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Gebruder Merkel 304E 6 Barrel Set SN: 29576

Currency:USD Category:Firearms & Military Start Price:6,250.00 USD Estimated At:12,500.00 - 20,000.00 USD
Gebruder Merkel 304E 6 Barrel Set SN: 29576
'Luxus Grade' Incredible, relief engraved over/under sidelock double barrel shotgun & double rifle, six barrel set with 7x57mm, .30-06 Springfield, .375 Holland & Holland Magnum, 20 gauge and two sets of 12 gauge barrels. Manufactured in Suhl, Germany by Gebruder Merkel circa 1949 as a o/u shotgun with one set of barrels. Configuration: French greyed receive & hand detachable sidelocks embellished with English arabesques scroll engraving, relief cut oak leaf & acorn & relief cut game scenes including a pointer dog with five pheasants on the left side & a fox with five grouse on the right, original set of blued 28" 12/12 gauge barrels with fixed full/full chokes, matted sighting rib & double Kersten locks, white bead front sight, selective automatic ejectors, Miller single selective trigger, cocked indicators, sliding tang safety, sling swivels, three-piece fancy walnut forend with black tip, fine multi-point hand checkering & Deeley release on the bottom piece, and pistol grip shoulder stock with black grip cap, beaded right handed cheekpiece & serrated black buttplate. Stock dimensions: drop at comb 1 1/2", drop at heel 2 3/16", and length of pull 13 7/8". Includes an exotic brown leather locking trunk case with partitioned interior lined in grey suede. Case contains the five extra barrels as well as three scope. Barrels: 7mm Mauser - 18 1/4", engraved game scenes with buck white tail deer/buck white tail deer near the breech & pronghorn antelope/mountain ram sheep on the front sight base, solid sighting rib, raised blade front sight with bead top, dual flip-up rear sights, B.Nickel Marrburg Supra 4x scope with quick detach rings, sling swivel and two-piece walnut forend. Excellent bores & approx. 99% bluing showing a few scattered losses with what appears to be a cold blue touch-up at muzzle. .30-06 Springfield - 22", engraved game scenes with bull moose/bull elk near the breech, solid sighting rib, ramped blade front sight with bead top, flip-up rear sight, Lyman Alaskan 2 1/2x scope with quick detach rings, sling swivel and two-piece walnut forend. Excellent bores and approx. 98%+ bluing showing minor wear & light scratches on the right side. .375 Holland & Holland Magnum - 24", engraved game scenes with cape buffalo/lion near the breech & bull moose/bear on the front sight base, solid sighting rib, raised blade front sight with bead top, dual flip-up rear sights, claw mounted Redfield 1-4x scope, sling swivel, and two-piece walnut forend. Excellent bores and approx. 99% bluing showing little wear. 20 Gauge - 25", counterbored 1", light coverage border engraving, ventilated sighting rib, silver bead front sight, sling swivel & two-piece forend. Marked .600 on the underside of the bottom barrel. Mirror bright bores appearing to have some debris forward of the chamber, and approx. 98% bluing showing some scattered wear & handling marks. 12 Gauge - 25", counterbored 1", light coverage border engraving, ventilated sighting rib, silver bead front sight, sling swivel & two-piece forend. Marked .703 on the underside of the bottom barrel. Mirror bright bores with approx. 97% bluing showing muzzle wear and light handling marks. Both of the shotgun barrels are marked "Mahrholdt-Peterlongo" & "Innsbruck, Tyrol" and all five of the extra barrels have been proofed in Ferlach, Austria in the mid 1950's & are stamped "22" with no apparent serial numbers. It would appear that these were hand crafted in Austria 1953-1954 by the Mahrholdt-Peterlongo firm. The receiver has also been proofed for each barrel, three of which are consecutive numbers(20, 12 & .30-06). Also Includes correspondence between Jim Wilkinson & Martin Retting regarding the purchase of this set for $8,500.00 in 1975. The receiver & sidelocks retains nearly all of their French greyed finish showing some bright wear on the upper tang from the sliding safety, high point edge wear on the takedown lever and some scratches on the underside of the receiver. The original set of 12 gsuge barrels are retailer marked "W. GLASER - WAFFEN, ZURICH", have matching Germanic scroll engraving towards the breech and retain approximately 99%+ bluing showing little to no visible wear. Action is tight, the bores are pristine, markings are sharp and the glossy refinished wood stocks are fine. Condition is NRA Excellent. ***C&R Firearm*** [From the Jim Wilkinson Rifle Ranch Collection]