Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Single Shots Merkel K1 (new to me)

Last year I was in the market for a new SXS shotgun and came across a 20ga Merkel that checked all the boxes. Having been impressed with it, I started looking at Merkel rifles.

Ended up deciding on the "kipplauf" style and found this k1 in my favorite hunting cartridge. The .308 Winchester. Found it on guns international and got it heading this way.

Short and handy even with the 24" barrel, great trigger and seems to really shoot.

The 130TTSX and Tac is the only combination I've tried so far, and really not seeing any reason to switch it up.

Any other Merkel rifle owners?

Very nice
Way too nice for the places I drag firearms through.
Nice heirloom piece there

Stand by, Geedubya will be along shortly. He has a lot of experience with single shots, both Merkel and Blaser. I have a couple of K95's but no Merkel.

Nice rifle! Maybe someday...

Is that the model where the firing pin is cocked by pushing the safety forward? Great trigger as I recall.

Since I don't have many hunts left, I can't justify spending that much money on one but, I would really love to have one. I have a friend who got a K3 chambered in 6.5x57R and bought some ammo from Sport South on close out that groups 5 shots in less than an inch. He called back and got a case of the same lot and has killed several deer with it. Told me he didn't need to handload with Sellier and Bellot shooting like that!

Ky221,

I have the same rifle. Good snag!

Bought mine new from the gun showroom of the Briley shotgun folks in Houston in 2005, partly because it takes down easily, so fits in a smaller case for traveling.

Its first hunt was after caribou in the Northwest Territories:

It is. And then forward again before decocking.

Nice caribou. Interesting place to see that rifle. I'm going to use it in November on pigs....contemplating taking it to Namibia in April. Do you know when the k1 was first introduced and discontinued? Have no idea how old this one is. Doesn't appear to have been sued much.

I started posting on Accurate Reloading back around 2000. That was where I first saw a Merkel "Kipplauf" around 2006. I was intrigued, but information in regards to Merkels was scarce as hen's teeth.

I've mentioned on more than one occasion that if one had told me during my "beanfield rifle" period that I would be shooting rifles of European origin that were single shot and had thin wispy barrels and "hog-back" stocks, I would have laughed him to scorn.

IIRC, Mule Deer has mentioned that he got his K1 at Briley's in Houston. I had never been to Briley's as shotguns, skeet and trap are not my strong suit. Can't remember now exactly the year, but early in my "Cooper" period I bought my first Cooper repeater. The guy that was selling it was a trust fund baby that had been given this Jackson Game Rifle as a graduation present and he wanted a specific shotgun that Briley was selling. We did the deal and I went into Briley's to look around. There was Jagd Stutzen (full stock) K1 on the wall. It was lust at first sight.

Diminutive is the best way to describe the Stutzen. However they lock up like a vault. If you ever get the fat part of the skin of the web between your thumb and index finger caught in the action you will agree.

IIRC I now have K1 half stocks like the one above in 222 Remington and 9.3 x 74R, a K3 Jagd Stutzen in 308 Win, a K3 Extreme in 270 Win, a K4 Damaszener (120'th anniversary rifle) and two Model 141 Doubles.

They are fine shooters.









Not bench rest accuracy, but good enough to hunt.


I think you will like the fiber optic sights, should you shoot with "irons".





When you bring the rifle to your shoulder, "its there". No looking for the bead.

The K1's have the Recknagel twist mounts,



which I prefer to the Blaser style saddle mount featured on the K3's.



You'll find that an optic will return to zero every time it is re-installed, should you break the gun down for traveling.

Many of these rifles came with both an Optic and an Americase. One can also avail himself with a soft case such as is used for over/under shotguns. Skinner sights makes custom cases that work well with the Merkels.



Broken down, this will fit in the tour pack of a Harley!

You mentioned the trigger.



On both the K1's and K3's, there is a 3 position black lever on the left side of the trigger guard. That lever changes the "pull". IIRC that is between +/- 2 lbs and a=/- 1 Lb.

It rarely gets cold enough to have to wear gloves when shooting, so I typically keep mine set on the minimum.

Anywho, I would not be surprised if this was not your last Merkel, but rather, just the beginning

ya!

GWB

Oh man, that’s nice. Looks good and shoots good 😁…a hard combination to beat

If I ever see one at any of my regular stops that is chambered in a halfway practical cartridge for my purposes, it will come home with me.

Don't recall exactly when the K3 appeared, but as I understand it the only difference between the K1 and K3 is the scope-mounting system.

When I arrived in camp in the NW Territories all the hunters in camp went through the standard scope-check target shooting at 100 yards. After I put the K1 together, the first shot was 2" high, which was where I'd sighted it in in Montana. So I got up from the bench and started walking away.

The head guide, however, said: "One shot's not enough to make sure."

So I sat down again and the second shot cut the first--whereupon I asked him: "Is that good enough?" He did not reply.

Also got a wolverine on that trip, an old male with teeth so worn he wouldn't have made it through the winter.

Those are amazing and beautiful. Top flight.

GWB,

There were around half a dozen K1s on the rack at Briley's. The chamberings included both the .257 Weatherby and 7x57R, both temptations.

I picked the .308 for two reasons: It was the most practical cartridge for traveling, whether in North America or Africa or Europe, because it's one of the most common rounds available in factory ammo--which can occasionally be a problem, if you get separated from your handloads. But it also had the nicest wood!

John

My latest.

This is Merkel's 120th Aniversary rifle.



Merkel K4 Damaszener, 30-06 Springfield.

This one is #83 of 120 produced.



The receiver is Damascus



Goes well with the first Damascus blade Ricky Bob forged!

ya!

GWB

I had a 300 Win mag in the K1 half-stock, for a very short while. It would kick ya' into next week. I traded it for a Luxus M11 LT in 280 Rem. I'd imagine the 257 Bee would punch on both ends. I also like a 26" barrel on the Bee. I also had a K1 Jagd Stutzen chambered for the 7mm-08 (my first), but let it follow someone else home during a period of financial embarassment.



I am a 308 nut, but it would have been a hard choice between that and the 7 x 57R. My experience is that the 7 x 57R is much more scarce in the US than the 308.

Sakohunter 264 has the K1 in 7 x 57r and I've been trying to cajole him to let it go cheap, so far to no avail.

ya!

GWB

Now that is really cool. Beautiful.

Geedub, thats gorgeous!

That's very nice geedub....I really need to find a case like that.


I would have loved to have found one in 7x57r but Im not sure that I would have went that route....sure would have been tempting. I made the switch to a 308 for all
of my bigger game hunting needs when covid started. I got tired of trying to keep everything fed in the middle of a shortage. Decided to just keep it simple and go .308. So the 308 in the Merkel was a no brainer as I have enough bullets, brass and powder to keep it going many lifetimes over.

Here is one of my Blaser K95's.

Superb!