Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Express Rifles and Big Bores Only Hello all, 505 gibbs cz550?

Hi nice to meet you all just joined, im Ben.

If i may ask;

Do any you have,or have any opinions on the CZ550 chambered in the good old .505 Gibbs round?

Safari classics offer them, but i know of nobody who has one to make any comments on them.

My main concern is, it seems that some reaming/chopping is needed to go from a .458 to a .505.

Any thoughts??

Many thanks in advance.

I'd suggest you ask this question over here www.nitroexpress.com

Probably get more replies.
SOS

Never seen one. But based upon the action used and the reputation of the CZ, I would buy one (if I were inclined toward shooting such a beast.)

BMT

Thankyou kindly guys.

I asked over there and have been a member for some time now.

Thing is nobody knows much about this rifle/round mix, it is for sale principally in the US of A, im here in Italy(from the UK) and it appears to be imported here.

Any ideas on this round fitted to that gun? How do they proof it? a .505 Gibbs with a 600gr bullet at 2,600fps is 9008 ft lbs, i dont wish to shoot this but would the action be proofed to such a load? max psi possible for the Gibbs case is i understand 45,000...

Thanks for all and any help.

I think that your expectation to get that kind of velocity with that weight of slug is asking a bit much. Some of the loads I see are in the neighbourhood of 2325 fps with the 600 grain slug. To get an extra 300 fps would take some doing IMHO, but I am not a 505 Gibbs guy.

I would suggest you contact CZ and ask them how they proof this rifle.

I've seen the rifles in 404 and 505. Both were rough as a cobb. I am not a CZ basher, either, and I have taken buffalo with a 550 safari mdl in 416 Rigby.

IMO, the 404 and 505 are far too expensive for the poor fit and finish.

I just bought one. Seems well made for the money. Good wood to metal fit. Action is smooth. Double cross bolted and appropriately bedded action. Trigger is crisp and around 4.5 pounds. Wood is decent. It has a mercury recoil reducer in the stock. The rifle is heavy as is appropriate for this caliber approximately 11# empty no scope but balances well.
I have ordered dies from RCBS and plan to load Barnes and Woodleighs using Jamison Brass.

I have a Safari Custom in .404 Jeffery, and I tend to agree that it's overpriced. I think the (essentially) same rifle in .416 Rigby/.458 Win/.375 H&H at less than half the price is one of the really good deals in heavy rifles.

I did kill a buff with my .404, and it worked just fine. But it's not worth $2500, when the CZ 550 .416 Rigby costs about $900, and you can buy a .375 Ruger African Hawkeye for about $900-1000.

Thanks for all the responces.....

Well here i can get the usual CZ for 1,100 euros(im in Italy from the UK)and well the safari classics version is around 2,500 euros....

Thing im considering is, getting a .458 and having a job done on it, bringing it up to Gibbs caliber and slicking up the action, bedding+ bolting the stock......laminate stock takes me, i reckon its solid and im concerned with this more than fancy looks, gun would look great anyway i should think...?

Point im making is what does the 550 action think of this round?

I mailed safari classics and well 'dont know' was one of the answers i got....

Doclee how is yours going? any comments on the action work thats been done to it? any concerns?

I have never heard of the Rugers being customised to larger calibers than those they are sold in, and i wonder if this action is as strong as the CZ's? opinions? Anyone got a 505 Gibbs Ruger M77?

I guess im looking for reassurance that the 550 can take this round....the 600 OK is fitted to it, so im guessing it can but i never hear from owners/shooters of this combo.

Anyway, thanks a lot for all the help.

Ben

The 505 Gibbs standardized max pressures are well below the limits for both the CZ 550 and the Ruger actions. I think the issue if one exists is the amount of trimming that needs to be done to alter to a Gibbs. Everything seems sound to my nongunsmith inspection. Granite Mountains action is the only one that I know of that allows chambering this round without the trimming. I know of no one that has a Ruger so altered. I have no concerns at this time but am early on in the new dangerous game rifle evaluation process. I await loads from Larry at Superior Ammo and custom dies from RCBS. I plan to run about 250 rounds through the rifle and then send it off to my smith for an inspection. I think all available production dangerous game rifles regardless of brand or origin need a little fine tuning to make sure that they flawlessly fire,extract, and eject before using them for their intended purpose.
Ben, I will keep you posted as the project progresses.

Ben,

I've not personally handled a Safari Classic, but am familiar with the 550 Magnum action, and, I can answer one of your questions. This action is large enough not to require any major mods to take the .505. I.e., no metal removed from either the feed ramp area, or the rear of the action. I have read comments that indicate these rifles are not feeding well as they come from the factory.

Hope this helps!

doclee,'rider, thanks.

So basically a 550 standard is best, worked by a smith into a custom type rifle,yes?

Any ideas on the laminate stock version?? no need to replace stock, just bed and bolt for example?

New barrel is needed too, i was reminded.

Any idea of length of time to get it done,and the cost to do so roughly??

Thanks

Ben