HISTORY
MERKEL TODAY Merkel‘s only production site is in Suhl – we view the location as a guarantee of quality that is recognised in many countries around the world. The Suhl manufactory is an exceptional combination of hunting gun manufacturing and high-tech forging. Merkel combines the traditional manufacturing methods of handcrafted hunting guns with the highest standards of quality and safety – all achieved in what is, for this day and age, an unusually deep in-house range of manufacture, from cold forged barrels to hand engraving. With every part of a Merkel gun, careful consideration is given to whether, from the customer’s point of view, it should be handmade or machine produced. Today Merkel exports to more than 40 countries all over the world and has close to 200 employees – each one a highly qualified specialist. They often come from families that have worked in the gunmaking trade for generations. They bring to us the manufacturing skills and expertise to find unusual solutions. Merkel employees define themselves and their work on the basis of
the long tradition of Suhl gunsmithing. Merkel is one of the very few factories that can manufacture both modern firearms and handcrafted hunting guns. No matter which category a customer chooses, a Merkel carries the Suhl genes: reverence to and the heritage of the German Damascus. And this has its own basic principles. MERKEL TOP-DOWN: Merkel guns offer the customer the power reserves of the unique Merkel top-down principle. This means that the highest calibre of every gun class defines the breech of all the underlying versions. The breech of the Africa side-by-side rifle thus sets the standard for all the other side-by-side guns. STEEL ON STEEL: With Merkel locking mechanisms, the principle applies that steel is always locked on steel. HANDED-DOWN QUALITY: We have mastered the traditional manufacturing methods, which even today produce unequalled quality – we hand
them down and develop them further. For example, we continue to practice the time-consuming process of brush oxidisation because it provides extra quality for our customers.