Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Express Rifles and Big Bores Only Merkel Safari 375 H&H double gun - your thoughts?

bigwhoop,

with respect to your initial question, I have no experience with Merkel DRs.

However, I've owned 2 Krieghoffs, both 500NE 3" and used them successfully on elephant. I believe DRs are intended for close work on very large DG, so I would not use one in 375H&H. IME the 375 is a great cartridge - which will work on large DG - but better suited to a bolt rifle, IMO, where its accuracy, range and power are most advantageously exploited.

I am a very big fan of DRs, but would only consider one chambered for the traditional large bores designed for DRs such as the 450NE 3 1/4", 470NE, 500NE 3". YMMV

The only reason I would ever buy one is if I had to guide tourists where there were elephants, buffalo,....and the animal could be shot only if it charged to w/in distance of 10 paces or less. I would then buy .470NE or .500 NE to carry.

I have a 140AE in .450-400 3" It works perfectly.

I have a different take on what the poster might consider and at a considerably lower price for a good quality DR.

What's wrong with a 9.3X74R? They are a small step down from a 375 H&H FM, and nice to shoot as recreation.

How old is your rifle?

about five years old

I'll have to go back and read the previous posts/threads, sounds like your rifle may be a more recent version with the fix. At some stage Merkel made modifications. I got mine secondhand in 2011 (but was almost new) and it has the doubling issue (it's in 500NE but otherwise the same model).

If the point of the double is dangerous game shooting (vice just having fun with the big guns), then I would point out that a good bolt rifle may be an even better choice than the exalted doubles.

A practiced rifleman with a good bolt rifle is a little slower for two shots than he would be with the double. But he is far quicker with three or four. And if reliability is in question (a la the Merkel discussion), the Mauser rifle (or it’s derivative, such as Model 70, Dakota 76, Ruger RSM, etc.) wins the race going away.

But he certainly won’t look as good!

I would not buy a 375 H&H in a double rifle. It has a belted case. The 450/400 Nitro is the recommended minimum cartridge for Elephant even though the 375 is the Legal minimum. The 450/400 has a little more power than a 375 and a 400 grain bullet instead of a 300 grain. It is a Cream Puff in a double rifle!!!

Enjoy the comments. The rifle is still there.