BESSEMER, Ala. (Jan. 12, 2016) — Renowned for its elegant, high-performance shotguns, Merkel has introduced the minimally adorned yet exceptionally functional Merkel 40E field-grade side-by-side shotgun at an attractively attainable price. Basically a working-man’s version of the 47E but without the rich finish and hand engraving, the new 40E was designed to be an extremely functional and reliable shotgun that’s going to spend its time in the hunting fields rather than stashed away as a safe queen. The 40E shotguns are perfectly balanced when swinging.
The 40E is Merkel’s first new shotgun offering in nearly a decade. Light and modestly dressed to provide everything you need and nothing you don’t, the 40E sets a new standard in terms of responsiveness. Internally, the 40E boasts the precision hand fitting of old-world German craftsmen and features a very reliable Anson & Deeley boxlock action with a Greener cross-bolt locking mechanism and double under-lump locking lugs. The 28-inch barrels are cold-hammer-forged and cold blued and polished. The barrels are assembled on the proven monobloc construction, and a solid sighting rib tops the pair. The 40E also features selective automatic ejectors.
The steel receiver of the 40E is finished in silver nitrate with simple, full-coverage Arabesque engraving, and an automatic safety is mounted on the tang. The Turkish walnut stock and foreend are finely checkered and have open pores with a single oil-and-sand finish. Unlike the 47E, which has filled pores and more than six oil-and-sand cycles for a glass-like finish, the finish on the 40E is such that minor dings and wear won’t be as noticeable, and any necessary refinishing will be simple. While custom stock sets are available, the standard stock on the 40E also has a “made-to-measure” fit.
Weighing in at approximately 6.2 pounds, the new 40E is available in 12- and 20-gauge with either double triggers or a single-selective trigger and the choice of a straight, English-style stock or a pistol-grip stock. A 28-ga. version with a single-nonselective trigger and built on the 20-gauge frame is also available in limited quantities. The 12- and 20-gauge shotguns have 3-inch chambers, while the 28-gauge version has 2 3/4-inch chambers. The integral chokes are Improved Cylinder and Modified. The suggested retail price of the Merkel 40E is $4,595.
For more information, contact Steyr Arms, 2530 Morgan Rd., Bessemer, AL 35022; call (205) 417-8644; or visit www.merkel-usa.com.
Be sure to visit the Steyr Arms and Merkel USA booth at SHOT Show, #10246.
