OWNER’S MANUAL MERKEL O &U SHOTGUNS VER NDER SUHLER JAGD-UND SPORTWAFFEN READ THE INSTRUCTIONS IN THIS MANUAL CAREFULLY BEFORE USING THIS FIREARM!
Owner’s Manual MERKEL OVER & UNDER SHOTGUNS Models: 2000E, 2001E, 2002E, 303E This manual and the warnings contained herein must be read and understood before using your shotgun. This manual familiarizes the user with the function and the handling of the shotgun and warns of the potential dangers of misuse that may lead to accidents or injuries. This manual should always accompany this shotgun and be transferred with it upon change of ownership, or when the shotgun is loaned or presented to another person.
WARNING! TREAT EVERY FIREARM AS IF IT WERE LOADED AT ALL TIMES! REMEMBER, NO SAFETY IS FOOLPROOF! FIREARMS SAFETY IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE PERSON WHO HANDLES FIREARMS AND AMMUNITION! Dear Customer: Your Merkel Over & Under Shotgun is manufactured by Merkel to the highest standards. It has been produced to meet state-of-the-art requirements for today's hunter. You can expect unsurpassed performance, superb quality, optimum user comfort, and long service life.
IMPORTANT NOTE: This manual is for use with Merkel Over & Under Shotguns 2000E, 2001E, 2002E, 303E. If you are unsure of the exact model of your Merkel Over and Under, please contact GSI, Inc. for identification. Read this manual thoroughly and completely familiarize yourself with your Merkel Over & Under Shotgun to get the maximum enjoyment and safety from your new shotgun. Technical specifications of this shotgun may change without notice.
TABLE OF CONTENTS Page No. Essential precautions for the handling of shotguns…………5 Before shooting your new Merkel shotgun …………………9 Bore obstructions WARNING …………………………………9 Illustration of major components.
ESSENTIAL PRECAUTIONS FOR THE HANDLING OF FIREARMS THE WARNINGS AND ADVICE GIVEN IN THIS MANUAL ARE FOR YOUR PROTECTION AS WELL AS THE SAFETY OF OTHERS. DISREGARDING INFORMATION IN THIS MANUAL MAY RESULT IN SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH. Before you attempt to use or shoot your new Merkel Shotgun, learn and understand the following basic rules. Your safety and the safety of others depends upon your safe and careful handling of your new Merkel shotgun.
commercially available transport case. ALWAYS keep the muzzle of your shotgun pointed in a safe direction. NEVER point any firearm at anything you do not intend to shoot. Stay alert and be aware of all persons and property within shooting range. NEVER give a loaded firearm to another person. ALWAYS open the action and inspect the chamber for ammunition, and unload any firearm before giving the firearm to another person for inspection. ALWAYS ensure that the safety is in the “Safe” position.
of even one shot from a firearm, or other firearms close to you, could leave a ringing in your ears for some time after firing while the cumulative long term effect could be permanent hearing loss. ALWAYS use only clean, dry, original high quality commercially manufactured ammunition in good condition loaded in accordance with factory standards. Do not use ammunition that has been exposed to prolonged periods of dampness or moisture.
USE caution to avoid dropping a loaded firearm. Dropping the shotgun may cause an accidental discharge even if the safety is in the “Safe” position. Be extremely careful while hunting or during any other activity to avoid dropping any shotgun. An accidental discharge could result in serious injury, or death. TAKE EVERY PRECAUTION to prevent unsafe firearm handling practices around yourself and others.
KEEP this instruction manual on hand for future reference. Please include this manual with the shotgun in the event you lend, give or sell this shotgun to any other person. BEFORE SHOOTING YOUR NEW SHOTGUN Usually, your Merkel franchised dealer will furnish your shotgun in completely assembled condition. You need only clean the barrel bore of oil and wipe the bore dry before shooting.
bore if (assuming the trigger has been pulled with a live shotshell in the chamber) the shotshell contains no powder, or the powder fails to ignite, and only the primer charge ignites, resulting in insufficient force to propel the wad or shot column out of the bore. Whenever an obstruction occurs, keep the muzzle of the shotgun pointing in a safe direction and proceed as follows: • Any shotshells should be removed.
11 Figure 1-Parts Identification Muzzle Barrel Forearm e For Forearm Bracket Forearm Latch ug L arm Hinge Pin Barrel Lugs Trigger Receiver Buttstock Safety Top Lever Hinge Pin Recess Chamber
MERKEL Over & Under Shotguns SPECIAL NOTE: Unlike most firearms, your Merkel shotgun is individually handcrafted by skilled gun makers who have inherited and acquired their skills from generations of the master gun makers in Suhl, Germany. Upon assembly you will notice that the working parts of your shotgun will have distinctive tight fitting characteristics and may therefore, be somewhat difficult to open, close, and lock the action.
Safety Figure 2 Over & Under Safety Mechanism WARNING! SAFETIES ARE MECHANICAL DEVICES THAT MAY FAIL OR MALFUNCTION LIKE ANY OTHER MECHANICAL DEVICE! ALWAYS HANDLE THE SHOTGUN CAREFULLY AND DO NOT PERMIT THE SHOTGUN TO POINT IN AN UNSAFE DIRECTION! ALWAYS TREAT THE SHOTGUN AS IF IT WERE LOADED AND READY TO FIRE! ALWAYS OBSERVE SAFETY RULES WHEN HANDLING THE SHOTGUN! THE SAFETY SHOULD ALWAYS BE IN THE “SAFE” POSITION EXCEPT WHEN THE SHOOTER IS ACTUALLY FIRING THE GUN.
When the safety is indexed forward to its most forward position the shotgun is in its firing mode. In this condition the trigger(s) can be pulled to fire the shotgun. The letter "S" inscribed on the tang of the receiver will be covered and obscured from view in this condition. When you are not using your shotgun, be sure your gun is pointed in a safe direction, avoid contact with the trigger and make sure the safety is in its “Safe” position to prevent accidental discharge.
Barrel Selector Figure 3 - Barrel Selector on Single Trigger Shotguns TOP LEVER The top lever operates the locking bolt, which securely aligns and clasps the barrel assembly shut to the receiver for firing. The locking bolt and barrel lugs are designed for gradual wear of locking surfaces and may therefore exhibit tight fitting characteristics during initial use. The close tolerances of these locking surfaces ensure that the breech of the shotgun remains tight throughout use.
Ejectors On Ejector Selector Screws Ejectors Off Figure 4 - Disconnectable Ejectors EJECTORS Most Merkel Over and Under Shotguns are equipped with disconnectable automatic ejectors. The ejector springs on these models can be easily deactivated to convert the shotgun from its normal automatic ejector operation to that of extractors by turning two small slot headed screws that are located inside the forearm assembly (See Figure 4 ).
LOADING AND FIRING Before loading the shotgun, visually inspect your safety and make sure it is in the “Safe” position. Never load the shotgun with the safety in the firing position. Avoid contact with the trigger mechanism while loading ammunition and at all times prior to firing. To insert shotshells in the chamber, move the top lever to the right with the thumb of your firing hand and open the breech. Inspect the chambers and barrel bores to be sure they are free of any obstructions.
Figure 6 - Removal of Forearm protective lubricants from metal parts on the receiver and barrel assemblies. Remove the forearm from the barrels by pulling the forearm latch out and away from the underside of the forearm (See figure 6). Remove all protective lubricants from the exposed metal surfaces with light gun oil and a cleaning cloth. After cleaning, place a couple of drops of gun oil on the metal bearing surfaces of the hingepin, barrel lugs and on the forearm bracket (see figure 1).
Maintain pressure on the barrels to keep the hinge pin aligned with the barrel lug hinge pin recess, and rotate barrels upward to close the action. Release the top lever at this time. Pivot the forearm assembly onto the barrels. Align the forearm in its proper position on the barrels and push the forearm lever upward into its housing. This locks the forearm back into its original position on the barrels.
OR CHAMBER OBSTRUCTIONS, PROPELLANT POWDER OVERLOADS, OR BY DEFECTIVE, INCORRECT(GAUGE OR LENGTH), OR IMPROPERLY LOADED AND ASSEMBLED SHOTSHELL COMPONENTS. IT IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS TO USE A SHOTSHELL WHOSE PRESSURE IS GREATER THAN THAT DEVELOPED BY SHOTSHELLS LOADED TO FACTORY STANDARDS. EVEN THE STRONGEST SHOTGUN CAN BE BLOWN UP AS A RESULT OF EXCESSIVE PRESSURE. The following information describes the identification system used to designate the gauge, chamber length and choke on your Merkel shotgun.
Chamber lengths are identified by the numeral 70 or 76. The numeral 76 designates a chamber length of 76mm which is equal to the English measurement of 3 inches. A barrel marked with the numeral 70 designates a chamber length of 70mm which is equal to the English measurement of 23/4 inches. Use of shotgun shotshells with lengths shorter than the shotgun chamber length is acceptable. However, never use shotshells with chamber lengths greater than the length of the shotgun chamber.
DRY FIRING ATTENTION!!!!! Dry firing or pulling the triggers without live ammunition is not recommended without the use of snap caps. Snap caps absorb the inertia of the firing pins and protect internal parts from the full impact force of the hammers. Continuous dry firing can potentially damage the internal parts and render the gun inoperable. DISASSEMBLY Remove loaded ammunition from the chamber before disassembling the shotgun.
CLEANING Merkel shotguns require periodic maintenance and will perform more reliably over a longer period of time if properly cleaned and serviced. Never clean a loaded shotgun. Remove ammunition from the chambers before performing any cleaning procedures. Always wipe the barrels and action with a lightly lubricated cloth to remove fingerprints, dirt and moisture from the gun after handling. Keep a light coat of gun oil on polished metal surfaces and moving parts.
streaks that run parallel to the inside of the bore. Slight residue streaks are common place and will not affect the performance of your shotgun. If lead or plastic residue appears to be excessive it can be removed by brushing the bores with a brass brush attached to the cleaning rod. First apply gunpowder solvent to the brush end of the cleaning brush. Insert the cleaning rod into the chamber end of the bores.
Notes 25
QUICK REFERENCE FOR YOUR MERKEL MODEL NUMBER:________________________ GAUGE:_________________________________ BARREL LENGTH:_________________________ CHOKE:_________________________________ SERIAL NUMBER:_________________________ DATE PURCHASED:_______________________ 26
U.S. IMPORTER GSI Incorporated, 108 Morrow Ave., P.O. Box 129, Trussville, Al 35173. Telephone (205) 655-8299 Fax (205) 655-7078 www.GSIfirearms.
