Originally Posted by Mule Deer
GWB,

Very nice collection!

I have a little Merkel collection, including a shotgun or two, but my main rifle is a K1 in .308 Winchester--which I purchased from the showroom of Briley Manufacturing in Houston close to 20 years ago. I'd been thinking about buying a good European take-down single-shot for travel hunts (was doing quite a few back then), and they had a line-up around half-a-dozen K1s, complete with Swarovski scopes. Was tempted by several, including a .257 Weatherby and a 7x57R, but ultimately chose the .308 for two reasons: It had the nicest wood, and the .308 was very practical for traveling. On my first hunt with it in the Northwest Territories, took a bull caribou and wolverine!

MD

10/4


[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]

Top: K3, 308 Win.
Bottom: K1, 7mm-08

Do not know if it is the same today as it was then, but IIRC they typically came with the Aluminum Americase, rifle, Recknagel Rings and Scope. All of mine have been purchased pre-enjoyed.

I had a K1 in 300 Win Mag, but not for long.......

From my experience a shooting a sub-5 lb. rifle in a magnum caliber, it thumps on both ends.......

[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]

The addition of an optic does not do much to tame that.....

[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]

Interesting you mention Briley’s.
I live about 30 miles south of Briley's in a bedroom community of Houston. I had never been there before I met a trust-fund baby there. He wanted a Perazzi shotgun for his gradation present and he only got a Cooper Jackson Game rifle. I bought it from him, then went into Brileys. This would have to be sometime around 2008. I was in the process of recovering from the addiction to heavy barreled bean-field magnums.

Over at Accurate Reloading was where I first encountered them, probably around 2004. However I could find very little info, much less where to find one. I'd seen a number of Kipplaufs but had never fondled one.

Anywho, Lo-and-behold, there was a Merkel Stutzen on the wall at Brileys'. It was lust at first sight. They are dimuitive and light in the hand, but if you ever get the skin between your thumb and index finger caught in the lock up, you'll think a snappin' turtle got a hold of ya! I would have bought it then except at that time, I could get 4 Coopers for the price of one Merkel. Took a couple years to find one at the price I was willing to pay.

My K3 in 308 came with both the Americase and a Skinner Sights Pack......

[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]

[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]

[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]

Small enought to fit in the tour pack of a Harley!

Two other things I like,

[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]

Merkel K1, 9.3 x 74R

The 3 position select pull weight trigger, (back left on trigger gaurd) and the fact that either the Blaser style saddle mounts on the K3 or the Recknagel Twist Mounts on the K1 (my favorite) return to zero every time.

ya!

GWB

PS: One more thing I like that I forgot to mention........

[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]

They are capable of fine accuracy, but somehow I think you already knew that!

Last edited by geedubya; 02/01/23.
A Kill Artist. When I draw, I draw blood.