My beautiful wife bought me this rifle for Christmas. I’ve been reading about and watching videos on this rifle and was excited to get it. With the scarcity of decent gun shops here, I was unable to find one within driving distance so I could handle one in person.

Unboxing it, I immediately noticed the quality and craftsmanship of the rifle. The other thing I noticed immediately was the small size of the action and rifle. The stock is not shortened and feels good, even in my lanky 6’2” frame. The sites are nice and very visible and sharp. This model has a fiber optic white rest sight and a red adjustable front ramp. I replaced the rear site with a peep sight from NEGC. The trigger is very nice and also has the single set trigger. It is a nice trigger in both normal or set operation.

One of my attractions to this rifle is it’s ability to shoot cheap surplus ammo. Our local Academy supplied several hundred rounds of Wolf 123 FMJ and 124 grain soft points. I cleaned the rifle, dripping with packing preservative, installed the rear sight and bore sighted it. Now to get it to the range.

A couple of buddies came in for a deer hunt which prompted my first opportunity to take it to the range while they checked the zeros on their rifles. The range was packed, so I went straight to the 100 yard line. To my happiness the first round landed on my target. I made a quick adjustment to both front and rear rights and shot a two round group. Both rounds were less than an inch apart and closer to the center of the target. I made another adjustment, followed by a three round group hitting at 12 o’clock on the black on a 6” black dot target. One more adjustment and a five round group. These landed center on the target and were grouped smaller than my fist. I was very pleased.

Now that I was sighted in, I loaded a magazine of 5 rounds of the 124 soft points, my previous shots being the FMJ. I couldn’t have been happier when my group landed squarely in the middle of my previous shots. In less than 20 shots, this rifle was shooting the two types of ammo in excellent groups to the same point of aim. I fired 5 rounds from the kneeling just for fun and cleaned the barrel. With an extra black dot target in hand I went down range to see my target up close. All 5 rounds from my kneeling group landed within the 6 inch dot. Not bad for a hasty kneeling group and open sights.
Before leaving I fired one more 5 shot group onto the fresh target from the bench; this time with the trigger set. With other items on the agenda, the guys and I didn’t wait for the next ceasefire, but the peak through my 20x spotting scope showed me all I needed to see. A tight cluster over the x-ring. Maybe an inch and a half or so. But, why ruin my great day by walking down range to find the unseen flyer?
Needless to say, at this point I’m feeling great about the rifle. I can’t wait to try it out on a pig or deer. I’ll be sure to post my results when that happens. But for the time being, I’ll be working the action and watching as the rifle continues to smooth out.

Have any of you had any experiences with these? I’d like to know what others‘ experiences are. Already thinking of my next 527. Thinking American 6.5 Grendel.

Bud I hunt with a lot loves his. It kills well for him and is handy/accurate. I think a mannlicher would be way cool for a woods gun.

Second link indicates over 2600 for 125s and over 2300 with 150s. That’s close enough to 30-30 that nothing will ever know it ain’t.

https://loaddata.com/Article/BenchTopics/Handloads-for-the-762x39/101

https://rifleshooter.com/2017/04/re...development-with-125-and-150-gr-bullets/

If the 124 soft points do well in game I’ll leave it at that. A full stock would be interesting.

wanted one for a while... just never got around to getting one yet..

Are the CZ’s .308 bore?

Sounds like a fun rifle!

I have one in walnut, though the reverse situation applies here. I traded into this one and my wife fell in love with it, so it's hers now. She killed a fat doe with it at 228 yards, right at dusk two years ago. The rifle will routinely place five Tula FMJ in three inches at 200 yards.

[Linked Image]

Either .310 or .311.

Good for her. Was she shooting the FMJ when she killed that doe?

I love mine.
I Have a vx1 2-7 on mine and it shoots moa with silver bear soft points. Used factory tikka rings to hold the scope little lower than CZs. I do have the czs for sale.

Unfortunately I have to send it back to cz as the Release clip holding the magazine broke and the mag just falls out.

Try Federal “blue box” 123 grain soft points....I have three 7.62X39s - one CZ 527, one mini-mark X and a Ruger 77 compact and typically get 3/4” groups or less with this ammo in all three. Have taken a few whitetails and a turkey with these rifles....fun little guns!

PennDog

Barnaul soft points

Thank you. Sounds like a fun rifle.

I have one and initially had an occasional failure to feed issue with it. After a few hundred rounds through the rifle, this problem went away. In light of the platform and cartridge, the accuracy using 123 gr SSTs is absolutely astounding. It is a dandy little rifle to own and shoot. CP.

FWIW, I did forget that my bud had some initial action and trigger roughness on his, that had to be smoothed out.

Been liking mine for almost 16 years now. I have deer hunted with it but the darn deer will not cooperate when I have it. Armadillos and coyotes not so lucky.



I thought that cartridge would make a splendid cast bullet shooter despite the short neck and it certainly does. This is 9 shots with my 165 cast bullet at 100 yds.


Forgot to add: You are blessed with the wife you have....Better keep that one!

Me too. They are neat little rifles.

I’ve got a Ruger American Ranch Rifle in 7.62 x 39.
It’s very accurate and I like it because it uses the Ruger Mini 30 mags.
But it’s not a classy like the CZ Carbine

Fine little rifle that you have in the CZ. I've been shooting deer for a few years now with a mild load and 125 gr bulk Remington bullets. Chest shots and little blacktails drop fast. My load isn't a heck of a lot faster than you're getting so go and have fun. Congratulations.

This rifle has definitely smoothed out as I have handled it and shot it. Just got back from shooting it again and it’s getting better. The trigger did feel a little rough at first but I’ve cleaned, fired and dry fired enough that the trigger is feeling smooth and crisp. The action rails had some sharp edges that at smoothing out.

Thank you, Joe.
What load are you running with your 165 cast loads, and do you shoot them at anything other than paper?

I've had two of them. Both were stolen by youngsters. The first was loaned to a coworker for use by his son. I freely let him use it with a stern warning that it was a loan and WAS NOT FOR SALE! The boy immediately went out and slew his first three deer with it and wouldn't let me have it back. I made his dad give me something for it but it was less than I had in it.

I eventually just had to buy a new one because you can't find them used. I had it 4-5 years and loaned it to another buddy for his daughter's use last year. She tried and tried to kill her first buck with it, but just never got a chance. When her birthday rolled around early this year, I gave it to her. Got a txt from her dad about 3 hours ago with a picture of her first buck with the CZ laying across it! She shot it right at dark in Lowndes County this afternoon. She was one happy young lady, but I think her dad was more excited. It was a fat. young 7 point. I would post the picture but don't have her dad's permission. Maybe later.

Jeffrey, I also shot cast in my 2nd rifle before that little girl stolt it. I had ended up with a small batch of 180ish grain RN cast bullets in an estate that I handled. They had been sized and lubed but miked around 0.314" and I had never tried them in my 30 cals, They shot beautifully in the CZ! Not as good as the group above, but pretty dang fine. I'll try to dig up the load data next time I'm in the shop.

Wonder where I can find another one....

Thanks for writing, Hook! It’s a nice feeling to have a hand in a youngster’s first experience. Good for you. The good news is, CZ is still making new ones.

Does anyone know how long this model has been in production?

Delightful little rifles.

I have the Ruger American Ranch Rifle chambered on 7.62x39. I load the Sierra Pro Hunter 125gr .311 soft point. My load uses IMR 4198. Over 2600 FPS, and very good accuracy.

Jeffrey I use cast for hunting and paper punching. I worked up 2 loads. The pictured one is 28 grains of surplus 4895 which is identical in velocity to IMR-4895 and a 165 grain bullet from a mold I had Mountain Molds make. Muzzle velocity is 1878 fps.

The other load is 25 grains of WC-844 (think H-335) and same bullet for a muzzle velocity of 1953 fps. This load, while faster, is not quite as accurate as the 4895 load though only .3" less so the accuracy is ample.

My plinking load is 7 grains of Unique with Lyman 311359....like shooting a big 22 RF.

Here is what the 165 looks like:

Thanks for the replies everyone.



Joe,
That is awesome. Are you hunting medium game with the 165 cast bullets? Do you have to run gas checks on those? I know very little about using cast bullets in modern center fire rifle cartridges.

Jeffrey, found what is left of my cast loads mentioned above if you're interested. Pic and label pretty well covers it. Never chronographed it, so no clue on velocity. Actually, the powder charge was thrown with a Hornady pistol powder bushing #H21. Accuracy was VERY good....

Jeffrey I will use it on w/t deer if one ever gives me the chance. Been using cast on deer since the mid '70's and never have had any problems with them. Our deer aren't big averaging about 130#.

Yes I do use gas checks.

Hook, that bullet looks a lot like Lyman 311291. Ever use it on game?

Nice cast bullet group.

What is the lubed/sized diameter of your cast bullet?

Yes, it does. However, it mikes at 0.314".

I've never killed a deer with cast in anything smaller than the 38-55. I do plan to start developing a bullet with an alloy suitable for hunting so I can use my 308, 30.06, 30-40,etc. for deer, but haven't done so as yet. All the 30s I've cast or acquired were too hard to use for hunting or were round nose or both.

Buttstock, I meant to comment on that group as well. It's nice....and, it's one of the roundest groups you'll run across.

Ready to shoot .314" and it drops from the mold .314". When sent to the lubrisizer it only crimps on the gas check and lubes the bullet.

Bought one when they first came out a LONG time ago...the trigger, both set and un-set, was fabulous...

In 2013 had three Ruger 77/MKIIs, Savage Scout and several semis in 7.62x39 but no bolt gun in .223... So when visiting with Mackay Sagebrush we ended up trading rifles so it now resides in his safe...

I know that firearms44 and his brother-in-law have killed well over 50 deer with their Mini30s using Burnal HP ammo...never had a deer take more than one hit...

Great round and great gun...Bob

The biggest gun mistake I have ever made was selling mine. They are such sweet rifles.