hunt127558: I do not have the equipment to post a photo of my rifle, so I'll try to explain what I did to it. First off, let me say that the reason I messed with this rifle, the CZ 550 American in 7x57mm is because I wanted to do it. When I got the rifle from CZ-Connection in Georgia, I took the CZ rings, put them on the rifle and mounted a Burris fullfield in 4x12 (I really like this power setting). The finish on the stock was thick. The checkering seemed to be fairly good with just a few over-runs. The wood to metal finish was okay and the barrel free floated. I learned to glassbed from an internet tutorial by Jack Belk with a Ruger Mark II in 7x57mm. From that Ruger too, I learned that a good finish will greatly enhance most any stock, because I refinished that stock. Anyway, back to my CZ, A shot it with some 162 grain Hornady SST handloads I had for the Ruger, but I lowered the powder charge a grain or two and found out then the CZ has a very long throat. I seated the bullets way, way out to .01 inch from the lands. I had 10 rounds and took them to my little makeshift range in Bonita Canyon a few miles from my apartment in Grants. With sandbags off the tailgate of my Chev S-10 pickup truck, the rifle printed five shots into a little pattern just slightly larger than 1.25 inches, and keep in mind, those were the first rounds fired through it other than the three at the factory. The second five-shot group put out a group of right at one inch! All this was done with proper cooling between shots and especially between groups. I got some glassbedding compound from HiScore in Albuquerque, some really great stuff, and bedded the action and first inch and one half of the barrel. I went back to the range and took some hot loads just to see where the pressure signs began to show up with H414. The bolt got sticky and there was extractor marks at 51 grains. I came back home, loaded up six more round with 48.3 grains, grabbed the chronograph and went back out. I don't know why I picked 48.3. I was just an oddball choice. At the range this puppy put three into a cloverleaf. I waited a few minutes and fired three more at another target and pulled the last shot just a tad. My chronography showed me getting an average of 2,815 fps and no pressure signs at all. At home I measured the first group and it was less than a half inch (.481). The one I pulled was right at .75 inch. Every time I fired the rifle I kept looking at the stock and I thought I could see some dark swirls in there, so I decided a re-finish was in order. The factory finish is like elephant snot. It is very hard to get it all off, but I did. Then, I followed the directions on the GB Lindspeed Oil can where you apply finish, let dry, apply a second finger-dipped coat, let that dry, use 0000 steel wool and take it back to bare wood, then start the process again until the wood soaks up all the oil it is going to soak up. After 10 repititions of the process the stock would take no more oil. My rifle has a shiny finish, which is what I like. It has dark colored wood, brown colored, dark, almost black swirls on the right side of the butt and continuing into the wrist and some on the forearm. The right side of the butstock has a few dark swirls at the bottom butt-side of the stock and some dark swirls on the left forearm. There are light tiger strips on the forend of the stock. I used an old toothbrush to apply the finish in the checkering, so I didn't fill the checkering up. It turned out very, very pretty. No dust-marks. Next, I sent the bolt to a gunsmith and had him polish the bolt handle to the bright nickel finish that is hiding under that black finish CZ puts on the bolt handles and then had him jewell the bolt body in a small herringbone pattern. I bought some Talley Rings and a Leupold 4x12 scope, put black leather with red and white Indian lightning bolt inlays sling on it, and took it back out to the range. She still puts three into tiny little groups. I'm going to stop now before it sounds like I am bragging, but I will say, once again, that the CZ does feel a tad heavy to me, but it certainly is not bulky, and brother, is it drop-dead accurate.
Tom Purdom
