doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com what to do with Merkel 201E?

I am thinking about Looking for a set of barrels for my 201E with double triggers.

Original owner had briley thin walls placed , Unkown to me and only after patterning found out the top barrel shoots 95%/5 high, the lower 100% left and low. Sent back to briley, now both barrels shoot 95/5 above poi (same place). The eccentric choke briley put in now ,is in the lower barrel and cannot be changed it is fixed (the only way to do it they said), it is also a LM/M. I am considering bending the stock to compensate for the poi but I am not sure it can be done since when shouldered I can see a little bit of rib only.

So should I look and purchase a second barrel so I may have an IC/M set up or skeet/LM be the solution or ??? What else can I consider doing? Can the front trigger be made to shoot the top barrel first so I may use my choke selection with it, and bend the stock?

I would get a adjustable reamer and with very small cuts work the choke out to where you want it gently "leaning" on it to move the POI to where you want it. There will likely be naysayers but I have done it before and it worked out perfectly. The key is very light cuts and shoot a pattern between each cut to see what you are getting.

Thanks for the reply, I think briley has done that already the lower barrel looks like it has a choke on the bottom half radius, and none on the top half. The top half is now the original barrel metal, I think they cut into it as much as they can, or that is what it looks like.

Mike Orlen, among others, can install permanent choke tubes. If there is any wall thickness left at the muzzle, that will get you as much choke as you want. I think Mike sweats or solders the chokes, but I have seen an article by another smith who installs them with a permanent bonder (black LocTite, I think). I can find his name if you need it. These are less visible than the flush thinwalls.

Boy, anything would be fine, the lower barrel with the afixed choke now looks pretty heavy on the bottom and thin on the top. POI is accurate but to have my first shot at chukar and pheasant be with an LM/M choke wont make it appetising. So my goal is to bring the POI of both barrels down and have my first shot with a more open choke......

i would talk to m. orlen. used to have '56 vintage 12ga that came in at 6&1/4lbs these make wonderful upland guns.

dbl lefever- have you ever done that with a LeFever or LC Smith 12 gauge Damascus barrel(s). I have a Smith and a Uncle Dan, both 12- with 30" Damascus barrels- both have 2 and 3/4" chambers, and "ring" sound and true when suspended from the lug (with ejectors removed) no dents, some minor barrel "scuffing"- do you have an adjustable choke reamer for older 12 gauges? If so, what make and model, and where did you get it. ?? Thanks RWTF

Hello RUN WITH THE FOX, What do you want to accomplish with your damascus barrels ??? Do you just want to OPEN the chokes or do you want to move the point of impact of one of the tubes ??? Over the years I have accumulated several different types of shotgun barrel reamers from several different manufactures. Good reamers are not cheap but they are cheaper than new barrels. This thread STARTED with the story of a twin barreled gun screwed up by one of our master gunsmithing companies. I have seen the same type of problem with a brand new high grade BERETTA O/U 20 gauge with factory screw in chokes. I have been the victim of immoral sellers and dealers at gun shows selling KNOWN DEFECTIVE side-by-sides as first class merchandise so I am very sympathetic to COLORADO. This bad experience has caused me love the SOUTHERN SXS and the VINTAGE CUP where you can shoot the gun at a patterning board before you buy it. So BUYER BE VERY AWARE and CAUTIOUS !!! So back to RWTF and his damascus barrels, if you want to cut your chokes we can do it ourselves as good or better than the professionals. I say BETTER because first, we are not in a hurry, measure once, measure twice, measure three times before you cut. I have seen a professional screw up because he failed to take this basic precaution. I have seen a professional cut the LEFT barrel choke using the owners instructions for the RIGHT barrel and cut the R using the instructions for the L. I have made mistakes in my life to be sure but I try real hard not to. When I am cutting chokes for my friends they are standing right there with me helping and VERIFYING, also known as, QUALITY CONTROL. So RWTF if you want to open your damascus chokes come on over to Virginia and we will DO IT OURSELVES. It does not cost a lot of money but it does cost you your time and investment in bore pilot bushings, it seems that I never have exactly the correct size reamer pilot. Good Shooting To You, Jent --- jentpmitchell@msn.com

RWTF, The gun that I moved the POI on was a .410 that was F&F and both barrels POI was off by over 8" in different directions. I don't have a choke mike that will go in a .410 so I did it totally by shooting patterns and burned up about 2 boxes of shells, as Jent pointed out if you do something like this yourself the single most important thing is to go slow and constantly check the result you are getting. As for reamers I just have a cheaper set that more than covers all the gauges that I bought from harbor freight, some will say you have to buy the top of the line from brownells or a tool Co. but for older guns I haven't found the barrel steel to be that hard that what I have doesn't work just fine. As for bore pilot bushings, I have done all the chokes I have done from the front and here again the key seems to be the very lightest cuts you can take and constant patterning and I have not had a problem with moving the POI when I didn't want to. RWTF, if you are asking about cleaning up the length of the bore I would get a piece of dowel and wrap some emery paper on it or buy a bore hone and use a drill to clean up the bore, not a reamer.

Actively looking for a set of barrels now, any leads appreciated.....tx.