Very satisfied 550 safari magnum owner

[powderburnt4life]

Have been a regular visitor to this forum since deciding to buy one of the safari's in 300 Win. What a value! I put a Kahles scope and Conetrol rings on it and it shoots 1" groups all day. I put 60 rounds through it Saturday and so far it likes the Winchester 180 gr ballistic silvertips best (they miked out at 3.333" coal). The bases slid forward a bit by the end of the day, and since they don't have a recoil lug, I'm not surprised. I cleaned off the oil I used to help ease them on to the dovetails, and will try again soon. Fully loaded for the field, this rifle is quite a package at 12 lbs., but anyone used to a beefy safari grade or military rifle would happily chuck a few mre's from the pack to ease the load.
Anyway, I am very impressed with the quality of the product, and highly recommend CZ to anyone.

[Fred Flinstone]

This is often neglected with scope rings: when installing them delubricate them(methyl hydrate: wood alcohol), then put powdered rosin(available thru Brownell's). This will put a brake on recoiling scope tube, this matter gets even more serious on heavy recoiling rifles.

Bases should also be delubricated and the use of lock-tite is a must(I've seen rifles dismantle themself in calibers such as .270 Win. imagine on a .458 Win.).

The Safari model(magnum lenght action) in .300 Win. is my favorite(heavy duty action with lots of ammo), to bad CZ does'nt (inform people on) push this model, lots of people go for the medium lenght action instead. No other company offers such a package. Have a look at earlier postings, in matters of firing pin assembly.

Simple curiosity on my part, are you using your rifle for target shooting or hunting?

Wishing you all the best,
-Fred-

[powderburnt4life]

I purchased the rifle as a hunting arm. I prefer a little more heft on a big game rifle, as it can help tame recoil. You're right about the features available from a factory rifle. Just look at the rear sight base, part of the barrel. Even my Winchester safari uses a screw on base. It really was a "no brainer" for me. I am anxious to see how well regulated the express sights are, as I generally prefer irons to glass. The set trigger is quite a stout unit, and easy to adjust. If I was asked to nit pick the worst feature, it would be that ugly drilled bolt handle knob. What's with that-a weight saving measure?
I sure feel sorry for all the hunters and shooters who'll pass on a fine rifle like the safari magnum simply to save a little weight. Then again, I'm glad someone passed on the rifle I bought. The salesman said the 300 is the hardest one to get.

[Fred Flinstone]

At the end of the 70's a few mfgr. were drilling holes in their bolt handle, adding aluminium followers instead of steel. As with most trends most mfgr. stop doing so since various rifle makers started ultra-light rifle(alloy application ). The whole weight reduction thing went out the window in plain rifle, and even more so with titanium actions. I sure would like to see the CZ-550 Magnum with a full bolt , and while we're at it be able to get their smaller actions (ex: 527,550 in .270 Win.)available with a butter-knife type handle bolt .