CZ-550 American .416 Rigby

[ChrisG]

So I already have a .416 Ruger, but there is something in me that loves provenance. The Ruger doesn't have any and I have longed for a .416 Rigby for a long time. I just got a sweet deal on brand new hornady cases ($1 ea.) and I am looking into a rifle. When I get the Rigby, I will likely sell the Ruger with all its brass and dies and such as I have no need for two .416 rifles.

I like the CZs because they are highly customizable thanks to AHR, they seem to have a proven track record and they are inexpensive. Having said that, I have heard that they are rough out of the box and may not feed so well. Is this just a matter of breaking them in or is there some polishing and milling that can be done to smoothen them up at home? I am pretty handy and used to work for a gunsmith. I have done my own stock work, checkering, rebluing, fitting etc.

For those who own the CZ-550 in .416, would you recommend one and what are the upgrades if any, you think it needs before it can be a serviceable DG rifle? Keep in mind that I am not made of money so spending thousands of dollars is kind of out of the question. Thanks

 

[BRICKBURN]

This may assist you

https://www.africahunting.com/threads/cz-feed-issues.34576/page-2#post-342496

 

[ChrisG]

This may assist you

https://www.africahunting.com/threads/cz-feed-issues.34576/page-2#post-342496

Thanks Brickburn!

 

[bassasdaindia]

great rifles and fantastic caliber , they do need to be polished and smoothed over , mine are cut down to 22" from 25" as well.

 

[dchamp]

I have the CZ 550 Safari Classic in .416 Rigby and yes it did need work polishing the action. I bought mine with the kevlar stock but it was to light of weight IMO. I have since restocked it with CZ's laminated wood stock and is much better now.

A couple of other options would be to check out Montana Rifle Co. or the Sako 85 Brown Bear. I have only handled the Sako in .416b Rigby but it was hands down a much better rifle....IMHO Eurooptic has the Sako .416 Rigby in stock.

 

[ChrisG]

I have the CZ 550 Safari Classic in .416 Rigby and yes it did need work polishing the action. I bought mine with the kevlar stock but it was to light of weight IMO. I have since restocked it with CZ's laminated wood stock and is much better now.

A couple of other options would be to check out Montana Rifle Co. or the Sako 85 Brown Bear. I have only handled the Sako in .416b Rigby but it was hands down a much better rifle....IMHO Eurooptic has the Sako .416 Rigby in stock.

No Offense here but, I don't know if I could ever justify $2000 for a push feed rifle with a cheap laminated stock and a low gloss (what appears to be cerakote) finish on it. I am not saying I want glossy but for that price it better at least be rust blued. Sako or not. I can't see how that rifle costs that much... It just looks like it was whipped out of some machine shop where they had no clue what to do with the wood on it. Mechanically, it might be perfect but it has no class or crafstmanship to it. I could buy a CZ and send it to Wayne at AHR for some upgrades for that kind of money.

 

[ChrisG]

No Offense here but, I don't know if I could ever justify $2000 for a push feed rifle with a cheap laminated stock and a low gloss (what appears to be cerakote) finish on it. I am not saying I want glossy but for that price it better at least be rust blued. Sako or not. I can't see how that rifle costs that much... It just looks like it was whipped out of some machine shop where they had no clue what to do with the wood on it. Mechanically, it might be perfect but it has no class or crafstmanship to it. I could buy a CZ and send it to Wayne at AHR for some upgrades for that kind of money.

Sorry. I didn't mean to hate on a rifle you liked. Everyone is entitled to their opnion... I just like my guns to have some soul to them. That's all. I am sure the Sako is well made and functions perfectly, It just isn't what I am looking for. I will look into Montana rifles though. Thanks

 

[rookhawk]

I totally understand the $1000 CZ. Some handy gunsmith friends and a shoestring budget gets you a safe, reliable performer of a rifle.

I totally don't understand the $3000 pimped out custom CZ. Once you start throwing $2000 in work or more info a $1000 rifle, you're quite close to a really nice rifle. $4000-$5000 gets you a Dakota or maybe a Granite Mountain. $6000 gets you a brevex double square bridge if you hunt for it.

I'm not here to rip on the rifles, I'm just pointing out on the cost/quality axis things go foul when you buy fords and then throw Porsche money into them. Let them stay Fords or buy the Porsche.

 

[CAustin]

Sorry. I didn't mean to hate on a rifle you liked. Everyone is entitled to their opnion... I just like my guns to have some soul to them. That's all. I am sure the Sako is well made and functions perfectly, It just isn't what I am looking for. I will look into Montana rifles though. Thanks

Some people on here have had issues Montana Rifle Company in the past. I have seen some great looking rifles from them with no issues. That being said getting timely customer service was a problem.

 

[ChrisG]

I totally understand the $1000 CZ. Some handy gunsmith friends and a shoestring budget gets you a safe, reliable performer of a rifle.

I totally don't understand the $3000 pimped out custom CZ. Once you start throwing $2000 in work or more info a $1000 rifle, you're quite close to a really nice rifle. $4000-$5000 gets you a Dakota or maybe a Granite Mountain. $6000 gets you a brevex double square bridge if you hunt for it.

I'm not here to rip on the rifles, I'm just pointing out on the cost/quality axis things go foul when you buy fords and then throw Porsche money into them. Let them stay Fords or buy the Porsche.

I totally understand that. I also love to work on my rifles. some of the stuff Wayne does at AHR, I can do myself. I would only send stuff to him that NEEDED his machine shop. I am all for functional rifles however. In my opinion, the most beautiful hunting rifle to me is Harry Selby's Rigby .416. It has standard grade walnut, little to no engraving and has all the dings and wear of being carried in the bush for years. It is a rifle meant to be used. I hold no fascination with a "bespoke" rifle, because I am just gonna ding it up and use it. the only guns I own that are never shot, are several hundred years old and are kept because they are old, not because they are guns.

my perfectly styled .416 is something that looks like this .375. Hand oiled stock, no embellishment, straight grained black or english walnut, rust blued (I can do that myself after the fact), Absolutely my perfect hunting rifle, except maybe double bridged so I could mount a scope on it. :

But that I wouldn't be afraid to carry in the woods or bush. This rifle is probably worth $6-12,000 and therefore, sadly wouldn't be used by me, so I wouldn't buy it even if I had that kind of money.

 

[ChrisG]

Some people on here have had issues Montana Rifle Company in the past. I have seen some great looking rifles from them with no issues. That being said getting timely customer service was a problem.

Good to know! Thanks

 

[rookhawk]

@ChrisG we have similar tastes. I would say there is nothing more beautiful than a fine English rifle that has been used a lot and MAINTAINED. Fresh oil every year or two and gentle coaxing of the dents in the process and it looks great.

That is the allure of British guns. Whereas American collector tastes (heathens) grade guns based on new and unrestored condition, the Brits do not.

Everyone is looking for that gun that never saw use and is "as new". Any use at all crushes the value.

Contrast that to the British gun. Only a reprehensible indignant wouldn't send their weapon back to the gun room each year for "freshening". One year, surface rust removed, next year an oil finish built back up, the tenth year some bluing work, the fifteenth year the entire gun dismantled and boiled, lubed and reassembled.

That's the beauty of the British arm: it is not just theoretically "functional art", it was and is functional art. The fact that a gun killed a thousand grouse and still looks 95%, or journeyed on six months of safaris and still smells of fresh slacum..:that is the thing of beauty.

The American collectible rifle is the antithesis. It is only theoretically functional art. Any apparent use dissolves its value. To have value it has no stories, has no soul, has had no journeys.

Just my take as a collector (formerly, now in recovery) of nice guns.

Apologies: I took this thread way off track. Sorry about that.

 

[ChrisG]

@ChrisG we have similar tastes. I would say there is nothing more beautiful than a fine English rifle that has been used a lot and MAINTAINED. Fresh oil every year or two and gentle coaxing of the dents in the process and it looks great.

That is the allure of British guns. Whereas American collector tastes (heathens) grade guns based on new and unrestored condition, the Brits do not.

Everyone is looking for that gun that never saw use and is "as new". Any use at all crushes the value.

Contrast that to the British gun. Only a reprehensible indignant wouldn't send their weapon back to the gun room each year for "freshening". One year, surface rust removed, next year an oil finish built back up, the tenth year some bluing work, the fifteenth year the entire gun dismantled and boiled, lubed and reassembled.

That's the beauty of the British arm: it is not just theoretically "functional art", it was and is functional art. The fact that a gun killed a thousand grouse and still looks 95%, or journeyed on six months of safaris and still smells of fresh slacum..:that is the thing of beauty.

The American collectible rifle is the antithesis. It is only theoretically functional art. Any apparent use dissolves its value. To have value it has no stories, has no soul, has had no journeys.

Just my take as a collector (formerly, now in recovery) of nice guns.

Apologies: I took this thread way off track. Sorry about that.

Everything you just said made me want to give you a hug... a platonic, brotherhood-of-hunters, one-armed, bro-hug.

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

One warning @ChrisG, if you load that .416 Rigby to it's modern day capability, you may consider hitting on the girlfriend of a Hell's Angel to be a more pleasant experience. I had one like you're looking at and with my inability to not fill the case as much as safely possible, it was always let's say an experience touching that trigger.

 

[ChrisG]

One warning @ChrisG, if you load that .416 Rigby to it's modern day capability, you may consider hitting on the girlfriend of a Hell's Angel to be a more pleasant experience. I had one like you're looking at and with my inability to not fill the case as much as safely possible, it was always let's say an experience touching that trigger.

I know that compulsive disorder... I believe it's called exhaustive-propellant-brimming disorder... I used to suffer from it until I realized I could no longer convince myself that it killed things deader. But it lead to the next disorder which, as adding more powder didn't kill 'em any deader, then perhaps a larger bore and more lead is the answer to making an animal ultra-super-stone-cold-bucket-thoroughly-kicked DEAD. Haven't talked myself outta that mentality yet.

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

I know that compulsive disorder... I believe it's called exhaustive-propellant-brimming disorder... I used to suffer from it until I realized I could no longer convince myself that it killed things deader. But it lead to the next disorder which, as adding more powder didn't kill 'em any deader, then perhaps a larger bore and more lead is the answer to making an animal ultra-super-stone-cold-bucket-thoroughly-kicked DEAD. Haven't talked myself outta that mentality yet.

I'll say this for that rifle, it was accurate as anyone could ask for. I do believe you're a hand loader. Be careful brush out the inside of the necks before dropping powder and seating a bullet. It doesn't take much to create enough friction at bullet seating to collapse the shoulder. I ruined a couple pieces of that expensive brass that way.

 

[ChrisG]

I'll say this for that rifle, it was accurate as anyone could ask for. I do believe you're a hand loader. Be careful brush out the inside of the necks before dropping powder and seating a bullet. It doesn't take much to create enough friction at bullet seating to collapse the shoulder. I ruined a couple pieces of that expensive brass that way.

Thanks for the tip! Yeah it has a short shallow shoulder. I was actually thinking of buying a belling die to open the case mouths a bit before seating. Come to think of it, I actually have an expander die for a .44 magnum that would probably work with a few small alterations

 

[dchamp]

Sorry. I didn't mean to hate on a rifle you liked. Everyone is entitled to their opnion... I just like my guns to have some soul to them. That's all. I am sure the Sako is well made and functions perfectly, It just isn't what I am looking for. I will look into Montana rifles though. Thanks

No offense taken, we all have our likes and dislikes.

 

[Rule 303]

I have a CZ550 in 416 Rigby. Bloody nice rifle even if I have heathend -not a word I know- it up a bit.

Mine was a little rough but no more than say a Ruger and it slicked up quickly. It would not feed the oprn nosed Woodleigh Hydrostatics from the left side of the mag box. The smith soon had that fixed.

It came with a nice piece of timber but I found the stock a tad short and the rifle a bit heavy. To heathen it up, I had it ceracoted in Midnight Purple- looks like a deep blue in the sun, and a McMillan synthetic stock. It is a whisker lighter and with the longer length of pull my eye is where it needs to be.

It shoots exceptionally well. Places 410 Woodleigh Weldcores and the 400Hydros to same point of impact.

Chris G I do agree.

 

[colorado]

Thanks for the tip! Yeah it has a short shallow shoulder. I was actually thinking of buying a belling die to open the case mouths a bit before seating. Come to think of it, I actually have an expander die for a .44 magnum that would probably work with a few small alterations

I always chamfer my case mouths slightly, then use a Lee Factory Crimp die on anything that kicks hard. Seems to work pretty well.