Well, a big bore rifle is something I have allways wanted and yesterday I finally bought one. It's a Brno ZKK 602 in 458WM. It has an action that looks like it's 3 months pregnant.
The gun was made in 1980 and is in very good condition (even more so if you consider that it was used to kill 2 buffalos in Tanzania!)
It has a flip up extra big front bead (inlaid with mother of pearl, I think) and rear sights for 100, 200 and 300m. Considering I paid 135€ for it, I don't think it was a bad deal.
This night, I allmost couldn't sleep in anticipation of firing it (and I still have to wait untill tomorow!) and when I did sleep, I dreamed about Buffalos and small armored cars (thank you Craig Boddington!).
I think I may have a problem...


In the deal, I also got a box of 20 Remington Hi-Speed 500grs rounds (with something called Kleanbore priming). According to the previous owner, they date back to the seventies. Can they still be fired safely? They look in good condition. No corrosion but the cases have a dull appearance.

Yes my son. For your penance go and slay a beast.

Nighthawk,

Surely the 135Euro price was a misprint/typo. If not, you have used your entire lifetime of good luck, and should never hunt buffalo, lion, or armored cars. Therefore, you really don't need a rifle in that caliber and I'd be willing to take it off your hands for 136Euro's (everyone should be happy!) I'll be in France in May-maybe I can bring it home with me??!! Kudude

PS: I am glad you have confessed this here. Confession is good for the soul. Go, my son, and miss no more. k-d

Nope, not a misprint. I must have been really good in my previous life.

Well, I shot the rifle on saturday and the first thing I noticed, is that it needs a better recoil pad. The current one is really hard and the thumping is not helping in the accuracy department. 5 shots went into a 4 inch 'group' at 50 meters (iron sights). After the 5th shot, my concentration started to fade, so accuracy testing will start when I have changed the recoil pad.

Nitehawk,

You must indeed have developed some excess good karma ... and it beat up the last owner. All the folks who looked at it thought that big hole in the end of the barrel meant that it would kick too hard to enjoy.

(You were just the first crazy to find it at that price.)

Congratulations of a good deal!!! Enjoy.

I bought it directly from the previous owner, which usually saves a lot of money. Firearm ownership is quite restricted in Belgium. This coupled with a caliber that is not very popular, can get you a good deal.

Does anybody have recommendations for a new recoil pad?

I have a CZ in 450 Dakota (416 Rigby necked up to 458), about a 460 Wbee. I put the Pachmayr Decelerator on mine before I ever fired a shot and put a mercury recoil reducer in as well. It is reasonable to shoot from the bench, under 2" at 100yds with a 500gr bullet at 2540fps.

Rich
DRSS
Knowledge not shared is knowledge lost...

How much does the mercury weigh? I will look into the Decelerator pad.