Is there a sweet spot in the performance/cost spectrum for safari-grade rifles

[mark-hunter]

What are the mentioned upgrades No1, No2, etc for CZ 550?

I am not familiar with American market, thus the question.
I wonder if there is something similar, in EU.

 

[wesheltonj]

Imo the $400 mossburg 375ruger is going to work just as well as, say, a Sako.

IMO - no. (1) The SAKO has a one piece bolt. It's not going to fall apart like the photos posted last year of another Manufacturer's bolt in two pieces. (2) The rifling is pounded into the barrel and not cut - read no "break-in" (3) nothing has to be added except a scope - no trigger jobs, glass bedding, etc.

That said you could buy the CZ send it off for the overhaul at AHR and you are at the cost of a SAKO.

 

[Dr Ray]

Winchester safari in 375 with a z6 Swarovski scope using hydro Woodleigh Bullets.

 

[BeeMaa]

Winchester safari in 375 with a z6 Swarovski scope using hydro Woodleigh Bullets.

Excellent choice Dr Ray...problem is no one has the Federal Hydro Woodleigh cartridges...been looking for months.
Man, I gotta start reloading.
And one reason I like the CZ over the Win is magazine capacity.
CZ holds 5+1, Win is 3+1 and I believe that to be a significant difference.

What are the mentioned upgrades No1, No2, etc for CZ 550?

I am not familiar with American market, thus the question.
I wonder if there is something similar, in EU.

#1 upgrade - 3-position firing pin blocking safety, trigger job to 3.5# and straighten & fill bolt handle

#2 upgrade - (includes all of #1 upgrade and...) cut & recrown barrel to desired length, barrel band front sling swivel, fiber optic front banded sight, fixed rear sight, glass bed action and refinish all metal with GunKote.

http://americanhuntingrifles.com/upgrade-your-cz/

Not sure if there is someone doing this in the EU.
I'm sure that the cost in paperwork alone isn't worth sending it to the US and back.

 

[Dr Ray]

Yes reload but I think Norma makes the 375 with woodleighs

 

[mark-hunter]

Not sure if there is someone doing this in the EU.
I'm sure that the cost in paperwork alone isn't worth sending it to the US and back.

Thanks for info.
Most of described upgrades are doable with local gunsmiths.

I am of same opinion that shipping costs, paperwork, etc wouldnt be worth it.

 

[Von S.]

It's simple,

Buy the best you can with what you can afford and don't worry what others think.

....and have fun.

 

[Shootist43]

Wayne, IMHO the CZ 550 in 375 H&H with an AHR upgrade is currently the best option given your parameters. If you are not pressed for time I still suggest waiting to see if The Montana Rifle Company brings out a 404 Jeffery in one or more of their offerings next year. The 375 H&H Mag. has earned a stellar reputation over the years as an "all around" rifle. However it is the minimum caliber allowed for DG. The 404 Jeffery is significantly more capable than the 375 H&H. Your 338 Win Mag is more than capable for all of the smaller stuff so the 375 doesn't give you that much cushion re. the taking of larger game. The 404 Jeffery will.

 

[Eric Anderson]

I am a huge fan of my M77 Hawkeye chambered in .375 Ruger.
Damn accurate, recoil is manageable, smooth action, nice trigger.
My only complaint is because of the CRF, to load 3+1, you have to open up the floorplate after chambering a round to fill up the magazine.
I get the nostalgia of the .375 H&H.
I am also a firm believer in Holland & Holland being experts.
If their engineers had access to modern powders, they would have designed something very similar to the .375 Ruger
The long tapered case is nessesitated by the extreme temp sensitivity of cordite. That needed a belt to headspace on since the shoulder wasn’t suitable.

 

[Rick Cox]

My vote was a CZ550 - .375 HH. It just works really well. Never had feed or cranky action issues. It looks good, and oh yeah it shoots. The middle target right side was off sticks @ 100 yes.

View attachment 259554 View attachment 259555 View attachment 259556 View attachment 259557

Jezzz, what a screw up! But no one mentioned it... That is not a photo of my CZ that is a photo of my 30-06 Springfield that has been customized. I should not drink wine and go on AfricaHunting! Anyway here is the photo I intended to post of my CZ that has very nice wood. Thinking of removing the finish and going to an oil finish on the stock.

 

[2L8]

I would have suggested one of the $600 .416 Ruger Africans (pre-Muzzle Brake)
on GunBroker but they seem to all be gone

1999 Montanas and M70 Winchesters are about the same price on GunBroker new. Around $1200.

I have seen some really good deals on used Dakota 97. I'm trying to find out more about it. I believe it's a tubular action but with CRF.

 

[Eventually_Africa_Again]

Your getting a lot of excellent advice straight from the horses mouth on here. I'll throw in my 2 cents as well and that is to get a nice CZ. I was agonizing over this same choice 2 years ago when I wandered into the local used firearm store. As I hit the front door I could hear an organ playing and a little shaft of light was going through the window and shining on a rifle. As I approached the rifle the choir started and the light grew brighter. By the time I picked up the rifle to see what it was I felt like King Arthur pulling the sword from the stone. I was holding what would soon become my favorite rifle, a CZ550 in .375 H&H. I hesitated for a moment, I'd heard about the issues with the CZ and, as this was a used store, I knew it had to have something wrong with it for the previous owner to have parted ways. Then I saw the price, under $800 and I figured I could buy it and fix whatever was wrong. So I took the leap and purchased it. I never did find out why the previous owner traded it in though I strongly suspect insanity. It shoots smooth, the recoil is ridiculously light and as for accuracy, if you look at the hunting report I wrote a long time ago you can see the monkey I pegged from 80 yards as it was running down a tree trunk. Sufficient to say that rifle is one of the best, luckiest buys I've ever made and if I sold almost every other rifle I own, including my 404J, I'd still keep that rifle.

 

[Von S.]

And though I like cz and have many cz products it absolutely irks me that cz will continue to sell unfinished rifles as long as people continue to buy them.

If someone sees a few tiny machine marks on any other lower priced rifle they screech like a cat with his tail under a rocket. If operating the bolt on a cz is as smooth as dragging a lead pig over rough concrete seems to be ok cause you'll just send a brand new rifle to get reworked.....and drop a grand doing it.

 

[Eventually_Africa_Again]

And though I like cz and have many cz products it absolutely irks me that cz will continue to sell unfinished rifles as long as people continue to buy them.

If someone sees a few tiny machine marks on any other lower priced rifle they screech like a cat with his tail under a rocket. If operating the bolt on a cz is as smooth as dragging a lead pig over rough concrete seems to be ok cause you'll just send a brand new rifle to get reworked.....and drop a grand doing it.

And the heck of it is your right. That's why I hesitated as I held it in my hands. I'd heard all of that and more. However you just don't get safari calibers out in my neck of the woods and I figured for that price I could afford to fix whatever was wrong. Fortuneteller that turned out to be nothing. I don't know the rifles history. Maybe it was worked on, maybe they got frustrated and sold it, I'll never know. When I got it it worked perfectly, smooth bolt, no nicks that I saw etc but as with all things in life your mileage may very.

 

[2L8]

And though I like cz and have many cz products it absolutely irks me that cz will continue to sell unfinished rifles as long as people continue to buy them.

If someone sees a few tiny machine marks on any other lower priced rifle they screech like a cat with his tail under a rocket. If operating the bolt on a cz is as smooth as dragging a lead pig over rough concrete seems to be ok cause you'll just send a brand new rifle to get reworked.....and drop a grand doing it.

At one time that made sense given how cheaply a CZ could be bought in the USA. They are competing in a different league now in pricing and fit & finish has not kept up.

In my opinion (which is worth exactly what you pay for it) the sweet spot is $600. That gets you a new .375 H&H Weatherby Vanguards Synthetic. The only glaring weak spot is the bolt stop. This should be changed to a M48 Nosler Type. It's to weak.

Yes, it's pushfeed but if you are talking off the shelf rifles in my opinion the pushfeed is more likely to function. CRF has theoretical advantages but manufacturers often fail to execute. If I was buying a new CRF it would likely be a Montana and I would budget about a $1,000 for prep work by a Quality Experiencrd CRF/Bolt Smith. Without that work in an off the shelf rifle at the lower end in my opinion buy the Vanguard your odds are better.

 

[Shootist43]

From all of the posts on AH about CZ, it seems that they are either very good right out of the box or something that is going to cost you a lot of money to make right. Why it is such a coin toss has been a mystery to me.

 

[Art Lambart II]

I'm going to take this thread a different direction and recommend the Ruger #1. The #1 comes in 375 H&H, 416 Rigby, 458 Lott and 450/400, they are short, fast handling, accurate and reliable. As for a fast follow up shot, I believe at one time the the speed record in the Zim PH class was held with a Ruger #1. That's not a feat I can duplicate with my #1's and the older and slower I get the less and less I worry about fast follow up shots. You can find #1's at several places for well under 2K, and if your into buying used guns for 2K your #1 will probably include a quality scope. The Ruger #1 is a great rifle and I don't see any advantage to using a bolt gun for PG hunting .

 

[Eventually_Africa_Again]

I'm going to take this thread a different direction and recommend the Ruger #1. The #1 comes in 375 H&H, 416 Rigby, 458 Lott and 450/400, they are short, fast handling, accurate and reliable. As for a fast follow up shot, I believe at one time the the speed record in the Zim PH class was held with a Ruger #1. That's not a feat I can duplicate with my #1's and the older and slower I get the less and less I worry about fast follow up shots. You can find #1's at several places for well under 2K, and if your into buying used guns for 2K your #1 will probably include a quality scope. The Ruger #1 is a great rifle and I don't see any advantage to using a bolt gun for PG hunting .

Not to discount a single sentence of what you said, but I'm not sure I agree with the last line. To me that's like saying "Usain Bolt can run run 28mph so for short distances you don't need a bike or a car". Sure, the Zim PH speed record might have been a #1 but most of us can probably work a bolt much faster. I understand the argument "if the first shot is well placed there is no need for a follow up shot" and that's true but it takes a lot of things for granted. Wind shifts, unseen branches, the animal moving at the very last second etc. For someone who is not used to a #1 the reloading won't be nearly as fast as with a bolt action and I think that should count for something. I own a Ruger #1 myself in 300 H&H and I love it. I practice with it, I have a ton of fun, but I'm not nearly as fast on the reload and target re-acquisition as I am with any of my bolt guns. All things considered I just think it's better to be safe than sorry after all.

 

[bruce moulds]

and ruger no 1s are too light for calibres that kick.
bruce.

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

I am a huge fan of my M77 Hawkeye chambered in .375 Ruger.
Damn accurate, recoil is manageable, smooth action, nice trigger.
My only complaint is because of the CRF, to load 3+1, you have to open up the floorplate after chambering a round to fill up the magazine.
I get the nostalgia of the .375 H&H.
I am also a firm believer in Holland & Holland being experts.
If their engineers had access to modern powders, they would have designed something very similar to the .375 Ruger
The long tapered case is nessesitated by the extreme temp sensitivity of cordite. That needed a belt to headspace on since the shoulder wasn’t suitable.

@Eric Anderson : Excellent comments!