Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles No CZ love?

My wife hunts with a 550 chambered in 30-06. It is a decent rifle and she likes it. Out of the box, the action sat crooked in the stock and the barrel made contact with the stock. That was corrected by bedding it to sit correctly in the stock.

My main complaint with the rifle is the stock trigger. It had noticeable creep and the 'set' option didn't solve those problems. I changed it to a Timney, but that required some dremel work to get it to clear the trigger guard (Timney said that is required for the American models). I also dislike the built-in 19mm dovetail. It really limits your ring choices. There are no viable canted options out there.

With handloads, it shoots sub-inch at 100 yards.



Many, many times I have considered the 550 chambered in 9.3x63, but that damn stock trigger just kills it for me.

My 550 Kevlar Carbine in 9.3x62 weighs in at 8.5 pounds with 3X in Alaska Arms QDs......about right weight IMO! The trigger was good but with young shooters hunting with me I opted to install Timney.....I was able to install without Dremel work but it's a bit trickier.

A very reliable and accurate rifle with JB's loads.

A lot of good information here.....I'm not in the market for a new centerfire and if I were I doubt it would be a cz550, but like I stated in my OP, I just wondered why the 527 is such a home run and you just don't hear as much praise for the 550. You guys have more than answered my question.....

I have also thought hard about doing this....my 223 shoots so good though I hate to mess with it

Yup,it's also excellent practice for big game hunting.

I just bought a CZ 550 Lux in 6.5x55 last month. It was sitting in a used gun rack and I couldn't leave it I haven't had a chance to shoot it, but the stock fits great. I have long arms and a long neck, so classic style stocks are out for me. It has iron sights on it and I may get a peep sight for it instead of putting a scope on top it.

I'm late to the 550 party, as the offerings seem to peter out. I really like the rimfires. Haven't gotten into the 527s, as the actions out of the box are just so much slicker on Howas and Tikkas, and the price a lot lower. Also, ARs can be pretty light if you build them right, and ergonomics don't require a woodshop to adjust.

That said, I have shopped the 550 as a sporter for hunting. Bottom line, CZ simply hasn't maintained it as a competitive offering in the market. There are more caliber choices in Hawkeyes. Even for the limited calibers CZ offers, the barrel lengths and twists aren't typically desirable. Just doesn't make sense at a technical level, even before considering price.

It also doesn't make sense from a standpoint of knowing your customer. The 550 comes in Euro calibers, ones that only the looniest of loonies even know what they are without looking them up. In 'murican calibers, they do .243, .308 (with a slow twist for light bullets), .270, .30-06 and 300WM. I think there may be a 7RM in the Euro catalog. It's really not a significantly different approach for the 557. Hang out around here for any length of time, and you'll understand that the buyer for an expensive, beautifully-made rifle with beautiful wood and old school features is likely to be bored with the four most common calibers. They buy the rifle because it's different. They are going to want some other calibers. At the very least, jump on the .260 bandwagon, make a 7-08, and have a .338WM to round out the magnum lineup. Maybe a whizzum or two. Make them with appropriate barrel lengths and twists. People expect sporters to have 22" barrels, not 20". If they are going to buy a .308 or .30-06 with a 20" barrel, it's to help make the dang thing light and handy, so it won't be a 550.

Basically, CZ 550s are unique and different, and excellent in many ways, but they are still the weird kid in the corner who doesn't talk to anybody. The only people who really buy them are, for the most part, loonies who buy them just because they are CZs, or because they appreciate the craftsmanship and wood lottery for its own sake, not because the rifles are a really smart functional choice.

Lots of machining and hand work building one of those.

Old world gun design using real steel and walnut.

Those can never match the price points of the new technology manufactured products.

We're fortunate CZ can still offer them at their current prices.

Their profit margin has to be getting thin on those, so they'll have to find ways to compete or they'll be in big trouble.

DF

I like mine.



Makes my other rifles seem kinda pointless...

Dirtfarmer,

Regarding the 29" barrel on your 22LR, yes, you are losing some velocity in that long barrel. Just a fact, not that it makes any practical difference.

Years ago various tests were done measuring 22LR velocity in a 27" barrel and a 25" barrel as they were shortened an inch at a time with a hacksaw.

Three or four common High Velocity (c. 1200 fps) loads were tested. This was in the days before Stingers and other max velocity loads had entered the market.

Depending on the load, velocity peaked in the 18" to 20" range, and gradually slowed down inch by inch in longer barrels. I don't remember how much they slowed down, but it was readily apparent that they did.

Thanks, Nifty,

Good info.

I was sorta surprised how quiet it shoots, esp with sub sonics. I have a suppressed .22 and it's quieter, just not a lot.

DF

Elmer Fudd after that wascal wabbit...

Now if ole Elmer just had a CZ...

DF

I've got about 8 CZ's. I like them

My latest.

Nice.

People that criticize the CZ for being "heavy" would appreciate some mass and substance with a big boomer round like the .458 WM.

That's a tough, solid gun.

DF

As is,it weighs 9 lbs 10 ozs.

Debating whether or not to mount a Leupold 2.5x on it.

I have several CZ's, including two 452's in .17 Mach 2 and HMR, a 527 in .17Hornet, and 550's in 9.3x62 and .416 Rigby, and have owned a few others. All shot and functioned well.

I like 550's but generally find their stocks (of whatever style) can stand to lose some bulk. The comments about their single-set triggers kind of puzzle me, because I discovered with my first 550 (the 9.3x62) that if you adjust the primary, unset pull to 3 pounds the set feature is bypassed, and the primary pull can be adjust to a very crisp pull. While the trigger is complex, I've been hunting with both rifles for over a decade, including in several dusty and wet places from Africa to Alaska, and haven't had any problems.

I left the set feature on my 527's alone, because I've found it very handy when shooting small varmints, but did work it over to eliminate a little creep. The pulls on my pair of rimfires were fine right out of the box.

Seems I remember reading that's how JOC got to be such a great marksman.

DF

I agree, the stocks could definitely be slimmed down.

But I'm puzzled by the comments about the trigger set feature being bypassed when adjusted to 3lbs. I asked a gunsmith if he could take the trigger down to 2 3/4lbs without affecting the set feature. He said he could, and did so. The main trigger trips at 2.75lbs and the set trigger trips at 8 ounces. Am I simply misunderstanding what you are saying?