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Field Ethos
Guest
By Mike Schoby
I’ve been testing and writing about guns for about 30 years and sometimes I get a bit jaded and occasionally overlook the obvious. Take the CZ 600+ American for example. CZ shipped one to me awhile back for review. I wasn’t overly familiar with the model. I’m old school CZ and have made many great memories with my classic CZ 550 in .458 Lott that has accounted for its share of African dangerous game. My CZ 527 in .17 Hornet has ruined many a gopher, fox and coyote’s day. But I must have missed the memo on the 600+ and was simply unaware of what it truly is.
I pulled it out of the box and looked at it briefly before leaning against my office wall. I would get a scope on it and take it out to the range soon enough to put it through its paces, but at first glance, it didn’t impress. That’s not to say it disappointed either; it was just a wood-stocked hunting rifle. It appeared at first glance to be another entry into the affordable, but serviceable, entry-level rifle category.
Then a serious gunsmith buddy stopped by and while we were shooting the shit he picked up the 600+ and goes, “Have you played with this rifle yet? I have been looking at them and there is a lot of great stuff going on here.”
I admitted I hadn’t really looked at it and like gun nuts everywhere, he pulled up a chair and began to preach. I got an education and a whole new appreciation of the 600+ platform.
What’s So Special?
After his education and later a serious deep dive into the rifle with a set of tools, I have discovered the CZ 600+ is not just another bolt-action rifle. If I was going to compare it to anything it is more akin to a Sauer 404/505 series, which I absolutely love and have used extensively in the field.
Like the Sauer, the heart of the 600+ is designed to be easily caliber interchangeable. Remove the action from the stock, remove the bolt, loosen two screws on the side of the front action ring and slide the barrel out of the action. That simple. Swapping calibers is as simple as removing the bolt head from the bolt body and maybe replacing the magazine (if required).
Speaking of the bolt head; it is also innovative. Six lug in design (three lug cut into two rows), it is of course a 60-degree throw by nature—yes 60-degree bolts are faster than a traditional 90-degree bolt, but that is like measuring dicks on gnats—there may be a statistical difference, but it’s practically irrelevant. What is important about a 60-degree throw is you can mount a scope lower and not have its large ocular lens interfere with the bold handle. Oh, one more thing, the bolt, while not as obvious as the original CZ 550 (i.e. Mauser 98 design), is still a true controlled-round feed.
Move past the action and the 600+ gets further innovative. The single-stage trigger has four settings for weight of pull ranging from a little over a pound to about 3 pounds. And the safety is likewise unique. CZ calls it a S.E.A. safety, which cutely stands for Silent Ergonomic Ambidextrous safety. All accurate descriptions, but more importantly it’s a style of safety I have loved since my first Sauer 200 25 years ago that is unfortunately rarely seen today. It is easy to operate with either hand, with or without gloves, and as the name implies is extremely quiet.
CZ has nearly perfected the box magazine. Holding five cartridges in standard offerings, it is detachable with a push button, or it can be locked in place and loaded like a floorplate magazine from the top.
The list of cool stuff goes on and on: cold-hammer-forged barrel, Turkish walnut stock, all-steel receiver to accept Remington 700 bases, easily disassembled bolt body, and a threaded muzzle. But the most surprising of all? The 600+ American can be had for under a grand. That is a hell of a lot of features for not much coin.
Price: $999
Pros: Lots of very advanced features packed into a rifle at any price.
Cons: Would love to see more factory, as well as aftermarket, barrels.
The post CZ-600+ American appeared first on Field Ethos.
Continue reading...
I’ve been testing and writing about guns for about 30 years and sometimes I get a bit jaded and occasionally overlook the obvious. Take the CZ 600+ American for example. CZ shipped one to me awhile back for review. I wasn’t overly familiar with the model. I’m old school CZ and have made many great memories with my classic CZ 550 in .458 Lott that has accounted for its share of African dangerous game. My CZ 527 in .17 Hornet has ruined many a gopher, fox and coyote’s day. But I must have missed the memo on the 600+ and was simply unaware of what it truly is.
I pulled it out of the box and looked at it briefly before leaning against my office wall. I would get a scope on it and take it out to the range soon enough to put it through its paces, but at first glance, it didn’t impress. That’s not to say it disappointed either; it was just a wood-stocked hunting rifle. It appeared at first glance to be another entry into the affordable, but serviceable, entry-level rifle category.
The Unassuming & The Sermon
Then a serious gunsmith buddy stopped by and while we were shooting the shit he picked up the 600+ and goes, “Have you played with this rifle yet? I have been looking at them and there is a lot of great stuff going on here.”
I admitted I hadn’t really looked at it and like gun nuts everywhere, he pulled up a chair and began to preach. I got an education and a whole new appreciation of the 600+ platform.
What’s So Special?
After his education and later a serious deep dive into the rifle with a set of tools, I have discovered the CZ 600+ is not just another bolt-action rifle. If I was going to compare it to anything it is more akin to a Sauer 404/505 series, which I absolutely love and have used extensively in the field.
Like the Sauer, the heart of the 600+ is designed to be easily caliber interchangeable. Remove the action from the stock, remove the bolt, loosen two screws on the side of the front action ring and slide the barrel out of the action. That simple. Swapping calibers is as simple as removing the bolt head from the bolt body and maybe replacing the magazine (if required).
Speaking of the bolt head; it is also innovative. Six lug in design (three lug cut into two rows), it is of course a 60-degree throw by nature—yes 60-degree bolts are faster than a traditional 90-degree bolt, but that is like measuring dicks on gnats—there may be a statistical difference, but it’s practically irrelevant. What is important about a 60-degree throw is you can mount a scope lower and not have its large ocular lens interfere with the bold handle. Oh, one more thing, the bolt, while not as obvious as the original CZ 550 (i.e. Mauser 98 design), is still a true controlled-round feed.
More CZ 600+ American Innovation
Move past the action and the 600+ gets further innovative. The single-stage trigger has four settings for weight of pull ranging from a little over a pound to about 3 pounds. And the safety is likewise unique. CZ calls it a S.E.A. safety, which cutely stands for Silent Ergonomic Ambidextrous safety. All accurate descriptions, but more importantly it’s a style of safety I have loved since my first Sauer 200 25 years ago that is unfortunately rarely seen today. It is easy to operate with either hand, with or without gloves, and as the name implies is extremely quiet.
CZ has nearly perfected the box magazine. Holding five cartridges in standard offerings, it is detachable with a push button, or it can be locked in place and loaded like a floorplate magazine from the top.
The list of cool stuff goes on and on: cold-hammer-forged barrel, Turkish walnut stock, all-steel receiver to accept Remington 700 bases, easily disassembled bolt body, and a threaded muzzle. But the most surprising of all? The 600+ American can be had for under a grand. That is a hell of a lot of features for not much coin.
Price: $999
Pros: Lots of very advanced features packed into a rifle at any price.
Cons: Would love to see more factory, as well as aftermarket, barrels.
The post CZ-600+ American appeared first on Field Ethos.
Continue reading...
