The folks at CZ have been building tough, reliable, Mauser-style controlled round feed actions almost as long as Mauser has. CZ, for the most part, specializes in offering rifles with old-world aesthetics and a decided lack of modern bells and whistles. The American gun-buying public has always seemed more intrigued with modern touches than the Europeans have, and CZ does most of its business across the pond. The Americans who do get a hold of a CZ 550 are usually pretty happy with it, though. CZ rifles are essentially store bought models of the sporterized 98’s that many generations of Americans grew to love and for some there is no finer rig.
The 550 action has much in common with its Mauser ancestors and CZ has always been proud to point this out. The bolt has two opposed locking lugs mounted at the front of the bolt (the third rear lug from the 98 has been discarded as unnecessary) and a large non-rotating extractor. To those who favor 98-type actions, the CZ is a regular marvel. All the rough edges of the original have been buffed out to create a smooth action right out of the box without the chunkiness of their predecessors. The 550 is available in a couple of variants that feature modern bedding techniques with synthetic stocks but, by-and-large, CZ prefers to offer nice-looking wood stock models. Naturally, with wood as a base some CZ’s will not toe the mark like some modern shooters expect, but just about every 550 can still deliver close to minute of angle accuracy, which is more than sufficient for big game hunting.
Some people find the CZ 550 a bit boring due to the many design features it shares with the Mauser 98 and its lack of modern frills. The 550’s boring nature is part of what makes it such a great action, though. Every concept in the 550 has been in use, getting tested for a hundred years, which means when you buy one the legwork is done and you can sit back and enjoy a truly trustworthy rifle.
The 550 only lost two points in our comparison. One point was deducted for Accuracy because while most CZ’s shoot pretty darn good, the standard Mauser bedding system and wood stocks that CZ favors can occasionally give some trouble; it’s not likely, but should be borne in mind. Another point was deducted for Long Term Cost of Ownership because the 550 isn’t the most popular of American rifles and it can be a bit trying to find parts for them at your local gun shop. Thankfully, the 550 rarely breaks, so most owners will never know this.
The folks at CZ have been building tough, reliable, Mauser-style controlled round feed actions almost as long as Mauser has. CZ, for the most part, specializes in offering rifles with old-world aesthetics and a decided lack of modern bells and whistles. The American gun-buying public has always seemed more intrigued with modern touches than the Europeans have, and CZ does most of its business across the pond. The Americans who do get a hold of a CZ 550 are usually pretty happy with it, though. CZ rifles are essentially store bought models of the sporterized 98’s that many generations of Americans grew to love and for some there is no finer rig.
The 550 action has much in common with its Mauser ancestors and CZ has always been proud to point this out. The bolt has two opposed locking lugs mounted at the front of the bolt (the third rear lug from the 98 has been discarded as unnecessary) and a large non-rotating extractor. To those who favor 98-type actions, the CZ is a regular marvel. All the rough edges of the original have been buffed out to create a smooth action right out of the box without the chunkiness of their predecessors. The 550 is available in a couple of variants that feature modern bedding techniques with synthetic stocks but, by-and-large, CZ prefers to offer nice-looking wood stock models. Naturally, with wood as a base some CZ’s will not toe the mark like some modern shooters expect, but just about every 550 can still deliver close to minute of angle accuracy, which is more than sufficient for big game hunting.
Some people find the CZ 550 a bit boring due to the many design features it shares with the Mauser 98 and its lack of modern frills. The 550’s boring nature is part of what makes it such a great action, though. Every concept in the 550 has been in use, getting tested for a hundred years, which means when you buy one the legwork is done and you can sit back and enjoy a truly trustworthy rifle.
The 550 only lost two points in our comparison. One point was deducted for Accuracy because while most CZ’s shoot pretty darn good, the standard Mauser bedding system and wood stocks that CZ favors can occasionally give some trouble; it’s not likely, but should be borne in mind. Another point was deducted for Long Term Cost of Ownership because the 550 isn’t the most popular of American rifles and it can be a bit trying to find parts for them at your local gun shop. Thankfully, the 550 rarely breaks, so most owners will never know this.