I seen on CZ web-site that you can get a 505 Gibbs in their Safari Classic rifle. Can anyone tell me what a new one would run and are they well built.

Thank You

Steve

Steve,

I just bought one for around $2,300.00. For the money it is not a bad deal for a 505 Gibbs. It does need some work however but not as much as you would think (feeding, ejection, and some polishing).

The rifle is a little on the light side and with full house loads recoil is fierce (but the stock recoil pad is nice). CZ is going to add an extra mercury tube and dual cross bolts to newer models. Yes the bolt is .700†and the rim is thin but people have been putting large case heads on the CZ for years.

All in all it’s a CZ, it’s going to have some problems out of the box but they can be easily remedied…….

If you want to mess around with a 505 with out dropping huge $$$ it’s not a bad way to go….

Matt V.

Great rifle in a classic chambering, and affordable. If I weren't building a 550 Gibbs I would already own one and be shooting it. I would also have a long, fat mercury recoil reducer in the butt and the short, skinny one in the forearm. Machismo aside, you have to be able to shoot it accurately to hunt with it. Go for it!!

Rich
DRSS
505 Shooter

quote:

Originally posted by trophyhunter5000:
The rifle is a little on the light side and with full house loads.....Matt V.

How much does it weigh? What are you calling "full house" loads? Original spec. or hopped up?

Keith

well, you asked

the 505 on a cz is marginal, in feeding and in remaining boltface...

the 500 jeffe that they are chambering now is a better one...

however, you can get a 416 rigby cz, have a 470 mbogo, 460 weatherby, 500x460w or 550 magnum built on that action with little change other than barrel, recoil lug, bedding and crossbolts

or, well, call it 1500-1700 all in

Steve:

I am going to have to agree with Jeff here.

In ths Safari Classics line, CZ now makes four calibers, the .404 Jeffery, .450 Rigby, .505 Gibbs, and the .500 Jeffery.

I have the .404 Jeffery. I love it but the large magnum action is really not required for the .404. A .404 will comfortably fit into a .375 length action. With rings and a scope, it is a bit on the heavy side. It is a joy to shoot but not the best carrying rifle.

My friend has a CZ 505 Gibbs. While it seems to work well enough, I am not sure that the CZ action is the best choice for the Gibbs. What follows is a quote from an article by Terry Wieland that appeared in the November/December 2006 issue of RIFLESHOOTER:

"Dan Pedersen, the Arizona barrel maker, provides tubes for a wide range of clients. He worked for Fred Wells for some years and is familiar with most of the makers of large rifles across the country. He says the problem with the Gibbs is that the case is so large, it requires cutting actions down more than he considers safe"

"The only action that can comfortably accommodate the Gibbs is Granite Mountain's Magnum action with the .75-inch bolt," he says. "Others I've seen chambered for the Gibbs have cut away the rim around the bolt face to almost nothing. I don't want to have a rifle like that firing close to my face."

However, that being said, I don't know anyone who has ever had a problem with a CZ in .505 Gibbs and, as I indicated, my friends Gibbs shoots just fine.

If you heart is set on a .50 caliber, I think the .500 Jeffery is the better choice. I have (or had) one of those too. I really haven't had a chance to ring it out because I had to send it back to CZ to have them fix a problem with the chamber. However, I did have a chance to run a few rounds through it before I sent it back for repairs. Because of the .500s rebated rim, there have been concerns about feeding problems. Mine seemed to feed just fine and it seemed to me that the .500 Jeffery's "felt" recoil was noticebly less than the Gibbs. The Jeffery will also make up into a .375 length action but in this instance, the extra weight is not a problem.

Probably the most logical choice in the Safari Classic line is the .450 Rigby. I am sure someone will correct me if I am wrong but I think the .450 Rigby is simply a .416 Rigby necked up to .458 with no other changes. It does indeed require the long magnum action and fires a .480 grain bullet at around 2300 fps. It does what the .458 Lott does but at much lower pressures. Thus, you can take full advantage of the CZs long action and the extra weight will be appreciated to help tame the recoil. This may be my next project.

Rich is right too. If you have your heart set on a Gibbs, go for it. I don't think you can go wrong with any of these choices.

Dave

Where has CZ anounced the availability of the .500 Jeffery? I was on their web site a couple of days ago and couldn't find any information.

I have a CZ in a 505 Gibbs, it may be the first one they chambered and sold in that caliber. Fact is it has NEVER FAILED TO FEED with jacketed soft nese or solid bullets. I have fired hard cast gas checked bullets with a wide meplant and only 5 or 6 of them have failed to feed due to lube on the ogive of the side of the cast bullets. The rifle is a very very good gun and the cartridge is totally appropriate for the size of action. In reply to Dave Bush, who has fired many rounds through my rifle, if you can afford $4,000.00 for a Granite Mountain action go for it otherwise $2,000.00 to $2,200.00 is a great deal for a 505.

In fact mine is for sale with dies, brass, Woodleigh and cast bullets. It has also has an action job and new express sights all work done by JJ @ Champlain Arms of Enid, OK. Send IM if anyone is interested. I just purchased a 500 NE.3" Double Rifle and will sell the Gibbs 505 in a package deal. Great deal for someone!

One of us,
check your PM.

Rich
DRSS

quote:

Originally posted by Hog Killer:

quote:

Originally posted by trophyhunter5000:
The rifle is a little on the light side and with full house loads.....Matt V.

How much does it weigh? What are you calling "full house" loads? Original spec. or hopped up?

Keith

HK,

I've yet weigh the rifle but from feel it is aroung 10 lbs. I'm shooting 600 gr Woodleighs at 2300 fps.. It's the first rifle I've fired that generates over 100 ft-lbs of recoil....Untill now the most powerfull rifle I've shot was my 458 Lott RSM...

Matt V.