Have looked a couple of times at a listing for a Merkel cape gun.Hammers, old looking, really good shapefor the age but doesn't look refinished from what I can see. It is marked E A Merkel and few real proofs or marks. Dimensions would lead me to think 40/65 or a german 10mm cartridge of similar dimensions.
The serial number is 11xx. I have seen a lot of discussions concerning the actual manufacturing dates of these, but would anyone have a ball park figure as to the approximate age?

Edit.

This is a hammer gun with very old style hammers.

400 Express might be an option. I would guess that E.A. Merkel hung out his gunmaking shingle in circa 1890? Could have been a few years prior?

Serbus,

Raimey
rse

https://www.germanhuntingguns.com/archives/archive-e-a-merkel-gewehrfabrik/

Serbus,

Raimey
rse

I have a nice Steyr ape gun that was made in the early 1870's and this gun, has to be at least that old, maybe older. If not, it was manufactured in a retrograde style.

Well, it very well may be but it wasn't made by Ernst August Merkel.

Serbus,

Raimey
rse

I might have to eat my hat on that one; maybe not......

Ernst August Merkel(1853-1912)..... So add say 24 years to obtain his Master Mechanic Sheepskin and he could have rolled out a longarm in 1877?? Although I haven't see the longarm nor do I have it >>in hand<< as Ford would say, but I still think it will date to the 1800s at the very earliest.

https://www.germanhuntingguns.com/archives/archive-merkel-brothers-4-pg-14-pg-46-t-50-t/



Serbus,

Raimey
rse

Would be nice to see some images of the oldest surviving Merkels.