OWNER’S MANUAL M ERKEL S S SHOTGUNS IDE BY IDE SIDE-BY-SIDE RIFLES & 96K DRILLINGS SUHLER JAGD-UND SPORTWAFFEN READ THE INSTRUCTIONS IN THIS MANUAL CAREFULLY BEFORE USING THIS FIREARM!
Owner’s Manual MERKEL SIDE BY SIDE SHOTGUNS, DOUBLE RIFLES AND 96K DRILLINGS This manual and the warnings contained herein must be read and understood before using your firearm. This manual familiarizes the user with the function and the handling of the firearm and warns of the potential dangers of misuse that may lead to accidents or injuries. This manual should always accompany this firearm and be transferred with it upon change of ownership, or when the firearm 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 Side-by-Side Shotgun, Double Rifle or 96K Drilling 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 Side-by-Side Shotguns, Double rifles and 96K Drillings. If you are unsure of the exact model of your Merkel, please contact GSI, Inc. for identification. Read this manual thoroughly and completely familiarize yourself with your Merkel firearm to get the maximum enjoyment and safety from your new firearm. Technical specifications of this firearm may change without notice.
TABLE OF CONTENTS Page No. Essential precautions for the handling of firearms …………5 Before shooting your new Merkel firearm ……………………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 Firearm, 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 firearm.
commercially available transport case. ALWAYS keep the muzzle of your firearm 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 firearm 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 firearm. An accidental discharge could result in serious injury, or death. TAKE EVERY PRECAUTION to prevent unsafe firearms handling practices around yourself and others.
or subjected to treatment for which it was not designed. KEEP this instruction manual on hand for future reference. Please include this manual with the firearm in the event you lend, give or sell this firearm to any other person. BEFORE SHOOTING YOUR NEW FIREARM Usually, your Merkel franchised dealer will furnish your firearm in completely assembled condition. You need only clean the barrel bore of oil and wipe the bore dry before shooting. .
obstruction occurs, keep the firearm pointing in a safe direction and proceed as follows: • Any ammunition should be removed. • Insert a proper size cleaning rod (without a tip or brush) into the bore from the muzzle and remove the obstruction. If the obstruction does not readily dislodge, it may be necessary to lightly tap the handle end of the cleaning rod.
11 Figure 1-Parts Identification Muzzle Forearm Chamber Safety Top Lever Buttstock Receiver Hinge Pin Recess Trigger(s) Forearm Bracket Forearm Latch ug L arm e For Barrel Hinge Pin Barrel Lugs
MERKEL Side-by-Side Shotguns, Double Rifles and Drillings SPECIAL NOTE: Unlike most firearms, your Merkel firearm 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 firearm will have distinctive tight fitting characteristics and may, therefore, be somewhat difficult to open, close, and lock the action.
receiver tang directly in front of the safety. In this position sear engagement is blocked to prevent discharge under non-firing conditions.
DOUBLE TRIGGER SHOTGUNS On firearm models equipped with two triggers, each trigger operates its own barrel. The front trigger will fire the right barrel and the rear trigger will fire the left barrel. Do not pull both triggers at the same time in order to avoid excessive recoil or kick from simultaneous discharge of both barrels. SINGLE SELECTIVE TRIGGER SHOTGUNS Shotguns with single triggers are equipped with a cross-bolt barrel selector located on the upper portion of the trigger assembly (See figure 3).
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 firearm remains tight throughout use. When closing the breech of the action let the top lever move freely to its locked (in line with the safety) position (see figure 4). Do not restrain its travel with your thumb.
When you close the breech of the action, let the top lever move freely to its locked position. Do not restrain its travel with your thumb. It is recommended that the top lever be indexed to the left with slight pressure to make sure that the bolt is fully closed. (See figure 4).
Safety Figure 5 - Double Rifle Safety Mechanism WARNING! SAFETIES ARE MECHANICAL DEVICES THAT MAY FAIL OR MALFUNCTION LIKE ANY OTHER MECHANICAL DEVICE! ALWAYS HANDLE THE RIFLE CAREFULLY AND DO NOT PERMIT THE RIFLE TO POINT IN AN UNSAFE DIRECTION! ALWAYS TREAT THE RIFLE AS IF IT WERE LOADED AND READY TO FIRE! ALWAYS OBSERVE SAFETY RULES WHEN HANDLING THE RIFLE! THE SAFETY SHOULD ALWAYS BE IN THE “SAFE” POSITION EXCEPT WHEN THE SHOOTER IS ACTUALLY FIRING THE GUN.
DOUBLE TRIGGER OPERATIONS Each trigger on the double rifle operates its own barrel. The front trigger will fire the right barrel and the rear trigger will fire the left barrel. Do not pull both triggers at the same time in order to avoid excessive recoil or kick from simultaneous discharge of both Set barrels. The front trigger on some models is a set trigger and can be set by Trigger pushing the trigger forward.
matically, when the action is fully opened after firing. Be careful to position the breech away from your face when unloading the firearm to avoid being hit by ejected spent rounds. Ejectors are not available on double rifles in .375H&H, .416 Rigby or .470 Nitro Express. EXTRACTORS Merkel Double Rifles not fitted with optional ejectors are fitted with extractors. When the action is opened on these models the fired cases are elevated above the chamber for removal by hand. All .375H&H, .416 Rigby or .
DRILLINGS GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS Merkel Drillings differ from side-by-side shotguns in that in addition to two side-by-side shotgun barrels there is a rifle barrel centered directly under the two shotgun barrels. OPERATION OF THE DRILLING "SAFETY" MECHANISM There are three positions: 1. Safe 2. Fire for Shotgun barrels 3. Fire for Rifle barrel and left Shotgun barrel. ATTENTION-MANUAL SAFETY MECHANISM! THE SAFETY PROVIDED ON MERKEL DRILLINGS IS MANUALLY OPERATED AND DOES NOT OPERATE AUTOMATICALLY.
until the red dot firing indicator is uncovered. Both shotgun barrels can now be fired. The front trigger fires the right barrel and the rear trigger the left barrel. Position 3 - The rifle barrel is selected by pushing the safety slide all the way forward, the rifle is cocked when the safety button on the safety slide pops up. The rifle barrel can now be fired by using the front trigger and the rear trigger will fire the left shotgun barrel.
from simultaneous discharge of both barrels. The front trigger also can function as a set (hair) trigger and can be set by pushing the trigger forward. NEVER fire the rear trigger with the front trigger in the set (hair) position as both barrels could fire simultaneously. Note: The front trigger can be operated in its set (hair) mode for either the rifle barrel or the right shotgun barrel.
To insert rounds 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 obstruction. Insert a round in each chamber and close the action. Be sure the round primer and rim is facing rearward when inserting shells in the chamber. When you close the breech of the action, let the top lever move freely to its locked position. Do not restrain its travel with your thumb.
FIREARM ASSEMBLY SIDE-BY-SIDE SHOTGUNS, DOUBLE RIFLES & DRILLINGS Before assembly, be certain there is no ammunition in either chamber and position the safety in the “S” or “Safe” position. Remove all protective lubricants from your firearm before initial assembly. Use a cleaning rod, patches and a light gun oil or solvent to clean the interior of the firearm bore. Use a cleaning cloth and light gun oil to remove protective lubricants from metal parts on the receiver and barrel assemblies.
rel lug hinge pin recess, and rotate the 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.
ammunition that does not match the corresponding gauge or caliber of the firearm. For example, do not use 20 gauge ammunition in a 12 gauge gun. In addition, do not use rounds with chamber lengths that exceed the chamber length of the firearm barrel. DANGER - AMMUNITION WARNING! SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH OR PROPERTY DAMAGE MAY RESULT FROM ANY CONDITION WHICH CONTRIBUTES TO THE GENERATION OF EXCESSIVE PRESSURE, OR THE UNCONTROLLED RELEASE OF GAS, WITHIN A FIREARM.
Chamber Length Gauge or Caliber Choke Designation Drilling Rifle Caliber Figure 11-Gauge, Chamber Length and Choke Designation 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.
Choke Identification Description Percentage Distance 1/1 Full Choke 70 - 75 35m 3/4 Improved Modified Choke 65 - 70 35m 1/2 Modified Choke 60 -65 35m 1/4 Quarter Choke 55 - 60 35m VZ Improved Cylinder Choke 45 - 50 35m 70 - 75 20m S Skeet DRY FIRING ATTENTION!!!!! Dry firing or pulling the triggers without live ammunition is not recommended without the use of snap caps.
the barrel lug away from the receiver hinge pin and separate the barrels from the receiver. The forearm can be reattached to the barrels for storage. Do not attempt further disassembly beyond barrel and forearm removal!!! Further disassembly is not necessary for routine maintenance. Any damage incurred due to further disassembly is not covered by your service warranty. FURTHER DISASSEMBLY BY UNQUALIFIED PERSONS COULD CAUSE DAMAGE TO THE FIREARM WHICH COULD RESULT IN INJURY OR DEATH TO THE SHOOTER.
General cleaning procedures are outlined as follows. Make sure the chambers are unloaded on your firearm. Wear protective safety glasses during assembly, disassembly and cleaning procedures. Keep ammunition away from the cleaning area. NEVER test the function of your firearm with live ammunition. Remove the barrels and forearm from the receiver according to disassembly instructions provided in this manual. Use a cleaning rod with a tip and patch suitable for use in firearm bores.
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QUICK REFERENCE FOR YOUR MERKEL MODEL NUMBER:________________________ GAUGE:_________________________________ BARREL LENGTH:_________________________ CHOKE:_________________________________ SERIAL NUMBER:_________________________ DATE PURCHASED:_______________________ 34
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.
