I can fire 50 rounds of 300gr. 2,450 fps 375 off the bench with no ill effects. Meanwhile even a dozen rounds of 286 gr. 2,250 fps loads in the little Merkel brutalize me. Cheek slap and purple shoulder...use the set trigger and odds of doubling increase dramatically (*only because my hand slips with that 6oz trigger). I've only doubled that rifle once...damn...that rang my bell, shattered my shooting glasses and missed cutting me by a bare hair.
Interesting observation. What do you suppose the weight of your Merkel might be? My Sabatti came in at a little over 8 pounds, 9 pounds with scope. I certainly don't consider that a "lightweight" rifle, and should be more than enough weight to tame the recoil of a beast such as the 9.3x74R?
