Merkel Drillings
The gun that I am looking at buying is a brand new Merkel model 96K – standard drilling, with 24” barrels in 12ga SXS with 3” chambers & a 9.3X74R barrel underneath. At a weight of just 7.7lbs it should make an excellent carry around rifle/shotgun with (hopefully) excellent balance and handling at that length and weight.
My plan was to use it as a shotgun for the most part, as I was considering having my current shotgun modified by trimming the barrels down to 24” and having rifle sights fitted as well.
I had planed on using it as a slug and buckshot gun for Pigs up north and as scattergun for Rabbits and Foxes down south but a friend that borrowed it recently liked it and has made a good offer on it.
As I don’t use my 375H&H very often, I just don’t have much game down here that warrants its use. But for big game up north I think a single 9.3mm 285gr pill should work just as well under 100m as a 300gr .375, then of course having a couple of Brenneke black magic DG slugs in the top tubes should provide more then enough protection if something large decides it doesn’t like my presence.
Has anyone used slugs in one? If so what was the regulation like at 50m?
I am also uncertain as to what it would be like to use a shotgun with a scope, should I leave a scope off or would 2X magnification still have a fast enough target acquisition on in close rabbits etc.
I have little wish to rush into a decision and want to make sure that what I buy now will suit my needs for many years to come. For instance while it will be used as a shotgun for small game and pigs with occasional use on Red and Sambar deer for the next few years, I will be moving to Darwin in the future and it will see use more on Pigs, Horses, Scrub Bulls and Buffalo then as I have friends with properties reasonably close by.