Which CZ550?

[MISportsman]

With the hooded front sight, I suggest the VX-3 2.5-8.You’ll see the front sight until about 3x.

I know that the 2.5-8 will be great for bear hunting, but will it be a good power range for buffalo as well?

 

[Flewis]

I know that the 2.5-8 will be great for bear hunting, but will it be a good power range for buffalo as well?

It has a good field of view on 2.5 and very good eye relief. On one buff I took the extra power would have helped.

 

[BeeMaa]

As far as the scope and mounts. I plan on putting a Leupold VX -3 1.5-5 on it. Should I go with standard or quick disconnect mounts?

QD mounts from Warne, Talley and Alaska Arms work very well. I used Warne QD rings and never had an issue.

As for the actual scope, it's a personal choice that you will have to make on your own. Price vs features. For DG hunting true 1x at low power for shooting both eyes open without having to remove the scope is a good thing. The other is having an illuminated reticle to see your crosshairs on a dark animal in the shade. Are these critical to a successful hunt...no, but the difference is drastic.

For your upper power setting, it's based on two things. How much you want to pay and how far do you really want to shoot with this rifle. I've had good results hitting targets out to 300 yards with a little as 4x, but as I've aged it's closer to 8x. For most PG hunts your game will be at less than 150 yards. For DG, I'd expect 75 yards or closer. Certainly easy work for most folks with a 4x to 6x upper magnification setting.

If it were me and I was trying to keep the price at/less than $1K and still buy at top quality scope...I'd recommend the Leupold VX5HD 1-5x24 Illuminated Fire Dot or the Trijicon AccuPoint 1-6x24. Both scopes will take the recoil abuse of your cartridge with no problem.

Illumination, true 1x and a top quality brand will put game in the salt.

 

[Bush Buck]

As far as the scope and mounts. I plan on putting a Leupold VX -3 1.5-5 on it. Should I go with standard or quick disconnect mounts?

I like your scope choice. You will notice your front sight less on low power if you remove the front sight hood.
The main advantage of the levers is being able to switch back and forth from scope to irons quickly.
The same scope rings without the levers will usually do the same thing if you carry the appropriate allen wrench.
I have no intention of removing a scope during a hunt so I want maximum security - no levers.

 

[MISportsman]

With the hooded front sight, I suggest the VX-3 2.5-8.You’ll see the front sight until about 3x.

I have been doing a lot of research into the ballistics of the .375 h&h lately and I'm very impressed. My plan was to top this rifle with a 1-5 power scope and set it up primarily for dg, but with a load like the Hornady outfitter with the 270 gr cx it looks like it could be a 300+ yard elk rifle on top of a serious dg stopper! Maybe the 2.5-8 would be the way to go so I can take full advantage of me the .375s potential at both ends of the spectrum!

 

[Kevin Wagner]

I have been doing a lot of research into the ballistics of the .375 h&h lately and I'm very impressed. My plan was to top this rifle with a 1-5 power scope and set it up primarily for dg, but with a load like the Hornady outfitter with the 270 gr cx it looks like it could be a 300+ yard elk rifle on top of a serious dg stopper! Maybe the 2.5-8 would be the way to go so I can take full advantage of me the .375s potential at both ends of the spectrum!

i have my 375 topped with a vx 5 2-10 power and QD mounts i couldn't be happier. You are correct the ballistics with lighter 250-270 GR bullets make it great out to ~300YDS, and going down to 2 power is great for close in work as well.

 

[colorado]

I agree the 375 H&H. Take a good look. Does one have a barrel band and a fancier stock? Then it's from the CZ Custom Shop.

 

[Silvine]

I have had two CZ bolt actions, one in .308, the other in 6.5x55. The .308, along with the .243 has a removable magazine. It can only be loaded, in a practical sense, with the magazine removed. The others come with a regular internal box magazine. I definately did not like the removable magazine, though others may prefer it. There are a few other rifles with removable magazines but overall, it is a secondary feature.

You may not have noticed that the magazine has a pair of ridges to prevent cartridges from banging the bullet against the front of the magazine during recoil.

I also like the unusual stock design, which I think may be called Bavarian. On the other hand, I don't like the iron sights so much and can't think of a single non-military rifle that I do like the sights on. But I have old eyes.

 

[Scott CWO]

I have been doing a lot of research into the ballistics of the .375 h&h lately and I'm very impressed. My plan was to top this rifle with a 1-5 power scope and set it up primarily for dg, but with a load like the Hornady outfitter with the 270 gr cx it looks like it could be a 300+ yard elk rifle on top of a serious dg stopper! Maybe the 2.5-8 would be the way to go so I can take full advantage of me the .375s potential at both ends of the spectrum!

I’ve got the VX6 2-12x on both my CZ .375 and my Whitworth Interarms .375 with Talley QD rings. The scopes go right back to zero after removing to use the irons. With regular rings, the scope will not go back to zero. Use QD rings for sure.

 

[BeeMaa]

I have been doing a lot of research into the ballistics of the .375 h&h lately and I'm very impressed. My plan was to top this rifle with a 1-5 power scope and set it up primarily for dg, but with a load like the Hornady outfitter with the 270 gr cx it looks like it could be a 300+ yard elk rifle on top of a serious dg stopper! Maybe the 2.5-8 would be the way to go so I can take full advantage of me the .375s potential at both ends of the spectrum!

The 270 grain bullets to extend the range of the 375H&H is a good idea. But if you plan on hunting DG with it, I’d highly recommend stepping up to a 300 grain bullet to get the SD up above .300 for better penetration. And there are bullet options all the way to 380 grains available. I know Norma makes their PH Ammo 375H&H in 350 grain.

 

[Forrest Halley]

I have been doing a lot of research into the ballistics of the .375 h&h lately and I'm very impressed. My plan was to top this rifle with a 1-5 power scope and set it up primarily for dg, but with a load like the Hornady outfitter with the 270 gr cx it looks like it could be a 300+ yard elk rifle on top of a serious dg stopper! Maybe the 2.5-8 would be the way to go so I can take full advantage of me the .375s potential at both ends of the spectrum!

I too was highly impressed by the ballistics of the .375 both on paper and practically. I am really interested in how well it conserves energy over distance. Looking at some of the CEB products there is real potential there especially if you can get some of those slick bullets to stabilize. Not for DG, but for Elk or smaller you could really reach out and smack it down with minimal wind effect. I primarily run it in single shots so I'm happy to turn up the volume a little and experience a little rudeness from an otherwise elegant cartridge in the name of downrange performance.
I'm running a VX-R 2-7x33 on my #1 and I have a VX-II ultralight 2.5x and a VX-3 4.5-14x40 for the M70. I'd go with a 2-10 or 2-12 with the biggest objective you can find and mount it as low as possible for a blend of speed and light transmission with some magnification. I am very much an advocate of illuminated reticles even though my M70 setup does not reflect this.