My wife just sent a deposit to John Ricks for a 450 Dakota and some 338 medium on the CZ 550 safari mag action. I have you guys to thank for getting me in touch with John and advising me on calibers. Thanks!

Way to go Bob! Good combo for the bores. I understand the excellent 450 Dakota. What 338 medium do you mean, the 338 Winchester Magnum/Lapua/...? Which one?

The CZ 550 is excellent. The magazine followers are steel.

Hey I have 4 of them and an old Brno ZKK 602, and a Bauska BBK-02. Here is my spread on these:

CZ 550.....375 Remington UltraMag
CZ 550.....378 Weatherby
CZ 550.....416 Rigby
CZ 550.....458 Win.Mag, soon to be converted to a Lott.
BBK-02.....460 Weatherby
ZKK 602....510/460 Weatherby Improved Jenkins and Berry, AKA the 510 JAB, will chamber and fire 500 A-Square.

To keep with my collecting habits, someday I hope to have one each of the following double rifles, SXS:

Merkel/Smirkel......470 NE (got that one already)
Searcy/Sissy........500 NE
Krieghoff/Kickoff...500/416

And just to show a special flare, I already have one O/U double (made from a Ruger Redlabel by the monoblock method) in 338 Win.Mag. Must be a Rogue Ruger run amok. No excuse. No explaining my tastes, I reckon.

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RAB

Hey Dagga, I talked to John Ricks last week by email and decided on a 330 Dakota to go with the 450. That big Safari action will allow loading some long bullets with high BC. I'm like you about the 550s and Brnos. I have two 601s, one in 223 and the other in 243. John is going to try to get consecutive serial numbered actions for this project. I think these two rifles with the Pac Nor bbls and that walnut laminated stock that John uses will be the ultimate. Meantime I have two little 527 carbines originally in 7.62 X 39 being rebbled to 6.5 and 6 mm PPC. Like you, I'm CZ/Brno poor. Ain't it great? Thanks for the post.

Bob,
They are great, and so is that wife of yours, so understanding as to send in the deposit for you.

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RAB

DR,

For only $6K, Dennis Olson will build you a SxS 600 NE that starts out life as a 10 gauge shotgun.

Yeah Dagga, I hit the jackpot when I got her. Two 527 carbines last Christmas, Two John Ricks mags next Christmas, and a trip to Africa in 2003. Besides that she takes better care of our money than I could. Not everyone is as lucky the second time around. Good wives, guns, and grand kids, the pleasures of life.

500grains,
Oh geez! Dennis the Menace, eh? Just joking.

That is a wild proposition, and is making me curiouser and curiouser. I had heard that Dennis Olson was a great big bore gunsmith. How can he do a 600 NE SXS double so cheap? Do they shoot? Any photos or info on the parts and labor, loads and accuracy would be interesting if you ever come by anything like that, for us nuts out here.

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RAB

Bob,

John is building a 450 Dakota for me as well, same action too. I must say, a very good choice.

I think I threatened to buy you a cup of coffee once if I got out your way (Breckenridge) which I occasionally do.... or was I thinking of someone else... anyway, gives us a good excuse to shoot some big guns. Let me know, offer still stands.

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Wendell Reich
Hunter's Quest International
wendell@huntersquest.com

Hi Buffalobwana, I'll take you up on the coffee. However, email me first because I'm working a contract in Mexico. I'll be in Breck for a couple of weeks in June and again around Christmas. I have a place to shoot. When you're in Breck check the good old boy's gunshop downtown. John Trammel.