New CZ550 300 WM arrived

[ronangelia7]

            First let me give a two thumbs up for Whittaker guns.Very good folks to deal with,gun shipped out quickly,no problems and very good prices.The cz550 looks good.The wood to metal fit is good. The rifle shoulders easy enough and it was not bulky or heavy to me. I expected the action to be sluggish,but it was not.I can easily slick it up a little.The mauser 98 action on the cz seems very well built and I like the control feed.The safety is in a good place,easy to reach.The set trigger is the best I have seen so far on a productiuon rifle.The detachable magazine is a plus.The sights are a little differant,not sure if I like them.I havent shot it yet because of the nasty weather.I will put a scope on the rifle later  anyway. The only thing I did not like was the Turkish walnut stock. But  in all fairness I did pay for a field grade stock. I think that a nice laminated stock would look and feel much better.Most prodution rifles that I have owned have been remington model 700 BDL. This is what I compared the CZ 550 to. If the CZ550 shoots accurate and I think it will,then I would say it is a better value then a remington or browning.I have only owned a couple of A bolts and I am not a big fan of later production brownings. I am certainly no expert on guns,just a typical American gun owner and hunter. If the gun shoots as good as it looks and feels,then I think dollar for dollar it would be hard to beat in the current market.At this point I would guess my next rifle to be a CZ550 if this one functions well at the range and the field. Have a good year 2007.

                                                                                     Ron

[Brithunter]

Hi There,

       Congratulation of the new rifle  however I am puzzled as to the comments on the Walnut stock  could you explain why a laminate would feel better? I also have never understood this "Field Grade" bit possibly as I am not American, but a rifle is a tool to be used not matter the grade of wood surely? and I happen to like nice walnut  never had a laminated stock and doubt I ever will.

[reyn 61]

Ronangelia, im also interested in the same gun. How much does it weigh?

[ronangelia7]

The stock on the cz550 is ok. My reminton bdl has much nicer wood. I know that wood can expand,warp or contract with extreme cold,wet or heat.This can cause accuracy problems in some rifles. I like fancy wood stocks myself.I agree it is not necessary on a hunting rifle.From a purely functional point the laminated stock would be better in my opionion.As af ar as weight I was suprised as the rifle felt fine and not to heavy..
       

[Brithunter]

Stability of wood is all to do with how well it is seasoned  I must say that I do not like what I hear about Kiln Dried wood  the old traditional air dried to my mind produces a better wood  but of course takes time and does not please accountants  . Also I have noticed that the old classic rifles which used Air Dried wood for their stocks do not seem to be troubled much with warpage. In my possession I have a rifle whihc has suffered extremes of weather and tempretures as it was made in Germany around 1897 then shipped to South Africa and ended up in Scotland for many years before coming South to England. The bedding is still true and the stock not warped something which I would not like to try with Kiln Dried wood  .

 Laminates can be made from cheaper wood and can utilise smaller pieces and let's face it Laminate it the process used and in the trade would normally be called Ply Wood  but that does not sound as fancy so instead of a stock being Ply it's Laminate  . The proccess is nothing new and has been used for many years and I am surprised that no one has tried using Veneers to get a fancy grain on a rifle stock.

[ronangelia7]

         Brithunter,you may have a good idea.Dont know if that would work or not. How about glass bedding the stocks to prevent the wood from warping into the barrel. I have a remington 22-250 with a synthetic aluminum bedded stock and it shoots very good groups when bench rested. I was wondering what are the gun laws in England.I heard that they were really strict.I live in East Texas and guns are quite comman here.At least just about everyone I know.Hunting here, my rifles are exposed to a lot of heat and humidity and moisture and sometimes a little cold.

                                          Ron