs need to be removed, and the muzzle solder melted out in order to reposition the barrels and then test firing. Then the ribs reattached, and the whole bloody thing reblued....

Would the dealer answer questions wrt to the state of the muzzles or allow test firing? If the cost differential between this one and a new one is not great, I'd go for the new one and simply avoid the shenanigans that may or may not have gone on.

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I've found a used Merkel .470 online. The dealer sent me some pictures. Any idea what these marks are on the muzzle/crown?

Merkel Muzzle

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There's not a thing wrong with those muzzles. The chamfering is correct, and the polish marks look just right. The black marks are discoloration from firing - powder residue and nothing more.

Merkel has the practice of leaving the barrel wedge prominent. The finisher used a flat hone to polish the face of the muzzles. He first polished horizontally above and below the square wedge. Then he polished vertically to the left and to the right of the wedge. So in the final finish you will see vertical polish marks to the left and right with horizontal polish marks above and below the wedge. All are defined by the width and height of the prominent wedge.

The black marks will clean off with a bit of solvent and judicious rubbing.

To make you feel a little better I just pulled out the barrels to my Merkel .500NE. They are exactly the same, even to the point of having some powder residue. I know that mine has not been altered in any way, since I bought the rifle brand new.




A Merkel is a very well-made and serviceable rifle. They fit and handle well. They represent very good value in today's market.

Curl

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Thanks for your help. And while I certainly agree with your general comments about Merkels (based on what I know of them), I don't think we are seeing eye to eye on these muzzles (unless this is one of those "is the dress white & gold, or blue & black"? things!) because, to me, your muzzles look quite a bit different. And I've since had other dealers send me pics of the muzzles of their Merkels (new and used), and none of them have that mysterious line under the wedge connecting the 2 crowns. Are you saying that it came from the factory that way, because that's hard for me to believe. And again, the others I have seen were clean and bright like yours. Ultimately, there may not be anything wrong at all, but it looks odd.

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The line to me looks like the top of the bottom rib. On Curl's you can see the same line where the two different metal types meet. Why the line is so pronounced could be powder residue simply accentuating the join..... If the dealer is relatively local, it's likely worth your while to inspect in person.

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