Compact lightweight .223 (Ruger American Compact vs CZ 527 Carbine)?

[Macchina]

I have hunted small game with 2 rifle/handgun cartridges my whole life: .22LR and .22Mag.

I am going to sell my Marlin 22 Mag because demand is really high for them right now (it's an older Marlin). The difference between .22LR and .22 Mag is just not great enough to warrant purchasing another .22 Mag for the larger small game (wood chucks, crows, raccoon, and the occasional small coyote).

I am thinking I would be better served by moving up to .223. My Marlin was a 22" bull barrel rifle and I always wished I had a shorter and lighter contour gun. This will be a walking varminter with shots up to 200 yards, but never more. My typical shot is about 50 yards. I will be reloading my ammo, so a fast twist may be necessary. I am not opposed to using this caliber on small deer, but I would need a faster heavy-construction bullet if I were to do that. I am currently looking at the following 3 options:

1. Ruger American All Weather Compact .223
This one I really have my eye on. They're not available yet, however it seems about perfect for what I do and really cheap too.

Material: Stainless
Barrel Length: 18"
Twist: 1:8"
Weight: 6 Lbm
Cost: $380




2. CZ 527 Carbine .223/5.56
The CZ 527 is just plain awesome. The magazine is much nicer than the Ruger American's (from what I've read) and overall quality is much better than Ruger. The gun is more expensive but you get wood, open sights, and a CZ action for that money. On one hand it can shoot 5.56 which is really nice, but on the other hand it's a 1:12" twist which handicaps heavier bullets...

Material: Only available in Blue
Barrel Length: 18.5"
Twist: 1:12"
Weight: 5.87 Lbm
Cost: $600




3. Use my existing Ruger 77/357 in .357 Mag
This is where the practical side of me speaks. I recently purchased a really nice .357 Mag rifle (stainless with a 5-shot magazine and 18.5" barrel). This is a really nice gun and I have a decent Leupold Vari-X III 1.75-6 on it already. This gun is decently accurate (1-2" at 100 yards) and shares ammo with all of my revolvers. I could really use this gun, but I know I'd be better served with a .223 on a 200 yard shot.


Any other options I should be looking for? Would the ability to shoot 5.56 outweigh the ability to shoot heavy bullets?

 

[Arobbins]

What about 22/250 theres good offerings in that caliber

 

[viking499]

CZ...

 

[cat_IT_guy]

I'd lean toward the Ruger in .223 - the stock on that CZ sure is pretty and I have heard nothing but good things about CZ, but for the extra $200, I'd be afraid to take that pretty stock anywhere but the range. It also doesnt hurt that I have 4 Rugers and havent been disappointed by a single one of them...

 

[sappyg]

I really want to like the RA compact. It checks all the boxes mentioned by the OP. Mine has spent a good bit of time traveling between South Carolina and CT. Three trips now and I'm on the second gun.
Sooooo, after all that all I can say is that the second guns maiden (100 yard) trip to the range was mediocre... Somewhat frustrating. This is a rifle that will likely have to be hand loaded for. Ruger allowed for no lead in the chamber whatever and some factory rounds (all tried so far) will cause difficulty chambering. Odd for a rifle with a 1/8 rifling twist IMO. Accuracy suffers when the bullet is jammed into the lands during chambering rounds from experience and it's not worth (to me) paying a gunsmith to have it throated properly.
This one has only jammed once in ~100 rounds so I'll settle for that and consider myself fortunate.

If I had the choice to make over again I would have went with the Mossberg predator. The chamber should readily take all 223/5.56 and the AR mag options are nice to have. If I'm not mistaken it has a 1/9 twist barrel. That's good enough for most all available bullet options.

I would avoid the CZ based on the rifling twist and OPs intended use.

 

[jmr40]

The Ruger wins simply because of the barrel twist. The ability to shoot better, heavier bullets is a huge plus making the rifle far more versatile. The CZ is nicer looking in some ways, but the magazine protruding underneath detracts points and evens things out.

I have the blue version and so far it has been very good. The factory magazine refused to feed the last round. It was promptly replaced by Ruger with one that functions perfectly. Accuracy is right around .75 MOA.

Despite what you read on the internet I consider 223 and 5.56 interchangeable. I've fired much more 5.56 ammo through this gun than 223 and will continue to do so. The only real difference is that you MIGHT find certain lots of 5.56 ammo that are loaded slightly hotter than some 223. You will find just as much variance between 243, 30-06, or any other ammo as you will between 223 and 5.56. The only real problem you'd ever have is that you MIGHT have feeding issues with a 223 chambered semi auto rifle and some hot 5.56 ammo. You will have the same problem with semi's in 243, 30-06 or any other semi auto rifle when it gets ammo it doesn't like. I don't anticipate any issues at all with a bolt rifle.

 

[Macchina]

I thought about the MVP, but that's a lot of mag hanging out when you only need 5 shots, which would be every time for me. Even the included 5 round mag sticks out an unnecessary length.

 

[greyling22]

I'd try the 357 and see if some leverevolution ammo will get you out to 200yds. I"m not bashing the 223's, but if you have the 357, an most all your shots are close, that just seems to be the thing to do. And it doesn't sound like anythign you are shooting at is a critical hit. If you miss out on the occasional 200yd shot, so what. Unless you just want another gun. Then by all means get one!

I really like a cz, but the wood is hit or miss as far as something really nice, and I have no use for irons. Also, a cz is nice, but not 2x the gun a ruger is in terms or function. And it's not weather proof. If it was a cz with irons or a ruger with a nice scope on it, I'm getting the ruger if money is an issue. If it's not I'm getting a tikka or an a-bolt.

 

[stubbicatt]

I've lived long enough to know that even if it takes a little longer to save up money for what you want, you will be much happier than if you settle for something *almost* as good. I have no beef against Ruger, in fact I have a couple of them, they are good firearms.

For myself, I prefer the feel of wood stocks against my face, and there is something uniquely ergonomic about the grip on the CZ. It is a great walking around rifle, narrow wrist that makes it really easy to carry and shoot well. The 527 is a really nicely made piece, though I would prefer a gloss instead of satin finish on the receiver. They shoot really good too.

I find the little tiny bolt action maybe a little bit too small for my tastes, however.

 

[TexasPatriot.308]

price and quality....and the old saying returns...you get what you pay for

 

[Willie Sutton]

CZ... all the way.

In .22 Hornet...


Willie

.

 

[mac66]

Don't let the quest for perfection get in the way of good enough. Good enough is good enough and the Ruger is probably better than good enough for what the OP needs.

 

[H&Hhunter]

I just can't warm up to the Ruger American too much plastic and "pot" metal for my tastes. The CZ is about as real a rifle as you can get now days in that price range. And of course they as with anything you can have problems with either, none are trouble free. I'm not saying that the American is a junker it just doesn't do anything for me.

 

[Byron]

Ruger 357,very versitile rifle. I have one and feel it is a do it all rifle.

 

[R H Clark]

Ruger for twist. There will soon be an option to modify the mag for longer loads. Shoot 55's for varmints and the 75 A Max for whitetails.

CZ would be great if you are only interested in varmints but the Ruger is cheap and accurate with the right twist.

 

[CB900F]

Macchina;

Please go to the CZ-USA website, therein you'll find that there are many variations of the CZ527 available to you. Several of those variants offer a faster twist barrel for the .223 cartridge. There is also a nice selection of cartridges available also, you're not limited to the .223 if you would rather have a .222 Remington, .17 Hornet, 7.62X39, or something else - I didn't list them all.

Therefore, my advice is to do some more research before making your decision. It's always better to have more information rather than less and this information would be directly from CZ, not from suspect sources.

900F

 

[cdb1]

CZ for me.

 

[R H Clark]

All right. Every 223 I saw at CZ was 1:12 or not listed. Please show me where they make a 1:8 twist 223 as I will buy one tomorrow. Maybe I'm missing something.

 

[armoredman]

Mr Clark? Get out your credit card - I JUST got off the phone with CZ-USA, and the new .223 CZ rifles are coming in with a 1-9 twist. Call 1-800-955-4486 and ask for anyone in sales for more info.

 

[armoredman]

BTW, I am told the Kevlar Varmint 527 has always been a 1-9 twist, as well. I have never owned a 5.56mm/.223 CZ rifle, so I never really knew much about them - my only CZ, a 527M, is in 7.62x39mm.

 

[R H Clark]

Armoredman
Do you know if that would include the 527 carbine? I wish they would went with an 8 twist but a 9 is a big improvement for anyone wanting to shoot heavier bullets. I'll have to check the mag box length though. It seems that even when a company twists one fast enough to shoot heavy bullets they shorten the mag too much to accommodate them.

 

[redneck2]

"On one hand it can shoot 5.56 which is really nice, but on the other hand it's a 1:12" twist which handicaps heavier bullets..."

Guys go all kinds of nutty over fast twists and heavy bullets. Really? Since when won't a 50/55 grain work at 200 yards? Guys have been using 40's and 50's in Swifts and 22/250's since the 50's, taking shots up to 400 yards or more.

We were using 50's in a .223 AR in Montana on a prairie dog hunt with no issues. 200 yards is a chip shot.

I have two CZ's. Both are exceptional. I'm looking at getting one in .22 Hornet for exactly what you are doing. And I'll be using 40 grain bullets.

 

[viking499]

Rumor is that all future CZ 223's will be 1:9 twist. Just don't know if that is this years models or next years.

 

[R H Clark]

Redneck2
The appeal of the fast twist 223 and heavy bullets for me is deer hunting, not varmints. If varmints were all I was interested in then , then a 1:12 is fine. The OP mentioned deer so the 1:8 twist Ruger became my first pick. I know a guy that is developing a replacement rear piece for the Ruger American mag that will accommodate the longer rounds.

 

[armoredman]

Viking, it's fact - ALL .223 models will be coming in with 1-9 twist barrels, and will be marked as such, Some are already in stock - call to see if your model is there.
Mr Clark, the word I was given by a high up person is all .223 rifles, so I would assume yes, the Carbine as well. They've closed for the weekend, but give a call Monday morning and see what they tell you. Also ask for Parts when you are done, and ask them what the inside dimensions of the 527 .223 magazine is, front to back. Adam will probably be able to tell you.