I wouldn't go so far as to call it a renaissance, but sporting autoloaders seem to be making a bit of a comeback. Back when I was a lad, the only reason the Remington 742 didn't become the Pennsylvania deer rifle (a title held first by the Winchester 94 and later the Remington 760) was because the state prohibits autoloading rifles of any kind for hunting. And since the Keystone State used to pump more than a million rifle-toting hunters into the woods each fall, one wonders where the autoloader would stand today if Pennsylvania had embraced it.

No matter, the centerfire semiauto sporter has always had a loyal if small following among those who pursue fleet animals--deer, bear, wild boar--in the thick stuff where fast follow-up shots can mean the difference between filling a tag and going home empty-handed.

Recent years have seen the introduction of Benelli's R1, Winchester's SXR and a synthetic stocked version of the Remington Woodsmaster (now the Model 750). Against that backdrop comes the new Merkel SR1 selfloader.

Now, if you're not familiar with Merkel USA, it's a Trussville, Alabama, firm that imports Merkel guns from Germany. The first guns to come over were shotguns from the Suhl plant in what used to be East Germany, which has been producing sporting firearms since the 1800s. Today, Merkel USA's line includes shotguns, double rifles (both side-bys and over/unders), bolt actions, single-shots--and, of course, the SR1.

It's a gas-operated rifle, lockup being accomplished via a solid rotary bolt head and two locking lugs. The 20-inch barrel is free-floated, and it has a specially designed gas port that expands freely when things get hot.

The straight-comb walnut stock features laser checkering, and the wood on our sample was pretty nice looking--although the wood-to-metal fit was definitely nothing to write home about. The grip cap is plain, and full-blown swing swivels are provided fore and aft.

The buttstock has a nifty feature that permits you to change cast and drop thanks to a series of spacer plates. Remove the recoil pad with a Phillips screwdriver, then find yourself a 10-inch-long 5mm hex wrench to take the buttstock off the receiver. The instructions that come with the rifle detail the nine possible combinations of cast and drop (straight, left, right, high, low high/right, low/left, etc.)

ACCURACY RESULTS: MERKEL SR1
Bullet	Bullet Weight (gr.)	Muzzle Velocity (fps)	Standard Deviation	Extreme Spread (fps)	Muzzle Velocity (fps)
Black Hills Gold AB	180	2,439	11.8	43	1.40
Hornady Interbond	150	2,613	11.8	41	1.85
Fiocchi MatchKing	175	2,409	19.2	68	2.20
Federal TBBC	165	2,549	12.6	39	3.43
Accuracy results are the average of three three-shot groups at 100 yards from a sandbag rest. Velocities recorded on CED Millenium 2 chronograph 12 feet from muzzle; figures derived from 10-shot strings. Abbreviations: AB, Nosler AccuBond; TBBC, Trophy Bonded Bear Claw.

The rifle also disassembles easily for cleaning and maintenance. A button in the fore-end allows it to slide forward and off the rifle (be sure to have the unloaded action closed), and that makes cleaning the gas cylinder a snap. Then by pushing out a large takedown pin (I simply used a pen), you can separate the upper receiver from the lower. This provides access to the bolt carrier, bolt and, below, to the trigger.

Further disassembly of the SR1--right down to pulling the extractor--is possible, although I didn't go any further than pulling the bolt out, figuring that's all I would typically do for a thorough cleaning.