I am really trying to get a good "read" on one of these before I buy one in 30-06. I hear a lot of conflicting reports about them. I want to get a good rifle built on a mauser action.I don't want one that is good for the money but want something that is truly well made. Are they accurately machined, do the bolts really bind,etc.? Is the prestige a better rifle? Are they better than a Charles Daily? THANKS!

Jbelk did a evaluation/review of the CZ rifles a few years back on this forum. I thought it was bookmarked but cant seem to locate it. I've done some searches through the archives and come up empty. Maybe some one here has it referenced. He gave it a pretty glowing review. Bottom line was that he was very impressed in the action.

My self I would buy the CZ and never look back.

The Prestige has nicer wood. That wont make a "better" rifle just prettier.

I have CZ 550's built into 7x64 and 9.3x64. These are not Mauser actions per se any more than M70's or 03-A3's. I think they would be more aptly described as Mauser type actions.

wiktor: I own CZ products and swear by them. One is a CZ 550 American in 7x57mm, the other is a CZ 527 Lux in .223 Remington. I don't know what conflicting reports you have been seeing, but then maybe we do not travel in the same circles. The CZ 550 is a solid piece of machinery. It has a Turkish Walnut stock, is free floated, hinged steel floorplate, control feed and has several of the features found on a Model 98 Mauser, but, it not a Model 98 Mauser. Both of my CZs are very, very accurate, boringly accurate I might add. The 7x57mm with proper handloads (162 gr Hornady SST with H414 powder going at 2,855 fps chronographed) will shoot a tad less than one half minute of angle at 100 yards. The one downside that I see with the CZ 550 is the rifle is a bit heavier than the American counterparts. The company advertises 7.3 pounds, but I suspect it is more. It is not overly heavy, just a bit heavier than say the Model 70 Winchester or Model 700 Remington, or the Ruger Mark II. The bolt binding you refer to may be from some folks who have CZ 527s with feeding problems. My CZ 527 had some feeding problems, but that was a quick fix, at least for me. The CZ 550 and the CZ 527 are two, completely different rifles. All this said, like anything else, CZ can turn out a lemon rifle every once-in-a-while. I hope this helps. Tom Purdom