Recent WTB Merkel 200e posting in the classified area here was successful and I picked up the gun yesterday. I was somewhat surprised at the points of constriction in the upper barrel choke (48 pts) but even more surprised to discover that the bores mic at .718<.720". These numbers are completely outside my frame of reference as have previously seen both Brownings and Berettas four or five thousandths under nominal 12 ga. bore but not ten or eleven under. I anticipate getting the chokes opened or muzzles tapped for screw-ins. In the meantime, I would like to know if there is a design theory based on ammunition availability or other factors which would cause Merkel to bore 12 ga. tubes this small? The gun was proofed in 1967. It seems to me this date is coincident with the transition from fiber wadding to plastic shotcup wad in the U.S. What was the situation in East Germany? Was there a lag to the adoption of plastic wads? Was there an optimal commercial loading for these guns? If so, how would one go about duplicating that load component-wise? Is there even a need to do so? TIA
jack
