doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com NOT using this gun at Grousemas anymore!

Good MOA group Ted!! Patterns looks more like a rifle then a shotgun. Still a beautiful shotgun by the way.

If you like the gun and are getting birds with it who cares how it's choked. There are times when it is better to be dumb and happy then smart.

Ted,
I have 3 Merkels. A 12-20-28 ga. All are choked iC/MOD. Interestingly, they all measure .008 and .018, what you would expect for 12 ga. boring. Oddly, they all pattern IC/MOD beautifully at 25 & 40 yards. I'm still trying to figure that one out, but there you are.
I really don't care for spreaders either by the way.
Karl

Not excessively or uncommon for other brands, when? This gun was built in the 1940s, long before plastic shot cups were in use.

What was the point of a backbore of .015 when your wad was felt, circa 1948? I've seen Darne guns that were pre-war with the same 16mm bore. I don't know exactly what they were after. I assume it tightened the pattern up slightly with old felt wad ammunition, at the risk of blown patterns with heavier loads, and tightens the pattern to the next constriction, say, modified to full, with plastic shot cup ammunition.

It is choked too tight for the type of grouse hunting I have done with it. That point might be difficult for someone who has never been in a northern MN. grouse woods to come to grips with, especially in the first 40 days of the season. 25 yards is a very long shot in that setting. I have no plans of opening it, I have others that will do. I actually have good "depth" on sliding breech guns choked for grouse hunting, either of these will do nicely:







I eschew spreaders as I usually have a pooch along for the day, hell, I wouldn't hunt birds if I didn't have a dog.



I'm not convinced the "spread" of spreaders is very well controlled, or, predictable.

Karl, have you ever measured the bore of those different guns, and discovered how close to industry spec they are, or, aren't?

Best,
Ted

PJ,
I own, like, two dozen shotguns. I have guns with choke tubes, but, none are doubles. I did change a choke tube in a King's Ferry Ithaca model 37 3" 12 gauge (ever see one?) a while back, to shoot a round of trap-I had an IC tube in it for pheasant hunting, and replaced it with a modified. But, I seldom do that. I have two autoloading shotguns, I didn't purchase them, and haven't used either in about 4-5 years, I'm guessing. We are on a double gun site, and when I'm hunting, I guess I prefer to use good, old fashoned, double guns.

I've managed to avoid screw choking any good quality double guns. I have opened a few, but, again, not recently.

That is why I hang out here, and not, say, on a Browning autoloader site, or, a plastic stock/glow worm bead site, or, a shotgun barrel porting site.

I guess this post was more about discovering where a gun I own will best serve my use as it is, rather than running out to buy the latest new gun.
Early season grouse hunting doesn't typically offer shots with a truly clear view of the bird, a lot of time, or long shots. Most of the leaves are still on the trees, at that time. I'm leaning toward not using or bringing this gun along, based on the short range perfomance I saw today.

I don't need another gun.

Thanks, anyway.


Best,
Ted

Ted,
The barrel flats indicate that they are slightly overbored for the respective gauge. I've had the bores measured as well as the chokes. The choke measurments indicate a very long choke taper. I suspect that is why they pattern as such.
RE: Spreaders. Years ago I was on a hunt with a couple of guys, one who was using spreaders. The dog took a pellet in the lung with deadly results. That hunt still haunts me.
Karl

Ted,
This is my Merkel doing what it likes best.
Karl

Ted,
By the way, I was able to finally post the picture above thanks to the previous advise from Ken61 in a previous post. Now I can finally share pictures painlessly. Many thanks again!
Karl

My comment wasn't a historical perspective.

I also have no clue 'why'. Why is my current production German 410 bored .401? There is a chart online of max/min diameters and sure enough, German minimum is .401.

I respect your safety decision on the spread load over your dog.

Have a nice summer and good hunting next season.

Another beautiful shotgun. Karl, ordered from Merkel?