BRNO 602

[ianthompson]

Hi, I was able to find a BRNO 602 in 375 H&H for decent price. It hasn't arrived yet but I am interested in know if there is any point in loading anything over 250 to 270 grain bullets for non dangerous game? Also are there any favorite loads for a 602 ? (I know some rifles like one load better than another) a fellow from church who was a reloader passed on and the estate has lots of powder choices

Someone threaded the barrel at one point. It still has the rear 2 leaf sight so I am thinking a cz 550 banded front sight might work.

From what I read it should be a nice utilitarian rifle and under $900 it wouldn't be too heartbreaking if something happened to it on a hunt.

 

[mark-hunter]

How much efforts I invested in my 602, if something would happen to her, it would be heartbreaking for me.
Where else you can find magnum length action, CRF, for normal money, today?

 

[Hunter-Habib]

You can get by on most African plains game with 270Gr bullets, except for eland & giraffe. For those, you will benefit from employing the 300Gr bullet. I personally employ the 300Gr bullet for everything and simply have my rifle zeroed in for it’s maximum point blank range with the 300Gr bullet. The reason why many of us old timers exclusively prefer to employ the 300Gr bullet, is because we typically like our soft points & our solids to have matching weights so that we don’t need to keep sighting in the rifle for different load weights. And most .375 Holland & Holland Magnum solids (especially factory loads) are of 300Gr weight.

BRNO ZKK602s were known as the “Workhorse Of Africa” when I first began hunting in Africa during the 1970s. Back in those days, the BRNO ZKK602 and the Interarms Whitworth African were the only commercially manufactured control round feed rifles to be offered in dangerous game calibers (namely the .375 Holland & Holland Magnum and the .458 Winchester Magnum). And due to the international arms & ammunition embargoes that were in place against South Africa & Rhodesia at the time, just about all the newly imported firearms which one could see in Africa back in those days… were Czech BRNOs. Virtually every white hunter back in those days, used to keep a pair of BRNO ZKK602 rifles in camp (one in .375 Holland & Holland Magnum and one in .458 Winchester Magnum).

I still personally consider the BRNO ZKK602 to be one of the world’s finest .375 Holland & Holland Magnum rifles ever to be commercially manufactured. It’s a real pity that they ceased production in 1993. I’ve employed quite a few of them over the years. The pre 1974 ones with the neat little pop up peep sight in the receiver, were the most well finished.

The most accurate cartridges which I’ve ever fired from them, are the 300Gr Norma Oryx and the Norma 300Gr round nosed Barnes Banded Solid. They’re pretty forgiving regarding what bullets they like. Although, I’ve seen one specimen which didn’t like the flat nosed Hornady DGS (Dangerous Game Solid) cartridges. Feeding was sticky until a gunsmith in Bloemfontein had the feeding ramps smoothed out with a file.

 

[ianthompson]

You can get by on most African plains game with 270Gr bullets, except for eland & giraffe. For those, you will benefit from employing the 300Gr bullet. I personally employ the 300Gr bullet for everything and simply have my rifle zeroed in for it’s maximum point blank range with the 300Gr bullet. The reason why many of us old timers exclusively prefer to employ the 300Gr bullet, is because we typically like our soft points & our solids to have matching weights so that we don’t need to keep sighting in the rifle for different load weights. And most .375 Holland & Holland Magnum solids (especially factory loads) are of 300Gr weight.

BRNO ZKK602s were known as the “Workhorse Of Africa” when I first began hunting in Africa during the 1970s. Back in those days, the BRNO ZKK602 and the Interarms Whitworth African were the only commercially manufactured control round feed rifles to be offered in dangerous game calibers (namely the .375 Holland & Holland Magnum and the .458 Winchester Magnum). And due to the international arms & ammunition embargoes that were in place against South Africa & Rhodesia at the time, just about all the newly imported firearms which one could see in Africa back in those days… were Czech BRNOs. Virtually every white hunter back in those days, used to keep a pair of BRNO ZKK602 rifles in camp (one in .375 Holland & Holland Magnum and one in .458 Winchester Magnum).

I still personally consider the BRNO ZKK602 to be one of the world’s finest .375 Holland & Holland Magnum rifles ever to be commercially manufactured. It’s a real pity that they ceased production in 1993. I’ve employed quite a few of them over the years. The pre 1974 ones with the neat little pop up peep sight in the receiver, were the most well finished.
View attachment 689463View attachment 689464View attachment 689465View attachment 689466View attachment 689467

The most accurate cartridges which I’ve ever fired from them, are the 300Gr Norma Oryx and the Norma 300Gr round nosed Barnes Banded Solid. They’re pretty forgiving regarding what bullets they like. Although, I’ve seen one specimen which didn’t like the flat nosed Hornady DGS (Dangerous Game Solid) cartridges. Feeding was sticky until a gunsmith in Bloemfontein had the feeding ramps smoothed out with a file.

That sounds encouraging. A few months ago I picked up brass and dies that came with a few honady 270 and 300 grain bullets.

Looks like it would as good or close enough to a cz 550 in terms of quality.

 

[mark-hunter]

Looks like it would as good or close enough to a cz 550 in terms of quality.

What the experts are saying, as the time went on and tooling and machines were getting worn out, earlier series were of better quality. Which means ZKK better then CZ550 in terms of fit and finish.
But both rifles will need a bit of finishing to make it smooth and safari capable.

My gunsmith took a lot of polishing to smooth out machining imperfections, before bluing.

In the 80-ies, when there was a lack of original Mauser 98 actions, Brno (ZKK) actions were used for fitting the Rigby rifles. They are solid base to make excellent rifle.

Here is Rigby advertising of that time, basis on Brno magnum action.

 

[grand veneur]

There were plenty of original Mauser 98 actions in the eighties. All the rifles I bought back then were built with such actions. What was missing was Mauser Magnum actions. Who could not use Brevex Magnum Mauser actions used ZKK 600 actions for building big bore rifles especially caliber 416 Rigby. That was so up to the beginning of the nineties.

 

[mark-hunter]

What was missing was Mauser Magnum actions.

As they are missing today.... Situation even worse now....

 

[grand veneur]

As they are missing today.... Situation even worse now....

You mean original Mauser Magnum action, because new modern ones are available, but extremely expensive.

 

[mark-hunter]

Anyway you put it situation is bad.
For time being Brno and CZ rifles were filling the gap globally.

Now, you cant find a magnum lenght action, not even in push feed rifle, not to mention CRF.

I do have ZKK 602, which took me 2 years to find, but lets say I want new 375 HH, or 416 RIgby?
I wouldnt know were to look. And new ones (mauser, rigby) are prohibitively expensive.

 

[Pondoro]

I have 2...this is a restocked 602...have taken game from impala via moose up to and including elephant.. 5 down in the mag. and as slick an action than any Rigby I have examined..

This is a rebuild to .416 Rigby, 4 in the mag..new Lothar Walther barrel, M70 safety and a McMillan stock.

 

[grand veneur]

On offer for years !

C.Z. Magnum von Büchsenmacher in Lübeck Klaus Koops aus Lübeck

Großwild Büchse von CZ - Kal. 458 Winchster Magnum - Lauflänge: 65 cm - Schaftlänge: 36 cm - Gewicht: 4 Kg - Magazin: 4+1 - Zielfernrohr: Kettner 21/2 x77 Abs. 1

www.vdb-waffen.de

 

[skydiver386]

To the op's question, the 270 grain is perfect for most heavy Plains Game like Eland, but like Hunter Habib, I prefer to do nearly everything with the 300 grain load. I had a BRNO in .375 H&H years ago and it was fantastically accurate with any ammo shot through it. They are stout and strong rifles, and I hope your's makes it to Africa someday.

 

[ianthompson]

I didn't realize Rigby used them. I don't have the cute pop-up sight. I think Talley makes a quick detach scope mount for the CZ550 and read on another post here that it should fit the 602. I have a 1-5 power leopold so figured that would go nice with it.

 

[mark-hunter]

I didn't realize Rigby used them. I don't have the cute pop-up sight. I think Talley makes a quick detach scope mount for the CZ550 and read on another post here that it should fit the 602. I have a 1-5 power leopold so figured that would go nice with it.

If you want true classic, I installed magnum Rusan Swing mounts, with six screws on front ring.

Nosač skidajući (Švenk) Magnum - 30 mm, H17

mikron.hr

(should be able to order via optics trade)

 

[Captain Munro]

The loss of the CZ 550 is truly crushing, both as an off the shelf rifle with magnum crf actions and as a platform for customs and semi-customs. I keep watching for an AHR (like this: https://www.gunsinternational.com/g...0--caliber---404-jeffery.cfm?gun_id=101554320 ) or a Safari Classics II.

 

[Scott CWO]

I use the Barnes 270 grain LRX for everything in one of mine and it works great. I have another that is sighted in with 300 grain Swift A-Frame bullets. I can tell no difference in the field on game. Some people get hung up on 30 more grains of bullet weight. The animals don't know the difference. If your rifle likes the 270 grain bullets, go ahead and use them for everything. It is plenty of weight.

 

[MLindsay]

I use 270 grain Barnes TSX, guess I have taken over 150 animals with it, including 5 Eland. Works perfectly!

 

[Pondoro]

260 Nosler Accubond and 235 Barnes X also work very well on the antelope..

And truth be told...I shot loads of plainsgame with 270 grain Remington core locked factory..they expanded nicely through and were found under the skin on the opposite side of the animals.

 

[spike.t]

What the experts are saying, as the time went on and tooling and machines were getting worn out, earlier series were of better quality. Which means ZKK better then CZ550 in terms of fit and finish.
But both rifles will need a bit of finishing to make it smooth and safari capable.

My gunsmith took a lot of polishing to smooth out machining imperfections, before bluing.

In the 80-ies, when there was a lack of original Mauser 98 actions, Brno (ZKK) actions were used for fitting the Rigby rifles. They are solid base to make excellent rifle.

Here is Rigby advertising of that time, basis on Brno magnum action.

View attachment 689543

Yup I had 4 different 416 rifles from Paul back then....all very nice ....wish I had kept one...think from memory my last one was ser no 6642...not sure why it's stuck in the brain ...spent many many hours at 66 great Suffolk street....

 

[BeeMaa]

@ianthompson - The PG animals will never know the difference between the 270 and 300 grain bullets. I’d recommend buying a box of each and see what shoots best for you.

The CZ550 375H&H I had preferred 300 grain Swift A-Frames. However now I’m using 300 grain Barnes TSX in a different rifle. Still really good.