Elk Hunting: Merkel K3 Stutzen Jagd .308

Over the last few years, it has been on the back burner to get myself into a backcountry hunt in my backpacking style, which involves light and fast foot travel over great distances each day, a long distance from roads or other people and hunters, an ultralight equipment footprint mixing new and old style equipment, and lots of enjoyment of the woods.

I started looking into rifles that were light weight, first and foremost, secondly the rifle had to be beautiful and a masterpiece of form and function.

The first few rifles I looked at were big production mountain rifles by Remington and Winchester.  Those weighed over 6lbs. There were also custom and small batch rifle makers that used carbon fiber and kevlar, these were well under 5lbs. To contrast these American innovations in mountain rifles, the European hunting tradition featured Jager rifles by Blaser and CZ.

What I choose was a rifle that combined the form of a handcrafted wood stocked rifle, with the light minimalistic form of the newest ultralight arms. Merkel is a gun maker out of Suhl Germany, a city known for its arms production since the renaissance.  “Stutzen Jagd” roughly means “clipped hunter”, or maybe “minimalist hunter”, according to what my college friends who took German are suggesting.

The rifle weighs 2.4kg (5 1/3 lbs), the barrel is 50cm (19.68 inches) and over all length is 91cm (35.82 inches)

Trigger weight can be adjusted with the switch behind trigger.

The mannlicher stock is a departure from the usual monte carlo.

A Nikon M-223 1-4x20mm scope was chosen for its slim profile and low weight, it adds ~14oz to the total weight of the rifle. It is low magnification, but my plan is to shoot at closer ranges under 300 yards, and this model of optic features a bullet drop calculator reticle that once calibrated with a chronograph and ballistics calculator will allow for ranging without turning the scope dials.

Nikon BDC 600 reticle

Suggested ranges for military 5.56mm ammo

Actual ranges for my rifle and ammo.

The range markings are not as neat and tidy as if I were shooting military 223, however they still give a general idea of bullet drop and allow for good estimations in the field with a range finder.

Shooting from 100 yards, prone in the center, and kneeling and standing on the corners.

The Chrony averaged the muzzle velocity to be at 2470fps, and Remington states the ballistics coefficient to be .248. Once the muzzle velocity and the ballistics coefficient was input into the calculator I discovered that the Core Lokt ammo shoots in a rainbow arch compared to other types of ammo. The problem is that the Core Lokt bullets itself is round nosed and not a very aerodynamic shape compared to some other modern bullets, which lowers its ballistics coefficient.

Here is a round nose bullet compared to a pointed, boat tailed bullet with a much higher ballistics coefficient. As a result the bullet to the right shoots straighter and a bit further.

It’s to late for me to complain now I have already zeroed in the rifle for this ammo and have a good amount of full boxes I need to go through to dial in my marksmanship. 

Even with this older type ammo the shooting will be easy, finding the elk will be hard.

-Don

Primus 71 and Svea123r

Well the biggest question from critics along the way, and what you are probably asking right now, is what is a SVEA 123r and why the hell would you use it, especially for alpine climbing and winter camping?

The Svea 123 is a legendary stove that your granddaddy AND your daddy probably used to bag FA’s in the golden age of climbing on just about any sort of climb or hike from the Himalayas to the Appalachian Trail. Its been in production in its current form for over 60 years and has a lineage of design dating back over 100. Its still in production today however, the current models are no longer made in Sweden, but Taiwan(bummer).

Why did I take this dated design alpine climbing?

1. I like its style, I’m nostalgic, and I hear the spirit of alpinism every time this stove roars to life and melts my tea.

A Svea(Primus71) variant at 6900m on Nanga Parabat in 1954. Note the Trangia spirit burner to the right.

2. It’s simple, stupid. If you recall in my Snow-Orientation post MSR Whisperlites issued form Colorado Mountain College are about as dependable in the backcountry as an Iphone battery. Thats not to say that well kept modern stoves can do much better, it’s just reassuring to know the Svea has no need for gaskets at the fuel line, no need for meltable plastic pumps and bolts on the stove itself. The Svea only has the on off regulator, and the self cleaning pricker. All other parts of the stove can be tightened and inspected with the on/off key. The only other part that I can see wearing out in the near future due to wear is the fuel tank cap gasket, which I carry a spare at all times.

3. It’s enough for the job. In non-field conditions, at my laboratory/patio at 10,124 feet It performs well enough with fast 5 min boils of a liter in the summer to 9 min slogs in sub zero temperature in the dead of winter.

4. It’s solid brass and it still manages to weight 16.8oz with spare parts and without its cup, about the same as a modern stove. It isn’t an ultralight beer can stove, but it works in the winter and at altitude.

The Svea is powered by whitegas aka coleman fuel, unleaded, and naptha, which is a gasoline like paint thinner available at the hardware store. I have heard stories of old time AT hikers fueling their Svea’s for months on leaded auto gas with no issue.

Camp at 12,400ft, the Svea worked in conjuction with an MSR Pocket Rocket stove, cooked and melted snow for 3. Lows at -10*F winds at over 30mph. The PocketRocket was very weak at that temperature, some improvement noticed when warm hands placed on the cold canister. Svea function as normal, but requiring two prime fires.

Me and Gomez at the Summit.

More brass stove talk later. See you all in the mountains.

-Don