I've thought about buying a 550 American in .243 and (eventually) having it either rebarreled or rebored to .260 Rem. Two thoughts: 1) any issue you can think of with the magazine since the length of the 260 is slightly longer than the 243, and 2) from whom would you buy the barrel or have the barrel rebored?

Has anyone tried it?

M+

Like CZ? Like 6.5? Get a CZ in 6.5x55

That's definitely the plan if the distributors ever get any more in stock. I currently use a .260 for virtually all my hunting (primarily feral hogs), and the only CZs I'm familiar with are my .22s. I was just wondering if anyone has rebarreled a 550 American to .260 and how it turned out.

Gotcha, I'd run an OEM Swede in the CZ, be cheaper than building, Lapua Swede brass is their least expensive brass, and it'll do all and a tad more than a 260 with latitude in COL to run any bullet how you want. OTOH $$$ aside, if you want one, the short action CZ may have a longer COL than say a short 700, which some might prefer.

What is it about that rifle that calls you?

Good question. Mauser action, classic look, nice weight (I hunt from stands so no issue with carrying the rifle, and I actually prefer a heavier gun), and they seem to be pretty rugged. My 452 is incredibly accurate, as are the 455s I've shot. I've never shot the 550 American but if it's like the 452/455 it ought to perform.

I've thought about buying a 550FS in 6.5 (they can still be had), but I like a pretty tight cheek weld and am not sure how low a scope can be mounted so the ocular doesn't interfere with the 90 degree bolt throw.

I'm pretty tempted to scratch this itch with a Sako 85 Classic in .260 as it would solve both caliber and scope issues (70 degree bolt lift), but I'm having a hard time convincing myself to spend $2000 plus the cost of the glass. I could get the entire CZ/Scope package for less than the cost of the rifle alone.

Still curious about the FS mounting issue, though.

I have a 6.5 swede in the CZ 550 American. The scope can be mounted pretty low, but with out the CZ Rings. I used talley's to get a 40mm Leupold with 1" tube nice and low. The rifle shoots MOA and now wears a Mcmillan stock. The triggers that are single set, can be taken down to about 2# and I was able to adjust to that without using the single set feature. The mag
box is good and long and bullets can be seated out quite far.
I'm a pre64 model 70 guy, but I really like this action. I would not hesitate to do a custom build on it. I was going to do the same thing building a custom .260 Rem. But now I am glad I went with the swede. good luck with your choice

Sako not a bad option, had one, tackdriver. Might like a Ruger 77 if you found one in 260, or could look for a Creedmoor - also a short action as you probably know.

32 - a Swede rarely disappoints...

I have a CZ550 FS in 9.3X62



The Talley Mounts are the lowest I could find as I like low mounted scopes for a good cheek weld. When I shortened the stock to 13 5/8" from the factory 14 1/4" the drop at heel decreased a little and the cheek weld seems better.

You have to be selective on what scopes to mount as ones with large oculars will interfere with the bolt handle. I switched from a Nikon African to the pictured Leupold 3X20 because the Nikon ocular was too large. The Leupold works very well.

Now THAT is my idea of the ideal CZ Very nice, proper scope, great round. Always wanted a Steyr in 6.5x55, blue/wood, prob mannlicher and double triggers, though the Blaser and Merkel rate high too in Swede.

The CZ and the Sako Black Bear are my top 9.3 picks.

CKW: Great looking rifle!

That picture and your comments answered some questions that I've had for a while. I'm still planning to buy an American in 6.5 - whenever CZ-USA can import some more - but I know the FS is available. That would make a great set-up for climbing in and out of the stands from which we shoot.

I don't think the stock length would be an issue for me since I have long arms and tend to crawl a bit anyway. And I could always add a riser if necessary. But the low scope mount is the ticket. I was thinking about 1.5-4 or perhaps a 1.5-6. The objective certainly won't be an issue, but as you noted the ocular clearance certainly will. How much clearance do you have between the bolt and ocular with that set-up?

One odd-ball question: did the shape of the trigger take any getting used to? The crescent shape doesn't seem to be as pronounced as on some of the other European rifles (Sako, etc).

RevMike, as pictured, there is less than 1/10" of an inch clearance between the scope ocular and bolt handle. But I removed a little metal from the bolt handle when the Nikon was on the rifle.

My notes show that the Nikon ocular measured 1.612", the Leupold 1.553" (several different Leupolds measure about the same), a Zeiss was 1.712" and a Bushnell 3200 was 1.497", a Burris 2-7X35 FFII measured 1.59" and just cleared the bolt handle.

In my experience, if you use Talley detachable mounts, you need to use care in selecting a scope, or use higher mounts.

The trigger shape looks odd but I never think of it when shooting the rifle. I left it as it came from the factory because unset it is similar in pull weight to most of my other guns and I like the set trigger at times.

Thanks, I really appreciate that information. It looks as though either Talley or Warne are going to be pretty close to the bolt in a medium height ring with an ocular no larger than about 1.6". Is that about right?

That seems correct based on my specific rifle.

When I researched replacement CZ rings 3 years ago; it sticks in my mind that the Warne's were a little higher than the Talley's. The factory CZ rings are much too tall for my taste; but they fit well and give plenty of clearance. The American stock is shaped differently than the Bavarian stock on the FS; so ring height relative to cheek weld may be different.

In retrospect, I wished I'd bought Warne's as this set of Talley's has put serious ring marks on more than one scope and they don't fit all that well on my rifle - especially when compared to the factory rings and a NECG peep sight. (A 9.3X62 has stiff recoil so that may not be a problem for you with a 6.5X55.)

At present the Talley's with the Leupold scope works well - after doing some tinkering with the Talley rings.