Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles CZ 7.62X39 Carbine vs Ruger 77-357 for Youth?

That little 77/357 will never quit being either fun or useful. Stick a straight objective, low-power scope on it and keep it handy. Makes for a great truck or barn gun. I've been pestering Ruger to bring out a stainless 96/357 for years. That would be a great intro rifle and an ideal truck gun. Sorry about the slight veer off-topic...

The CZ is the better rifle, and 7.62x39 the better round. The little CZ action is an absolute gem, and later on could be used as a donor action for some other great little cartridges. Unless you are spending weeks on end in the field, i don't think SS is any great advantage. I found i still gave SS rifles the same care and attention i gave blued-steel rifles, and if you are going to do that i would argue in a lightweight rifle i would marginally prefer a carbon/Cr-Mo rifle, as they are a little stiffer and stronger for their weight. OK, maybe i just think blued looks better.

Funny stuff

If you're set on the 7.62x39 you are aware that Ruger offers it in their M77 Hawkeye Compact?

35.5" over-all length
12.5" LOP
16.5" barrel
5.75 pounds
1-10 twist
Holds 4 down

Better than the CZ Carbine IMHO

Put the CZ next to the Hawkeye, and in any "mini" cartridge i would argue you would always choose the CZ. It is just a far more compact, even elegant design. I like the hawkeye, and it is an aweful lot of gun for the money, but i wouldn't choose one in 7.62x39.

I'd argue the CZ is the kinda rifle he might well still be using as a woods rifle in half a century. There are lots of hardened old riflemen who swear by that little CZ action for compact little rifles. It is also an action that is designed for modern, high pressure loads, whereas the little ruger 357 isn't.

I've had the CZ Carbine 7.62x39

"Backwards" safety, ugly protruding magazine, LOP too long for a youth.

Personally, if it were me (and legal to hunt deer in your State) I would get a .223Rem and set it up for a youth. Replacement stocks are easy to come by (for when your grandson is older/bigger), and the cartridge is more than adequate for deer and hogs. Lighter recoil and muzzle blast too.

The thing I don't like about the little CZ is that you have to mount the scope kinda high to clear the bolt handle. That's a big turnoff for me.

Find an older Interarms Mini-Mauser in 7.62x39.

Problems solved.

Go Americana....

6.8 Rem SPC in a Ruger Compact.

...........I can understand your opinion behind the CZ 527 carbine being more elegant looking. I`ll agree.

But I`m curious as to your thinking that the CZ527 is a "far more compact" design?

Per the czusa site; the CZ527 carbine specs.

Weight........................5.9 lbs
OAL...........................37.4"
Barrel length.................18.5"
LOP...........................13.5"

Maybe I`m missing something here, but how do you get a more compact design from that particular CZ rifle, which is a little heavier, has a longer LOP, and has longer OAL when compared to the smaller or shorter in every way Ruger compact?

And out of curiosity you wouldn`t choose the 7.62x39 as a youth cartridge for what reason?

I`m not familiar with Ruger`s actions in their new 77/357 and how that would compare design wise with the M77 actions. But aside from that, I am "very" familiar with Ruger compact actions. In that dept, there`s no CZ in the world that is going to have a stronger action than that of the M77 action, which will handle with no problems the modern and high pressure loadings.

I would choose the 7.62x39 as a youth cartridge. I would even choose it as a grown-up cartridge. But not in the Hawkeye, as the action is not scaled to the cartridge. I will concede i am perhaps a little fixated on action matching cartridge, having grown up on a diet of sakos. I like compact little rifles, but IMO, a compact rifle is all about putting mass where it counts, so i tend to rather more barrel, less action. I like little lever guns for the same reason. The CZ action is more than an inch and a half shorter than the ruger 77 and has a similarly reduced bolt pull, and weighs about a pound less but does the same job in "mini" cartridges. Some find the magazine on the CZ unsightly, and as it sits right at balance point it does sit where you would like to put your hand. But the reason it is there is to provide a single column feed, the advantages of which i think make up for the disadvantages - but that is a personal thing. I agree the LOP on the ruger would be a big advantage, and it would be easy and cheap to replace the stock in a couple of years when he outgrows it.

As for the 77/357 - well, 357 seems to make more sense in a little lever to both me and the person asking the question.

Ruger did make a run of 77Mk II's in 7.62x39 - with 22" barrels and the boat paddle stock. Over a 16" barrel I would think you'll get 150-180 fps, and less muzzle blast. There are 3 or 4 on Gunbroker at the moment.

I could like the CZ, with a longer barrel and a flush magazine. As it is I think I'll buy one of the Mk II's, one of these days...

I love these dilemmas. I've wanted one of those CZ 527s in 7.62x39 for a long time. Get it for him so I can vicariously celebrate the gift! By the way, I just finished building my .260 and have started working-up loads for it. Your 100lb grandson most certainly can handle it. Factory loads are...limited. I handload and don't care, but so far I love the merits of the .260! Excellent choice especially if you load your own, and far exceeds anything and everything the 7.62x39 can do, but for whatever reason I still want that handy little 527. Another thread has a guy talking about a reduced recoil load for a .308. I just got done pestering him with questions. Hope to hear more about it, but wanted to offer that option to further muddy the waters. That's a lucky grandkid right there.

Ruger's 77/357 & 77/44 actions are deceiving because of the name...they are not the same action as the "77", they are essentially the same as what is used on the 77/22.

If you are comparing a Ruger 77/whatever to a CZ527, the CZ is hands down a better rifle in every regard. If you are comparing a Ruger 77 in 7.62x39 to a CZ527 in 7.62x39, then that would be an apples to apples comparison.

I lust after the CZ in 7.62x39, but would consider a Ruger...not the compact though (not a fan). I would look for one of the older all weather Rugers in 7.62x39. One thing CZ does have in its favor is robust iron sights.

DW

Lots of good discussion here. Thanks! I finally decided to mount the red-dot on the Marlin, using a scout base. My grandson is already very familiar with operating the lever and hammer. I just bore-sighted it tonight, and it seems like a pretty handy rig. We'll try it a couple of years and go from there, probably a 243, but I might just let him have my 300WSM M70EW, and load it light.