Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Can anyone explain the pros and cons of the CZ 550 and md 70 actions

I will be ordering in a few weeks one of the following<P>CZ 550 mag<P>md 70 stainless<P>md 70 safari express<P>calibers considering are <P>375 H&H, 416 REM, 416 Rigby<P>gun will never see anything more then a grizzly and maybe not even that, kinda going towards the 375 H&H<P>I have posted a lot of threads in hunt america on this and have received alot of great replys. thought I would try over here and give hunt amreica a rest on this topic <P>we all know that the CZ stocks are less then desirable and the pre 64 wins are the best.<P>Now if we could take the stocks off of all the guns and pretend that there is no pre 64.<P>Now i have heard a little about the CZ actions lacking a 3 rd lug and a rail that keeps it from jamming, I have not heard why the winchester action is better and if it is even better then the CZ.<P>under most adverse conditions which will feed the most reliable and why?<P>CZ 550 mag or winchester CRF.<P>I am a push feed bolt action person that in over 30 years of hunting and shooting guns i have never owned any mauser action and I have been trying to find the most reliable gun but I seem not to get any answers on the winchester, everyone just says year pick the winchester, but why?<P>thanks<p>[This message has been edited by mikfla (edited April 04, 2001).]

mikfla- I have the CZ550 in .375H&H and have not had any problems with it. It is easy to shoot and the recoil is not severe. It weights a little over 9 pounds. I like the adjustable trigger which also has a set trigger for a really light pull. Just push the trigger forward. The action is a mauser type CRF. The sights have blades for 100, 200, & 300 yards. The bolt is easily diassembled by pushing in on a button on the left back of the bolt while lifting the handle. Then unscrew the back to remove the firing pin and spring. Very easy. The stock is of European design with a steady curve to it. You either like it or you don't. I think it takes the recoil up instead of back. It has a good recoil pad with a 14" lenght of pull. It came with a test target that was under 1" at 100 meters. I have not had a chance to put it on the bench yet, been shooting a 10" pipe flange at 115 yards with open sights. For the money the CZ550 or the Winchester Model 70 are the way to go. Availability was the reason I went with the CZ. If you go with the .416 there in a huge jump in cost of ammo. You will also have to bed the recoil lugs to keep the stock from splitting. Good luck. Bob

Mikfla,<P>I tried CRFs and they just didn't work for me, so I do not agree that a pre '64 is the best--certainly not for me. Others have had different experiences. All my personal hunting rifles are built on 700s. My DG gun is in 416 Rem, and it is extremely accurate and extrtemely reliable--I made sure of that. <P>You asked for some pros and cons between the CZ and the M-70. You can get the CZ with a longer magazine. I think it is 3.9," Where the M-70s is 3.6." There have been some isloated probelms with M-70s having difficluty ejecting unfired rounds, but that is an easy fix. There are a reasonable amount of aftermarket parts available for me M-70, I'm not so sure about the CZ--perhaps some of the M-98 parts will work.<P>The most reliable rifle is a single-shot or a double. However, a properly working bolt-action, whether CRF or pushfeed, will be very reliable. Realize the ONLY advatage of a CRF over a pushfeed is that a CRF is very hard to short-stroke. If you don't have a problem with short-stroking, a CRF is no advantage for you. Also realize pushfeeds are stonger than CRFs, and will handle overloads (like barrel obstructions) much more safely. <P>Reagrdless of what style of action, the key is to make sure the action is broken in and works like's it's supposed to. I have had a couple CRFs that weren't reliable, and one CRF that continually jammed. I have personally never had a problem with a 700, but there are others that have. <P>The biggest factor in reliable feeding is shooter familarity with the rifle. The shooter should be able to work the action, work the safety, shoulder the rifle and find the game in the crosshairs almost uncounsciously. This is simple--it just takes a lot of practice.<P>You should consider a MacMillan stock for your rifle. I'm not sure if they are building them for CZ's yet, but they have many styles available for M-70s. With a McMillan stock, you never have worry about it breaking. MacMillan says their fiberglass stocks are nine times stronger than wood, and the come with a lifetime guarantee. They also help you handle recoil.<P>I have both a 416 Rem and a 375 H&H. The 416's recoil is noticably more than the 375s. "Fast" 416s have a reputataion for flattening big bears with 300 grain bullets at 2700-2800 fps. Howver, you must handload to get max flexibility from the 416. The only factory loads I know of for the 416 Rem are 400 grainers, which aren't optimum for bear and moose (though they work). The 375 H&H has ammo available everywhere, in many bullet weights. The 375 also has a great repuataion as a DG chambering.<P>You also mentioned the 416 Rigby. Ruger makes a 416 Rigby, and it has a large magazine. Rigby ammo is spendy. I bought 500 cases of 416 Rem brass for $250. I think the Rigby is a lot more. Of course, 375 H&H brass is even less.<P>I don't imagine I've said anything you haven't heard before. Good luck with your rifle. <P>Can I talk you into having one built? For $1000-$1500 or so, you can get the action you want, the length and contour barrel you want, and the stock you want made to your dimensions. It takes about 6-8 months to get all the parts in and the rifle assembled.<P>Blaine<p>[This message has been edited by AFP (edited April 05, 2001).]

The main difference between the two are in the details. As pointed out, magazine box on the CZ is slightly longer. The safety on the CZ is a simple two position. The Mod 70 safety is their well liked 3 position safety. I understand the modern M70's are made with CNC machinery. I don't think the CZ actions are. The pre-70 actions are collector items, they are not superior to the modern M70 actions. They don't have the improved gas porting systems of the newer actions for one. You can get a McMillian stock for either, but I believe you would have to send McMillian your barreled CZ action for proper fitting. Not so with the M70 barreled action. I, too, would recommend one. You can get the M70 in stainless steel. Blaine's comments on the push feed Remington actions are correct. Did he mention that the M70, and CZ, actions will hold 4 rds. vs. 3 for the Remington action ? I would suggest the .375. I've shot/used several. If they are heavy enough, 9 plus lbs., they aren't bad to shoot. E.

Thanks for the great reply's people, I asked the question wrong and if you would read my new post here, it has a heading of<P>still no one has been able to answer this on 2 forums.<P> am just trying to find out basicaly which action is the most reliable and why and also does the winchester have the rail that the newer cz does not have anymore to keep it from jamming it goes into detail on the other post from a reply i received in hunt america.