I have two Merkel SxS, though neither is a 147 nor a 12a. After a few thousand rounds, the 1620EL now is merely very tight. With only a few hundred, the 360 is silly tight. Yes, they are indeed stout.
The 360 (a .410) is a bit of a plaything, but the 1620 (16ga) is a great, versatile gun. I'd buy it again in a heartbeat, and would guess that the 147 is similar. One caveat... if you routinely carry a broken-open gun over your right shoulder you will sooner or later draw blood via the very sharply pointed Greener cross bolt sticking out of the left side. Good luck!
