Manly CZ Rifles - Opinions Sought

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Anthony

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Hello Everyone,

Since I am an old fashion kinda Italian guy that likes to eat pizza, drink lots of red wine, ogle women, approves of all things manly, and rejects most things that are not I am very taken when I find something that is undeniably MANLY.

:what:

While browsing through my local firearms emporium at lunch today, I spotted a CZ Express Rifle in .375 H&H. Wow! It is a full sized magnum action, weighs 9 1/2 pounds, and can hold 5 rounds of the old British round in its cavernous magazine! It had a nice walnut stock and appears to be a Mauser 98 style action. It seemed to say to me, "If you're a man and wearing an earing or get manicures keep on moving, Pal!"

I'm in LOVE!

Granted the .375 H&H is a bit overkill for a guy from Dallas who writes for a living and does not hunt abroad, but you never know when the Crips and the Bloods might decide to shoot it out on my suburban residential street. This thing would be great for slicing their gangmobiles' engine blocks in half.

This is truly a manly gun and I must have it, but my mind fought the testasterone back to remind me that I should check with you guys because I have absolutely no experience with CZ rifles.

What do you think of them?

How easily can they be tinkered with and smoothed up by a gunsmith?

- Anthony
 
I think the CZ rifles are pretty sweet myself. Wood ranges from decent to beautiful. Smooth
actions, generally - good triggers, generally. And a faithful Mauser action.

What's not to like? :p

I've handled and shot a few 452s, 527s and 550s but never any of the big magnums.
 
I think the CZ rifles are fine. Old world craftsmanship abounds in them, and you can either get the hogsback or straight line American stock configurations. Just name your poison.

Now as far as the .375H&H...

yeah, it's a real hairy-knuckle chest thumpin' he-man shoulder howitzer. It'll stop a rabid BMW 7 series in its' tracks. Our German Shepherd sized deer around here in north central Texas...well.... I'd probably go with something a little less rough on the meat and hide. Bragging rights, though, are very impressive with the .375. Had a friend who had one several years ago. It would make awe-inspiring cavities in the high mud banks of the Sabine river. He used to bet for six-packs and cases of beer if the unsuspecting could shoot it dry.

Enjoy it; you'll love the noise and thump.

Regards,
Rabbit.
 
I highly recommend the CZ Safari Magnum in 375 H&H. I have that and one in 458 Win Mag. Both are as accurate as I can hold them using the safari sihgts. I've had the Model 70 Winchester in both calibers and feel that the CZ 550 is every bit equal to the famous Winchester. Another point, the European style stock does quite a bit to make the recoil more tolerable. Quite a bit more comfortable than the Win in the same caliber.
 
I've handled the CZ in .458; it's a monster stopper alright. I've had the desire for a ridiculously over powered safari rifle for awhile. I have absolutely no need for one, but dang it all, what if the native Californian population of Cape Buffalo makes a come-back?


It could happen.

If only CZ would put the front sling swivel on a barrel band I'd buy one.
 
CZ aka BRNO make a darn good rifle. I've owned a couple although not the big bore. Here in Canada where trading with the former Eastern Bloc was more common than in the US we spent a lot of time with Czech guns. They are popular and well regarded.

Get the .375, slap on a low power variable scope and go hunting. There's no such thing as using too much gun.
 
The big CZs are excellent guns and SCREAMING deals for the money. The action ALONE is more than worth the cost of the entire gun. A forged magnum Mauser action that will handle virtually any cartridge up to and including the .585 Nyati for around $650.

A good gunsmith can do amazing things with one; a great gunsmith is doing amazing things with mine right now :D

Mine's a .416 Rigby that's being heavily reworked. When it's done, I'll have exactly the rifle I want for less than the cost of an action alone from most of the other makers of full-size Mauser style actions.

Pictures:
In the white, full view

In the white, action close-up

In the white, left side

Metalwork rust blued, note gold inlay on bolt shroud

Stock, finished but not yet rubbed out

Stock, left side

Nitre bluing and wormtrack jewelling

Barrelled action with Leupold 2.5x Compact in Talley QD rings

Best,
Joe
 
CZ rifles are VERY well regarded in Africa, being considered by many to be superior in craftsmanship and quality to any of the US Big Three (Remington, Winchester or Ruger). I've used their .375 on one buffalo, with predictably terminal results, and was very impressed with the rifle. Buy it and have fun!

Just remember that if you do have to use it on gang-bangers, African tradition requires that your trophies must be taxidermied by local specialists - no fair flying them home and having them stuffed there...! :D

(Visions of a Honda/Chevy/whatever engine block mounted on a skull base, and other less mentionable trophies...)
 
Quit posting those pics, nextjoe... every time you do so, I'm one step closer to having something similar done in 375 H&H and I can't afford it right now. :p

Really, I can't wait to see how that project turns out.
 
Last edited:
Cratz,

Do it! You only live once, and it's only money! At the very least, buy the gun and save up to customize it later. Either price is going to go up, or quality is going to go down, or both. I'm stocking up on 'em while I can.

My project is almost done. It's just waiting on a few front sight inserts. Then the sights need to be cut to zero them, and then it'll be in my hot little hands :)

Best,
Joe
 
Just between us gunnuts....

Those CZ rifles are the best kept secret I know of in guns. If the word gets out, Ruger, Win, and Rem are going to be in a world of hurt as far as sales. They'll never get another buck of mine as long as those stay as sweet as they are.
 
The people that think the Euro stock looks funny really ought to try one before they turn up their noses at it. The typical California style on our domestic product kicks a lot more for the same size rifle.
 
On another forum I read one isolated post that said it was necessary to bed the stocks of the CZ Safari rifles because it has a tendency to split with the heavy recoiling cartridges. He claimed to have seen a stock split after a handful of .416 Rigby rounds fired through it.

This doesn't sound possible to me.

Anyone heard of such a thing or think it is a concern with the CZ rifles?

- Anthony
 
BRNO/CZ actions have a good reputation for strength - the fine old British firm of Rigby's used to buy CZ actions, polish them up, hang on a new barrel and wood, and charge $7000. (I understand the "Rigby's" name is now owned by a Yank?)

Thanks to the action, BRNO can ALMOST build a good heavy caliber rifle.

The ones I've seen - mostly working guns belonging to African PH's - have a recoil lug on the barrel about 6 or 8 inches ahead of the receiver ring - this is a good thing. HOWEVER, the ones I looked at did not have crossbolts in the stock ahead of and behind the magazine well. Both a .458 and a .375 I examined showed signs of splitting. Without crossbolts in both locations, the wood on either side of the mag well has a tendency to flex outward when the rifle is fired, leading to eventual splitting of the stock.
 
Anthony,

It most definitely is possible. Big bores kick! Remember something like a .30-06 produces under 20 ft-lbs of recoil. A .416 Rigby produces around 60!

Factory guns are made to tolerances. The smallest stock to come off of the stock-making machine has to be big enough to hold the biggest action to come off the line. That means that, in virtually every case, the stock inletting will be, to a greater or lesser degree, TOO BIG for the action it will hold!

That dimensional difference lets the barrelled action get a running start before slamming into the stock during recoil. The more wiggle room, the harder the barrelled action hits, which produces even more wiggle room. It's a downward spiral. Pretty soon the stock cracks or splits.

Glass bedding, or even better, steel-glass bedding, takes up that dimensional slop and makes the barreled action and stock fit tightly together like one unit.

This isn't a CZ-specific problem; it's a big bore-specific problem. The CZs are actually better in this regard than some others, since they have a second recoil lug mounted on the barrel.

Personally, I'd want anything from a .375 H&H or bigger to be thoroughly bedded by someone who KNOWS big bores. CZ will replace a cracked stock, I'm sure, but their warranty is only one year. After that, you're probably on your own.

It's up to you what you choose; most big bores don't get shot all that much and the .375 has pretty mild recoil compared to the .416s, .458s, and bigger guns.

Oh, and about all those original British big-bores that have no glass and have held up fine for most of a century: they were tightly inletted by hand and reinforced with crossbolts. They also used the best walnut available with the grain orientation very carefully chosen. That degree of handwork doesn't come from factories, at least not anymore. That's why we use glass.

Best,
Joe
 
When I was in the market for a bolt-action .223 rifle (I'm still not sure why, since I don't varmint hunt), I compared a Ruger and a CZ at the gun store. The action on the CZ 527 felt solid, smooth, and well made, pretty much the opposite of the Ruger (okay, maybe it was that PARTICULAR Ruger). I bought the CZ.

Now, I know the .223 doesn't compare to the manly caliber of a .375 H&H Magnum, but what you can extrapolate from my experience is that CZ makes a rifle worth buying.
DAL
 
Naturally you need a .375 here in Dallas. Body armor keeps getting better all the time, after all. Of course you'll have to make APDS rounds to bring out its full potential. Otherwise you should just go straight to a .50 Browning.

(Actually the most important self-defense technique in Dallas is: DON'T LOOK POOR. As long as you look like you have a lawyer on retainer, you're golden... but otherwise, you may find that some powdered drywall has magically turned you into a deported "drug dealer". And I guess if you can afford a .375 to hunt our local armadillos and fire ant mounds, you've got the dough!)
 
Touching off a 500-grain .458 solid through a CZ lets you know you fired something, but is less painful than other things I've done.
 
I've been giving very serious thought to a .458, but I'd immediately have it reamed out to .458 Lott... I just don't see a point to having that stubby lil' Win Mag in a full-length magnum action.

Hmm, maybe if I stop eating lunch, and sell a little blood... Yep, I should be able to afford it! :D

Best,
Joe
 
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