Comments on: Merkel RX Helix Straight-Pull Rifle — Teutonic Tour De Force

By: Nick Anderson

Nick Anderson — Fri, 29 Sep 2017 18:08:43 +0000

ALL IS FINE but LH shooters need to operate action with right hand. Non of true lefties will bay this because of that!
Blaser for lefties or Sick with classics:)

By: Daniel LeBrun

Daniel LeBrun — Sat, 06 Dec 2014 03:21:04 +0000

Pretending that southpaws can easily operate a right hand action with their right hand, still maintaining cheekweld and retaining sight of the target is I think a salesman’s excuse for the lack of a LH action model in their lineup. Very feeble.

I will have to stick with my blaser & Sauer. Pity.

By: Mike Yardley

Mike Yardley — Sat, 02 Nov 2013 07:54:39 +0000

This is a great piece of engineering and an innovative design with very fast cycling. I have shot the .308 and found it handled well and was very accurate with out of the box ammo printing groups of about 2cm. Merkel have a winner here.

By: Jim Slappey

Jim Slappey — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 04:35:29 +0000

I looked carefully at both the Blazer and the Merkel RX Helix at the recent SCI convention. One feature that puts the Merkel over the Blazer is the detachable magazine. Having the magazine as an integral part of the trigger assembly is definitely a draw back for the Blazer. The Blazer is superior in that a wider range of calibres is offered, especially the .375 H&H and up. Overall, I prefer the Merkel, assuming accuracy is the same, but I would want to test fire both before making a final decision to purchase.

By: Mike

Mike — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 01:46:58 +0000

A nice sample for german overengineering.

By: Tony Chow

Tony Chow — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 15:16:49 +0000

You can download Helix instruction manual from this page:

http://www.merkel-die-jagd.de/no_cache/en/extras/downloads/

LINK: http://www.merkel-die-jagd.de/no_cache/en/extras/downloads/?tx_abdownloads_pi1%5Baction%5D=getviewclickeddownload&tx_abdownloads_pi1%5Buid%5D=31

Apparently it is hammer-fired, although you can tell that the design is considerably different from SLB 2000. A lot of work went into this gun to make it switch barrels and cycle easily as a bolt action rifle. I would say that it is not a converted semi-auto.

By: Tony Chow

Tony Chow — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 14:45:48 +0000

You would be able to tell whether the gun is merely a converted semi-auto by looking at its fire control system. Is it hammer-fired or striker-fired? This is significant because striker firing used in bolt actions can achieve considerably faster lock times than hammers, which semi-autos typically employ. At this point i can’t find any information about the fire control system in RX Helix.

If Helix employes a striker, it really doesn’t matter what its lineage is; I would consider it a brand new gun, period. Also, you cannot change out the barrel in the SLB 2000, only the upper receiver. The entire upper receiver on the Helix therefore is an entirely new design.

By: Jed

Jed — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 17:20:20 +0000

Before today I had no idea H&K bought Merkel and took over their rifle division. This thread was a great benefit and an eye opener. It really got me looking into an H&K-Merkel connection. I feel justified in my assertions now and validated that this rifle is of H&K lineage and no doubt a decendant of the mighty SLB 2000.

By: Jed

Jed — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 16:53:22 +0000

Guns Illustrated 2007 By Ken Ramage
39th annual edition
Read all about H&K owning Merkel rifle division and taking charge of it.

By: Jed

Jed — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 16:21:12 +0000

Marc, H&K owns merkel and restructured the merkel rifle division in 2006 to be UNDER H&K SUPERVISION !!!!! DON”T BE SO NAIVE !!!! google is your friend too !!!!!!