# Looking for my Merkel O/U



## Mathsr (Sep 9, 2010)

I had a 12 gage O/U Merkel model 2001E a few years ago that I sure would like to have back. It was a gift from my wife. I thought that with dove season open hunters would be checking out their guns and could check to see if Merkel # 020212 was in their care. If it is I would love the chance to get it back. I hope that you will check if you shoot a Merkel and send me a pvt. message if you have it. Thanks!


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## Mathsr (Sep 12, 2010)

Thanks for all the views guys! I knew it was a long shot, but I had the idea and had to try it. Maybe one day it will show up.


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## Eugene Stinson (Sep 12, 2010)

*missing gun*

My dad died when I was 3. (March 15, 1966) Not much was left for my brother and I to get. Mama let us have what we wanted when we moved out. I wanted his hunting and fishing stuff. As limited as it was, it was all I had. I still have the single barrel 16 gauge. A fly rod and reel from sears. I had his fishing net and used it 100s of time till it flew out of the boat one night in a tourney. My brother has his 12 gauge pump. Within a year of my moving out of mama's house I had a gun go missing. I did not know much about guns then at 17. As I remember it was a British 303 that had the barrel replaced with a 30/06. Nothing but iron sites but the back site could be elevated. I can't remember if I loaned it to a friend or if some took out of my apartment on Ollie drive in Macon. It was not something that I took out much as for I was not a big game hunter at the time. I was and still am eat up with dove hunting. I know I will never get Edited to Remove Profanity ----Edited to Remove Profanity ----Edited to Remove Profanity ---- back but I do know how you feel. 
As for the things I still have, the 16 gauge will never leave the house or its safe place. The fly rod is in a prominent place over my fishing stuff. As I have to have something of his in the boat with me, now it is the fly reel. I have my lure retriever on it. I hate myself for losing the net. That one hurts.


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## 348srfun (Sep 14, 2010)

I too would like to thank you all for reading this thread and helping get the word out.


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## DocCuller (Sep 14, 2010)

Great save!!!!!!!!


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## Oldstick (Sep 14, 2010)

Mathsr said:


> I had a 12 gage O/U Merkel model 2001E a few years ago that I sure would like to have back. It was a gift from my wife. I thought that with dove season open hunters would be checking out their guns and could check to see if Merkel # 020212 was in their care. If it is I would love the chance to get it back. I hope that you will check if you shoot a Merkel and send me a pvt. message if you have it. Thanks!



Kind of worse than a needle in a haystack, but do you have any clues as to where it went?  Sold or traded to? Stolen from what location?  etc.

You never know, someone might just happen to know someone who knows someone who heard someone talking about...... or so forth.


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## 348srfun (Sep 14, 2010)

It was stolen a few years ago from his house in Statesboro along with a Browning Safari in 30/06 and a Walther p-99 along with a bunch of other stuff. He doesn't really care about them, but he wants the Merkel back since his wife gave it to him. 

One of the guys the Sheriff's dept suspected was involved was going to school in the Marietta area. It is not likely anyone would ever be prosecuted now and I don't think he really even cares who stole it.


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## kimbob (Sep 14, 2010)

Hope you get it back I Left a 250-3000 model 99 w/ my brother and of coarse it got gone. My dad left me the gun. that was 25 years now. never give up man!!


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## Mathsr (Sep 14, 2010)

> never give up man!!



I don't plan on it! It sure has taken the fun out of going to a gun show or a new gun shop though. It is always in the back of my mind. Course everybody says there is plenty of room in there and that shouldn't be much of a bother.  Still... I do always look for the guns that were stolen. 


I appreciate everybody looking. I know that this thread isn't about bird hunting, but you guys are the guys most likely to run into it and may already have. Maybe one day someone will come across one, remember this thread and I will get lucky.


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## coveyrise (Sep 19, 2010)

My dad had a Rem. sportsman 58 stolen from him years ago. He waited  for about 9 months then put an ad in the local newspaper that said  Wanted to buy, Remington Sportman 58, will pay top dollar for gun in good condition. You guest it. The idiot called him back and dad met him somewhere  to look at it and it was his gun. After he threatened to call the police the guy said I didnt steal it but you can have it back.


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## Mathsr (Jun 27, 2017)

Thought I'd bring this back up. I'm still looking for my Merkel. If anyone runs across it somewhere I'd sure appreciate a heads up. 

I'm not after the guys that stole it. I have a good idea who they are and I forgave them a long time ago. I'd just like to get the shotgun back.


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## GLS (Jun 27, 2017)

If you reported the serial number to the police it may show up somewhere in the country.  If a gun is reported stolen, the serial number is registered on a national data base.  A buddy had a Browning shotgun stolen, collected insurance, and a few years later a sheriff from out of town called him and said the gun was found in possession of a felon during a search of his house.  He drove a few hours and picked it up.  You just never know.  Gil


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## Katalee (Jul 2, 2017)

Good luck with your search.


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## Mathsr (Jul 4, 2017)

Thanks guys. I have it on the national data base along with several others that were stolen at the same time. I don't have much hope of ever getting them back, but I keep looking for them. The Merkel in particular. 

The biggest deterant I have found to recovering a stolen firearm is that dealers that take firearms in trade have no way to verify whether the gun is not stolen or not. They aren't able to access the data base that has guns listed on it, so it could be sold over and over and never come to any law enforcement officers attention. 

My hope is that one day someone will see it and question why they got such a good deal. I know that is not likely to happen, but who knows...somebody is going hunting with the guy that is shooting my gun.


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## Katalee (Jul 4, 2017)

If it goes through a FFL dealer it will get flagged by ATF . All dealers have to enter sn# into their data base with in 24 hours of taking the firearm in. It is probably sitting in someone's gun safe and they have no idea it is stolen.


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## Mathsr (Jul 4, 2017)

It has to be entered into their log book, but from what I understand, there is no database that a dealer enters serial numbers into and ATF agents don't look at the log book checking serial numbers.

You are probably right about the person that has the shotgun not knowing that it is stolen. It probably is sitting in someones gun safe and being used without the knowledge that it is stolen. That is part of why I posted this on GON. Someone has it and maybe they will look and be bothered enough to do the right thing. There is going to be a nice reward to someone....


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## Mathsr (Dec 21, 2017)

Bump just on the off chance that someone gets my Merkel for Christmas. I'd like to get it back and there will be a reward for someone that provides information leading to the arrest and conviction of those that stole it.


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