Love to hear from a CZ big-bore owner who switched to the B&C stock. Wondering if it changed fit, balance and recoil attenuation.
Just came into a .416 Rigby with the hogback stock.

Bill,

They will not change the balance of your .416 Rigby.
The Euro "hogback" Lux walnut stock weighs about the same as the B&C composite stock which has full aluminum endoskeleton.
You may like the palm swell on the grip of the B&C, and the comb of the B&C better than the hogback, I do.
Recoil is no worse. Maybe less felt if anything with the B&C stock.

There is less pitch and drop on the B&C,
so less muzzle rise and more straight back in recoil.
And the butt pad is no smaller, maybe bigger on the B&C, that is more comfortable too.

Pictures if that darn Photobucket is not too troublesome ...



500 Mbogo in hogback above and B&C below.



1:9" twist Pac-Nor .510-caliber barrel, but I would not consider a twist that fast on a 50-70 Gov./Musket.

I agree with RIP

I replaced the factory hogsback stock on my CZ
416 Rigby with the B&C. The B&C weighs 4oz less than the wood stock.

The big difference for me is when shooting off the
sticks; less muzzle flip (almost none), recoil straight back. Full power 400gr loads are very manageable and easy to shoot. The higher comb is better suited for scope shooting.

Thanks fellas. I had a B&C on a VZ-24 in .416 Taylor some years ago and really liked it. By the way, RIP, I am having the devil of a time with Photobucket lately.

Perhaps a supportive opinion on the hogback would help round out the picture.

My first CZ was a hogback 416Rigby. I had apprehensions on the hogback stock but decided to give it a try. I liked it. I liked it as is. I still like them and have had three.

The CZ Rigby hogback has a solid, substantial feel and balances well with the 25" tube and strong action. More importantly, I discovered that the hogback helps to naturally keep the head more vertical, especially when using a scope. That leads to more comfortable shooting and neither I nor my son, nor anyone firing the rifle except one have ever been bitten on the eyebrow. (That one person was a non-shooter who probably shouldn't have 'cut his teeth' on a 416. His head was too relaxed and flapped forward into the scope.) But for anyone used to shooting a 3006, the hogback stock puts the head at slightly more of a vertical and makes for stress-free shooting.

the only draw back is an extra pound or two of carrying weight over a standard deer rifle. But after all, it is a 416Rigby and quite comforting in a buffalo forest when shooting a deer-sized impala.

I put the BC stock on my 375 to replace the original hogs back and couldn't be happier. I do feel the recoil is mitigated better with the BC stock, whether that's design or material I cannot tell you.

Since they've become available through BC directly, there's almost $100 savings over buying them from CZ. I've procured another for my 458 Lott.

I had the B&C stock on a CZ in .500 A-Square and really liked it. My only complaint would be that at times I would have preferred some checkering or a more textured finish for a better grip, but all in all a really nice stock.

What's the LOP on the B&C stocks?

quote:

Originally posted by Sevens:
What's the LOP on the B&C stocks?

In the Picture of my 500 Mbogo above, the trigger is a Timney (shown with both Lux "hogback" and B&C stocks).

With the Timney trigger, the LOP is the same for both hogback and B&C stock, about 13.75" as I measured it.

With the standard CZ single, set trigger, that would increase the LOP by about 1/8 inch, to 13.875" when the trigger is not set.
Even longer when the trigger is pushed forward to set it.

It seems the stock was designed to have the same LOP (with same 1" Decelerator pad) as the factory Lux "hogback" as best I can tell.

quote:

Originally posted by Head Trauma:

... The B&C weighs 4oz less than the wood stock ...

Yes that is about right, if you weigh the wood stock containing that steel F-Block in the forearm.
If you discard the steel F-Block from the wood, then the Lux "hogback" and the B&C weigh about the same, about 2.5 lbs.
Of course, depending on your wood.

Since the 500 Mbogo pictured above (500 Mbogo The Second) has a custom recoil lug on the barrel, the F-Block was not used in either the Lux "hogback" stock or the B&C stock.
And their dry-rifle weights are:
In Lux "hogback": 9.5 pounds
In B&C stock: 9.25 pounds

The "Phat American" style laminate or walnut stock that CZ uses weighs about 1/2 pound more, about 3 pounds or more.
Of course, depending on your wood, and whether you are including the F-Block in the weight of the stock.
And the "Phat American" laminate stock from CZ that I just measured has the same LOP as the Lux "hogback" also.

The wood (walnut and laminate) stocks can become even heavier after they are loaded up with pillars and cross bolts and long-axis bolts and F-Block contraptions, etc.

You can definitely count on losing 1/4 to 1/2 pound or more by going to the B&C instead of walnut or laminate from CZ.
Of course depending on how heavily reinforced your walnut or laminate was.

No reinforcement measures are needed with the B&C.

Here is where I trot out the picture of "Phat American" 500 Mbogo The First:

Sevens

LOP on mine is 14"

How is the stock with iron sights?

I am not a large humanoid (5'-7", 165 lbs) and the stock factory CZ iron sights line up great with the B&C stock.

If the hogsback CZ stock fits you OK with regard to the iron sights, odds are the B&C will as well.

Ordered the Bell & Carlson.

More choices plus savings in dollars now that they come directly from B&C.
My last one was olive/drab green with black spider webbing.
No longer is it any color you want as long as it is black.

I can not comment about the B&C as I put my CZ550 416 Rigby into a McMillan. Replaced the standard American stock. Could not be happier. Felt recoil is reduced and I had a 15" length of pull. Just what I need. I am 6'2" with a longish neck. Now my eye ends up in the right place on the stock and I do not have to pull the head back. Weight is similar to the wood stock.

I had a 416 Rigby with original composite stock & it was 8.5 lbs without scope and fit we well and pointed well. I shot very well with it including some feral goats at 150 meters while they were moving.

My rifle was stable and did not need any extra bedding.

I understand that some need bedding.

RIP is here is very helpful Wayne at AHR - a real great guy with lots of experience and very helpful.

Good luck with a great caliber.

I could never get the hog back stock to fit me worth a hoot. The American stock I got to fit me like a custom fit glove. It was perfect. In fact it fit so well that that rifle in 458 Lott kicked like heck because I could be totally relaxed and the express sights lined up perfectly . With a scope on it in high Warne rings I also used a "heads up" position and never had any problems with getting ringed. Even with 500 gr bullets @ 2300 fps.
I put an MPI Safari fiberglass stock on the 416 Rem mag I had built. It also fit very well. It was the XX Magnum stock so that rifle held 5 down and has plenty of room to top off the 6th round into the chamber. RIP; I like how you simulated the factory CZ contour into your 500 barrel.

quote:

Originally posted by Cold Trigger Finger:
... RIP; I like how you simulated the factory CZ contour into your 500 barrel.

Thanks, but credit goes to Harry McGowen.
That would be on "500 Mbogo the First." Harry McGowen did that barrel, left a dognut on the barrel for my gunsmith to turn into an integral rear sight base on top and a recoil lug on the bottom.
Harry knew just how to do the CZ barrel contour since he was making all the barrels for CZ-USA-assembled "Safari Classic" rifles like the 404 Jeffery, 500 Jeffery and .505 Gibbs, etc.
That is why CZ-USA 404 Jeffery rifles have 1:10" twist and .425" groove diameter.
And why the 500 Jeffery and .505 Gibbs have 1:10" twist barrels.
I think he had the tooling left over from making barrels for A-Square before he took up the CZ business, hence the fast twists like Art Alphin preferred.
After Harry sold the business from Illinois to Montana, I assume the new McGowen Barrel company continued making barrels for CZ-USA.
There is something I can take credit for:
Harry McGowen also made the tooling for the earth-shakingly obscure .395-caliber, 1:12" twist barrels for me.
I bought .395-caliber barrels from both Harry McGowen of Illinois, and also the Montana McGowen folks.
If the .395-caliber ever existed before me, it was ressurected by me, and is dying again.

McGowen makes excellent barrels, as good as any. If they have my preferred caliber and twist, that is what I go for.
I have also tolerated Lilja, Krieger, Pac-Nor, Shilen, Douglas and Lothar-Walther if McGowen does not make what I want for one of my "custom" rifles.

quote:

Thanks, but credit goes to Harry McGowen.
That would be on "500 Mbogo the First." Harry McGowen did that barrel, left a dognut on the barrel for my gunsmith to turn into an integral rear sight base on top and a recoil lug on the bottom.

I am still enamored with the 500 Mbogo, a great cartridge. I only went with the 500 AccRel Nyati because I planned to limit my loads to 7000 foot-pounds. 2600-2650 fps was all that I wanted to push the 450GSC and I didn't want to shoot oribis with that bullet at 2800fps. The 500 AccRelNyati is essentially a short 500 Mbogo, with less difference than between the 30-06 and 308.

McGowen still does the barrel doughnut and will add sights and cut a barrel-recoil-lug face into the underside if so requested when doing a barrel and chambering. One alteration that I ordered when doing the second barrel for the 500AccRel was to change the contour by adding 1" of length to the fat breech end of the barrel. The fast taper of the standard CZ seemed a little thin for a cartridge of this magnitude.

I just received a B&C medalsit for my CZ550 Rigby on 11/28/16. I couldn't wait til Christmas to see if it fit properly. The barrel and action dropped right in no modifications needed. There was a cutout for the barrel locking nut so no need to channel a groove. I haven't decided whether or not to bed it yet. If i do it is perfectly prepped for a bedding job. The cost plus shipping was $286.99 . Helluva bargain IMO.

BTW the description said it did not have a cheekpiece but mine definately has a nice one on it. Just what I was looking for. This my 4TH B&C Medalist and I can't recommend them high enough.

Pictures please!

Good to hear, Sid. Mine likely won't be here until January.

Update. Stock will be here next Thursday.

A cabinet rasp, various grades of wet or dry, and 10 coats of Gun-Save-R from Brownells will do wonders for those hogback stocks, works for me. Also added some cross bolts, glass bed, Talley grip cap and a mod. 70 safety, and re-checkering, all at about the same cost of a Bell and Carlson I suspect!! but hey Im a curmudgeon, and just must have wood. Seems like I'm one of the last of the nostalgics, what a shame!

Bill; look forward to your review and hopefully pics. I'm wanting to restock my Ruger 458 Winchester. I shortened the canoe paddle stock . But now want a bit more LOP due to the optic I want to mount on it. I've been thinking of putting a Boyd's Classic laminate on it. I need to check to see if the HS precision is available for the Ruger.

Just a brief follow up on the Medalist stock. It is not quite cut properly to mate with the barrel on the .416. The hang up is the slight boss left in the barrel contour where the platform for the standing leaf sight sits. It will take only minor sanding to relieve it, but just a heads up that the B&C stock is not a full drop in at least for CZs in .416 Rigby.
CTF, I like the subtle change in balance and handling with the new stock. It is giving me 1/8 to 1/4 inch more LOP as well.

Bill,

That is a very minor bit of work, still in the drop-in category by me.
The factory bedded rifles with that stock by B&C just seem to contact at the forward end of the barrel "boss" or integral "dognut" on the barrel as I call it and are free-floated forward of that.
As if they just wrapped some sandpaper around a dowel and sanded the forward part of the barrel channel enough to finish dropping it in.
All my current B&C-stocked CZ rifles are custom-barreled with no "dognut."
But I did once drop a factory CZ 404 Jeffery into one of the Kevlar/Aramid CZ stocks, dognut and all. No problems.
I discarded the F-block from the walnut stock.
Tightened the action screws to 60 inch-pounds.
Voila! 1.5" 3-shot group at 100 yards.
Do better with full bedding.
That one got re-barreled later to .375/404 Jeffery-Saeed of 2012,
since it was such a slick feeder straight from the factory as a 404 Jeffery.

Maybe the paint is thicker on the B&C "Aramid" stocks than it was on the CZ "Kevlar" stocks.
Maybe they just paint the black ones to different colors as orders come in.
Just kidding.
However, your tight spot is no thicker than a coat of paint in a very small contact area, near the front of the "dognut."

I am thinking about using one of the B&C Aramid stocks on a CZ 550 Magnum rebarreled to ... (wildcatomania relapsing) ...

A ".500 Buhmiller-Berry of 2017" (true .500/.375 H&H, 2.85" case, maybe just 2.80"), aka "500 BB."
Then a .500 Buhmiller-Berry Short (2.5"), aka "500 BBS" could be done on a Mauser/Winchester/Ruger,
whatever I can get a B&C Medalist stock to fit ... that would be an HS Precision for the Ruger.