Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Express Rifles and Big Bores Only Which rifle for 9.3x62: Ruger or CZ

I was wondering if you had that back yet. Hope it's soon.

They won't import the metrics. I called them last year.

Ok men....what about this? Opinions on the Mannlicher stock? I won't shoot enough rounds to really worry about it heating up...tell me your thoughts, Pro and con! CZ 550 with 20.5 inch barrel!

I love my 550Stutzen(aka mannlicher, aka FS) The short barrel handles well. I've killed game from 7meters to 175m. I ended up replacing the sling loops with swivel studs.


Here is a write up with pics i did on it when i put it together and took it to the range and pics of it's first kill on pg2.

CZ550 Stutzen review. A Czech on Czeck Affair.

Pro's-

If your the kind of guy who never likes to touch the barrel or action of the rifle while handling it, you always have stock to grab.

better show of stock craftsmanship

showing up to the range with something different than everyone elses.


Cons-

your buddies try to sneak it off in their rifle case.

I have the CZ 550 FS and American in 9.3x62....both shoot sub-MOA, out of the box, with factory Normas of any bullet weight...

I also have the Ruger African and Alaskan in .375 Ruger-both bought as soon as they were released. They shoot 1.5 MOA with Hornady 270 SPs.

Ruger sent me a new Hogue stock for the Alaskan as they said some early rifles had experienced stock breakage (mine had not after about fifty rounds through it).

I have no plans to buy another 9.3 but would go the CZ route if contemplating a new one. Nothing "wrong" with the Rugers and if a synthetic factory rifle is desired, Ruger is the way to go, IMO....the CZ FS is a bit unwieldy to shoot with its Bavarian cheekpiece stock design but the 9.3's recoil is tame enough to not cause issues for me.

I think a person should handle any factory rifle before buying, especially if no stock modifications are planned, to select the one which feels best.

I don't have a Ruger African but I have the CZ FS and LUX. I like them both. Different strokes--. I don't find the FS unwieldy at all. It is easy to shoot in the bush and it carries well. Based on my experience with other Ruger rifles (#1's mostly) you won't go wrong there either. It's a matter of taste.

drducati - having a nostalgic bent for the FS style stock I like them (mine is the 6.5 Swede) BUT having been spotted next to a short barrel .35 Whelan I'm not sure I'd want one in 9.3. That's one reason I went with the Ruger African (23 in.) and will purchase the CZ American (24in.) in 9.3 shortly. I like the CZ550 9.3 carbine for the sights but only if the barrel was a tad longer. Regards, Homesteader.

I was looking at the Voere Model 98 action rifle also
What do you guys think of this option?

Homesteader//// Are you saying the carbine sized barrel is too much blast or it is not accurate enough? I am confused.

fatjack34 - the muzzle blast out of a 9.3FS or carbine barrel is my concern not CZ accuracy. My standard for comparison is a M600 Rem/.308 Win/ 18in barrel purchased as a "keep in the Jeep" rifle.
Handy, accurate but loud & blasty. Shoot mostly 22/24in. rifles these days. Regards, Homesteader.

Homesteader...Thanks! I understand completely.

I have a shot at either...cannot find the Ruger African ANYWHERE save for one guy, I would have to pay a slight premium, but nothing crippling.....the CZ is available at BUD's for $782 shipped. I love carbines, but angle of stock and talk of scope sitting high have me concerned. I have never shot a rifle with the angled Euro stock...but damn, it is pretty. WhaT the freak! What is a guy to do>??????

I much prefer shooting the hogback stocks. They just seem to fit me better, and they are Classic for an old Classic 9.3.

I've had no issues shooting full house "+P Barsness" handloads out of a carbine length 20.5" barrel CZ550 FS 9.3x62. If you have a personal preference for a longer sporter barrel, then so be it, but the carbine barrel is worthy in my book for such chambering in a compact/trim rifle. There must be a bazillion of these FS rifles floating around by now so that you should be able to find someone nearby for a test run.

Another good variation of that same CZ550 FS is the Carbine Kevlar below. Had I not been able to get the Sako carbine import, I probably would have gone the Carbine Kevlar route. I planned to shorten the Ruger barrel had I gone that direction.

http://www.cz-usa.com/products/view/550CarbineKevlar/

Best

..............During the same range session, I fired my friend`s 23" barreled 375 Ruger African along side my own 20" barreled 375 Ruger Alaskan (same reloads). There was little to no noise/blast differential between them.

With that stated, there shouldn`t be any real differences in noise/blast between a 20.5" tubed 9.3x62 CZ vs one with a longer sporter barrel of 23" or 24 inches.

The shorter `06 CZ shown in the link above looks like a winner, and the same can easily be done for the 9.3......

I have found that the heavier bullets come on stronger in longer barrels in the 9.3X62. The 320 Woodlieghs were especially happy in barrels from 24" to 26".

BigSqueeze - you will have to speak up and talk louder... I can't hear you - LOL. Have to agree with you about the CZFS look...just love them. Now, If Ruger updated their M77 International FS that would also be appreciated. BTW - thanks for the comparison between the .375 African and Alaskan. Who knows...may just have to re-think this again (and again etc.) Carbine vs FS. Many choices, so little money... Homesteader.

Just wanted to add a couple of tips. First go easy w/ valve grinding compound. The high tensile steels in actions are not always very hard, this means you can remove more than you want to easily. Also the compound can "imbed" in the steel and keep working after you think its gone. The lugs can be done this way with a lot of scrubbing after the process is complete. This is easier to do if you can pull the barrel. I find body polishing compound works very well and is far less aggressive. Easy to clean out too. The more aggressive scratch removing grit is probably the best. And as far as mods on trigger springs, Ive found its better in some cases to use a small pinpoint hobby torch to overheat a small portion of the end coil and collapse it. This allows the end of the spring to sit flat , instead of cocking slightly on the cut end.

Rogn - thanks for going into further detail...the imbedded issues was what I was concerned with. Homesteader.