Thoughts on the CZ 600 Series?

[Northern Shooter]

I have a feeling that the 550 line will never be topped, but I would be supportive of a "premium 600 Lux Magnum" that came with a finer cut of wood, higher quality touch points, Magnum length action etc.

 

[mark-hunter]

Magnum length action etc.

This will not happen. But I would be supportive as well!

 

[MS 9x56]

It won’t matter they have sold their soul to the bean counters now. Their guns will be soulless plastic stocked garbage just like the current crop of American produced crap. Tis a pity, and all hunters are the losers.

 

[Milan]

I am not the owner of new cz600.
To me they are simbol of overall decline of once great factory.
They changed design of rifle (from CZ550) due to having all robotized new machinery in factory.
First line of production of new CZ 600 had a safety recall, with some issue of exchangeable barrels.

CZ 600 Recall

www.czub.cz

This by know should be fixed.
Next, this was the first rifle in long line of the factory designs, in which they phased out a dove tail as a base for scope mounts. In my opinion this is due to production cost cutting and thus reduction in overall quality by reducing another great feature.
They reduced number of available calibers.

On a separate note, for heir new marketing policy: They phased out practically all break action rifles / guns as well - remaining only redhead break action shotgun in production. Another point in new marketing and economic production of the factory.

Undoubtly this rifle (CZ600) will be accurate. But now it is just one of the plethora of budget push feed rifles on the market. I would say, nothing special, except for attractive pricing, which was the target of design in a first place.

Personally I would go for tikka t3x, for a bit higher price. In last decade tikka made its name to become a legend of factory budget rifles. I own one tikka for last 20 years.
Recently I tested browning a bolt, in 30-06, another of budget rifles on the market, this is another one I can suggest to take look into. Metal magazine, battue sights, fine checkering, palm swell on the stock grip, accurate.

While I'm a huge and biased pro-CZ fan, I have to agree with the above and with all those disappointed.

I liked the CZ600 Trail in 7.62x39 but never got to buy one as only the .223 was available and we are not allowed to hunt deer with that. Then I considered the CZ600 Ergo in 8x57 (because one can never have too many 8x57s). Then I started digging into details.

The sights have been getting worse on CZs ever since they went away from those soldered on barrel bands on the front and machined dovetails on the rear. They also got taller and more in the way on all models due to producing some models with straight comb stocks. While great for scopes and recoil mitigation, they take away from the front sight use. Europeans still like their sight even if they use scopes now more than ever. Bigger scopes were the reason to move the rear sights more forward, thus shortening the sight radius. Now popular short barrels shorten the radius even further making it rather ridiculous. Might as well just go with "american style" bare barrel.

CZ 455 was a cheaper version of ZKM452. Only one recoil lug instead of two, no bolt handle retention ball bearing, barrel just held in by grub screws instead of screwed in, those same horrible sights as on CZ 550, etc. CZ 457 cheaper still. Plastic parts as part of firing pin assembly, firing pin just stamped out of piece of flat steel, etc.

CZ600 is full of innovative features but the lug recesses are in the barrel, rather than receiver. Good luck getting the barrel changed to some custom one. Some receivers made out of aluminum, etc.

Everything basically optimized for production, higher production volume, higher profit. Personally, I feel the decline started when they stopped producing Brnos 21/22 and then VZ24. So, they can all go stuff themselves with profits. All good Czech stuff killed by trying to make bigger profits. Guns, motorcycles, cars, trucks, tanks, tractors, sewing machines, tools, machining industry (leighs, milling machines, etc.), etc., etc., even beer. Privatization is not always good. But it is more about the people running things anyway, regardless.

Wow you did get me going again...This site is not good for my health in more ways than one.