Alf,

Perhaps the M98 and Weatherby Mark V are the only two worth having and all the others are copies etc.

Mike

This is a common problem and is easily fixed. However, unless you are comfortable reshaping the extractor claw, your best bet is to return it to CZ. They will just put a new extractor on the gun that fits properly and your problems will cease. I could do it in 5 minutes, but it takes knowing just where to shape and polish.-Rob

Alf,

Thank for the tutorial on the Mauser System.

Kurt,

Also thanks to you too.

I recently got Speed's book, and I have de Haas' Bolt Actions and Stuart Otteson's book. Lots of details in the three sources, but I have not got them digested to first principles yet.

Just now I am looking at The Empire Rifles.

jim

Interesting posts.

I just wondered...how does the ejection on the CZ function?
The only part that seems able to accomplish that is the extractor. There is nothing else, springloaded, that could accomplish that. Is it possibly the pressure on the rear part of the extractor when pulling the bolt back from the rear bridge, that somehow causes the claw to give the case a little flip? Just curious, wanting to understand.

Frans

The guide rib was a very important feature on the 98, also not incorporated into other designs, like the 1917 Enfields. I am having it added to my 1917 Winchester to hopefully eliminate the same thing, except this one is VERY picky about having no pressure to the side, otherwise it'll bind right up on ya.

Red

The extractor is the only part on the CZ550 that was designed by mauser. Try this: Remove the bolt from the action and slip a cartridge against the bolt face. See if the extractor will hold it in place. The Rigby cartridge is big and heavy and really pushes the limit of this design, but the extractor should hold it in place against the bolt. Try it with both a cartridge and an empty case.

Make sure you fully utilize the dynamics of a fixed ejector. The CZ550 does not use a Mauser ejector, but the principal is the same: How far the cartridge ejects is directly proportional to how hard you jerk the bolt to its rearmost position. Don't be afraid that you will damage the rifle, just yank the bolt back like you are starting a lawn mower. Make sure you also try it with a fired case as well, the gunsmith will need to know if there is a difference.

As for feeding, I am predjudiced against the shape of the Rigby cartridge, but it should still feed CRF in a rifle sold as such. As mentioned by AC, for a specific caartridge there is a delicate balance of measurements for the follower, magazine, rails and ramp that must come together to create controlled feed. I would avoid local gunplumbers and the folks at CZ-USA for adjusting it. If the rifle is new, return it for a replacement. Otherwise, seek out a gunsmith who has experience with the Rigby cartridge.

Finally got my .416 shells in the mail. Even before dinner I had to shove some in...magazine holds four. Fiddled some in to check ejection but was mighty disappointed by the lack of power there, I need to yank it to get the shell to eject free from the port. Hmmm. I quickly wolfed down a burger, and loaded up four dummies.

Four in the magazine, cycle the bolt a few times...same behaviour, it takes a good yank to eject the cartridge. Unfortunately not even a good yank made *all* cartridges eject, some just lie in the loading port. And now for the finale...about 1 out of 4 times the bolt fails to pick up the cartridge, turning it into a push-feed with the resulting jam.

In the field I would have died about five times today.

So...is this a warrenty thing? In my opinion clearly the ejector doesn't do its job properly, nor does the controlled-feed function reliably. Can this be solved by a stronger magazine spring and a stronger ejector spring (if there is such a thing, I still need to look at the exploded diagram). And if so, who's picking up the tab for that? I knew things could be improved on this rifle (CZ550), but this action doesn't seem to function properly...or am I expecting too much and do I need to pay for the smithing myself?

Frans

Welcome to the wonderful world of the Mauser controlled round feeding! Sounds like your rifle needs some extractor work (your weak ejection is most likely do to the loose fit between the extractor and the case's extraction groove). Probably some follower work (CZ use short followers which tend to get skewed fore to aft resulting in the case head setting too low to be picked up by the bolt).

Good luck. On the bright side, if you do the work yourself you will be a MUCH BETTER Mauser mechanic when you are done.
You will also understand just how lacking in robust design a Mauser is (they are very very finicky as you are undoubtedly now learning).

But then again I am only an ASS_CLOWN. Perhaps a REAL expert like jeffeosso, Ray Aktinson, or Bob Faucett will chime in and tell you how to really fix that rifle.

ASS_CLOWN

Why don't you take it to a local gunsmith. You sound like you are confused!

You could send it back to CZ but this could be a learning experience. Most all need a tweak or two.

Hi Franz
Deja vu - my advice is having been thru it that you should send it back to CZ - if you start tinkering they will then say it's been 'modified' and won't look at it under warranty. The other option is to send it first up (it's going to need some work done on it sooner or later) to someone EXPERIENCED at working on these rifles (you'll get advice on this site) and spend the money to get it fully worked up - eg the stockwork, barrel band, bigger front sight bead etc done as well as the action work. Charlie

Obviously I've been feeding a few more rounds through it, there seems to be a pattern.

The second round doesn't eject as much sideways as the others, but more to the back, towards me. The third round is already forward by about half an inch or more and with the nose up out of the magazine, kinda like the second one grabs onto it while ejecting and pushed it forward a bit. The jamming (less frequent now) seems to occur on that third round. I started with four in the magazine.

The bolt seems to hold shells with bullets in (no powder/primer) pretty well, but empties not.

Lawn-mower-starting movements does help the ejection somewhat, yet doesn't break the pattern. Jam on that third round about 1 in 10.

Empties (with nothing in the magazine) don't get ejected straight away it seems, but they bounce off something in the ejection port, sort of a secondary ejection. Weird.

I'm not happy with that. I know what is going to happen when I return this one....they'll hand me the one with the creeeepy trigger and the big ugle nerf in the wood (went through the handle, looked like a weak spot to me) that they have in the back.

Frans

I would start by replacing the follower, based upon those observations.

Why not take your dummy rounds down the the gunshop with you and run them through the "other" rifle? If they function normally then have them swap the stocks.

Alf,

Technically speaking you are 150% correct. The CZ550 is a Mauser derivative NOT a true Mauser. However, you can screw up a true Mauser to do the same things this gentleman's CZ550 is doing.

The follower is cocking fore to aft in the magazine well, as well as the magazine squeezing the cartridges too tightly together at the shoulder. So replacing the follower almost certainly won't do squat. Consider the fact that the follower is ~ 0.375" shorter than the magazine is long so it will ALWAYS ROCK FORE TO AFT. The other issue (squeezing the cartridges too tightly at the shoulder )is that CZ uses a 375 H&H sized magazine box. The front of the box is too tight and squeezes the bigger (larger shoulder diameter) 416 Rigby cartridges too tighly together. This causes the front of the cartridge to rise too quickly, since the follower is too damned short it doesn't resist this, but actually gets cocked and aggravates the problem, this condition then leads to the case head riding low in the magazine and the bolt face then over-rides the rim leading to a jam. Now that last sentence must have about 1/2 dozen grammar issues AT LEAST.

Regarding the extractor. When you place an EMPTY case in under the extractor does the extractor lift the case off of the bolt face ie do you have to physically push the case down to get it to fit flush against the bolt face? If you don't have to push it down, there is too much material removed from the front (forward) side of the extractor. The extractor should push the case forward slightly. This will keep the case tight against the off side (left hand side) rib on the bolt and allows the ejector to push harder on the case during ejection (improves ejection power). I set my big bores up to roll the empties out, as the brass is damned expensive and I don't want it flying 20'! So I have a minimum amount of extractor preload (which is what this whole darned paragraph/super sentence is about).

If you want to educate yourself on how a CRF rifle works then fix it yourself. DO NOT MESS WITH THE MAGAZINE RAILS!! The extractor, follower, follower spring, and magazine box are the problem areas. These components are relatively cheap. If you mess with the rails you just bought a new rifle (not relatively cheap IMHO)

Otherwise, take the rifle to a GOOD gunsmith (rare bird and that is NO lie) and have him fix the problem.

Good luck.

ASS_CLOWN

Thanks for your elaborate explanation.

The problem doesn't seem to be that the bolt overrides the case rim, but rather that the rim doesn't lodge itself under the extractor...resulting in a push-feed = no extraction. Other than that, your description seems accurate, the bullet comping up from the left side of the magazine, comes up tilted nose up, and slighty pushed forward. I thought the ejecting bullet might cause that, thereby slowing itself down, but the opposite might be true: the bullet comes up out of the magazine crooked thereby hampering ejection of the previous one. "Funny" though that it is only that one bullet, the others come up just fine.

I'll have to check the fit of shell vs. bolt face and extractor when I get home. How firm should that shell be in there? It felt rather loose when I tried, but that might just be as it is intended.

Magazine rails....? What are those...?

As for grammer....looked just fine to me, but then again, what do I know?

I have limited experience with gunsmiths...last one managed to use centrefire rifle mounts to put a little scope on my kids' .22. It works. Looks like shit, but it works. Won't be using him again though.

Frans

I had nearly the exact problem with my Daly Mauser in 458 Win except that it happened everytime you got to the shell on the right. Jeffeosso looked and it and showed me where to take about 20 thou off the follower and then it fed smooth as can be. It should be a relatively simple job for a gunsmith familiar with "Mauser derivitives", only took me about 15 minutes with a dremel tool.

Sounds promising! Now see if I can find one of those around the corner, or that I will have to rely on Canada Post...which might be just as eventful as getting a misfeed when the buff is coming. I guess I need Loomis though for this type of shipment.

Frans