Recently Nordic Marksman advertised a 50% off sale on their remaining stock of the Merkel R15 bolt action rifle. They caught me the right mood to try something new, so I ordered one in .243 and the gun arrived at my home the same day that I flew out for a work rotation; it went into the safe and sat there until my return a couple of days ago. Very unusual for me not to shoot a new gun the same day it arrives, but there ya go. Working for a living definitely interferes with living. 
I had a 2-piece set of Savage round-receiver bases on hand, which fit the Merkel perfectly. I was a bit miffed when I mounted the scope; the Masterminds of Suhl see fit to cover each scope mounting screw with a dab of plastic which seems to be melted into place, requiring careful removal before the screws can be accessed. WTF are they thinking? Does this additional step achieve anything other than to frustrate the new owner? However, once these idiotic plugs were pried out, scope mounting went ahead without further incident. I used a set of Leupold PRW rings to mount a Zeiss Conquest 3-9x40 scope, quickly boresighted it and then began shooting an assortment of .243 loads I had on hand. Barrel break-in was done as per my usual method: I cleaned the barrel carefully before shooting, and then again at the end of the day. All shooting was done slowly, no barrel heating beyond slightly warm to the touch.
The initial boresight placed the POI about 4 inches high and 2 inches to the right at 100 yards; close enough that I never touched the scope adjustments. I just wanted to make some noise, test function and get a rough idea of what to expect. Various bullet weights, both factory and handloads, printed groups varying from just under 1MOA up to almost 2MOA. This gun will mostly be used as a coyote slayer, but may also see some service as a loaner for new deer hunters. I intend to find one good load for each and call it quits.
The trigger on this little Euro-budget rifle is excellent, no creep or overtravel and a very light, crisp pull. Perfect for most uses, and perhaps even a shade too light for mid-winter coyote hunting. Ergonomics are good, no complaints. Bolt travel is very solid with no side-to-side wobble, but not as smooth as a Tikka or a well-used Remington. I'm sure that it will smooth out with further use, or after a few nights of dry-firing at WildTV or the Animal Planet channel. Bolt lift is a bit heavier than I am accustomed to. The detachable mag is easy to insert or remove, and seems unlikely to be lost accidentally in the field. The release is a large paddle-type of arrangement at the front of the trigger guard and would be difficult to operate inadvertently. It's probably not as fast to operate as some other types, in case you belong to the school of thought that claims it's possible to miss fast enough to win.
All in all, I like it well enough that I am placing my only other .243, a nicely-tuned Rem7, up on the EE. Comparing the two rifles, the Rem7 is lighter, shorter, has a slightly heavier trigger, a better-quality synthetic stock and a non-detachable mag/hinged floorplate arrangement, which I prefer for most hunting purposes. The Merkel is a couple inches longer, a wee bit heavier (didn't actually weight them, just hefted them side by side), a slightly lighter and crisper trigger, a much cheaper-feeling stock and an easily detachable magazine (which I personally prefer for coyote use). My OCD makes me not like the idea of a short cartridge housed in an unnecessarily-long action, but I believe these guns are only available in the one action length; oh, well...
I know the Rem7 is capable of subMOA accuracy; the Merkel shot well enough that I feel confident saying that it will be just as accurate with a bit of load experimentation. Time will tell.
I had a 2-piece set of Savage round-receiver bases on hand, which fit the Merkel perfectly. I was a bit miffed when I mounted the scope; the Masterminds of Suhl see fit to cover each scope mounting screw with a dab of plastic which seems to be melted into place, requiring careful removal before the screws can be accessed. WTF are they thinking? Does this additional step achieve anything other than to frustrate the new owner? However, once these idiotic plugs were pried out, scope mounting went ahead without further incident. I used a set of Leupold PRW rings to mount a Zeiss Conquest 3-9x40 scope, quickly boresighted it and then began shooting an assortment of .243 loads I had on hand. Barrel break-in was done as per my usual method: I cleaned the barrel carefully before shooting, and then again at the end of the day.
All shooting was done slowly, no barrel heating beyond slightly warm to the touch.The initial boresight placed the POI about 4 inches high and 2 inches to the right at 100 yards; close enough that I never touched the scope adjustments. I just wanted to make some noise, test function and get a rough idea of what to expect. Various bullet weights, both factory and handloads, printed groups varying from just under 1MOA up to almost 2MOA. This gun will mostly be used as a coyote slayer, but may also see some service as a loaner for new deer hunters. I intend to find one good load for each and call it quits.
The trigger on this little Euro-budget rifle is excellent, no creep or overtravel and a very light, crisp pull. Perfect for most uses, and perhaps even a shade too light for mid-winter coyote hunting. Ergonomics are good, no complaints. Bolt travel is very solid with no side-to-side wobble, but not as smooth as a Tikka or a well-used Remington. I'm sure that it will smooth out with further use, or after a few nights of dry-firing at WildTV or the Animal Planet channel. Bolt lift is a bit heavier than I am accustomed to. The detachable mag is easy to insert or remove, and seems unlikely to be lost accidentally in the field. The release is a large paddle-type of arrangement at the front of the trigger guard and would be difficult to operate inadvertently. It's probably not as fast to operate as some other types, in case you belong to the school of thought that claims it's possible to miss fast enough to win.
All in all, I like it well enough that I am placing my only other .243, a nicely-tuned Rem7, up on the EE. Comparing the two rifles, the Rem7 is lighter, shorter, has a slightly heavier trigger, a better-quality synthetic stock and a non-detachable mag/hinged floorplate arrangement, which I prefer for most hunting purposes. The Merkel is a couple inches longer, a wee bit heavier (didn't actually weight them, just hefted them side by side), a slightly lighter and crisper trigger, a much cheaper-feeling stock and an easily detachable magazine (which I personally prefer for coyote use). My OCD makes me not like the idea of a short cartridge housed in an unnecessarily-long action, but I believe these guns are only available in the one action length; oh, well...
I know the Rem7 is capable of subMOA accuracy; the Merkel shot well enough that I feel confident saying that it will be just as accurate with a bit of load experimentation. Time will tell.
