[raz-0]

Picked this up recently. Wanted something in .308 that I could get a 1 piece weaver base for and had a detachable magazine wihtout costing me an arm and a leg. For some reason I just couldn't bring myself to go the Remington 700 route. Probably becuase the flip side of it haveing huge aftermarket support, I'd have to use it to the tune of WAAAYYY too much money to get what I want. I was originally looking at a savage 10fpc, but couldn't find anyone who even would admit they exist much less an actual specimen to buy.





So I finally bit the bullet and made a choice. One CZ 550 varmint laminate found it's way into my safe. It's pretty, but it will likely need some work to be all it can be. Their definition of pillar bedding is kind of lax, mostly becuase the pillars are a bit short and just have a friction fit into the stock. The recoil lug is huge on this sucker with a large bearing surface. Unfortunately the inletting for it is even huger, so some glass bedding will likely be in order. It is also not free floated properly, although it basically appears to be doing the same thing remington does, which is provide a contact pad at the front of the stock.



Of course I'll have to get it out to the range before I mess with any of that. The single set trigger is totally awesome though. It's set up kind of stupid form the factory basically about 4lbs normal 1lb set with the pretravel set near max which makes it super creepy. Pop the action out and turn a screw, and it is now a MUCH cleaner 3lbs normal 9oz set.



A couple of pics, one to show the whole thing, and one interesting pic.

 

[243ww]

Struth:!: Mate I tell ya that's sweet 8) 8) 8) Love the looks and the laminated stock is crisp!

 

[Walker]

Very nice, I agree with the 243ww great stock.

 

[raz-0]

Man I really gotta get to the range with this sucker.



Between my usual USPSA schedule, the holidays, and family members' birthdays, I just can't seem to find time to get out to something 100 yards or more when it's available.





ah well. Worst case I have some time off in December.

 

[243ww]

Man I really gotta get to the range with this sucker.



Between my usual USPSA schedule, the holidays, and family members' birthdays, I just can't seem to find time to get out to something 100 yards or more when it's available.





ah well. Worst case I have some time off in December.

What? Pull a sicky and head out for the day

December? The bloody thing will have rusted by then, stainless or not :wink:

 

[YukonGlocker]

Nice.

 

[raz-0]

Ok, finally got out to the range with it and 49 rounds of handloads. 155gr hornady a-max bullets in winchester brass using winchester large rifle primers and BL-C(2). Charge was about 44.9grs.



Unfortunately it was windy and cold, so it is hard to tell if it was me, the wind, the rifle, or the load.



Went with a friend, and tried some of his loads using the same components, but using varget as the powder. Accuracy was similar, so I don't think the BL-C(2) is the issue. His savage 10-FP shot my loads pretty well, (0.8" groups even with the gusts) so I don't think the powder or bullets are really the issue. His 168gr SMK loads weren't noticably better for me, or worse.



By the end of the outing, with patience and lulls in the wind, I was able to get groups that were about 1.5" which I can't really complain about too much at this point.



I still think free floating and a proper bedding job are in the future for this rifle.



I might also suck it up and get CZ specific rings. Getting my head up high enough for the scope with the weaver base is a bit of a PITA. Might try a cheek pad first though.

 

[243ww]

Good work. I think floating and bedding is a must for a rifle like that. It certainly looks the part and should be putting down some real fine groups.



Have fun. 8)

 

[LanceCalif]

Struth:!: Mate I tell ya that's sweet 8) 8) 8) Love the looks and the laminated stock is crisp!

I like the looks of my Remington 700 Varminter better.

Although those two big rodents in the background probably didn't much care for its looks, or anything else about it.



My other Varmint rifle is a Browning A-Bolt, shown here next to another big rodent taking an afternoon nap.

Not sure why varmint get so very sleepy around my varmint rifles.



Lance

 

[243ww]

[quote name='243ww']

Struth:!: Mate I tell ya that's sweet 8) 8) 8) Love the looks and the laminated stock is crisp!

I like the looks of my Remington 700 Varminter better.

Although those two big rodents in the background probably didn't much care for its looks, or anything else about it.



My other Varmint rifle is a Browning A-Bolt, shown here next to another big rodent taking an afternoon nap.

Not sure why varmint get so very sleepy around my varmint rifles.



Lance[/quote]



Nice one Lance. Not bad, but raz-O's CZ 550 Varmint laminate just looks the part with its fat pipe and stock cut outs...



mmmm fat pipe.

 

[243ww]

I like the looks of my Remington 700 Varminter better.

...

Lance

Actually I got a Weatherby Fibreguard that looks like that thing of yours as well. Now that puts marks in the 1" @ 200m... Not a fat barrel though. :roll: :wink: 8)

 

[LanceCalif]

Actually I got a Weatherby Fibreguard that looks like that thing of yours as well. Now that puts marks in the 1" @ 200m... Not a fat barrel though. :roll: :wink: 8)

A Bell & Carlson stock is not in the same quality class as a H-S Precision stock, in my opinion.



The trigger on your Weatherby is also no where near as good as what I have on my Remington 700.



Lance

 

[LanceCalif]

Nice one Lance. Not bad, but raz-O's CZ 550 Varmint laminate just looks the part with its fat pipe and stock cut outs...



mmmm fat pipe.

You think that the barrels on my Remington and my Browning are skinny?? If so, you need to have your eyesight checked, I think.



Lance

 

[243ww]

Yea your right. I am blind with a crap gun that's got a skinny barrel, bad trigger and poor stock.

 

[raz-0]

[quote name='243ww']



Actually I got a Weatherby Fibreguard that looks like that thing of yours as well. Now that puts marks in the 1" @ 200m... Not a fat barrel though. :roll: :wink: 8)

A Bell & Carlson stock is not in the same quality class as a H-S Precision stock, in my opinion.



The trigger on your Weatherby is also no where near as good as what I have on my Remington 700.



Lance[/quote]



Just a little tip on forum etiquette, threadjacking/threadcrapping is usually frowned upon. Jumping in and saying my stuff is better than your stuff falls into that category. You like your stuff and want to crow about it, starting your own thread is usually polite. You want to comisserate, feel free to post, you want to run around saying my stuff is better than everyone else's go elsewhere.



Claiming you know your gear is better never having gotten your hands on someone else's is just being a dick. Seriously, you think you can't take a weatherby to a gunsmith or have a nice light rifle basix trigger put in it? I haven't run into a blot action rifle you can't get the trigger to the point where it is hazardously light.



You can think the world of the hs-precision stocks, plenty of people think they are overrated just like you think the B&C isn't that good. Mostly they are McMillan owners or guys with really fancy wood. The truth is that beyond ergonomics, which is a variable as people vary in build, and aesthetics, which is all opinion, You can only get so much performance out of a stock. A B&C or HS are both made out of stable materials. Both can be had with bedding blocks, and both can be a relatively rigid platform that doesn't stress or interfere with the action. Being stable and not interfering with the barreled action is about all one can hope for out of a stock.



As for heavy barrels, the a-bolt barrel is one of the slimmer varmint barrels I have seen. But that isn't necessarily a bad thing. The 550's barrel is quite thick and weighs a ton.

 

[243ww]

fat pipe...... 8)

 

[Vlad]

Most varmint barrels do taper a bit, and my 10FP "tactical" barrel does also. However that CZ barrel is one straight and thick piece of plumbing and about 26" long. In person it looks even bulkier then the pictures. Its a sweet rifle and handles well, and I'm sure that Raz-0 will get it to shoot.



Frankly he was a bit understated with his weather description. The winds were gusting up to 30mph and the temp was in the high 30's. I think if it wasnt for the fact that both of us had to zero our guns (mine got a new stock and scope base recently) we would have been crazy for shooting in that weather. My 10fp regularly shoots around 0.8 to 0.6 MOA and most of my groups were about the same size as his that day, with the exception of that oddball group I shot with his ammo. I think he needs to go back out when the roofs aren't flying off the houses and he may get some better groups.

 

[LanceCalif]

Just a little tip on forum etiquette, threadjacking/threadcrapping is usually frowned upon. Jumping in and saying my stuff is better than your stuff falls into that category.

But I just said that I personally liked my rifles. I did not really criticize his rifle in any way in my initial post. Or say that it was inherently worse at all. Only that I had a personal preference for my guns.



After all, he put down Remingtons for their price at the very start of the thread. With the dollar falling so dramatically in relation to the Euro, I doubt that this price edge will be that great in the near future. It seemed logical to me that I should be able to say something good about Remingtons in response to his negative comment about them. Anyway, that was where I was coming from. I simply wanted to illustrate that Remingtons are great rifles too, in respond to his comment.



I very much doubt that I would have posted at all, if he had not included that comment about Remingtons in his post. My 700 VSSF is my favorite rifle by far, and I would not trade it for one of every model rifle in the entire CZ product line.

Claiming you know your gear is better never having gotten your hands on someone else's is just being a dick. Seriously, you think you can't take a weatherby to a gunsmith or have a nice light rifle basix trigger put in it? I haven't run into a blot action rifle you can't get the trigger to the point where it is hazardously light.

My Remington has a fantastic $250 Jewell trigger in it, which is not even available for Weatherbys. I really did not care for the way he first put down my guns, which is why I responded like that. Respect is a two way street. I really did not specifically criticize any guns until mine were put down first.

As for heavy barrels, the a-bolt barrel is one of the slimmer varmint barrels I have seen. But that isn't necessarily a bad thing. The 550's barrel is quite thick and weighs a ton.

I think that you are confusing the lighter medium heavy barrels that Browning uses on their more affordable Varmint Stalker rifles. Browning's Eclipse rifle, which is what I showed in the photo, has a much heavier barrel. You really don't see many of these in use, as they are so very expensive.



I also own a Varmint Stalker rifle in .204 Ruger, so I have first hand knowledge of this difference, which is very significant. Just check the specs on both websites, and you will see that the Eclipse is actually the heavier gun. I very seriously doubt that the barrel is any lighter than the one on the 550. And if it is, it must be a very minimal difference that is hardly worth noting.



In any event, I'll certainly follow your advice, and avoid any situations like this in the future. There is absolutely no point at all in having a pissing match like this.



So I admit that you are basically right about this matter, and I won't post any similar sort of messages again. I apologize for making you have to intervene in the discussion.



Lance

 

[243ww]

[quote name='raz-0']



Just a little tip on forum etiquette, threadjacking/threadcrapping is usually frowned upon. Jumping in and saying my stuff is better than your stuff falls into that category.

But I just said that I personally liked my rifles. I did not really criticize his rifle in any way in my initial post. Or say that it was inherently worse at all. Only that I had a personal preference for my guns.



After all, he put down Remingtons for their price at the very start of the thread. With the dollar falling so dramatically in relation to the Euro, I doubt that this price edge will be that great in the near future. It seemed logical to me that I should be able to say something good about Remingtons in response to his negative comment about them. Anyway, that was where I was coming from. I simply wanted to illustrate that Remingtons are great rifles too, in respond to his comment.



I very much doubt that I would have posted at all, if he had not included that comment about Remingtons in his post. My 700 VSSF is my favorite rifle by far, and I would not trade it for one of every model rifle in the entire CZ product line.

Claiming you know your gear is better never having gotten your hands on someone else's is just being a dick. Seriously, you think you can't take a weatherby to a gunsmith or have a nice light rifle basix trigger put in it? I haven't run into a blot action rifle you can't get the trigger to the point where it is hazardously light.

My Remington has a fantastic $250 Jewell trigger in it, which is not even available for Weatherbys. I really did not care for the way he first put down my guns, which is why I responded like that. Respect is a two way street. I really did not specifically criticize any guns until mine were put down first.

As for heavy barrels, the a-bolt barrel is one of the slimmer varmint barrels I have seen. But that isn't necessarily a bad thing. The 550's barrel is quite thick and weighs a ton.

I think that you are confusing the lighter medium heavy barrels that Browning uses on their more affordable Varmint Stalker rifles. Browning's Eclipse rifle, which is what I showed in the photo, has a much heavier barrel. You really don't see many of these in use, as they are so very expensive.



I also own a Varmint Stalker rifle in .204 Ruger, so I have first hand knowledge of this difference, which is very significant. Just check the specs on both websites, and you will see that the Eclipse is actually the heavier gun. I very seriously doubt that the barrel is any lighter than the one on the 550. And if it is, it must be a very minimal difference that is hardly worth noting.



In any event, I'll certainly follow your advice, and avoid any situations like this in the future. There is absolutely no point at all in having a pissing match like this.



So I admit that you are basically right about this matter, and I won't post any similar sort of messages again. I apologize for making you have to intervene in the discussion.



Lance[/quote]



Sh1t me Lance, get your hand of it! Read what raz-0 wrote you wouldn't have needed to respond with your knob hanging out, again. raz-0 has shared what he deems as a good choice. I would like a Remington but can't spend over $2000+ for the set-up so went with what I deemed a good choice. This is not the place to flop out knobs.



Nice gun raz-0



Lance, you like yours, I like mine. Now I'm going over to the pistol area.



8)

 

[raz-0]

Sh1t me Lance, get your hand of it! Read what raz-0 wrote you wouldn't have needed to respond with your knob hanging out, again. raz-0 has shared what he deems as a good choice. I would like a Remington but can't spend over $2000+ for the set-up so went with what I deemed a good choice. This is not the place to flop out knobs.



Nice gun raz-0



Lance, you like yours, I like mine. Now I'm going over to the pistol area.



8)

The irony of it all is that I wasn't mocking remingtons. They are nice guns. I was saying I didn't FEEL like going remington because i wanted something different. The real price issue for me is that getting a 700 with a detachable magzine is a VERY price option, especially since badger ordnance just dropped out of that game leaving pretty much just hs-precision and custom offerings. This moved the 700 from the $700 neighborhood i was shopping in to the $1000+ realm just to get a basic rifle with a decent stock, trigger, and removable magazine.



It being beyond my budget is not saying a gun sucks, it's saying it is too expensive for me.



Heck, I'd like one of the $3500 sakos that are damn accurate out to 1000 yards out of the box and a bitchin US optics scope. But i don't ahve that kind of disposable income.



I wasn't saying it is the ultimate toy, just my new toy and why I picked it over say a savage or base 700 PSS which was within my budget.



If saying brand X is cool is an insult, someone might have some problems lurking under the surface.