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Merkel Model 50 British shotgun review

Merkel Model 50 British shotgun: marvel at the Merkel Model 50 British, a German shotgun with an elegant style that competes with the best of British side-by-sides.

Merkel Model 50 British shotgun review
ShootingUK
ShootingUK 12 July 2011

Merkel Model 50 British shotgun
The Merkel Model 50 is different; different, that is, from what has gone before.

Where this maker?s side-by-sides used to sport unashamedly Continental styling, the Model 50 has a British look, hence the model designation.

I believe Viking Arms, the long-time importers of Merkel firearms, had some influence in this matter, recognising the need to raise the profile of these guns in the UK.

Merkel as a company has been in existence since 1898 and has always ploughed a lone furrow, producing fine quality firearms with their own distinctive character.

It is, perhaps, better known for its over-unders which embody tradition with Continental flair and have proved worthy rivals to many London guns.


></img> <br /> <br /> <br /> Now, with the Model 50, it has made the effort to compete head-on with British makers in the side-by-side stakes. <br /> <br /> <em><strong>BRITISH STYLE, GERMAN DETAILS</strong></em> <br /> The originality is mostly in the detail, such as the adoption of rose and scroll engraving and, surprisingly, Merkel?s penchant for barrel extensions and cross-bolting is absent. <br /> <br /> This gun locks up on a straightforward double bite system which has been proven for years as more than sufficient for a gun of this type. <br /> <br /> At first glance the Model 50 could be mistaken for a sidelock rather than a sideplated boxlock, so effective is the fit and shaping of the parts. <br /> <br /> We should not be surprised as the metal-to-metal and metal-to-wood fit on Merkel guns has always been exceptionally good. <br /> <br /> However, it is also when studying the sideplates that it becomes obvious that the maker has not slavishly produced a ?Brit-copy? because they still have more than a hint of Merkel?s house style in their shape. <br /> <br /> Merkel has a proud tradition and I think there is little doubt that they still feel a need to do some things their way ? and who can blame them? <br /> <br /> What this means is a shotgun of overall British styling with a few well thought out Germanic touches that only become obvious as one examines it in detail. <br /> <br /> One such case is the fine chequering at the nose of the top and bottom ribs, only possible because they are profiled to fit the barrels exactly without any solder filler. <br /> <br /> The top rib is in the concave English form, but file cut for its full length and the foresight bead a little larger than those used by many of our makers. <br /> <br /> <br /> <img width=

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