Search results

Hi all, I have to choose between a Mauser 7x57 approx. 20 or 30 years old but in good condition and a 7x64 Brno with a hair trigger in fantastic condition. The brno is an extra $200. What do you guys think ?

That is even more impressive. Excellent work my friend. I refinished my stock and I know how much work it is.

Nice job-Did your finishing include the checkering?

Talk to your PH. Get a feel for how he (or she) likes to operate. Most don't want to shoot. And dare I say it, most will have a really good look at you with some plains game and then make a call. In my experience as an apprentice, that is what I saw. We all watched quietly, was the hunter safe...

Thanks, Good advice. Did you ever leave the factory caustic blue on and just rust blue to fix the bad spots ?

I kind of figured I would have to complete the conversion of each rust step to blue magnetite before rusting again.

Hi All, I ask the learned gun nuts on the forum if CZ 550 mounts are the same as Brno/CZ .22 mounts. Initial investigation indicates they are the same size -17 mm. Seems possible. I just bought a .22 but will have to go through licensing procedure before I have it in my hands and I am trying to...

Humidity i have aplenty. We have had one of the wettest rainy seasons for many a year. Humidity is at 46 %. So rust wont be a problem.

Hi all, anyone out there have experience with rust blueing ? I have a few questions: 1. I am thinking of fixing some rusty worn areas of factory blueing with rust blue.anyone done that and got pictures ? 2. Normal procedure is rust/boil/card 4 or more times. Can you rust/card over and over...

I am looking forward to some pics of the finished rifle. Sights should line up with your natural eye line with the rifle mounted so I think you did the right thing. Sights that are just there to make the rifle look right are not a great plan. And anyway, I think a Trijicon RMR is better than...

Sometimes you hold a big bore wrong and it bites. That is just the nature of the beast. I have had a blue/purple shoulder once after shooting. Just a random blood vessel burst or one shot fired a little early. Also check your butt pad. Sharp corners cause bruising. I rounded my pad with sandpaper

Yes, by and large you are correct. So in Zimbabwe, 458 Lott in a CZ 550 or Winchester M 70 or Mauser/Whitworth etc are probably the most common. Then doubles in 470 NE or 500 NE. Then a sprinkling of 416 Rigby/Rem, 460 Weatherby and 458 Win Mag. Most will avoid Weatherby actions and cant afford...

Of course -engineering over beauty. But when engineering and beauty combine it is special !

Yes 450 Gr at 2150 would be similar to a 404 in energy but with a bigger frontal area, I would expect penetration would be a bit less. What most people do not understand is the 450 gr bullet has similar sectional density to the 375 H&H and 404/416 bullets. So for a Win Mag with copper solids...

Hornady use their own proprietary powder to get 2150 -2190 fps with 500 gr. You can do the same with handloads although someone will be along to tell you that I am talking rubbish in just a second. Lott factory rounds will make 2250 to 2300 fps and I have personally got 2350 fps with a handload...

I would guess it is hand rubbed oil finish. Likely Boiled linseed oil or a more modern derivative of that. Rigby/H&H/Purdey get that glass finish. Probably a little wax polish afterwards. The wood is an excellent blank. I was amazed at the finish I got on my CZ factory stock with BLO and some...

I have a 458 Lott which I find I can shoot. I have shot 14 or 15 rounds in an hour or two at the range with good accuracy. However, I have had other days (load development) where I have had some hot loads and am shooting next to the chrono and I felt a flinch coming on the 3 rd round. I also had...

I carefully drilled 3 holes in the butt stock after removing the recoil pad. Then I melted some lead solder from the hardware shop into 3 empty cartridge cases and pushed those into the holes. Added about half a pound and moved the balance point back. You can put a mercury recoil reducer but I...

So I just pulled out a CZ catalogue from when I bought my rifle. 416 rugby lux lists 3 rounds in the magazine. That is the one with the hogsback stock. The American safari version lists 4 rounds in the magazine. So it depends on the version you have.

I would add a little to this- Most bites are dry bites ie no venom. The snake wants to escape and is defending itself when it feels threatened. So statistics show that most bites have little to no venom injected. However, the more you harass the snake, the more venom it will produce- so shoot it...

My point is that a solid weight will do the same thing and from the instant the trigger is pulled. Mercury will remain stationary until the rifle recoils and the mercury hits the front of its chamber. Then it will work like a solid lead weight to reduce the recoil. Basically, lead weight is...

Yes, a mercury reducer would add weight. But as a former physics teacher, I cannot see any scientific reason that a mercury reducer is anything more than a weight in the stock-equivalent to and far more expensive than a lead weight. In fact physics would suggest that a lead weight is superior...

I would suggest that you try the rifle before you cut the barrel shorter. I have a CZ in 458 Lott. People suggested I get a bigger front bead (which I did) for quick target acquisition. They also suggested moving the sling swivel and shortening the barrel. I researched and bent my brain...

Supressors are ilegal in Zim so I have no experience. I would just ask with the volume of gases and the projectile size, do you actually get much of a sound suppression ? I believe that suppressor get less effective as the calibre gets larger.

My opinion, get a Winchester M70 in 375 H&H. Yes I agree. Most likely to work out the box is a Winchester 375 H&H. But that said, I wouldnt buy a winchester 458 Lott - I would switch preference to a CZ at that point. Also CZ for 416 Rigby. I think the bigger action really pays off with the...

I hate to break it to you but I have seen rifles from all manufacturers give problems at the Zimbabwe PH shooting tests. Original mausers, through Winchesters, CZ, Whitworth etc. Mauser based actions often need work to make them feed correctly. Also if you watch youtube hunting videos, you will...

My brother has a CZ 550 in 416 Rigby. 12 elephants so far and about 8 or 10 buffalo. If I had been able to get the same calibre, I would have but all that was available was 458 win mag which i have reamed to Lott. I think it is an awesome calibre, well suited to Africa. I can tell you that I...

It is economic for manufacturers to use the same boxes for different calibres wherever possible. The box width is the most important dimension and of course most cartridges taper to the front and so does the box. I would suggest that CZ use the 375 box because it is most similar to the ideal...

So I think I understand- on mauser actions, the case rides up the face of the bolt and slides under the bottom corner of the claw extractor. This does create a 'hitch' in the feeding. My experience is with a CZ 550. So I found that you can file or polish an angle or bevel onto the bottom corner...

I don't think so. Law requirement is over .362 " + energy requirement.

With all currently available factory ammunition, the 9,3 x 62 is NOT legal in Zimbabwe for Category A animals (Hippo/Buffalo/Elephant). It does not make the minimum energy but does make the minimum calibre. Handloads can make the legal requirement- 3982 ft/lbs. There used to be a 293 gr TUG...

Maybe a good plan would be to look for a scope designed for a scout rifle. Extremely long eye relief. Secondly, I think that the angle of you head is important. Some people shoot in a heads-up style which is less likely to get a little scar. My 458 lott has only iron sights so no danger there...

Further update-Phil is in Harare in hospital. I understand he has cracked vertebra as well as the broken arm. Havent heard what happened to him.

Cool. Glad it helped. I spent countless hours getting my CZ to feed well. When it works, you see the beauty of mausers design and why it is considered the king of DG actions.

Try looking at your bolt face. Pay particular attention to the ridge on the right of the bolt and the bottom edge of the extractor. The rim rides up the face and then the ridges and extractor as it loads. So you may need to polish the edges that it rides on and maybe soften the angles a little.

Phil appears to be stable. I understand that his arm is badly broken but it does not seem to be life threatening. One of the examiners for Zim proficiency says he takes prospective PH's close up to elephant. He reckons that it sorts the men from the boys. Personally, I love being close to...

Well said Prof. If I may add a little footnote, professionals-both hunting and photographic guides often carry solids in their rifle because they do not know what they may meet. So they prepare for elephant on the assumption that solids will still work on buffalo and lion but the reverse is not...

Not a PH myself but I use a CZ 550 in 458 Lott for guiding/walks etc. Lots of friends who are PH's in Zimbabwe and this is what I can recall- 1x 500 NE double Rigby 4 x CZ 550 458 Lott or Ackley 1x 458 Lott Winchester Model 70 1x 458 Dakota don't know the action 1x 450 Rigby -I think it is a...

and in 458 win mag calibre. I even heard Chuck Norris had sold all his guns and now just uses a Blaser R8.

SAAMI specs for the Lott are chamber length 2.810 " with a chamfer to 2.822" where the diameter is .459 ". Now some manufacturers may produce a longer reamer but I would think that reputable manufacturers would not. I think that you are seeing 458 win mag chambers reamed to Lott. The win mag...

My DG rifle breaks fairly clean at about 3 lbs. I adjusted the stock CZ trigger to remove the hair trigger and polished the surfaces with 800 grit paper. I adjusted the sear overlap to a couple of mm to ensure the rifle is safe but that does mean there is a little creep. Life is full of...

I have tried VV 133,135,540 in my 458 Lott. They all worked with 133 and 135 giving me slightly better velocity.Peregrine bullets suggested VV530 as best for the Lott with their 515 gr bullets but I need to get some powder first before giving that a try. The guy I reload with uses 530 for his...

Also not claiming to be an expert- the magazine length is the same for 375 and 458. Magazine width should be determined by the cartridge diameter but 375/Win Mag/Lott all have the same base size, it is only the taper and length that varies. My magazine is stamped 458 win mag, I reamed to Lott...

Also not claiming to be an expert- the magazine length is the same for 375 and 458. Magazine width should be determined by the cartridge diameter but 375/Win Mag/Lott all have the same base size, it is only the taper and length that varies. My magazine is stamped 458 win mag, I reamed to Lott...

Rifle fit is a dark art- known only by a few gun manufacturers. Fashion seems to dictate stock shape far more than recoil. CZ is a Company that managed to manufacture the same rifle with a bad recoiling stock (monte carlo) and easier recoil stock (standard) on the 550 action. It is also more...

Sorry but that is incorrect. I am not aware of any factory ammunition that qualifies but it can be handloaded to make legal requirements. See below for the national parks requirements: Third Schedule Part A Animals Thick Skinned, dangerous game, BUFFALO, ELEPHANT, HIPPOPOTAMUS Any person who...

I think the mount to rifle connection is also based largely on friction. The dead stop or a lug mating to a groove on the rifle will not be precisely fitted. There will always be a tolerance allowed on both parts, to allow them to fit easily. So dead stop will work in only one direction when...

In my opinion, primary force that keeps a scope in place is friction. The secondary method is that recoil lug. Why do I say this ? Unless the lug is precisely machined to fit into that recess, it would allow forward or backward movement, or both. That will shift your zero. Same with screws on a...

Barrel length is a pretty interesting discussion and as I started the thread, I don't feel guilty starting a rabbit hole ! My rifle barrel is full factory length 25 " CZ barrel. The rifle was a bit light so I added weight to the butt with some empty cases filled with lead. It also balanced the...

I think a thread like this has merit if people learn the facts and then make up their mind from there. I carry a 458 Lott. I take kids camps (ages 12-18) about 2-3 times a year at RIFA education camp and elsewhere. So we walk in Big 4 territory. I am not hunting or conducting hunts much...