Hi, I've read RIP's excellent write up but I have just a couple of questions. I have a CZ 550 in 500 Jeffery and I use it primarily in the Rocky Mountains and hopefully some day in Africa, so it's blued metal and walnut stock are perfect for that. I would like to take it to Alaska in the future (even though we have quite a few rifles, I'm a one rifle for everything kind of guy). So my two questions are:

1. Does CeraKote make a coating that is very close to a gloss blueing finish?

2. If I go with the CZ B&C synthetic stock option can I have the gunsmith make sure I can I have him switch between the synthetic and my wooden stock (which I will use most of the time) I have without any issues but having to resight in the rifle?

Thanks!

They do make a "blue" cerakote, but it is not really a gloss, sort of a semi matte, if you will. You can Google cerakote and one of the sites has a complete color chart. I wanted a stainless Redhawk done, but the blue that ceraklote offers just didn't appeal to me. I sent mine off to CCR refinishing and they did their "house" black. Came out great, a semi gloss black finish.

Thanks! You'd wonder why that wouldn't be one CeraKote's basic finishes to appeal to old timers like me

Chuck, several years ago I had my .375 H&H Whitworth Express "blue" cerakoted. Although it's acceptable, it's noticeably different than a gloss blueing finish (especially in the sunlight).

Thanks, maybe I'll just have a synthetic stock put on mine and keep it blued. I can always have it reblued if it gets a bit rusty. I'm more worried about it changing point of impact and a synthetic stock should fix that.

The most pleasing coating I've ever seen is Wayne's from AHR.

I'll have to ask him about it. Wayne and Ed did the CZ #1 Upgrade on my 500 Jeffery. Very pleased with their work. Thanks!

Wayne used gunkote on mine. I'm very happy with the finish.

Hi all, I contacted CeraKote they said they can approximate my gloss bluing. It's like mixing paint so I'm gonna give my gunsmith a trial rifle before I have him try it on my 500 Jeffery. Let you all know how it works out. So now the question is McMillan or the CZ B&C synthetic stock?

Either one is a good choice.
Both have color choices and McMillan has always offered LOP custom.
I heard a rumor that B&C will also custom fit your LOP.
I have always just added a leather slip-on pad spacer as needed.
A leather-covered pad always makes my pinky finger stiffen up.

In 1999, McMillan was the best choice, this one is on its third barrel now, took a licking and keeps on ticking:



Now I can get the B&C, for less money, and I lke it better:



Whichever stock you choose, here is the cutest way to fill the front sling stud hole, yet still have it available for future use like for bipod attachment:



BTW, the B&C will handle a No.6 sporter (Pac-Nor) shown above (1:9" Twist, 23"-barreled 500 Mbogo) without any sanding out of the barrel channel.
I bedded the above B&C myself, filling in with epoxy.



The McMillan at top was supposed to handle up to a No.5 sporter, but it has been sanded out to handle even bigger than the target taper that is on it now.
It started off with a No. 8 Heavy target taper on a .510/460 Wby,
got filled in to fit a No. 6 sporter Pac-Nor on a .500/.338LM,
and had to have the epoxy in the barrel channel dug out to fit the current No. 6 heavy target taper on the 10.4 Spiridon Moor that it serves now:

.408/.338 Lapua Magnum Wildcat

The McMillan stock shown had "magnum fill" and it also had stainless steel tubing pillars added by the gunsmith,
as well as steel allthread crossbolts hidden behind the primary and secondary recoil lugs.

You do not have to do anything to the B&C except drop it into the full metal endoskeleton in the stock.
Let it bed itself into the aluminum alloy, or do a full glass bedding job for possibly better accuracy.
The forearm has a crossbar in it to back up the CZ barrel lug installed at the factory.
Of course it would be best to bed that if you want it to function as a secondary recoil lug.
No mods to rifle or stock needed, except leave the steel F-block behind in the wood stock.

The B&C is rugged enough for a 500 Jeffery, any way you do it,
but I would recommend bedding the primary recoil lug on the action and the secondary recoil lug on the barrel.
Just two dabs of epoxy and a third spot under the tang of the rifle.
Everything else about it is excellent drop-in fit.



Rifles In Progress by Riflecrank Internationale Permanente aka Squirrel Killer
Pet Wildcat Certifying Authority and Tree Rat Control Specialist
NRA Life Benefactor and Beneficiary to the Fourth Degree
https://home.nra.org/

quote:

Originally posted by chuck375:
Hi all, I contacted CeraKote they said they can approximate my gloss bluing. It's like mixing paint so I'm gonna give my gunsmith a trial rifle before I have him try it on my 500 Jeffery. Let you all know how it works out. So now the question is McMillan or the CZ B&C synthetic stock?

Chuck make sure your smith gets enough of the colour combinations in to do both rifles. If you don't and end up with a different colour lot the colour/shine result can be different. I had my CZ550 done in Midnight purple. Looks like a deep English blue in the sunlight. Unfortunately they don't do that colour any more.

Thanks! You would think that would be the first color they would do. I guess I'm not a fan of the swirly synthetic stocks and different metal colors, too old for that lol.

Thanks Rip, this is all part of an evil plan to justify a Kodiak Island brown bear hunt.

My 375 H&H (375 Weatherby now) is in a 25 year old Bell & Carlson Synthetic stock and I had the metal Cerakoted, just last spring. I would call it a semi-gloss black or a flat black. The color is a close match to the Leupold scope that I have on this rifle, a Leupold 1.5-6x that I believe Leupold calls a flat black.
I took this rifle to Alaska on a spring bear hunt this year. It worked out great. No worry if it gets wet, which it did. I couldn't be happier.

Awesome, thanks!

I'm very happy with the B&C stock (CZ "kevlar") that I bought through CZ a few years ago. Even more happy now that I can buy them direct through B&C for $150 less than CZ sold them for, and in different colors.