I have a 20 ga 147e that is extremely difficult to open and close. It is a retirement gift from the last company I worked for and is LNIB. I'm wondering if a good smith could do some polishing to make it easier to open and close. As of now, I have use my knee to operate it. It's well lubricated at the appropriate points but I don't think I can shoot 10k rounds or whatever to loosen it up. Thoughts?

new Merkels are usually pretty stiff but not break over the knee stiff.....is it that stiff just opening and closing or much stiffer after being fired..??...My first Merkel [147] was stiff but that break over the knee stiff only after being fired.....sent it back to the importers gunsmith [Gunther??] and he said the fireing pins were a tad to long....fixed it and returned .....fine ever since...but still a little stiff....

Well, break open on my knee may be a bit exaggerated, but the gun does require a lot of effort to open and close. I open it with the muzzle on my foot after shooting. No signs of dragging on the primers. It's just tighter than a tick. Too tight.

Dave Schiller,
I don't believe I would work on the barrels at all. The fit of the forearm "iron" often causes the problem you describe. It may help if you remove the "iron". You should see a square cut in the very forward end that bears on the lug the forearm locks into. If you slightly polish the inside of this notch, the rear end of the iron won't bear as hard on the front of the receiver. Don't remove too much, it is as easy to make it too loose as it is to make it too tight.
Mike

Thanks for the tip. I'll give it a try and report back the results.

Mike, I tried to remove the forend iron but I don't have a turnscrew that comes anywhere close to fitting the slots. The gun is still very tight even with the forend removed so I'm not going to work on it myself. It appears to be something else. I think I'll contact Gunter Pfrommer in Virginia. He's a specialist in German gunsmithing. Thanks for the tip though. Dave

Dave, you might try using tooth paste in place of grease in the places you would normally grease. Works wonders on a kinky bait casting reel. Just a thought...Geo

Dave,
Gunter Pfrommer has a very good reputation. You almost always have to grind/file a screwdriver to fit these screws precisely.
PS. Just a thought, check under the extractor to see id there is unburned powder or other trash under there. It has happened to me before. Mike

I have an appointment with Pfrommer next week. It's about a two hour drive to his shop, so I'll take the gun to him. He says a couple of hours should be enough time. Will report back after the trip.

Take the gun to Cordoba, Argentina. It will come home broken in, and you won't remember when it happened.