Merkels are finely made guns, no doubt. They are strong and should last several lifetimes ......... but they leave me cold. I could have bought one in really nice condition for a song once. I was allowed to take it home and shoot it. I did, and I did. I returned it with a sincere "Thank you" for the opportunity but, "No thanks".
OTOH, I had a SKB 200E 20 ga. that was a very easy little gun to shoot well. I used it to take my first two Gambels quail in AZ, and my grandson used it very effectively on doves here. Not the overall quality of a Merkel, but easy to like. I sold it when I acquired a really nice AH Fox 20.
Foxes, even the basic Sterlingworths, have something special that Merkels and SKBs don't, IMO.
