Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters "Straight Pull" Bolt Action Rifles

Hi Jim,

The Acera was not so bad but Browning did'nt push the concept enough. Be assurerd that the idea of straight pull rifle with interchangeable barrel is always there, in Browning designers brain. Could be ressurected some day because of the euro market for such type of rifles.

Here some pictures of the Merkel Helix RX, the straigh pull rifle the Acera could have been, if BW Int had followed it's designer..

The Merkel does'nt offer the long magnum receiver(H&H type cartridges)the Blaser has, but it's lighter than R8, 2,9kg real, weighed on my scale with wood stock. Will be offered in 222, 223, 243, 6,5x55, 270, 7x64, 308,30-06, 8mm Mauser, 9,3x62 and 7Rem Mag, 300WinMag, 338WinMag. Future calibers in study are 375 Ruger, 9,3x64 and 8x68S. I had the chance to use one Merkel Helix RX in 30-06 in Portugal to take red deer stalking and one in 9,3x62 to get red deer and wild boar during driven hunt. They are fast and effective but a bit expensive at 2900 euros wood standard version, same as Blaser93 but less than R8.
Barrel, bolt head and magazine are all you need to have another rifle. It's very well appreciated in Sweden where hunters are limited to 6 rifles but it's the receiver that count, not the barrel. In that country R93 and R8 are best sellers mostly synthetics because of weather.
Dom