Merkel 96K 12/12 x 9.3x74R , new to drillings.

[sixtus]

Hi Gents, Im in Australia and looking to get a drilling in 12/12/9.3 x 74. The only one readily on the market is the Merkel 96k. Plan is to take it deer and hog hunting mostly. We do quite a bit of feral hog shooting in close cover, including with regular SxS and slugs or buckshot. They are introduced pests and as many are shot as possible for necessities of conservation. One of the motivations behind getting a drilling was the fairly rapid 3 shot capacity.

My background is bolt action and lever actions btw so here goes.

These are considerably more expensive firearms and 'finer' than I am used to and its going to get used in tropical/equatorial climes which also means carried though wet foliage at times.? Are these durable working tools, good for a lifetime of shooting like this or maybe a bad idea?

Any chance slugs regulate from one or both of the shot barrels? I'm not expecting it to run like a H&H double rifle, but having one slug able to hit something at 40 yards would be nice.

Does the POI of the rifle barrel change drastically after one salvo due to heating? Obviously a stalking rifle isnt meant to be run like a bolt action, but on occasion we get the chance to fire at a few game repeateadly( following up mobs with dogs) and Id like to know if that 9.3 x 74 barrel is going to be useful for 2-3 salvos.

I guess the question could also be answered as how does it group were someone to fire 5 repeated shots at the range.

Thanks for any replies.

 

[8x57]

I have absolutely no experience of drillings or combination guns but I have owned a couple of double rifles for a number of years. The situation you describe doesn't sound like the best place to use a drilling to me. It sounds like you will be giving an expensive gun an absolute thrashing and for little gain.
This type of gun heats up quickly and was not intended for firing a large number of shots in succession.
So yes in my very humble opinion while it's very nice to enjoy shooting such a gun it would be a bad idea, so save your money and buy something like a synthetic stocked Browning Maral with the larger magazine.

Incidentally these types of gun are more delicate than a bolt action rifle. Both of mine have required gunsmith repairs in the 15 or so years that I have owned and shot them. I do shoot mine a far bit more than most double gun owners do though. I've never had to take any of my bolt action rifles to a gunsmith and I actually shot out the barrel on one rifle.

 

[KimE]

In the 1970s-1980s drillings were popular for hunting hare, fox and deer(mostly roe deer) on the same hunt with a running dog. Now then the south of Sweden have more wildboar and fallow deer most hunters are using dogs for bigger game and rifles as Blaser and similar have taken over because of fast repeating. Drilling do need a lot of care to prevent them to rust. Most likely the shotgun barrels are intended for birdshots and brenneke, often tigher than barrels intended for slugs. A semi auto rifle or a 45/70 lever gun could also do the type of hunting you are doing and they can be had in stainless steel.

 

[Heym SR20]

I have used a combination gun for many years. They are different to bolt actions and will take some getting used to.

Firstly rifle barrel accuracy. With mine the rifle barrel is soldered to the shot barrel. First shot from a cold barrel is perfect to point of aim.

But they are the sort of gun that needs recoil to be managed, especially when you have a level of recoil. You do need a firm and consistent hold. They are not like a heavy light recoiling bolt actions shot of a rest or bipod, where you can hold them lightly abd stroke the trigger.

Combinations / drilling need to firmly held and squeezed with good breathing. Mine is a 7x65r and I have shot Roe out to 200 plus, but much prefer to get closer.

Most drillings and combinations will shoot a consistent perfectly acceptable group for hunting purposes with cold barrel shots. Mine shoots 1” at 100m groups all day long. Others may be a bit better or a bit larger, but most will be perfectly good enough for hunting at reasonable ranges.

Drilling / combination barrels heat up rapidly but also cool quickly.

However with most a second shot the barrel as it heats up warps upwards, because its topside is afixed to the shotgun barrels, and this will typically move point of impact a bit higher - on mine about 1”, a 3rd quick shot is about 3 to 4” high. Measurement at 100m.

By quick, I mean shoot, reload, shoot again.

But wait a couple of minutes and barrel is cool again.

In practice, especially at closer ranges its not an issue, and with pigs up close you will be putting bullets into the kill zone.

As regard the shot barrels most should be regulated reasonably well to the rifle barrel. On mine the shot barrel with shot is pretty much centred on the cross hairs of the scope. I have used slugs in Germany. 16bore slugs are unobtainable in the UK. You can only use 12 bore slugs on deer and you need a condition on your firearms certificate to acquire them.

When I tried one brand of slugs in mine they shot a reasonable enough group close enough to point of aim that I was putting them into kill zone on a running boar target. I would happily use them on close range big game.

However I suspect like any gun they will have a preference with ammo.

9.3x74r is a punchy cartridge. I have used it in a drilling the once. Recoil was about the same as heavy 12 bore load.

Combinations, like doubles need to be used and accepted for what they are. You also need to accept that plenty others will suck lots of teeth - these are the ones with lots of plastic heavy barrels and big scopes with clicky turrets and go on about wind drifts etc.

But for the type of shooting you are suggesting I think a drilling could be perfect - short and fast handling, rifle for longer shots, slug or buckshot for up close, and half a dozen birdshot for the duck pond when piggies haven’t obliged.

Edit: as for Rusting etc as others opine, most drillings are blued and walnut stocked. They need a little care. Make sure the barrels are oiled, and don’t put them away wet. Make sure they are dry and clean before putting away.

 

[Heym SR20]

I have used a combination gun for many years. They are different to bolt actions and will take some getting used to.

Firstly rifle barrel accuracy. With mine the rifle barrel is soldered to the shot barrel. First shot from a cold barrel is perfect to point of aim.

But they are the sort of gun that needs recoil to be managed, especially when you have a level of recoil. You do need a firm and consistent hold. They are not like a heavy light recoiling bolt actions shot of a rest or bipod, where you can hold them lightly abd stroke the trigger.

Combinations / drilling need to firmly held and squeezed with good breathing. Mine is a 7x65r and I have shot Roe out to 200 plus, but much prefer to get closer.

Most drillings and combinations will shoot a consistent perfectly acceptable group for hunting purposes with cold barrel shots. Mine shoots 1” at 100m groups all day long. Others may be a bit better or a bit larger, but most will be perfectly good enough for hunting at reasonable ranges.

Drilling / combination barrels heat up rapidly but also cool quickly.

However with most a second shot the barrel as it heats up warps upwards, because its topside is afixed to the shotgun barrels, and this will typically move point of impact a bit higher - on mine about 1”, a 3rd quick shot is about 3 to 4” high. Measurement at 100m.

By quick, I mean shoot, reload, shoot again.

But wait a couple of minutes and barrel is cool again.

In practice, especially at closer ranges its not an issue, and with pigs up close you will be putting bullets into the kill zone.

As regard the shot barrels most should be regulated reasonably well to the rifle barrel. On mine the shot barrel with shot is pretty much centred on the cross hairs of the scope. I have used slugs in Germany. 16bore slugs are unobtainable in the UK. You can only use 12 bore slugs on deer and you need a condition on your firearms certificate to acquire them.

When I tried one brand of slugs in mine they shot a reasonable enough group close enough to point of aim that I was putting them into kill zone on a running boar target. I would happily use them on close range big game.

However I suspect like any gun they will have a preference with ammo.

9.3x74r is a punchy cartridge. I have used it in a drilling the once. Recoil was about the same as heavy 12 bore load.

Combinations, like doubles need to be used and accepted for what they are. You also need to accept that plenty others will suck lots of teeth - these are the ones with lots of plastic heavy barrels and big scopes with clicky turrets and go on about wind drifts etc.

But for the type of shooting you are suggesting I think a drilling could be perfect - short and fast handling, rifle for longer shots, slug or buckshot for up close, and half a dozen birdshot for the duck pond when piggies haven’t obliged.

Edit: as for Rusting etc as others opine, most drillings are blued and walnut stocked. They need a little care. Make sure the barrels are oiled, and don’t put them away wet. Make sure they are dry and clean before putting away.

Following on from this, I thought I had an article on the Merkel Drillings. I don’t, but only a Sauer drillings.

They do vary in operation. Some - the earlier and cheaper ones have two locks, with a selector that switches which striker the hammer hits. Usually this is the right hand lock which is fired by the front trigger. This, according to selector position fires the right shot barrel or the rifle barrel.

The left barrel is usually fired by the back trigger. This is usually regulated to shoot to same point of impact as the rifle barrel with the German Brenneke type slugs. Loaded with a slug in the left barrel you effectively have a double rifle - rifle cartridge then slug barrel.

Newer and more expensive drillings have a third trigger plate lock. When the selector is pushed forward, this cocks the rifle lock, switches the front trigger to rifle barrel and raises the rear sight.

There is usually a seperate sude safety that blocks both triggers.

Such a gun allows the rifle barrel to be loaded at the same time as both shot barrels. Very useful in driven or walked up hunting - you can safely use the gun as a double shotgun on flying game and a buck jumps up on the bang.

From memory when you break and reload the selector remains where it is set with falling barrels recocking everything, but this will vary from maker to maker.

Some drillings though are really just three single shots all in the same gun. I have used a modern Blaser Drilling which was a 20bore over a 300 Blaser with a .222 on the side. From memory it only had one lock and one trigger and the selector picked which barrel you wanted to go bang. It was being used in Austria, fitted with a Bipod and used to shoot chamois, red deer abd marmots with the shot barrel for black grouse out of trees. It was very accurate. Saw friend shoot marmots at 250m. But it was very muzzle heavy.

More traditional Drillings, especially 16 bore ones handle like a good, but heavy shotgun.

@Pine Marten has good experience with Sauer drillings.

 

[Motard]

I have not experience with drilling but had a double 9x74 before selling it vause his over wright. It was a craftsmanship rifle, not a industrial product, and had some pros and cons.
Pros: real stopper, consistent enough at 100 mt (less of one inch with the dedicated loads) very reliable until 200 with the scoped regulated barrel wich was not the upper but the lower one. Interesting point: barrel soldering was thought by the gunsmith to place both shot better if the rifle was going off in a immediate sequence, without cooling pause: a clever safety feature.
Cons: barrel diverge was not to be regulated or modded by customer as more modern breake down rifles and care had to to be deserve at the action that was not so strong as newer jag or somilar closure

 

[sixtus]

Thanks for all the replies gents. Im thinking a drilling may not suit the sort of environment and shooting I am going to ask of it

 

[Heym SR20]

Thanks for all the replies gents. Im thinking a drilling may not suit the sort of environment and shooting I am going to ask of it

To be honest I would stick with what you are doing. Plenty of the dog handlers and beaters on German wild boar hunts use a shortish 25” barreled over and under or side by side with slugs and buckshot for dealing with wild boar when the dogs get hold of them. Even a standard 28” barreled gun is short.

Alternative would be a pump or semi auto if you want more than 2 shots, but not sure of the legalities of such down with you.

 

[sixtus]

Thanks for the advice. We cant hunt with pumps or semis, only professional cullers can. We use lever actions here quite a bit though, a lot of cheap but functional turkish lever action shotguns here( Adler, Pardus, Uzkun etc) I'm deciding whether to get a Brno Combo U/O in 9.3x74/12 ga though

 

[Heym SR20]

Thanks for the advice. We cant hunt with pumps or semis, only professional cullers can. We use lever actions here quite a bit though, a lot of cheap but functional turkish lever action shotguns here( Adler, Pardus, Uzkun etc) I'm deciding whether to get a Brno Combo U/O in 9.3x74/12 ga though

The Brno OU combos are really good tough working guns. You would have a good stopping rifle in the 9.3x74r for when you need a longer shot, with the shot barrel as follow up with a slug at closer ranges or use shot as and when required. They also are reasonably priced.

They can be scoped, but a wee little red dot is probably a good option if your eyes are not do good with open sights.

 

[8x57]

Thanks for the advice. We cant hunt with pumps or semis, only professional cullers can. We use lever actions here quite a bit though, a lot of cheap but functional turkish lever action shotguns here( Adler, Pardus, Uzkun etc) I'm deciding whether to get a Brno Combo U/O in 9.3x74/12 ga though

In light of recent events in Sydney unfortunately I wouldn't be surprised to see further restrictions imposed by the federal government. Perhaps another reason to consider the Brno combination.

 

[sixtus]

Yes its a ridiculous situation. Cars built to exceed the speed limit kill ten times more than lawful/unlawful gun activity combined. Alcohol even more than that. Guns kill less than water related incidents in Australia. But they want to cripple our sport and enact a buyback costing tax payers billions over one incident by 2 people. Luckily, looks like my state is not bowing to the will of the federal government so far.

 

[Jagare]

Whilst the 9.3x74r is a big sexy round and makes a nice clunk when you drop.it in the chamber would I get a drilling or combi in that caliber? No. Not unless really big game was on the menu. 8x57jrs would be my choice. Much nicer to shoot and will handle all but the very largest of hoofed game.

 

[Rafter]

I've got a 96k in 12x12 & 7x65, but I'd look for a Win 94 in 375 if 3030 didn't do it for you.

 

[sixtus]

Whilst the 9.3x74r is a big sexy round and makes a nice clunk when you drop.it in the chamber would I get a drilling or combi in that caliber? No. Not unless really big game was on the menu. 8x57jrs would be my choice. Much nicer to shoot and will handle all but the very largest of hoofed game.

I'll probably shoot a few horses and possibly a feral bull or two as well, so the 9.3x74 would be good.

 

[sixtus]

I've got a 96k in 12x12 & 7x65, but I'd look for a Win 94 in 375 if 3030 didn't do it for you.

Im after two quick shots in close on hogs. I also run a 44mag lever action loaded heavy, 240Grain XTP at about 1900fps which kills well.

 

[njc110381]

Im after two quick shots in close on hogs. I also run a 44mag lever action loaded heavy, 240Grain XTP at about 1900fps which kills well.

How about a Blaser BB97 or similar? O/U double rifle? I've got a BBF97 12g over .308, that's nice. If you want two fast shots you want the 97 rather than the 95. On mine the rifle barrel can be adjusted to shoot to the same point of aim as the shotgun barrel with various ammunition.

I also have a JP Sauer drilling in 16g/16g/8x60R. It's a beautiful tool but not as robust. The internal workings of the action are pretty complicated!

 

[Bavarianbrit]

Complicated?
Nah.
My 8x58R Sauer from around 1920

 

[njc110381]

Complicated?
Nah.
My 8x58R Sauer from around 1920
View attachment 457923

Well it looks pretty complicated to me!