All (even Rich),
I am asking for your advise and wisdom on a project I am starting and will finish.
I bought the CZ BRNO 602 in .375 H&H from Lawdog this week. It is an "honest gun" from what he told me and I would like to make it into something special, classic, classy but not frilly or showy.

Below are a bunch of pictures.
The goal is a gun that is an "honest" shooter, that will be used for eland and buffalo and the occasional other big thing.

I do not like the elegance of the Colt Sauer with the shine and glow.

I like satin/oil finish on the wood and satin on the metal.
I like jeweled bolts.
I like the shape of the Model 70 bolt.
I like the CZ stock configuration.
I do not like the CZ safety, I prefer a tang safety or a Remington type safety. A 3-position Winchester is "ok", but not my favorite.

This gun is in good, used condition but that extra something to make it turn the heads of experienced PH's that says "hey, I am a solid tool that can perform every day inspite of the hunter's shooting ability".

I like the open sights but am uncertain if the hood of the front is needed.

Like a good blue job that will wear nicely.

I like a classic recoil pad, leather covered or something that fits perfectly.

I could even be talked into a Kevlar stock that is painted zebra stripes or wildebeest blue stripes.

So, here is what I respectively ask -
Give me your ideas - what would you do.

Then - who would like to take this on and help me among your gunsmiths out there. I have likely made an enemy of the pure custom gun folks due to my posts in the past. However, I am not after a pure custom here - just an honest, good to the bones, Mauser actioned, eland shooting rifle.

What say you?

I will publish the pictures of this as it moves forward to how well this "baby is birthed".

Here are the pics as it sits -

Not an expert but will throw my 0.02 in.

Have you thought about Cerakote? I have a CZ 550 American done in graphite black and it's sharp IMO. Has that satiny/eggshell finish. Do everything but the bolt and have it jeweled or you can coat the bolt too.

Is the safety on this one where its pull back to fire and push forward for safe? I think you can switch that out to get a Remington style. You might have to change the trigger also.

Or if you want bluing, maybe something that looks like rust hues underneath? If you've seen the newer CZ 550 you be able to tell. My 550 Magnum (looks exactly like your 602) has that look.

I had not thought of cerakote, I will check on that. Thanks for the help on the safety. It is the backwards type that you described.

Appreciate the help.

One minor thing--I like the front sight hoods--protects the bead from damage.and i don't even notice it even through a scope. There is a reason military front sights have wings.

Send it to AHR. They specialize in customizing CZs with whatever you want.

Here is mine, a 416 Rigby. 3 position safety, straightened and filled bolt, smoothed action, magnaported, barrel shortened 2 inches, barrel band sling swivel, synthetic stock, Timney trigger, and cerakoted.

Send it to Wayne at AHR. He is the expert for anything cz.

PHs in africa have always been most impressed with a AHR rifle. They all grew up on the brno 602 and seeing a custom cz just hits the spot. They will be more impressed that a dakota.

Mike

Thanks for the tip on AHR. I had not checked them out previously.

My 375 is with AHR right now for an upgrade 2. I'd like to get my 458 out there in the near future also. Wayne's communication is top notch, even replying to emails with a status update on my rifle while he was away on vacation.

Wayne, Plus 1!

He can, as my wife's rancher family up in NE Montana say, "have that baby shining like a diamond in a goat's ass...!".

Another vote for Wayne at AHR. Great guy and great work. I have a .416 Rigby and a .30-'06 from him and both are excellent rifles. I just got back from Zimbabwe with them.

The 602 has a backwards safety and the trigger is mounted to the triggerguard not the action. The action and barrel will fit a CZ stock but I am unsure of the trigger guard. You might be about to fit a CZ timney trigger and Duane's 550 bottom metal.

602s are not usually polished as they have a matte finish.

But, call ahr and ask them ..

Ross,

You can spend a few hundred on fixing the safety, proper bedding and some cosmetics and have a great 375 that will do whatever you need OR go as far as your budget will allow. To me a synthetic stock and Cerakote would make it just right for anything on the planet. If you go the new wood stock etc and want it to be a functional show piece I'd contact Lon Paul. He is an artist with metal and wood. He could also re chamber to 375 WBY giving you right at 2800 fps with a 300 gr bullet with five in the mag. Yikes!

Mark

quote:

Originally posted by MARK H. YOUNG:
Ross,

You can spend a few hundred on fixing the safety, proper bedding and some cosmetics and have a great 375 that will do whatever you need OR go as far as your budget will allow. To me a synthetic stock and Cerakote would make it just right for anything on the planet. If you go the new wood stock etc and want it to be a functional show piece I'd contact Lon Paul. He is an artist with metal and wood. He could also re chamber to 375 WBY giving you right at 2800 fps with a 300 gr bullet with five in the mag. Yikes!

Mark

Mark,
That would be some serious firepower! The Weatherby's have always intrigued me, but not enough to buy one!
Thanks!

Dogcat,

You may have already seen my post on the Brno 602 and an example of what Dorleac & Dorleac can do with one.

http://forums.nitroexpress.com...age=0&fpart=all&vc=1

Now, Ed Lapour does make a Model 70 style three position safety for it and AHR certainly knows how to install it. But I think the secret to making it look good is the stock shape, such as the conversion of the original stock done by Dorleac. I have the MacMillan composite stock on my CZ 550 in 416 Rigby and I think it also looks good, which I believe is what AHR is putting on their CZ 550's as well.



I don't know if it fits like a glove on the Brno, but Wayne at AHR can answer that question. If you change the safety there will be a gap near the back of the receiver that would have to be filled somehow. I think I would have the barrel-band front sling swivel added if your Brno doesn't have it (mine doesn't). Duane makes bottom metal for the CZ 550, but not for the Brno, as far as I know, and the trigger is carried by the bottom metal (as stated by Jeffeosso in a previous post). Working on the trigger is another matter. If you like the trigger as is, then all is well. There aren't any after-market triggers that I am aware of for the Brno 602. If you look at the Dorleac description of what they did, they basically made a new trigger themselves. I'll guess this is an expensive option. There are a couple of things that can be done to make the existing trigger better, but they also involve real gunsmithing. If you are not going to invest in an extensive action-slick-up job, just change out yourself the extractor collar for an original Mauser 98 extractor collar and the action will already be smoother. Cycling the action while watching political party candidate debates will do the rest.

A close friend has a 602 which was rechambered to .375 Weatherby by Briano here in France. He also had the barrel shortened considerably, but can still get impressive velocity with the shorter barrel. Since it's basically a .375 H&H Improved and can therefore use .375 H&H ammo, it's pretty versatile. The Brno action doesn't lend itself to a "trim" rifle (it is definitely "fat-bellied"), but if you like the idea of a short barrel and/or high velocities, the .375 Weatherby is probably a good idea.

With respect to finishes, with a composite stock the AHR Gunkote would look appropriate. If you go for a nice looking wood stock I'd get it polished and blued. Personally, I like a straightened and filled bolt handle.

((By the way, if you do go the composite stock route, you may want to discuss with the gunsmith having a little relief where the receiver tang meets the stock to avoid cracking the composite finish. My composite stock has a small crack there. It might also be a good idea to discuss with a wood stock (I would have cross-bolts installed). Lots of cracked stock stories on Brno and CZ big bores and this has been discussed in older posts on AR.))

The Brno can definitely be made up to look better than the factory original, but it is not a "pretty" rifle and I wouldn't do any elaborate engraving or other decorative embellishments. Save that for your Mausers. When Forrest and I did our hunt in Burkina Faso the guide had a Brno 602 in .375 H&H, a rifle whose original finish had been totally worn off to bare metal. I thought it looked great, just like a Brno should.

Wink,
Thanks for the ideas. There a many intricacies to doing this right. I will make note of ann you said and go over it with the gunsmith.
Thanks for the help

Before you make any decisions, shoot it first.

Dave

.
Isnt AR awesome that you can do something like ask for the wisdom and experience of many many hunters and shooters and get great advice!

I purchased a CZ .416 out of the box in Germany two years ago and made the following changes myself and with my gunsmith -

1/ removed the front sight tunnel hood and put in a high vis red corn to replace the front metal corn. Dont like tunnel sights / covers and the hi vis works great for me.

2/ sealed the Magazine floor plate. Have too often seen a fistful of rounds dropping out on the floor and would never want to risk this Happening to me when hunting DG. Easy enough to load from the top.

3/ opened the bolt handle to 45 degrees for easier handling

4/ polished the bolt

5/ replaced the set trigger

6/ moved the front sling from the stock to the barrel and I think it is a lot better (for me) for it.

Good luck with your Project. Look forward to the progress Pictures and Report.

Charlie

.

quote:

Originally posted by MARK H. YOUNG:
If you go the new wood stock etc and want it to be a functional show piece I'd contact Lon Paul. He is an artist with metal and wood.

Here's what Lon did with my BRNO 602 in .375 H&H:





It's now a .500 Jeffery with a Lapour safety and a remodeled CZ 550 stock. I'm not sure that Lon has recovered enough from his fire two years ago to be able to do metal work, but it's worth a try.

Why don't you keep it the way it is?
Great looking gun with nice patina on stock and steel and a bit of wear and tear.
I got old ugly 404 J in Savage , ugly looking, but functional. Guess what?
I get more people commenting on that one then on any of the shiny ones.

quote:

It is the backwards type that you described.

Drives me absolutely nuts

The Brno 602 trigger sits in the bottom metal like this Dorleac custom trigger:

All,
Thanks for the suggestions and help. I have emailed with Wayne at AHR and I am set on a course of action. I will ship him the rifle later this week an advise all what is going to happen after he has looked this whipped pup over and has any other ideas.

Right now, the plan is -
1. Adjust the existing trigger to 3 lbs.
2. Replace the sights with his preferred open sights.
3. Add barrel band swivel.
4. Slick/smooth the action.
5. Re-crown.
6. Bed and add cross bolts.
7. Will have a scope mounted with Talley detachable rings.
8. Likely replace the stock with something stunning in a CZ profile.
9. Straighten, fill and correct the bolt handle.
10. Install a decent safety - either Remington type or 3 position Winchester type.
11. Use Wayne's recommended metal finish.
12. Go hunting.

Will update as this progresses.

quote:

Originally posted by dogcat:
All,
Thanks for the suggestions and help. I have emailed with Wayne at AHR and I am set on a course of action. I will ship him the rifle later this week an advise all what is going to happen after he has looked this whipped pup over and has any other ideas.

Right now, the plan is -
1. Adjust the existing trigger to 3 lbs.
2. Replace the sights with his preferred open sights.
3. Add barrel band swivel.
4. Slick/smooth the action.
5. Re-crown.
6. Bed and add cross bolts.
7. Will have a scope mounted with Talley detachable rings.
8. Likely replace the stock with something stunning in a CZ profile.
9. Straighten, fill and correct the bolt handle.
10. Install a decent safety - either Remington type or 3 position Winchester type.
11. Use Wayne's recommended metal finish.
12. Go hunting.

Will update as this progresses.

All sounds like a great plan. If the rifle at the end looks better than my left handed ahr rifle I will be very jealous and envious

Mike

quote:

Originally posted by dogcat:
All,
Thanks for the suggestions and help. I have emailed with Wayne at AHR and I am set on a course of action. I will ship him the rifle later this week an advise all what is going to happen after he has looked this whipped pup over and has any other ideas.

Right now, the plan is -
1. Adjust the existing trigger to 3 lbs.
2. Replace the sights with his preferred open sights.
3. Add barrel band swivel.
4. Slick/smooth the action.
5. Re-crown.
6. Bed and add cross bolts.
7. Will have a scope mounted with Talley detachable rings.
8. Likely replace the stock with something stunning in a CZ profile.
9. Straighten, fill and correct the bolt handle.
10. Install a decent safety - either Remington type or 3 position Winchester type.
11. Use Wayne's recommended metal finish.
12. Go hunting.

Will update as this progresses.

I could think of many worse things to do with that rifle. Mine will be on its way back from Wayne tomorrow. Wuddya got planned for item 12??

I personally would probably just shoot it like it is, may opt for a mod. 70 3 pos. safety and that's and easy fix, that's about it..I would take the bead protector off when hunting.

Then again you might just add a couple of cross bolts, glass bed it, maybe refinish the wood and add a nice pad in your spare time, and perhaps you might want to reblue the metal.

Actually you could do ALL the things you mention and it will sure enough look nice, but won't do any better job of killing a buffalo than it will just like it is, and you won't have to pamper it around!

quote:

Originally posted by FFemt5287:

quote:

Originally posted by dogcat:
All,
Thanks for the suggestions and help. I have emailed with Wayne at AHR and I am set on a course of action. I will ship him the rifle later this week an advise all what is going to happen after he has looked this whipped pup over and has any other ideas.

Right now, the plan is -
1. Adjust the existing trigger to 3 lbs.
2. Replace the sights with his preferred open sights.
3. Add barrel band swivel.
4. Slick/smooth the action.
5. Re-crown.
6. Bed and add cross bolts.
7. Will have a scope mounted with Talley detachable rings.
8. Likely replace the stock with something stunning in a CZ profile.
9. Straighten, fill and correct the bolt handle.
10. Install a decent safety - either Remington type or 3 position Winchester type.
11. Use Wayne's recommended metal finish.
12. Go hunting.

Will update as this progresses.

I could think of many worse things to do with that rifle. Mine will be on its way back from Wayne tomorrow. Wuddya got planned for item 12??

No. 12 will be eland again!!! They are a hoot to chase.

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:
I personally would probably just shoot it like it is, may opt for a mod. 70 3 pos. safety and that's and easy fix, that's about it..I would take the bead protector off when hunting.

Then again you might just add a couple of cross bolts, glass bed it, maybe refinish the wood and add a nice pad in your spare time, and perhaps you might want to reblue the metal.

Actually you could do ALL the things you mention and it will sure enough look nice, but won't do any better job of killing a buffalo than it will just like it is, and you won't have to pamper it around!

Ray,
I am with you on "pampering around". I hate to do that or worry about it. I had a Dakota awhile back and I flinched even when I took it out of the case for fear of scratching it. I may opt for the McMillan stock and have zebra stripes painted on it....

I have put a McMillian stock on my CZ550 416 Rigby, more for the 15" length of pull but it has made the rifle a bit lighter-a good thing- and it handles so much better. I had it Cerakoted in Midnight Purple, while they still had that colour. Looks like an old style deep blue in the sunlight. I would look at Midnight Blue or Midnight Green now.

DO NOT put a synthetic stock on that classic rifle. Ugh. Heres what I would do:

1) Refinish that nice piece of wood, touch up the checkering lightly. If you don't like the Bavarian hog back, then have Wayne shave it off and make it with traditional lines (it's not difficult or expensive to do; I've done it myself before). You can also have him shave off the schnabel fore end if you don't like it and make it resemble the lines of a Rigby.

2) Replace butt pad with Red Old English Decelerator Pad.

3) Have Wayne evaluate the iron sights; consider new front by NECG. I prefer a fiber optic bead for actual hunting with irons.

4) Remove and fill the forearm sling swivel and replace with a barrel band.

5) Bend or replace the bolt handle to straight/traditional, re blue the metal, polish the bolt. Re-crown the barrel.

6) Replace trigger and safety with Timney combination set. I prefer the push safety over a 3-position, but that's just preference. I stalk hunt a lot, and the push safeties are just faster.

7) Add a nice medium profile scope with quick detach.

8) Work up some good loads and go hunting.

quote:

Give me your ideas - what would you do.

dogcat you answered your own question.

I like satin/oil finish on the wood and satin on the metal. - So get those done
I like jeweled bolts -Get the bolt jeweled
I like the shape of the Model 70 bolt - replace bolt handle with a M70 style
I like the CZ stock configuration - Good to go
I do not like the CZ safety - Replace it with one you like
I like the open sights but am uncertain if the hood of the front is needed - Personally I don't like them. They always fall off.
Like a good blue job that will wear nicely - Get it reblued
I like a classic recoil pad, leather covered or something that fits perfectly - Have the stock refinished and install a leather pad.

What's to decide?

Grenadier,
I think I talked myself in a circle...
My wife sometimes tells me that too.
I like your advice.

JMHO,

The gun looks like an honest hunting rifle as is.

If you show up in camp with that rifle, the PH is going to look at it and say to himself, "That is a hunting rifle".

I showed up in Zimbabwe with my M70 and my PH said that it was too pretty and looked brand new. I had to roll it over and show him some battle scars and tell him that they got them in Namibia on a previous hunt and he looked more comfortable.

quote:

No. 12 will be eland again!!! They are a hoot to chase.

AGAIN?

Bill,
Eland hunting is fun. I like it better than buffalo hunting. They are tough to track and get close to.
Again is right !!!

quote:

Originally posted by dogcat:
Bill,
Eland hunting is fun. I like it better than buffalo hunting. They are tough to track and get close to.
Again is right !!!

+1

If I hunt eland only I will be a happy camper.

Mike

Dogcat:
There are some beautiful 602s in this thread. All seem to be of the highest craftsmanship. My preference would be something like the Dorleac & Dorleac, posted by Wink and referenced by here:
http://forums.nitroexpress.com...age=0&fpart=all&vc=1

quote:

http://forums.nitroexpress.com...age=0&fpart=all&vc=1

The mechanical upgrades seem to be about perfect but I would step up the quality of wood. To my mind there is nothing that says quality like fine wood and blue steel. Fine wood and matte finish ain't bad either. I have nothing against petroleum based stocks and have some myself. They can't be beat as hunting tools but they don't indicate best gun degree of quality. To me anyway. What ever you decide, I look forward to the finished product.

Hey Todd,

I really like that rifle. Looks like a killing machine

dogcat,

if you haven't already settled on sights, take a look at the NECG website. They offer the H&H style flip front. It has two bead sizes, and just flips front to rear to give the choice of bead diameter. I got one sitting here for my 404J.

Look at their website anyway, many wonderful things can be found, and Mark Cromwell is a great person to deal with on things.