Hi Tony Parisi,
Not sure which model I had anymore (12 or 13 years ago) but my first double rifle was a brand new Merkel SxS in the dreaded rimless/belted .375 H&H.
Might have been Model 141.1 or 141.2 or something like that ?
It appeared to be nothing more than their 20 gauge shotgun action but fit with with rather short rifle barrels/quarter rib/express sights and rifle style butt-stock (oval cheek piece in other words).
It had 23.6" extractor barrels and was very accurate / regulated well and never had any problem extracting fired brass.
However, the right side throat was evidently too tight, as the fired empty would always flatten the primer SEVERELY, occasionally blowing a hole back through the primer, thereby staking the rifle shut by means of primer material still attached to the blown primer, protruding into the firing pin hole.
This grievous occurrence made it necessary to actually shear off the tiny sharp piece of primer metal, in order to open the rifle.
Enthusiastically bouncing the rifle right at the hinge, over my knee worked well.
Once the primer metal was sheared off, the Merkel always extracted with no further protest.
I always worried that the tiny shard of primer metal would end up somewhere within the moving parts and put my rifle out of service just when I needed it most, (Murphy's Law and all that sort of thing) but it never did in the relatively few boxes of cartridges I used in the beginning (at paper targets and such).
According to the factory supplied target and paperwork, it had been regulated with Federal brand 300 gr round nose (Woodleigh Weldcore bullet in those days) and again, it was very accurate with same, in spite of the chamber pressure issue.
But also, it regulated equally well with Federal brand 300 gr Nosler Partition too (same severely flattened primer every shot from the right side barrel though).
I wished to have it scoped in the folly of my youth (I was only 49 years young then) so, I sent it to JJ Perodeau at
www.ChamplinArms.com for claw mounting and re-regulating to my favorite bushveld hand load of 300 gr round nose at 2400 fps in this caliber.
This totally cured my Merkel of it's bad habit and I took 9 animals in Africa with it, no complaints on my 2nd safari.
If that rifle had longer barrels (26" barrels seem to balance best for me on doubles and single shots) and ejectors, very likely I would have kept it.
I totally agree that in a perfect world, all double rifles should be chambered for low pressure / rimmed cartridges.
However, even with the obvious very high chamber pressure of that right side barrel, my Merkel always extracted.
Also, the only double I own these days (Heym 1980's vintage 88B with 25.5" ejector barrels) is chambered for the .458 Winchester which is definitely rimless / belted and definitely not a low pressure cartridge.
So far it has not failed to eject in several boxes of full pressure 500 grainers and it is as well regulated as any English double rifle I have shot.
All that being said, and bearing in mind that you wish primarily to hunt in the USA with it, if I was set on buying the Merkel, I'd probably get the 9.3x74R and I would prefer ejectors if possible.
A .375 would be a possible option for N. America with the occasional Africa trip in mind but you'd be back to the rimless thing again.
(Some day someone is going to get rich making affordable doubles in .303 British with 26" barrels, and classic lines of the Pre-War English doubles).
If planning to hunt African heavy/dangerous game, and old Velo Dog could not talk me into spending a bit more for a Heym then get the Merkel that you have planned if you prefer that brand over others in that price range but definitely get it in 450/400.
Parting Shot:
In the Merkel price range, I feel the Verney Carron and the Chapuis are a better buy, due to longer barrels and ejectors being fairly standard options.
Cheers,
Velo Dog.
