Got the CZ blues

[Paul Raley]

Here in South Africa if one wants an affordable large caliber rifle we are very limited in our choice. I would say that in recent years the two most popular ( affordable ) makes that have been available have been CZ and Winchester . There has been a few Zastava rifles available but they dont seem to have been that popular . Obviously if one then wanted another caliber apart from a 375 h&h or 416 Rem you would have to look at the CZ 550 range .
I have a CZ 550 in 416 Rigby , the Bavarian style stock was customized by a gunsmith to have a more traditional look to it and the action was was polished and made to work a bit smoother . This rifle is extremely accurate and so far has fed all the ammo I have put through it reliably .
Although my CZ is a great rifle and has had a bit of work done to it I am of the opinion that the Winchester Mod 70 is a “better” rifle out of the box than the CZ due to its “slicker” action , overall finish and its dimensions . I find that one can work the action on the Mod 70 a bit quicker and smoother than the CZ and for me it is a better “balanced” rifle , not as big and bulky as the CZ . ( my subjective opinion )
The problem with the Mod 70s though is that they are only available in 375 h&h and 416 Rem , if one wants a decent rifle in one of the classic calibers for an affordable price then the CZ 550 is the best option . Over the years the Brno and CZ rifles have gained a good reputation in SA and have an almost cult status over here .
One question I would like to ask those of you that might know is - Has the CZ550 Magnum been discontinued ? There seems to be a lot of conflicting reports re this issue .
My CZ 550 was purchased about three years ago for the price of 22000 SA rands ( ZAR) , last week at one of the big firearm retail stores here in SA I saw a brand new CZ 550 barreled action only in 416 Rigby going for 36000 ZAR . Apart from the steep increase in price what is interesting about this barreled action is that according to the test target in the box it was test fired in May 2020 and it was made in the USA . All the CZ 550 Magnums that I have seen in SA thus far have been made in the Czech Republic .

 

[Paul Raley]

Here in South Africa if one wants an affordable large caliber rifle we are very limited in our choice. I would say that in recent years the two most popular ( affordable ) makes that have been available have been CZ and Winchester . There has been a few Zastava rifles available but they dont seem to have been that popular . Obviously if one then wanted another caliber apart from a 375 h&h or 416 Rem you would have to look at the CZ 550 range .
I have a CZ 550 in 416 Rigby , the Bavarian style stock was customized by a gunsmith to have a more traditional look to it and the action was was polished and made to work a bit smoother . This rifle is extremely accurate and so far has fed all the ammo I have put through it reliably .
Although my CZ is a great rifle and has had a bit of work done to it I am of the opinion that the Winchester Mod 70 is a “better” rifle out of the box than the CZ due to its “slicker” action , overall finish and its dimensions . I find that one can work the action on the Mod 70 a bit quicker and smoother than the CZ and for me it is a better “balanced” rifle , not as big and bulky as the CZ . ( my subjective opinion )
The problem with the Mod 70s though is that they are only available in 375 h&h and 416 Rem , if one wants a decent rifle in one of the classic calibers for an affordable price then the CZ 550 is the best option . Over the years the Brno and CZ rifles have gained a good reputation in SA and have an almost cult status over here .
One question I would like to ask those of you that might know is - Has the CZ550 Magnum been discontinued ? There seems to be a lot of conflicting reports re this issue .
My CZ 550 was purchased about three years ago for the price of 22000 SA rands ( ZAR) , last week at one of the big firearm retail stores here in SA I saw a brand new CZ 550 barreled action only in 416 Rigby going for 36000 ZAR . Apart from the steep increase in price what is interesting about this barreled action is that according to the test target in the box it was test fired in May 2020 and it was made in the USA . All the CZ 550 Magnums that I have seen in SA thus far have been made in the Czech Republic .

 

[bassasdaindia]

Here in South Africa if one wants an affordable large caliber rifle we are very limited in our choice. I would say that in recent years the two most popular ( affordable ) makes that have been available have been CZ and Winchester . There has been a few Zastava rifles available but they dont seem to have been that popular . Obviously if one then wanted another caliber apart from a 375 h&h or 416 Rem you would have to look at the CZ 550 range .
I have a CZ 550 in 416 Rigby , the Bavarian style stock was customized by a gunsmith to have a more traditional look to it and the action was was polished and made to work a bit smoother . This rifle is extremely accurate and so far has fed all the ammo I have put through it reliably .
Although my CZ is a great rifle and has had a bit of work done to it I am of the opinion that the Winchester Mod 70 is a “better” rifle out of the box than the CZ due to its “slicker” action , overall finish and its dimensions . I find that one can work the action on the Mod 70 a bit quicker and smoother than the CZ and for me it is a better “balanced” rifle , not as big and bulky as the CZ . ( my subjective opinion )
The problem with the Mod 70s though is that they are only available in 375 h&h and 416 Rem , if one wants a decent rifle in one of the classic calibers for an affordable price then the CZ 550 is the best option . Over the years the Brno and CZ rifles have gained a good reputation in SA and have an almost cult status over here .
One question I would like to ask those of you that might know is - Has the CZ550 Magnum been discontinued ? There seems to be a lot of conflicting reports re this issue .
My CZ 550 was purchased about three years ago for the price of 22000 SA rands ( ZAR) , last week at one of the big firearm retail stores here in SA I saw a brand new CZ 550 barreled action only in 416 Rigby going for 36000 ZAR . Apart from the steep increase in price what is interesting about this barreled action is that according to the test target in the box it was test fired in May 2020 and it was made in the USA . All the CZ 550 Magnums that I have seen in SA thus far have been made in the Czech Republic .

I am in agreement with you , i am of the view that the the CZ 550 comments that some are problematic is more related to the larger 500 calibers with regards to feeding issues , this shouldn’t be confused with purchases of CZ 550’s like myself who prefer to do some cosmetic and functional work to improve the rifles as well as personalize them to ones taste.

I own several M70’s as well as many custom made 550’s here in ZA and I personally prefer the 550’s once they have been modified to my required specifications.

 

[machinistbutler]

I think they are all made in the Czech Republic. The ones with the American stamp have a different stock, nicer checkering than the American stock models available in Canada anyways. I have picked up one just Czech marked and I had a 458 and 416 imported from the USA. The imported ones have a nicer stock. As far as I know the 550 have been discontinued.

 

[Paul Raley]

I think they are all made in the Czech Republic. The ones with the American stamp have a different stock, nicer checkering than the American stock models available in Canada anyways. I have picked up one just Czech marked and I had a 458 and 416 imported from the USA. The imported ones have a nicer stock. As far as I know the 550 have been discontinued.

You are 100% correct , I went back to the shop and took a better look , the barreled action does say it was made in the Czech Republic , it helps putting ones spectacles on ( thats my excuse for not seeing it ) . I also see that it uses the 375h&h magazine box which makes sense I suppose . See the photos attached , I have also included the test target dated the 5th May 2020 .

 

[Bonk]

In my experience CZ rifles work as advertised right out the box. However a little tweaking/tuning/improving never hurt anything. A brand new CZ550 375/416/458L is about $1100. A B&C stock is about $275. A trip to AHR for upgrade #2 will set you back another $1900 (including shipping). IOW, about $3300 will buy you arguably one of the best blue collar DG rifles you can buy. That's a bargain for what you're getting at that price point. YMMV

 

[colorado]

My CZ 550 action was made in the Czech republic, but all the barrels from the CZ Custom Shop used to be McGowan barrels. My 500 Jeffery barrel is a McGowan 1 in 10" twist, it will turn in your hand if you grip the forearm too lightly, which was a strange feeling the first time it happened to me. It is very accurate.

 

[machinistbutler]

That must be a blast to shoot Colorado! A nice gentleman up here sent me some pics of his cz in 505 Gibbs. Beautiful rifle , but man... I think the Lott is enough for me. The 500's might be too much of a good thing for me, but damn it would be fun to try one!

 

[colorado]

If you're ever in the Colorado Springs area look me up. I'll take the scope off. It won't hurt anyone offhand, it's sporty from the bench

 

[Paul Raley]

I am in agreement with you , i am of the view that the the CZ 550 comments that some are problematic is more related to the larger 500 calibers with regards to feeding issues , this shouldn’t be confused with purchases of CZ 550’s like myself who prefer to do some cosmetic and functional work to improve the rifles as well as personalize them to ones taste.

I own several M70’s as well as many custom made 550’s here in ZA and I personally prefer the 550’s once they have been modified to my required specifications.

Hi Bassasdaindia.
Would you mind sharing what CZ 550 Magnums you have and what you have had done to them and why ? Also if you have had any technical issues with them .
Regards
Paul

 

[Paul Raley]

My CZ 550 action was made in the Czech republic, but all the barrels from the CZ Custom Shop used to be McGowan barrels. My 500 Jeffery barrel is a McGowan 1 in 10" twist, it will turn in your hand if you grip the forearm too lightly, which was a strange feeling the first time it happened to me. It is very accurate.

Hi Colorado .
If you don't mind please send a photo of your rifle .
Thx
Paul

 

[colorado]

Hi my CZ 550 started out as a 375 H&H from the Custom Shop, just wanted a barrel band and a recoil reducer put in, paid about $1200 (had a 10% off coupon from Sportsman's Warehouse lol). It was nice, but I sent it to Wayne at AHR for his CZ #1 upgrade (single stage match trigger which is lovely, M70 type safety and straighten and fill the bolt) cost $500 back then. It's more now but still worth it. Finally, since I was disappointed in the lack of recoil of the 375 H&H (my first big bore), I had Harlan at Triple River, which did all the CZ Custom Shop work rechamber/rebarrel it to 500 Jeffery, cost $500 believe it or not. Took a bit to get it to feed and extract perfectly (very little money, mainly shipping, but it took time at the gunsmith) but it does now.

 

[Paul Raley]

Thank you colorado for the information and the photos , nice rifle with a beautiful piece of wood on it .

 

[fourfive8]

This is a late New Haven Win M70 416 Rem Mag chambering an empty out of the magazine- IMO, a good test for a DG rifle. I have one late New Haven Win M70 in 375 HH, two late New Haven M70s in 416 Rem Mag and one MRC M'99 in 450 Watts. They all cycle empties out of the magazine like this and none have required any gunsmith work or tuning.

 

[colorado]

My CZ 550 does that as well but required some work. Then again 500 Jeffery's are notoriously hard to make feed and extract.

 

[Hyde Hunter]

Hi y'all. Hope i'm posting in the right section. Got a brand new 550 chambered in 458wm that i took to the range for the first time Monday. Immediate woe's. As can be seen in the pics, it does not like 450g bullets. Jams every time. I know a lot of you guy's have extensive experience with CZs and hope someone has some suggestions. Try 500g bullets? Take it to a "smith"? Call CZ? Give up and buy a M70 (LOL). Any thots will be appreciated as i am at a loss on how to proceed. My 416Rigby operates flawlessly and it's a 550. Go figure.

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you can solve that problem by shooting Barnes TSX ammo as they are a type of pointed bullet and feed very nice I have a 550 and have zero problems with feeding these bullets.in fact I load the 450 bullet to 3.680 in. with 78 grains of AA2230 powder for 2315fps an d 5300 lbs of energy.the 458 in the CZ has a long throat and the TSX bullets can be loaded long and crimped with a Lee crimper.good luck pm me if you wish for further info Jim

 

[machinistbutler]

I believe he had it chambered for the Lott , and all works fine now.

 

[Dewald]

CZ knows there is an issue with some of the 416 Rigbys and 458 Lotts. So does Wayne at AHR, he still has mine working on it. Not all of them do, but some have had issues with scopes running out of elevation adjustment before zero is reached, they shoot low. I personally have tried 2 more brand new in the box 458 Lotts that had same issue and both were returned to where purchased after trying them with Swarovski scopes. You can get to zero with a high MOA scope such as Leupold VX5 or VX6 but you have to use up alot of your elevation to do it. Which is not ideal. I have been in contact with a VP at CZ and they know about this issue and my rifle issue and he said they have had this happen with some rifles in these two calibers in the past.
I love all my other CZs and have no issues with them, except this one that is giving problems.

All I suggest is if you buy one in these calibers is try it before spending any money on upgrades.

I had this with my .458 Lott Brno ZKK602. It seems the thread in the action is not true to the axis of the action, leaving you with a barrel “pointing down” in relation to the action. This doesn’t effect shooting with iron sights, as they are both on the barrel, but as soon as a scope is mounted on the action it runs out of elevation.

Personally this cured me forever of any Brno or CZ built after the model 21/22 and ZG47.

I honestly don’t understand how people can buy a firearm that is almost guaranteed to need work because of poor QC.

 

[machinistbutler]

Would be hard to cut a thread offset enough to make the barrel pointed down in a lathe. Not centered I could see, but consistently to point down makes no sense.

Unless they have some kind of jig where the action is stationary and the tool turns.