A friend of mine is considering one of these for his son (14, as a Christmas gift). Any one have any first hand experience with one of these rifles? I suggested 308, but it does come in 270win also. I have seen them around new for under $600 last summer, but maybe they are more now with all this economic/political hyper this days. thanks DW
I think .270s need a 22 to 24 inches of barrel. That said, I just sold a sweet Ruger 77 RSI in .270 here. I also own a Mannlicher carbine in .270 Win.
But a .308 or 7mm-08 works very well in a carbine, giving up little in muzzle velocity at 20 inches vs 22 inches in a rifle. I have 4 .308s and two 7mm-08 carbines.
Consider the 6.5x55 Swede in that CZ 550 FS. Like the 7mm-08, it has mild recoil, plenty of reach, and hammers game. A friend bought one and sold all his other deer rifles after the first season. Then he bought a 9.3x62 and sold his .375 H&H and .338 Win Mag.
I would consider getting a rifle without the full length stock. I've had steyrs and rugers with manlicher style stock. None of them really shot that great. They have more of a chance of wood warping, and usually heavier. Just my experience, I'm sure lots of people love theirs. I agree with Lee24 on the choice of caliber though. My manlicher stocked ruger in 270 kicked like a mule and shot like crap.
I had a 550FS in 9.3x62. The action was rough and binding, and the rifle was too heavy. I sold it. The best thing about it was the stock - a pretty piece of walnut that was fiddleback from buttplate to forend cap. It shot well enough. I hope the new owner likes it.
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Our God reigns. Harrumph!!! I often use quick reply. My posts are not directed toward any specific person unless I mention them by name.
....I have a CZ550FS in 7X57 Mauser (CZ no longer offers these in America in this caliber). The example I have shoots into 3/4" three shot 100 yd. groups with Hornady ammo. I like the rifle very much,it's easy to like accurate rifles. I do find the gun a bit heavy for my tastes, having been spoled by my favorite ultralight hunting rifle in 284 Winchester. Also the European Bavarian style butt stock and cheek piece don't thrill me either. All in all , as you can see, I've mixed emotions.
....The same gun in 9.3X62 could justify the 7lb.6oz. weight of the rifle.The weight being a plus for reducing the more substantial recoil of a 9.3.....
I really like mannlicher stocked rifles, but I really don't like the CZ 550 FS. The 2 or 3 that I have played with were heavy and poorly balanced when compared to the Husqvarnas, Remington, Rugers, and Sakos that I have around. Mannlicher stocked rifles are often less accurate than conventionally stocked rifles because of all the wood and metal that comes in contact with the barrel along its whole length.
I think that the 3 worst handling mannlicher stocked factory production rifles that I've handled are the CZ 550 FS, the Mossberg 800M, and the Winchester 70 Mannlicher. The long action Ruger 77 RSI seem to balance a little better than the short action 77 RSI, despite having the same 18.5" barrel length.
Bottom line, don't saddle a kid with a CZ 550 FS. Most early teens just don't have alot of upper body strength and from what I've seen, they do better with a shorter/lighter rifle. My 12 year old Daughter is a competative swimmer and has better than average upper body strength for a 5'7" 115 lbs. kid and she about spot on with a Remington 700 Mountain Rifle in a light fill McM 700 MR handle.
I owned one for awhile and absolutely loved it. Accurate, feed well, good balance and a very good looking rifle with classic European styling. The set trigger is amazing.
Out of the box the action is a little gritty but that can be fixed. I hate all the writing on the left side of the action. It should be clean.
I sold mine but only because I had a full blown custom built in the same caliber.
Terry
Last edited by TC1; 12/03/08. Reason: typed on an iPhone :^(
A side by side comparison of the CZ 550 FS and a mannlicher stocked Husqvarna is like comparing the current state of the KC Chiefs to the Tennessee Titans, IOW, both are basically the same "thing", but as similar as they are to each other, they are not even close in terms of fuctionality and execution.
The 550 FS in 6.5x55, 7x57 and 9.2x62 are tack drivers, heavy, European drop stock takes getting used to, great wood, easy on recoil, just look classic, and the set trigger is a plus.
I had a CZ 550 .243, did not like it as much, sold it. The Euro calibers were much better inmho.
The other option is the CZ 527 carbine in 7.62x39, mini-mauser action, shoots 1" groups at 100yards with federal blue box, great weight, magazine load, and nice all around rifle. My son's really like the 527.
A side by side comparison of the CZ 550 FS and a mannlicher stocked Husqvarna is like comparing the current state of the KC Chiefs to the Tennessee Titans, IOW, both are basically the same "thing", but as similar as they are to each other, they are not even close in terms of fuctionality and execution.
Perhaps, but they aren't in the same class as a really well designed and executed mannlicher stocked rifle, like the Husqvarnas and Sakos. The balance and "pointability" of the CZ 550 FS, important features to have on a stalking rifle, have more in common with a cedar fence post then they do with a well designed and executed mannlicher stocked rifle, like the Husqvarnas and Sakos.
I also owned one in 9.3x62. I am a closet admirer of Fullstock rifles, and bought mine after handling one chambered for 6.5x55 and the 9.3x62. For some reason, the larger bore seemed to feel better to me.
I like that the CZ fullstock has a 20" barrel in contrast to Ruger's 18" tube. I wouldn't hesitate to own another in .30-06 or .270 maybe, but Would personally steer away from the short actions because of the detachable magazine.
If I remember correctly, MuleDeer has mentioned that the .270 doesn't really lose all that much velocity in the shorter barrels, although I am almost sure it would go up a few decibels in the muzzleblast department.
If your friend wants one of these for his son, I will gaurantee the kid will love it.
"The number one problem with America is, a whole lot of people need shot, and nobody is shooting them." -Master Chief Hershel Davis
I have a CZ 550 FS in 6.5x55. It is a great rifle and it is extremely accurate.
If your son is going to use this rifle with the Iron sites then I think you could do NO better for the money. If you are planning on mounting a scope on this rifle you may want to think twice about the European style stock. This style stock as a lot of drop at the comb and your young hunter may not be able to get a good cheek weld. My guess is his little face will be completely off the stock to see through the scope.
I have three CZ rifles. A 550 American in 9.3x62, 550 FS in 6.5x55 and a 527 in 221 FireBall. All three of these rifle will shoot MOA or better with just about anything I feed them. Yup, even the FS is an excellent shooter.
Give a man a fish and he eats for a day. Give a man a welfare check, a forty ounce malt liquor, a crack pipe, an Obama phone, free health insurance. and some Air Jordan's and he votes Democrat for a lifetime.
Really can't add much except to reinforce what's already been said. My older son hunts with a 6.5 X 55 FS and his constant comment is "I wish this rifle was a little lighter". In comparison he's always saying that my M77 is "about right". Aside from that he likes it and it shoots extremely well for a full stock model. We stand hunt almost exclusively so the weight really isn't that much of an issue. I have to agree on the previous comments regarding balance.
My 550FS 9.3X62 is a great shooter. It easily averages less than 1" at 100 yds with my favorite load. It handles great for me even compared to my three Husqvarnas. I was prepared to hate the Bavarian stock, but it has really worked for me.
The rifle is a little heavy. It probably would be OK if the fourteen year old was strong and of a good size for his age. I would go with anything too bulky or heavy for a scope. A .308 would be great, but you might consider a 6.5X55.
My CZ550 FS is a .30-06. It's a handsome and well-built rifle that shoots quite accurately. I agree with the observations that this rifle is relatively heavy in comparison to a Ruger M77RSI or a Remington M7 FS and that the European-style comb has more drop than North American shooters are accustomed to seeing. A smaller shooter would definitely have to lift their head off the comb to see through a scope set in medium-height rings. Perhaps your son should try the fit before you lay out any money.
I hunted this season with a 550 FS in 6.5x55 and shot a doe whitetail with the rifle. The first group I shot with it at 100 yards went in .41 inches-- the bullet was the 140-grain Berger. RWS factory loads with 140-grain Dual-Core bullets grouped in about 1.25 inches.
The rifle is a bit heavy. However, everyone who shot and handled the rifle liked the way it fit and shot. The comb didn't seem to low, as my eye came up right behind the 2-8 Nikon scope in CZ rings.
The trigger on the rifle was easily adjustable. With such a good trigger there is really little use for its set trigger.
I have teh 6.5x55 in the FS. it is a great gun, little heavy for a kid and I'd echo what Steve4102 said about the euro stock. I know that I don't get as far down on it as I do on other rifles. If you are teaching a kid to shoot, you don't want their head coming up.
