Is the CZ 550 Gone or Not?

[HWL]

Great points! Blazer R8, what happened with the R93?

My R93... still going strong....

HWL

 

[Tokoloshe Safaris]

It is a shame that the 550 has been discontinued, with a bit of work it can be made into a really great rifle.
I doubt if the "replacement" will be anything like the old 550? I wonder who bought the old tooling?

 

[mark-hunter]

I wonder who bought the old tooling?

It would be good to know!
But, I haven't seen a word about it. Has anyone, from reliable sources mentioned they sold old tools?

 

[BeeMaa]

It would be good to know!
But, I haven't seen a word about it. Has anyone, from reliable sources mentioned they sold old tools?

What is worn out tooling truly worth to anyone?
Clearly CZ believes that they couldn't milk any more money out of it.
With the price of scrap metal these days, it may end up in a smelter.

I know it's all about the almighty dollar but...
Why would you sell to a possible competitor?
Even worn out tooling for them to learn on would not be good for CZ.
If someone REALLY wanted to buy it, CZ would be more likely to bring them into CZ.
Make them a partner and allow them to produce limited rifles under the CZ badge.

The truth is that some or most CZ rifles needed work right out of the box to be DG ready.
And that is using a staff that has been running the tooling for years.
Is it really possible for personnel that are untrained on the tooling, to make a better product?

 

[Firebird]

There is a good article in sports afield magazine I just now got around to reading from May/June 2020. It covers this topic pretty well. May interest some of you

 

[mark-hunter]

@Firebird
Could you send me full article on pm? Thank you in advance!

 

[meigsbucks]

The CRF DG rifle choices are dwindling fast. The CZ 550 and possibly the MRC are gone. The Kimber Caprivi is now only available in .375. All of this plus COVID... 2020 really sucks!

 

[mark-hunter]

The Kimber Caprivi is now only available in .375.

Zastava m70, WInchester m70, and ruger (if not in 375 HH, then at least in 375 ruger.)
But fact is, CRF options are reducing at fast pace.

 

[rookhawk]

The problem is demand for the magnum action. I know we all take great offense to that statement because we love them, but lets look at the demographics.

How many people are hunting Dangerous Game each year? Of those, how many use a 375HH that fits in hundreds of actions versus true large bores? Of those remaining that want a large bore, how many are in the financial profile where they are stretching to hunt dangerous game to the point they need a reliable, entry-level dangerous game rifle? (certainly a lot less than 100%)

This forum is really bolstered and driven by our African friends whether they are avid hunters or they are professionals. We have an implied bias towards functional tools of the trade here that may not apply to every client they take on. There are scores of dangerous game rifles to be had from $10,000-$200,000 that work brilliantly, there just aren't many inexpensive ones that you can bet your life on for under $10,000.

The CZ550 was in my opinion, the last sub $3000 magnum mauser type action in existence. The fact they came in 416 rigby and 458 Lott added to their appeal greatly. On a shoestring budget, someone could fix all the ills of a <$3000 gun themselves or with light gunsmithing assistance to turn them into 100% reliable tools. (feed issues, cleaned up raceway for smooth load and extract, etc.)

In short, I think the love lost on the CZ550 magnum happens only on this forum and this forum is not representative of total market demand. I'm not sure anything will come along to replace the CZ550 Magnum in the future either because the global demand is low. The average consumer won't know the difference or care about the difference between the aforementioned and a future push feed replacement. You have to hand it to Ruger and others that created new magnum cartridges to fit in standard action rifles...they covered some of the demand without any tooling costs that CZ had to endure.

 

[Andrew Short]

I know a guy in the industry and he told me that MRC is opening back up and the “ink is still wet” on the contract. He is set up to be a dealer again.

It’s the only reason I bought mine.

 

[bassasdaindia]

There is a good article in sports afield magazine I just now got around to reading from May/June 2020. It covers this topic pretty well. May interest some of youView attachment 362021

Is it possible that you can scan and post this article please?

 

[Longwalker]

I live in a small town in Canada that is named Bruno. It has always been distressing to me that so many illiterate shooters continue to mispronounce and incorrectly spell the city of origin of my favourite rifles. I can't be bothered to read a Sports Afield article that gets it wrong. One more time. My grumpy rant for the day. I'll miss the CZ Brno 550. Promise I'll behave better after this.

 

[mark-hunter]

They put "Bruno" in the title only - with purpose, if you follow the text below, and explanation. Spelling is OK - "Brno", in the text.

But another common spelling error, here on forum, or elswhere is "Privy", for PPU ammo, in fact the proper spelling is "Prvi", hard to pronounce, but it means "the first".

 

[Certus]

My R93... still going strong....

View attachment 361433



HWL

Is that a .45 Blaser??? :O

 

[Rule 303]

I think this is highly unlikely. They phased out also combination guns. Entire production now is automatized, on cnc.
Another thing, the US market is already covered with economic CRF rifle (mauser), that being Zastava m70.
You may want to check zastava-USA web site.
M70 is made in all popular calibers, and for DG in 375 HH and 458 WM.
Not to mention well established winchester m70 rifle, as well.

I have written of this before so please forgive my repetition if you have read these words.

Be wary of the Zastava magnum actions. We had a run of them here in Aust. where the actions were not true. That is the curve on top of the action could be off center or not aligned with the action. Also the screw holes for the scope mounts could be off to one side or misaligned or both. These faults looked to be due to worm machinery. Zastava may have fixed these problems, however I would advise to check these areas before buying. They still shot like stink.

 

[mark-hunter]

@Rule 303
Thanks for this, I am aware of this. This is not uncommon for Zastava post 1991 production. Earlier models, and those marked as interarms Mark X, are of better quality.
Recently they opened zastava USA, and I am wondering if those new imports will be better fitted.

 

[HWL]

Is that a .45 Blaser??? :O

Yes, it is...

HWL

 

[BeeMaa]

Yes, it is...

HWL

Going out on a limb here...
Is it a 458SOCOM?

 

[Certus]

Going out on a limb here...
Is it a 458SOCOM?

.45 Blaser is a cartridge in itself.

@HWL wonderful choice. If I was getting an R93 or R8 would definitely have to get a .45 Blaser barrel.

I’m surprised the 550 is gone - will have to try and get a couple!

 

[markferrigno]

Latest information...

I am right now in Reno at the SCI show and I have personal friends in both CZ USA and Triple River Gunsmithing.

Here are the facts as related by these sources:

• CZ as eight times (8 X) more business in pistols than in rifles.
• CZ has stopped production of ALL 550 actions and rifles.
• CZ USA does not have any - zero - CZ 550 medium length (30-06) actions left.
• Whatever CZ 550 rifles are offered by CZ and existing dealers, in shops or on line, is all there is. There will not be any more after that. Period. By my rough count on Gunbroker.com etc. a few months ago, it seems like there are less than 1,000 African caliber rifles for sale in calibers .375 , .416, .458 in the USA.
• CZ USA has ~100 magnum length actions with .375 bolt faces and ~25 actions with .416 Rigby bolt faces left for custom builds at Triple River Gunsmithing.

The CZ 550 is gone friends, and I wager that it will be dearly and sorely missed.

A true:
- double square bridge,
- integral scope bases,
- magnum-length,
- controlled round feed (CRF),
- drop belly large capacity magazine,
- 100% forged steel,
- appropriate barrel contour,
- barrel boss integral rear sight base,
- barrel-band front sight base,
- tough as nails "Mauser" rifle in mythical .375 H&H, .404 Jeffery, .416 Rigby, .458 Win/Lott calibers for ~$1,200 ................... and people poohpooh it because it needs an hour or two of breaking in and polishing of a few critical surfaces to become the functional equivalent of a $15,000 original Mauser/Rigby ?!?!? You gotta be kidding, right?

Anyone out there wants to bet that barely used as-new CZ 500 actions/rifles will sell for twice or triple their original price within the next 3 years?

I doubt they will go up that high, there a zillion of them floating around.