I've decided I need a rifle with a Mannlicher stock. I was thinking of buying a LH rifle and sending it to Wenig, but I think I can live with another RH rifle and invest the $1,800 somewhere else.



I love the CZ 550 FS. What available caliber to buy? I like them all. Any difference is how accurate they'll be in a full stock (like maybe the smaller the hole, the thicker the barrel; therefore less likely to react to stock pressure)? How about ballistics out of the short barrel? Calibers under consideration are 9.3x62, 270, 30-06, 6.5x55, and 7x57.



I'd love to hear any suggestions or experience with the CZ, the calibers, or the full stocks.



Steve

The 7 X 57 was discontinued earlier this year. Good luck in finding one if that is your choice; I looked for a month or better ( called all over ) without luck. I still might consider one in another caliber if I can't find the 7 X 57..these are sweet rifles.

7x57 - works well in a short barrel, a classic cartridge for a classic stock.
- mike

I have the 308. It shoots Rem Corelokt 3 shot grps under inch at 100 yds. My favorite hog gun. Also have MS 1961 MCA in 7x57. The CZ is much more accurate. If they made a 7mm-08 without the detachable magazine I would have one. Someone here has a 7x57 FS CZ. He is even more enthusiastic than I.

I have owned several of the Remington Model 7MS, all in .350 RemMag. Well made stock, nice bluing. Basically, they are well crafted examples of a piss-poor design.

Nobody likes Mannlicher stocks? Come on, I thought I could at least count on a few cranks to chime in on their favorite caliber.

Steve

AZ - Here is the pic.

I agree that it begs for a metric caliber. I sort of pictured it as a woods carbine for elk, moose, and bear (which, of course, I've yet to hunt). But there's a good chance I'll go to Maine or Colorado in the next 3 years.

I also thought it would make a nice rifle to carry in WVA for short range deer.

All this makes me want to go with the 9.3x62. But I always seem to end up choosing the long range rifles when I have to pick one for a trip "just in case". And I can't legally hunt with a rifle here locally. Even on the Eastern shore I'd pick a long range shooter. Which makes me want to cheat to the .270 to ensure I'll use it. Or the 30-06 to give me either a 180gr elk/moose/bear hammer or a light weight flat shooting bullet as options. Hmmmm.

And then the 6.5x55 seems like such a perfect cartridge for the type of rifle it is.

And the 7x57 seems to be maybe the best of the lot, a classic round with the versatility of the 30-06.

It's hopeless. I'll never be able to decide.

KurtC,

A friend has one. I really like the .350RemMag in a short carbine like that; similar to the 9.3x62 in that it's a low velocity hammer. And his is very stable and accurate, which I've always credited the laminated stock for.

I like the MS a lot, but I prefer the hogsback on the CZ's.

Steve

AnotherAZWriter,

These are kind of neat, too. But I prefer the Ruger and CZ. Plus the Remington is more expensive.

Here:

http://www.remington.com/firearms/custom/7MS.htm

Hey, can some kind soul post a pic of that rifle? I was thinking of buying a Ruger Intl but wait...

I want one in 6.5x55 and as soon as I sell my old 1905 swede I'll be ordering one. Just something wonderfully eclectic about a FS 6.5. Gotta love it.

I have had the Ruger 77 RSI Mk I in 7x57 and .250 Savage. I had the Mk II in .30-06.

I had a CZ550FS in 9.3x62.

The Rugers were nice little rifles, but the CZ wins hands down as a field rifle. The fact that it is the only rifle currently available with an actual Mauser self-locking extractor is reason enough. I installed ERA sights and a butterknife handle on mine, just to spruce it up a bit.

Good looking rifle, Kurt.

Hey thanks much Pecos.

Okay, dumb question of the week:

Does anyone have this model and the Ruger RSI? If so, pro and cons of both? Is there anyone here who is a FS guru?

And if not, opinions please if you care to. That CZ has a bit much drop at the comb, huh? I would prefer the CZ action I think over the Ruger, but nothing wrong with the latter.

It's a european thing so you should go with a european cartridge. You didn't say what you intended to hunt with it, so I'll have to assume you're one of us unlucky mere mortals who dont get to travel the globe hunting.

So, with that in mind, either the 7x57 or the 6.5. Personally, I would go for the lesser recoiling 6.5x55. It's a very efficient killer on big game with the 140 grain bullet. If you're a handloader, it's even better as modern actions can handle higher pressures. 6.5x55 SAAMI is 46,000 psi, modern action 6.5 you should be able to push to 52,000 psi with no problems. This gives you a little more to work with, but honestly you dont really need it.

Have fun.

I saw the 7x64, too, but I can't find any reloading data for it. Do any of the manuals list it?

Steve

I like Curtis would have liked a full stock but a lux was what I had to take, I use the speers as well. I love my 9.3x62 I would love to add a cz full stock to my kit as I love cz rifles !!

KurtC, your mods add a lot of class to that rifle. Good work.

PC and Crazyjjk,

I've got the Lux in 9.3x62, too. I love it, also. Probably the nicest finished rifle I own. I'd opt for the full stock version in 9.3 if I didn't already have the lux. I'm afraid I would end up never using one or the other, though. What would the lux be, the "long-range" 9.3? Still, the carbine is probably going to be a short range rifle perfect for the woods or carrying through deer bedding areas where you might get a quick offhand shot at 100-150 yds. 9.3 makes it suitable for elk and moose (or even a big bear). 7x57 probably still qualifies, up to the little bears. 6.5 leaves the elk and moose out.

One thing I DO know: I'll mount a scope like the one KurtC has on his rifle with a similar QD setup for iron sight use.

Steve

Since the 7X64 is essentially the same cartridge as the .280 Remington, you can use .280 Rem. STARTING loads as a place from which to begin developing loads for a 7X64.

A local shop had one in 9.3X62, and it is one of the few rifles of late that I picked up, and was given an immediate case of the, I want this gun. Unfortunately my gun fund is depleted, and the rifle was sold.

Generally the bigger bores seem to loose less steam when the barrel get's shortened. I'd think the 232 gr bullets could be sent on their way around 2700 fps, which makes it an honest 300 yd rifle, and enough bullet to handily dispatch most game animals.

Paul,

You SOLD it! Uh oh. Just kidding.

Did it shoot well? Balance and handle well?

Steve

Unfortunately I never bought it, it was sold to some other lucky sole. If I had bought it, I seriously dougt I would have sold it. There is only one gun I've regretted selling, and I managed to buy it back. Come to thin of it, I've never bought a new factory rifle for myself, as that would have been the first, I certainly would keep it, unless it was a dog.

The 7x57, the 308 and the 9.3x62 are all a little on the small side, powder capacity wise.

So they are first choice in a shorter barreled rifle.

I choose the 9.3x62. My CZ 550 Medium FS will shoot 1" with Lapua Mega bullet, didn�t check groups with Winchesters Partition load ( by Nosler ), but 2 shots touching was enough, and before that I watched every shot react exactly as I adjusted the scope. Got me a Red stag alrady...

The 308 ( and 243 ) have detachable plastic mags, contrary to the others. The adjustable trigger of the CZ is GREAT! I hardly notice the drop anymore, but I still believe a classic straight comb looks fine.

Hermann

Eldeguello,

Thanks. Slightly downloaded .280 Remington, huh? That sounds pretty good. I wonder how accessible brass is?

Steve

I called the CZ Connection in Norcross, and they've got one with nice wood and a good test target in 6.5x55, which I think is an intriguing caliber. I decided to go ahead and pick it up.

Might still have to back fill with another 9.3x62 in the future. Thanks for everybody's feedback.

Steve

The stock on the Rem 7 is a bit high for the .350, it kicks pretty hard. The extra weight of the laminate does help a bit. Rumor has it that they are made by Boyds.

The 7x64 is a great cartridge that replaced the 7x57 on the commercial world market about 80 years ago. It is still the one of the most popular cartridges in production, giving the .30-06 stiff competition. I have seen some of 550FS carbines chambered as such. Federal, Hornady and Remington all make runs of ammo every few years on this side of the puddle.

AZ -

i cannot speak for the full-stock versions, but my opinion of the CZ versus ruger over-all is that you get much more rifle in terms of craftsmanship and durability. the cz that i own is the american model, and i couldn't be happier with it.

if you can contact tj3006, he has a full-stock cz in 7x57, and can give you much more information on it.

It has been a long time since I last posted anything. Just for the heck of it, there is a CZ 550 FullStock in 6.5x55mm, says "New" and includes a set of rings for $520 and it includes shipping on GunBroker.com. Now, as to the 7x57mm, I own a CZ 550 American in 7x57mm and my brother bought a CZ 550 Fullstock in 7x57mm, and his buddy bought a CZ 550 FullStock in 7x57mm as well, back when the company had them in 7x57mm. My brother loves his. My 7x57 will spit a 162 grain Hornady SST out of the barrel at 2,835 fps using H414 powder and the thing will put three rounds into less than a half inch cloverleaf off of sandbags at 100 yards. My brother's CZ will shoot the 160 gr. Nosler Partition into a one-inch circle at 100 yards with the bullet scooting along at 2,710 fps. You gotta love those CZs! Sorry I have been off so long. I was at home quite a bit ago when I got this e-mail from someone named Maria who told me she saw my profile and liked what she saw, and if I just clicked on her web site, she knows that I will be overjoyed with her profile. Well, it has been too long since I saw a lady of any kind, so I clicked on her web site. All of a sudden my computer started making noise like frying bacon, a yellow flickering light appeared on the front of the thing and the screen went blank. My computer fried. I had to save up my recess money to buy another and I never did get to see what Maria looked like. She must have been one very hot lady! The best to all! 7x57mm (Tom Purdom)

I had originally wanted the 9.3x62 in the full stock version, but all that was in stock anywhere was the Lux (apparently now called the Medium ) version, which i grabbed up along with the last box of ammo in stock as well. the barrel on mine is 23.6 inches and according to the website the FS model is 20.5 inches.

When last I was experimenting with it (currently my
rifle(s) and i are separeted by @ 2500 miles) it was consistantly firing 270gr RNs at 2300 fps and change.

I would imagine with a 20.5" bbl you'd be shooting the same 270 grs at @ 2100 fps. Accuracy with mine has been very good, though.

here's some pics and info:

http://cz-usa.com/product.detail.php?id=17

Sk,

We have officially formed "the cz 550 Lux 9.3x62 fraternity"

I to would liek to add the cz 9.3 full stock, would have been darn handy. The lux 9.3 is supurb, double cross bolts, barrel lug handles great 5 down and we have those special 320 gr woodleigh which will penetrate forever !! I have not tried them yet but god they'd look the ggods loaded in that 9.3 case, that 320 gr Round Nose soft would be great for pigs in heavy cover and our 23" barrels would get slightly better figures of velocity.