I fell in love....pic inside.....

[RickM]

So I go to Cabelas yesterday with the wife and daughter. It's about 1.5 hours away and I had always heard it was one of the best Brick and Mortar outfitters around. What a cool place....we pretty much spent 3/4 of the day there.

First on my agenda was to look at those .22 rifles mentioned in a previous thread. After a short wait one of the many sales guys was more than happy to spend time working with my daughter and showing her what they had in their considerable stock. At this point it's between a bolt action Ruger and Savage (stainless/composite). Pretty much leaning towards the Ruger. (The semi auto was a beautiful package as well.)

Anyway, as I was browsing through the "Gun Library" I stumbled upon two rifles that I absolutely fell in love with! (The beauty of this place is you can open the cabinet and get a feel of how these works of art feel in hand.)

First: Merkel K-1 Jagd .30-06 Stalking Rifle
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/content/community/gun_inventory/inventory/glendale/merkel/714262_merkk1jagd06.jsp

Second: Merkel K1-Jagd .308 Win
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/content/community/gun_inventory/inventory/wheeling/merkel/697876_merk308k1.jsp


Does anyone have any experience with this manufacturer? Do they shoot as beautifully as they look and feel? I'm thinking I might want one in my future.


Merkel K-1 Jagd .30-06 Stalking Rifle

[svandamme]

looks weird, it's like a duckhunting shotgun with the barrel of an air gun with a oversized scope on top

dunno , i don't dig it much

[Flatbutt1]

the Cabela's out Rt 78?

[Rick Lee]

My dad went that Cabella's on Friday to buy a steel spinner target. It was rated for up to .44 mag. But it went downhill pretty fast when I hit it with a few rounds of .223 on Sat.

[livi]

That´s a fluffin´handsome piece of wood..

[Porsche-O-Phile]

$4,300?!?!

It's pretty and all, but. . . damn!

[RickM]

Originally Posted by Flatbutt1

the Cabela's out Rt 78?

Yup, in Hamburg, PA. Been there?

[RickM]

LOL, think they used a fluffer for the pic? heh heh

Yes, the price is quite steep....until you pic up the $25,000 shotgun next to it.

[Jeff Higgins]

I have never been a big fan of break open rifles. Maybe doubles for very low pressure cordite or black powder cartridges, intended for very close range work. Certainly not for a "stalking rifle", meant to accurately place one shot at ranges potentially far enough to need that scope. And certainly not for high pressure cartridges, like the .30-'06. They tend to loosen up and go "off face" under the strain of high pressure centerfire shooting. And they are never as accurate to begin with as other single shot actions, especially the falling blocks.

If you want a classic single shot stalking rifle, look no further than the Ruger #1 Light Sporter. I have one in .30-'06 with a tiny little 2X Leupold on top. You can buy about five of them for the cost of that Merkel, and they are better rifles. Very light and handy, and very short with the 22" barrel. Undoubtedly the strongest centerfire rifle action made today as well; bar none. I currently have three of them; the Light Sporter, a Tropical Rifle in .458, and a custom Lilja barreled varmint blaster in .220 Swift. Great rifles.

[Flatbutt1]

Originally Posted by RickM

Yup, in Hamburg, PA. Been there?

been meaning to , every time I go by on my way to Rt81 I think..."dang I need to get in there". I'm in the market for a good CO2 pistol.

[Paul K]

When I lived in the Scottish Highlands, a lot of Germans used to show up with similar looking rifles to hunt red deer. Very cool!

[pwd72s]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

I have never been a big fan of break open rifles. Maybe doubles for very low pressure cordite or black powder cartridges, intended for very close range work. Certainly not for a "stalking rifle", meant to accurately place one shot at ranges potentially far enough to need that scope. And certainly not for high pressure cartridges, like the .30-'06. They tend to loosen up and go "off face" under the strain of high pressure centerfire shooting. And they are never as accurate to begin with as other single shot actions, especially the falling blocks.

If you want a classic single shot stalking rifle, look no further than the Ruger #1 Light Sporter. I have one in .30-'06 with a tiny little 2X Leupold on top. You can buy about five of them for the cost of that Merkel, and they are better rifles. Very light and handy, and very short with the 22" barrel. Undoubtedly the strongest centerfire rifle action made today as well; bar none. I currently have three of them; the Light Sporter, a Tropical Rifle in .458, and a custom Lilja barreled varmint blaster in .220 Swift. Great rifles.

Couldn't agree more! Jeff, far as I'm concerned...Bell is the stereo expert on this crazy O.T. board...and you're the gun guy. I've been around "tool" (read hunting) firearms my whole life, and you've gone way deeper into the subject than I have.

IMHO, the Ruger #1 has a much stronger action than the pretty break-open that started this thread...So, it depends on if you want a rifle to shoot, or a rifle to show off at cocktail parties, with people admiring the fancy engraving. That said, I've never been a fan of a single shot hunting rifle. Even the best offhand shooters (which I'm not) will find themselves wishing they had a second round to use quickly in real world conditions. I prefer bolt action in the brush...3 or 4 more rounds in the magazine. The old big club theory...with more swings with the club than one.

[vash]

ruger No 1!!! love that rifle. i would already have one, except at the time i thought accuracy was paramount. i was told that a bolt rifle was the more accurate tool, and i bought into it. my goal was glover leaf groups. now that i am older and wiser i may revisit the ruger. we all know the size of the vitals of a big game critter. glover leafs are ridiculous.

the single shot above looks sweet, but i would poop myself if i scratched it during a rugged hunt. all my rifles look "worn in".

[RickM]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

I have never been a big fan of break open rifles....

Ok, you saved me the trip back to Cabelas...

I was just curious how practical this gun was cause I think it's beautifully made.

I found this online:

" At the 2004 SHOT show I met with Messieurs Peter Yates and Einar Hoff of GSI Incorporated, the U.S. importer for Merkel firearms. The meeting provided piece one of the puzzle in the form of the new Merkel K1 Stalking rifle.
Related Results

Built on a Franz Jager-type break open single shot action, the rifle weighs a feathery 5.5 pounds, and it's nicely-equipped with a single trigger adjustable for three weights of pull. Fire controls involve a sliding safety, which cocks and uncocks the hammer for firing, or for safety.

The rifle has an extractor only (a gentlemanly feature), and sports a cold-hammer-forged barrel measuring 23.5 inches in length. Its got good, solid fixed sights even my old eyes can see, and has the ability to mount a scope. To spoil us even further, we mounted a Swaroski 3-10x in 30mm quick-release rings.

Chambered in .30-'06, the rifle is typical of the Merkel line, with wonderful hunting scenes engraved on the French gray finished action. At the range the rifle shot Federal 180-grain Nosier ammunition into five-shot groups spanning a heal 1.5" at 100 yards. Two hundred yards brought satisfactory 3-inch groups. The rifle is a true example of a stalking-type rifle and I believe proudly represents a tradition founded and built in the Thuringen Forest region of Germany since the 14th century."

[berettafan]

break open rifles are soooo TR. LOVE IT!!!

i actually heard a chorus of angels the first time i went to that Cabelas. the gun room really is something to behold.

if you like blued steel and break actions you might want to visit the Beretta Gallery and H&H store in Manhattan. i actually got to meet Ugo Beretta last time i was there. i personally am drawn to the small ga. sxs and o/u shotguns.

[Joeaksa]

Another vote for the Ruger #1. Used to shoot one in .45-70 and it was wonderful!

[tabs]

Merkel is a HIGH End German mfg of rifles and shotguns. They build QUALITY...

After reading Mr Higgins, I would say yes to one of their Shotguns in a second. However for rifles there are sooooo many choichs, just in single shots..

The price range reachs to the Moon...

Weekend before last I went out with my friend from the Safari Club to the trap & skeet range. He was trying out his new Krieghof in 28 GA, he is having a custom stock made for it and is getting it dialed in for the stock maker to whittle away alittle more. Anyway while out there he had borowed a nice LC Smith Crown Grade 12 GA SXS from Ivory Bead in Covina, CA...which I banged off a few rounds in.

While modern tech in Shotguns has superceded the old SXS there is something wonderfull about those old guns...the way they feel and shoot.

You wana put some serious money down..$4300 is fairly serious.. you should take a look at some SXSs..especially the Parker Repros in 20 GA & 28 GA....you can get a nice cased set for about 5K. Those guns ain't gona do anything but increase in value.

Ouuu Ouuu While I was in SO CA, my friend and I stopped by Ivory Beads in Covina...anyway they have the NICEST gunroom on the west coast. They specialize in High End Shotguns and have some custom rifles (no handguns). They specialize in Parker Shotguns....

While there the owners pulled out 4 of there own SXSs to show me....2 Parker A1 Specials in 12 GA and 2 FE Grade 12 GA Foxes all in magnificent condition...just $380,000.00 in Shotguns. Talk about drool running down my chin...