quote:

Originally posted by jorge:
Gents: I am confused (easily done). Does this mean the 404, 458 Lott & 505 (others?) are sent by CZ here in the US to an external contractor for rebarreling for those calibers? jorge

It has been my understanding the the .458 Lott is imported as a .458 WinMag, and CZ-USA has it rechambered locally.

The .404, .450 and .505 are completely assembled by a local gunsmith, using generic actions and sights imported from CZ by CZ-USA.

This is the actual CZ Website and you can see the products that are actually built by them.

This is the CZ-USA Website and you can see the products being sold by them.

Big difference.

My $0.02. I have 3 CZ rifles in 416 Rigby, 375 H&H and 7x57(FS). I love all of them and there is no other rifle that comes close in terms of price and accuracy. Having said that, I have not hunted with any of them. There seems to be some confusion about the term "factory". There is a difference between CZ and CZUSA as Alf is trying to point out, but no one seems to be listening. If CZUSA was just an importer, then there would be little difference, but it does seem that CZUSA rifles are NOT necessarily CZ "factory" rifles. I don't know if this helps or not. I assume that the beef is with CZUSA.
Peter.

You get what you pay for on life. There is a reason that some rifles are priced cheaper than others. I do not own a CZ and have no axe to grind. I have owned a few lemons in my time and I have gotten rid of them and saved my money for something of better perceived quality.

I hope you get satisfaction with CZ. Good luck.

MJ,

It's bad you must go through this. Going through the rollercoaster ride of joy in having a new and unique rifle to having this same rifle be delivered in a condition that is completely unuseable and possibly unrepairable is bad enough. But having to now fight to get yourself back to square one and get out of a complete financial loss in this purchase, is worse than bad.

The good thing about this is that your legal fight is in the good old US of A involving consumer protection in state law. Based on your representation of facts, I see little room for CZ-USA to disclaim their obligation to you in this defective rifle.

Good luck,
GVA

I've had a bunch of CZ's and they have been fine. Just have to get them to try to fix it one more time.

Everyone it seems wanted a cheap 404 as opposed to the 5 or 6K versions (Yeah, I know jeffe can build one for a buck and a half), and not the 2 year wait. And ignored all the feeding troubles that many warned about.

Send it back and get them to fix it. I'll volunteer to go there and inspect the final product if you want and they will let me.

quote:

Originally posted by jorge:
Gents: I am confused (easily done). Does this mean the 404, 458 Lott & 505 (others?) are sent by CZ here in the US to an external contractor for rebarreling for those calibers? jorge

the 458 lott comes from CR as is, and CAN get an "american" stock.

Alf, while it may not be outside NA for it, the lott comes that way from CR... as is, already cut chamber... ONLY the test run was rechambered in the states.

TODAY YOU CAN NOT IMPORT A RIFLE WITHOUT CALIBER MARKED... it MUST say 458 ??? to be imported, they are no longer strkeovers, QPQ, made in the CZ in 458 lott

the 404, 505, 450 rigby and 500 jeffe are made here, with mcgowen barrels

As KurtC said, the 458 lott is not in CZ's web site, only CZ USA. if they are chambered in house, why wouldnt they offer them to all?

quote:

Originally posted by TSJ:
As KurtC said, the 458 lott is not in CZ's web site, only CZ USA. if they are chambered in house, why wouldnt they offer them to all?

tell me.. ford doesn't MANY of their car lines in the us, though the parts are made globally...

nor does mercedes or BMW offer the US cars over seas.

jeffe

That stock crack in the mag area is from shooting, that's the area crossbolts are there to protect. This definitely wasn't a shipping problem. No surprise the CZ isn't as finished as an Echols. That is why I still say the Ruger RSM is the best buy out of the box. Keyholing is another issue, that is not acceptable on a $200 Stevens. That said, I have one CZ a 9.3x62, it feeds fine and is an under 1MOA rifle always. It was a little rough as far as bolt travel when new, but slicked up nicely with some use. As you go up in caliber, everything is under more stress, bedding, wood quality, scopes, mounts and the shooter as well become way more critical. That said a big bore isn't the place to go bargain basement, but the .404 CZ at $2000 or so isn't in that price point either.

It would be interesting to slug the barrel and see if it is consistant with earlier complaints of oversized bores in the 404's that could have led to unstabilized bullets. My own thoughts are purchase a CZ 550 magnum action and build your own, especially with more difficult chamberings. R.

I can't beleive no one has stated the obvious here-The wood is not suitable for a rifle! Look at the grain. Totally wrong and very weak. I would not have used that blank on a .243, much less a big bore. I have seen much better wood on European stocks than the American versions. The Euro stocks are thin shelled walnut and have proper lay out. The American stocks are American walnut and their layout is a crap shoot. The problem is that most people look for figure and throw lay out aside, or do not know what to look for in the first place.

As I have posted umpteen times, CZ's are pretty rough and clunky but can be made into nice rifles. WHether they are "custom shop" or not does not change the clunkiness or roughness, just the calibers.

I am sorry to hear that the rifle is a dud, teething problems I expect.

To date, I own three CZ's two 416 Rigbys and an FS in 9,3x62mm. Absolutely zero problems as of right now, so I'll keep plugging them. I have not shot one Rigby much yet, but the other has nearly 500 rounds thru it and works like a charm.

They DO need to make this right with Mike, this is where the integrity of a company is at stake.

Rich
DRSS
still a CZ fan

I had a CZ in 458 for about five years, I had no complaints. I didn't shoot a thousand rounds per year but with reloads I probably shot three hundred rounds total. I'm still thinking about a 9.3X62 FS. But I need an excuse. I have a 9.3X57 and X74. Guess I need the X62 and X64 just to make a partial set in 9.3. Maybe a X62 FS and X64 made from the American style..... The set trigger was at least OK but better on a lighter caliber. Packy

I am surprised at the service you have received from CZ USA. I sell CZs and have had only a few problems with them. Their customer sevice has always taken very good care on me and my customers. I hate to hear of your problems MJ. I hope they were just having a bad day a let it slip through. I'm not making excuses for your rifle just saying that it happens. Maybe you should let your dealer handle it, he has more pull with the service department than most individuals, he may even know someone that can expidite the service. If I can help you please PM me and I will do what I can.

I have good luck with the cz's and I own them in;

.22 Hornet
9.3x62 Luz
.375 H&H
.416 Rigby
.458 Lott (was a .458 winnie)

They have worked for me...........

MJines, Man that sucks to have something screw up as badly as your rifle did. Hopefully CZ will get it set right. I think if it were me I would take up Bill Stewart on his kind offer to check it out before they send it back to you.
Maybe if they know how many of us potential CZ buyers are following how well they treat you they will do what's right by you and maybe then some.................................DJ

Sorry to hear about this Mike.

The CZ "Custom Shop" rifles are made in The USA -aren't they?

Hello,
Friend of mine just called yesterday telling that a large outdoor chain store has a New CZ 416 Rigby on the shelf and noticed a crack very similar to the one shown in the earlier photo.
Blue was very faint in several places on the metal, bolt/knob seemed very small to him, recoil pad off line up with the stock some 1/8", appeared that the front sight was off center as well. Price was approx. $800.00 and estimated he would have to re stock, re blue, new bolt, repair front sight matter it appeared and overall have another $6-800.00 bucks or more in the rifle and yet it may not shoot well after all.
With quality problems keep coming up frequently on the big bore CZ's, might want to consider a consolidated letter to the lady who is President and politely, yet firmly request some correction of these problems. Most mfg's build products to a market/price point, but believe CZ has underestimated the quality standards of the american rifle user or at least the big bore customers.

Several folks have suggested contacting the President of CZ, Alica Poluchova. When I sent my first letter with the first return the first week I had the rifle, I copied Ms. Poluchova on the letter as well as the CZ master gunsmith. Guess who I heard back from? Well if you guessed, no one, we have a winner. What I got in return was a postcard giving me my warranty claim number and telling me not to bug them for four to six weeks. I am left with the distinct impression they really do not give a hoot.

My son had a similiar problem with CZ 416 rigby. Cz US had to completely reworked it, then it screwed up in Africa. Piece of Junk IMHO. You get what you pay for. By the time my son got done with it he could have bought a semi-custom from a US gunbuilder for the same $. Just my opinion and I could be wrong.

Husky,

You got it right! Anything made in the USA is total shit! Only stuff from China is good! Damned Husky chain saw wasted it's cylinder wall after only 2.5 years and actually very little use! What a POS european style. Dealer instructed me it was time for a new saw, imagine that.

CZ says that they received the rifle yesterday and put a refund check in Fed Ex yesterday too. Hopefully this ugly saga is coming to a close.

Mike, hope you are right about this being the end of your troubles.

Keith

If CZ would solder an additional recoil lug on the bottoms of the barrels they wouldn't have these problems with split stocks.

quote:

Originally posted by Will:
But does the crack go all the way through?

NO! But the hole down the middle of the barrel DOES.......

I have two CZ's. One is the 527 in 7.62X39mm, and it is fine. I bought it new, and it shoots as well as any factory rifle I've owned. I also have a 550 in .416 Rigby. It is accurate, and feeds correctly from the magazine. However, I have not fired it enough to cause the stock to split if it is going to do so.

So far, I consider both these rifles to be the qualitative equal of any Win. M70 or Remington 700 I have owned. However, no CZ is a Mannlicher-Schoenauer, and of course, none can compete with a custom rifle. I have seen worse POS's, and they were ALL made in USA!!

Of all the Czech rifles I have seen, I much prefer the BRNO Mauser 98-type carbines with DST's and butterknife bolt handles made pre-WWII or in the 1950's in 7X57mm, 8X57JS, or 8X60S......

These are NICE!

quote:

Originally posted by dogcat:
You get what you pay for on life. There is a reason that some rifles are priced cheaper than others. I do not own a CZ and have no axe to grind. I have owned a few lemons in my time and I have gotten rid of them and saved my money for something of better perceived quality.

I hope you get satisfaction with CZ. Good luck.

Dogcat, that's double talk. In the first part of the post you say you get what you pay for. Then the last sentence you said you bought something of better perceived quality. There's the majic word, perceived. I've see way too many top quality high dollar firearms fail.

How soon everyone forgets early Ruger couldn't make a barrel right if their lives depended on it. The later Winchesters and the current Remingtons are junk, just as much as those of you that say CZ is.

Oh, by the way FN still makes model 70 winchesters and said they will continue to do so as long as we still want them.

CZ is stuck here...the reason people buy them is the price and general dependability. That and the fact that the US mfgrs do not seem to want to offer what we want. Now we read that the CZ's with issues are the custom shop American made models. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...

I'm sticking by mine...all three of them work flawlessly, and neither of the 416R's have cracked or split their stocks. The 9,3x62 shoots under an inch.

Luck of the draw...sort-of like a hunting trip, eh?

Rich
DRSS

I just purchased a CZ 550 416R. It has one rear cross bolt and has been glass bed. Should I have a second cross bolt installed?

I thought cz was supreme. Now you tell me husky saws suck too.
This has to be one of the worst days of my life.

It is really strange...... some guys here swear by their 550 Magnums and some others have lots of troubles (feeding, ejecting, broken stocks etc.....).

I have a 550 Magnum in .416 Rigby and in the meantime I shot approx. 500 rounds. All I have to say is that the action got smoother every 100 rounds, I never had feeding/extracting problems or a broken stock. Although I did not install a second crossbolt and did not glass bed the action. Accuracy is outstanding like the very first day.

What do you guys think.......why is there so much difference within the same line of rifles?

quote:

Originally posted by sniper66:
It is really strange...... some guys here swear by their 550 Magnums and some others have lots of troubles (feeding, ejecting, broken stocks etc.....).

I have a 550 Magnum in .416 Rigby and in the meantime I shot approx. 500 rounds. All I have to say is that the action got smoother every 100 rounds, I never had feeding/extracting problems or a broken stock. Although I did not install a second crossbolt and did not glass bed the action. Accuracy is outstanding like the very first day.

What do you guys think.......why is there so much difference within the same line of rifles?

The variance in quality is due to lack of quality control and poor of customer service. The CZ 550 is a great platform for a semi custom rifle (for the $$$), but it’s a toss of the dice if you leave the rifle at stock specs.

Looks like you have had some luck with your 416, that’s great. When a CZ works they are good rifles. I had two 458 Lotts (early models with the XXXX stamping) and the first would not feed and the bolt hit the rise in the stock when you opened it. I sent it back and they sent a brand new rifle that didn’t feed either. I gave up on them and sold the rifle. In retrospect I wish I had kept the rifle and had it reworked to a 500 ASQ, ah the errors of youth….

In the wake of the MRC PH fiasco I had a brain fever and bought a CZ 550 in 505 Gibbs. It feeds well but ejects poorly. I think the ejection problem is due to the extractor needing tweaked. It has a bolt face as rough as a corncob. It’s had around 100 rounds through it so far (600gr@2300fps) without any problems with the stock. It does not have any cross bolts and only the recoil lug steel bedded. We’ll see what happens I guess? I plan on having the rifle worked over anyway.

Matt V.

my experience parallels Sniper66's exactly...

Rule: 3D: if it ain't broke, you can't fix it. Just use it until you break it, and then worry.

Rich
DRSS

Idaho Sharpshooter and Sniper 66,

My humble advice, keep your fingers crossed and do not take one of the CZ's on a trip that counts and risk being disappointed. Good luck.

Mike

I have a CZ 375, it's action was not as smooth as I thought it should be, shot 100 rounds through it and it was much better.

Sent the gun to Brockman because I was not really satisfied with accuracy, he stocked it and dressed up the action.

It will feed anything, including the North Fork cup points and flat points.

shooting 71 gr of RX 15 it is over 2600 fps and will group the NF softs, cup points and solids into a 9 shot group under 3/4" at 100 yards all day long mixing the bullets, soft, cup point and solids.

It shoots much better then some really fine custom 375 HH some friends have. I really don't feel inferior with my CZ next to their $5,000.00 rifles, mine even shoots better and now the action is as smooth.

There is not much of a call for inexpensive parachutes and the past two pages illustrate why so many PH's and serious hunters of dangerous game consider rifle built by D'Arcy Echols, David Miller, Lon Paul, et al, expensive bargins.

Hello there,

You have hit the nail on the head! They are crude at best and the only thing I can say is that "The action can be the basis for a nice, custom built rifle". I bought a new 458 Lott and the only reason was due to the fact that the action will be used to make a good rifle.The old saying keeps echoing back to me,YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR AND NOT ONE BIT MORE!

Is the general concensus here then that ALL CZ 550s are crap, or are you all saying the big bore CZ 550s are crap? I own two CZs and have been involved in the purchase of five others. Every single one of these rifles were bought at different times, from different dealers and all are NOT big bore rifles. All of then ARE, however, extremely accurate, fine rifles. Surely, if CZ sells such a sorrowful product as many posters on here say the company does, then at least one of those seven rifles I mentioned would have been a lemon. At the same time, I have heard that CZ-USA has had issues with some of its large bore rifles. I feel that the gentleman with the problem rifle should get a new rifle, or his money back. I also feel that if CZ-USA is having multiple issues with its large bore offerings, then it should evaluate what the hell is going on and do something about it. Several posters on this thread mentioned that they WERE thinking of buying a CZ, but not any more. I would buy another CZ in a heartbeat, but then I do not buy large caliber rifles such as a .416 or .505. My brother's 9.3 is the largest bore rifle I dealt with and there are no problems at all with it. Again, issues like this one should not be ignored. I'll never forget this one Leupold scope I had. A month before the Colorado Elk Season was to open the crosshairs on the scope just went south on me. I sent the scope back to the company explaining what happened and fully expected to have to use another rifle on an upcoming hunt. About nine days later I got a box in the mail from Leupold with a brand new scope in it and a letter of appology that I had problems in the first place. I bought the scope in 1973 and the problem happened with the 1981 elk season. I still buy Leupold scopes and recommend them every chance I get. Tom Purdom

Hello 7x57mm,
Believe you said it very well for the medium calibers, smaller center fires, 22 rimfires CZ's are a relatively quality firearm, but the problems are almost without bounds on the larger bore models. In my area, quite a few have purchased the CZ's in 416 Rigby, 375 HH, etc. and nearly to the rifle have had serious stock problems, rough or not feeding at all, accuracy of some 3-4 moa at 100 yards no matter the loads, service and attitude of mfg. bordering on being rude, and the list goes on. Needless to say, the product is not thought of highly.
Some say that the mfg., CZ,has been around for many a year and that is true, but not the product they once were in the large bores I fear. It is without question tempting to purchase a CZ 416 Rigby for less than 1000.00 when others are usually more than twice that, but as it has been said before, you usually get what you pay for, no more, no less. I bought three RSM's and paid far more than I would have for CZ's and there are reported problems with stocks on those rifles, but nothing compared to the CZ's. I have had no problems with mine and do shoot them frequently. Recent pole taken on this site showed a more than two to one vote in favor of the Ruger RSM and that was even with the price being similar, two to one!! Someone earlier posted that CZ should put a warning lable on their big bores-Be Prepared to Have Rebuilt!! I do not know how lucrative the market is for big bore rifles in America or elsewhere for that matter, probably not a good one, but if you are going to offer one it should be of quality and find it hard to believe that CZ hoping to stay in the U.S. market will soon take steps to improve. I do not think refunding one's money is the way to buy ones purchasing loyalty, rather replace with higher quality product. Time will tell.