A friend is having difficulty locating a left handed 6.5x55 here in the UK. He has found a retailer who stocks Zoli boltactions and who can supply a left handed rifle in that caliber. Neither of us have come across Zoli rifles only there shotguns. Can anybody tell me if they are good quality or are they best off avoided?

thanks in advance,

Peter

Pete, the Zoli rifles sold here in Sweden are based on the old Husqvarna 1900-system. Here, they have a good reputation as nice standard rifles without any serious drawbacks or problems.

A friend bought a Zoli as he wanted a left hand gun, and he is satisfied. But another friend have a left hand Mannlicher, and I guess I would prefer that...

I have n several Zoli rifles ( include a 6.5x57 left hand ) bas on the 1900 action if th equality is very good the acuracyis fromm fair to very poor ) I have nevre make grooup better than 1.5 inch on 5 shots and one of the 6.5x57 I have own making 3 inch group as better group !!!!!the throat wa so deeeeep than even a Sierra 155 SMK seat out doesn t reach the grooves!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I hve try to find a solution with the Zoly company in Italy without any answers following several faxs and even try to meet them atthe IWA show without solution and answer it s seem that accuracy in the world of ZOLI

I have still one LH Zoli action but with a PAC NOR barrel ( 6.5/08 AI ) and custom fit in a Mac Millan stock .

other bad point the Zoli action is verythin and not very rigid at all youneed to mae astrong bedding to try to keep accurary is you sucess to get an accurate rifle

good shooting and try to find a Tikka

DAN TEC

Pete,
try to locate a Sabatti retailer, they too have LH actions.
I'm honest, Sabatti are usually good rifles, whith a very rigid action, not too much fine to see I admit, but no one of my Sabatti rifles shoot bad. Ask for a 3 lever trigger, it is better. It is a starting base to develop a customized rifle.

Dantec,
the Italian Test Authority on firearms, Banco di Prova Nazionale di Gardone Val Trompia, is very severe. It is virtually impossible to pass rifle that does not respect the CIP rules, this about free boring.
I'm a little surprised about your problem in having answers by them, more over in IWA where I know that Paolo Zoli, owner and chairman, is always present.

bye

Thanks guys,

My friend had a Tikka previously but a few weeks ago it "exploded" as he took a shot at a roe doe.. The stock splintered into three or four large bits plus a fair bit of sharpnel, while the bolt had one of the lugs shear off but luckily it jammed solid rather than freeing the bolt to travel back as a humane killer! We are still not sure what caused the failure but the rifle is on the way back to Tikka via the importers. At this stage we suspect some heather or similar in the chamber rather than a fault of the rifle itself...however he is not too keen on getting another Tikka...

The only other alternative is a Sako 75 but that is retailing for �950 which is a bit much for a sako! He has been offered a Sauer 202 but that won't be avilable till September at the earliest hence his interest in the Zoli...

Thanks,

Pete

Pete

About time the left handed Sakos came on line...

How about a LH Heym from Litts? I have had a couple and they really cut the mustard.

Deerdogs,

I mentioned the Heym to him but it looks as if it and the sako and Sauer are going to be a bit too expensive; it seems his Insurrance Company has found some fine print that suggests he is not covered. It seems that lack of choice is pushing him towards another Tikka but GKM are now quoting mid April as the earliest they can get a lefty into the country.

Does anbody know if the Mannlicher Prohunters is available as a left hander?

Regards,

Pete

Pete,

Any update on his incident?

1894,

After one or two scares, it seems that his eye is recovering well, although he is still seeing a lot of "floaters" if he moves his head about. Apparently there is still blood left to clear from behind the eyeball so the Docs are hoping his eyesight will continue to improve. He has already been back out stalking again with us and although he struggled a fair bit he did take a doe using a .223! Although the shot placement was perfect he said after that he thinks he closed both eyes as he pulled the trigger! Really now it is all down to time to see if his recovery is 100%. Actually it seems amazing to me just how quick and how much he has recovered especially when i remember back to driving him off the groundcovered in blood and virtually blind...

As a side note we now all have a set of those .5 Watt Walkie-Talkies...their performace is a lot better than I expected and when there is three stalkers on the ground, they have made things much easier and less time to co-ordinate..I wish we had bought them years back!

Pete

dear Stephano

I know that CIP are very strong rule but unfortunetly the accuracy is not a CIP fact , they parhap check if the chamber is the CIP tolerance but when you check the CIP chamber design and spacialy in metic caliber as 6.5x57 or 7x64 you can see that the dimension are veru broad and the throat very deep with low angle ( lmost often in 0.5� that not an rel accuracy factor

I have try to cooperate with Mister Zoli to built a varmint rifle which can be ue in metallic silhouette shooting but after a long time they have make short run of nice looking rifle at a very costly price ( more costly as a rifle with a Mac Maillan stock ) which doesn t match the silhouette rules ( far too heavy )
I have spend money in 2 rifles in 6.5x57 to shoot metallic silhouette in production class to get two rifles with poor to very poor accuracy , I have request spare barrels to make the chambering my self ( minimum chamber dims reamer ) to solve the problem and I have never get any thing and any answer

the result is a big loose of time nd a big loos of money

Godd shooting

DAN TEC

DanTec,
I choosed for Italian production, because it is economic, but I choosed Sabatti for various reasons. One is that he produce most of all the parts, barrels, actions etc. The quality is good, in fact an action has been used to build the rifle of the last year Italian bench rest championship.
As I told it is a good starting base for customization, as has been done by M.A.G. Manifattura Armi Giani, an Italian gunsmith that assemble rifle using Sabatti components.

By my opinion, fortified by the experience in helping Giani of M.A.G. for three years, experience that has put me in contact also with the industry of guns construction, the problem could be related to the number of guns that is possible sell and distribute.
The Zoli Black Magic or the Sabatti Rover Custom
are, for example, built for a popular (in Italy) competion between hunters. I think they hope to sell a good number of it.
But their normal numbers are over the thousand and their planning activity is made on big numbers. I discussed this with Ing.E.Sabatti, while we was at the official dinner of IWA two or three years ago.
I'm afraid that the problem could be this.

I' write you soon to have some info on your activity.

bye

Hi Pete,
Hope your friend is recovering well, just in time for the buck season?
What model was it Pete?
Did it fail on the lugs or the barrell
Your answer might just spur on the long awaited barrell change.

Griff

Griff,

My mate has been very lucky indeed and his eye sight is recovering well. His main problem now is of "floaters" which drift across his field of vision if he moves his head rapidly. Seems they specs of dried blood in the fluid of the eye and should eventually clear completely.

I am not sure of the exact model, but it was a basic left handed Tikka...a smith who looked at the remains advises the chamber and throat of the barrel are bulged slightly ( not noticable with the naked eye) as well as the more obvious damage on the bolt. If you imagine someone trying to "slice" a section of the bolt off length ways starting at the bolt face and going back about 2" you will get the picture. The section which sheared of included a lug....Luckily the whole thing jammed solid when it occurred rather than the bolt being blasted back like a humane killer!

Because of the difficulty in getting a left handed rifle in 6.5x55, he has just bought another Tikka in 25-06... its not what he really wanted, but they choice just was not there for him.

Regards,

Pete

Pete: unfortunately you did not mention the most important suspect, the cartridge. Which caliber was the Tikka rifle chambered for ?

C.

carcano,

It was in 6.5x55mm and the rifle was about 15 months old. I would guess that less than 300rds had been fired through it. As we speak, the various parts are on the way back to Tikka to see if they can shed more light on it...

Regards,

Pete

[ 03-21-2003, 19:49: Message edited by: Pete E ]

Pete E have your friend take a look at the Blaser R93. Search my previous posts, they have been accurate and have always worked for me.

to CARCANO

6.5x57 is fr powerfull for silhouette metalic shooting , go with gigger case capacity make barrel heat faster , dont forget than a match is 80 rounds in string of 5 in 2.5 minutes .

I use now a 6.5x55 short in unlimited class ( know as 6.5 LPR racine ) and a 7.08 REM ,some shooters use shorter case as 6.5 BR with good results at 500 m on ram .

accuracy of a cartridge is a chamber design problem I have a reamer in 6.5x57 with throat reground for 140 grSMK and in a good barrel that make nice accuracy , all CIP ( old german design have very dep and broad throat )

good shooting

DANTEC

Pete E

zoli has made everything for budeget firearms to very exclusive ones.

I have never seen a sabatti bolt action rifle, soo I can't comment that.

Have you consedered getting a used rifle and rebarrel it for your friend. Dr. Geoffery Kolbe of border barrels are quite a good smith and is a good marksman. I guess he would be able to help you. I can also recommend Minsterly ranges, they have quite and selection and David Ryan is a very good person to deal with.

I hope your friend recovers quickly and will be able to get a new rifle that suites him fine. Was is a 6,5X55 your friend used? I would choose a 6,5-284 Norma a very sweet caliber

6,5X57 for for compeititive shooting , why not a 6,5X284 NORMA

Soon I will get paraniod hunting or shooting. What if something happends to my rifle
It's scarry, all these peoples getting wounded and rifles blowing up

/ JOHAN

Johan,

With the Roebuck season almost here my mate was panicing a bit at the lack of left handed rifles around, so he bought a left handed Tikka in 25-06 through Dave Ryan at Minsterly...

carcano91
If you could provide any more info on those 6.5x55mm ammo problems it would be most appricated..

Regards,

Pete

Carcano, I have to agree it would be interesting to see why the 6.5x55 should be so prone to accidents. I have never been a 6.5x55 fan myself and have never found it interesting but since it has been underloaded all it�s history, this is a bit vague to me at least. But all info would be great to have.

Wiedersehen

Pete,

Well given that your mate was using the lighter bullets it's probably a logical choice.

I'd be interested to know if you find it louder when you're out on the range or stalking on the ground.

Carcano, how popular are the 7x57 and 7x64 calibers in the German sporting world ? Just asking out of curiosity, I have always fancied the idea of having a rifle in one or both of them.

In Belgium, hunter's staples are definitely the 7x64 (stalking) and the 9,3x74R, 9,3x62, 7x65R (drive hunting). However, since a few years there's a definite come back of the 8x57JRS among drive hunters, wanting more power than the 7x65R, less the recoil of the 9,3's. Being a 9,3 fan myself and having seen the 8 in action, I'll concede it's a reasonable choice as in terms of efficiency, it falls right in between the 2 others.

PS. if it wasn't for its legal status of "military caliber" (same regulations as in France), the .30-06 should do just as well.

[ 03-23-2003, 12:14: Message edited by: Andr� Mertens ]

In the past, the 8x60 S did also enjoy some popularity in Belgium, for legal reasons. However, this popularity seems to be more or less over ?

The FN-Browning production of the 8x60 S (cases probably made/loaded by Norma) seems to have ceased decades ago (?), and the present RWS DK load, which has succeeded the H-Mantel (the only factory offering I am aware of) is prohibitively expensive.

Carcano

Before 1991, Belgian gun laws authorized the conversion of military calibers to a sporting caliber in order to get rid of the red tape (e.g. rechambering a FAL to .300 Savage was OK). Hence, the most popular conversion was 8x57JS (K98) to 8x60S (= simple chamber reaming) and the latter became popular to the point of enlarging its popularity to the rimmed version for double rifles, the 8x60RS. Since '91, the transfer of licensed military weapons to the free sporting category, encompasses a change in bore size too (= new barrel / caliber). This killed the 8's popularity almost overnight and impacted on the sporting 'JRS too. However, as said above, the 8x57JRS seems to make a come back.

Dantec,
What about your IWA weekend? Have been my suggestion usefull?
bye

1894,

Went to the range over the weekend to try my new loads and break in and zero my mates 25-06.

As you suspected its loud, very loud! loud enough to cause people nearby to look up even though they had ear defenders on.

On a different note, several people shooting down there had reflex sound moderators fitted to their full bores. I have read about them but never seen or used one. The guy next to me had one fitted on a .243 and .308 and I was very impressed...the noise of the .308 was reduced to somelike a .410 and the recoil was also reduced by 50% as well...

Regards,

Pete

Pete,

I allways wondered how true the increased muzzle blast thing was - it's good to know the truth.

About the reflex - I would advise caution. IMHO there's only one reason to get one and that is your own ears. They are great at the range BUT they do weigh extra, they are loud in the field (branches etc make a metallic ringing) they are bulky and quite soon they become a right royal pain the proverbial. They make not the faintest difference to the number of deer you shoot from a herd. The biggest negative is that raising the rifle to your stix is much more visible to a deer looking at you.

I would rather invest the cash for one set of electronic ear plugs which will work with every rifle you own and protect your ears to a much greater extent. There are still some rather nasty high frequency sound waves in a moderated full bore.

The reduced recoil is nice but with good technique not essential to spotting reaction to shot.

Pete, I have been following this one for a few weeks. Quite frankly this worries the hell out of me. I lost the sight in my left eye last year in a road accident, and had that side of my face pretty beat up. Lots of broken bones and about 30 stitches to tidy things up.

Anyway, I bought a new rifle last September, quess what? A Tikka in .270win. I now don't much fancy getting a bang on the right side of my face. Is there anything you would say about this incident, even off the record, relating to the Tikka. Is the likely cause human or mechanical?

Thanks in advance.
Brian.

Brian,

I can understand how you feel, but trust me, my mate has exactly the same worries. Just after the acciedent he was quite sure he did not want another Tikka even though we couldn't and still can't pin the cause on defective materials or workmanship.

However, because of the lack of choice of lef-handed rifles in the UK, he ended up buying another Tikka in .25-06 and took it down to the range on sunday. Apart from a little extra kick over his 6.5x55 and what seems like being a lot louder, he is very happy with it.

We have almost ruled out his ammo for various reasons. The only possible ammo fault we can think of is an undercharged cartridge as suggested here. On being pulled, the other bullets in the batch were all fine however...

If you had seen the rifle and the damage to the bolt you would be stunned. I actually say it is a testiment to their quaility that even though a lug sheared off the bolt everything stayed more or less together as far as the action goes.

My only concern is the plastic bolt shrowd..that is just in front of the eye and that is what seems to have caused the damage when it shattered. Although a pain in some circumstances, i think it makes a very good case for shooting glasses.

Up to now and pending anything back from Tikka, the most likely cause seems to be debris in the throat of the chamber. This could have been picked up the day before when he put the rifle down, bolt to the rear, in the heather whilst he gralloched a beast.

As a point which might make you feel better, my mates left eye which was squinting through the scope actually had very little damage as it was protected by the scope...It was red and blood shot from the blast/bang but he had no sharpnel in it. His right eye bore the brunt of it.

If we get any info back, I will of course post it here.

1894,

I take your points about the moderator for stalking, but I was looking at it from a slightly different perspective. I have ground which is safe for zeroing, but close enough to houses that zeroing or load development can upset people due to the noise. I actually get away with doing my .223Rem but I can't do my .308 there. I also have some stalking with similar contraints. I think a moderator would pretty much solve these problems...

regards,

Pete

Carcano,

I don't have that info to hand, except it was a hand load, but I will try to find out...

Regards,

Pete

Pete, chap was exceedingly lucky by your account.
Did the bullet exit the barrel? Does anyone know if it hit the deer? I guess Tikka, insurers et al. got windy when heard it was a reload.
The thought of it all is enough to make one flinch!

Transpond,

The bullet definately left the barrel but did not hit the deer as far was we know. I hope you understand that at the time that was not really a priority and when i went back the next day to gather the remains of the rifle ( bits of stock ect) it was not there,

Peter