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I said in my previous posts that I would share whatever findings I developed in working-up my new Merkel .500NE.
So...
The rifle is the plainest grade, but fit, finish and workmanship are quite good (it's not a London Best, but it didn't cost as much, either), the barrels are well-struck, nicely polished without ripples or lumps, and the ribs are square, even and properly proportioned. Sights are very good: my personal preference is for square post fronts and corresponding notch rear sights. Finish of both metal and wood is good: very workmanlike. After my misadventures with the Pedersoli Kodiak .45-70 rifles, my first concern was for the quality of the barrels used in assembling the Merkel - I expected them to be good and they are - though the groove diameters are larger than the nominal .512", and run around .514" (I am unable to give the actual groove diameter at present because I do not have the means of measuring directly in odd-numbered groove schemes, except 3-groove).
The rifle came complete with brass (Rigby HS, but almost certainly made by Bertram), bullets (Woodleigh SP and solids), dies, etc., so I was able to load ammunition right away (and remind myself the hard way that I MUST get a press with greater vertical opening - the old Rockchucker won't do for cartridges this large).
So, I loaded the A-Square manual's recommended starting load of IMR4831 (actually, WW2 surplus 4831) - 109 grains, and went to the range this Saturday.
Saturday was not really a good day for testing a new rifle at the local range: it was windy, with gusts up to about 30MPH. Also, though I know very well that double rifles should be shot from a standing rest, supported only by the hands, I have not had time to fabricate a suitable one, so ended up shooting over the top of a folding chair atop one of the concrete benches, with a couple of folds of old carpet padding the chair back. All this should be taken as evidence of just how eager I was to actually shoot this rifle.
Having placed a target at 50 meters (the regulated range), and loaded both barrels, I rested the rifle (grasped in my left hand) atop the chair and carpet, waited until the gusts of wind moderated, flicked-off the safety, and watched the sight picture wavering across the target (well, not too much) while squeezing the front trigger: BOOM! I had gotten the first shot off, and made an urgent mental note to myself: 'when shooting top-lever rifles of significant recoil, DO NOT leave the thumb resting atop the safety!). After a short pause to push the shattered part of my thumbnail back into place, and stop the bleeding, I fired the left barrel - my concentration was not entirely what it should have been: the first shot struck at exactly the level of the point-of-aim, and about 1" left of center, while the second shot struck some 2" higher, but also 2" left.
I set the rifle aside and had a talk with myself about the insignificance of a throbbing thumb (and waited until it wasn't throbbing quite so much - about 15 minutes) before essaying further shots.
The second pair (right and left) struck at about 1" right of center, level with point-of-aim, and directly at 6 o'clock and 1/2" high. A few minutes later, I fired one further shot (right barrel), which struck 1" into the black and about 1/2" right of center.
Given the unsuitable conditions (ALL of them), and intending to save ammunition for better, more controlled testing, I called it a day. But, I had demonstrated sufficiently for myself that the rifle does shoot well, is properly regulated, and is great fun to shoot (recoil, while greater than my .458, is not brutal - it wouldn't have hurt my feelings had Merkel put a good recoil pad on the rifle, but since they didn't, I made-do with three of the insert pads stuck in my Rigby vest - that worked quite well.
On balance, my first impression is: I LOVE THIS THING!
I'll keep you all informed of future shooting (including cast bullets, when I can acquire suitable ones).
mhb - Mike

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Sancho! My armor!