This won't be very technical, but just a report from an average gun nut.

I just recently bought a new CZ 550 Vamint Laminate 22-250. I've had it for about 2 weeks, but only yesterday did I get to the range with it. The wrong scope rings were shipped to me, so I had to wait for the new ones.

During those 2 weeks, I took the time to prep the gun for the range. Upon receipt, I looked the gun over thoroughly and was very impressed with fit and finish. Stock inletting seemed to fit perfectly. The few things that I didn't like were:

- Barrel wasn't free floated. Not hard to correct, but was work that I shouldn't have had to do.

- I don't like the flathead receiver screws they use. Too easy to slip off and scratch the stock. I would like to switch to hexhead, so if anyone knows where I can get some, let me know.

- Bolt slide was quite rough and tended to bind as I slid if forward from the rearmost position. I used some Tetra grease and worked the bolt for a little while which significantly helped. I anticipate that it will get even better as I continue to shoot it. Once locked though, the mauser style action is very tight and strong.

- Trigger had allot of creep to it out of the box. However, this was easily adjusted, making this trigger one of the best I have pulled.

I received the Burris scope rings on Friday. They fit perfectly and were easy to install. I was curious how much I would have to adjust my scope, since there is really no adjustment on the rings. My Leupold 6.5-20x40 fit perfectly and showed no signs of clearance problems with the bolt that many CZ owners worry about. The scope was also centered before I mounted it. Once boresighted, it only took me about 4 inches of adjustment on the elevation and 2 inches on windage to hit dead center at 100 yards.

My first loads were only made to break in the barrel. They were using a 50gr Sierra Spitzer and varying amounts of H380. First couple of groups were over an inch, but no big deal since the barrel was still not seasoned and these were my first loads. However, when I hit the classic 38.0gr of H380, I put four shots into 0.343" with one round opening it to just over 0.5". I'm not sure if this was me, the load or the gun, but I was still excited. I mean, I haven't really done any load development yet.

The regular trigger worked great. I had it set fairly lite and it was breaking very cleanly. The set trigger was giving me some problems though. When pushed forward, it would lock, but would not set off the round when fired. I believe I probably screwed up the adjustment on this, so I'm attributing it to operator error. I plan to play with it a little more this week, but don't anticipate any problems.

The one thing I don't care for on this rifle is the box magazine. It is my first box mag gun, so maybe I'm just not used to it. Loading the first round into the mag is quite easy, but after that it's a real pain in the ass. With the tapered shoulders, it's very difficult to slide the next round back on top of another. Once loaded though, I had absolutely no feeding problems to the chamber. Maybe this is just me getting used to a new way of doing business.

Overall, I absolutely love this rifle. With the contoured stock, it is extremely comfortable to shoot and sits very steady on a rest. Some folks with smaller hands may find the palm swell too large, but it fits me fine. I was leary about buying the rifle at first, but after reading all the posts and articles on different CZ weapons, I figured I would give it a try. I'm extremely happy that I did and look forward to working with some other loads (although probably not necessary). Altough it is still early, I think I have become a CZ convert.

I only own one CZ, a CZ 527 Varmint Laminate in .223, and its my favorite rifle. I prefer it over my other varmint rifle, a Savage 12fv in .243. Like you, I was very skeptical about buying the CZ, but I read alot of good things about it on this forum. I had my mind set on the new Savage model 40 varmint, but Savage said they wouldn't be available until probably June. I am happy I chose to get the CZ, I absolutely love to shoot this rifle

I have 5 cz's now and I love them. I really would like to add a cz varmint laminate in either .243 or .308 to my collections so keep us updated. CZ's are very addictave.

Well, I've had the rifle several weeks now and have put about 150 rounds through it. I got the set trigger issue worked out, which stemmed from me trying to set it too lite. Once reset, it now works perfectly.

The gun is shooting well, but one thing I've noticed is that if I take the action out of the stock for cleaning, then put it back together, my groups change with the same load I was using previously. Not bad, but I will have a flier or two that opens up an otherwise great group (sub 1/2"). Did I hear someone say bedding job? I bought all the supplies (using Marine Tex), but I'm quite leary to bed this gun. I think it will help pull in my fliers, but the rear tang area gives me concern. Has anyone bedded one of these that can offer advice? I would like to not weld my action to the stock.

I just wanted to add to the CZ topic: I have two CZ's, one is the 452 in 17 HMR and the other, is the 527 in 222 rem. I love to shoot both of the guns. The 527 especially: I have shot 22-250 in a M70 Winch. quite a bit. I was looking for something to just play with and be able to do alot of shooting without alot of recoil or muzzleblast. The 222 rem. 527 just said buy me. I fell in love with it from the start. It handles like a dream and the set trigger is just amazing. I can shoot all day and keep shots within 1/2 or less groups at 150 yds. It will shoot 250 yds. within 1 in. or better off a firm bench. I use a 4-16 Bushnell 4200 elite which is just as good as my M4 Leupold in my humble opinion. I've found myself shooting the 527 over the Winchester 10 to 1. I just plain enjoy the gun more.....