Who's handled & fired the new CZ Ringneck?

[absolute0]

I've been lusting for a 20 Ga SxS grouse gun for several years now and have been keeping my eyes peeled for a quality used specimen of the Stevens/Savage 311 ilk. Unfortunately those are few and far between in 20 Guage in these parts.

The CZ line of doubles has caught my eye, specifically the ringneck. I've got a couple CZ rifles, the quality is outstanding at a very reasonable price. However I've yet to see one in a local gun shop, let alone shoot one.

Can anyone give me some first-hand input?

[JohnBT]

I haven't shot one, but I've handled 7 or 8 CZ shotguns in various sizes and configurations from .410 to 12 ga. Considering the shotguns I've been seriously looking at - the $2k-$3k guns like Guerini(my dad bought one of these and I'm ruined for life now), B. Rizzini, Browning, Beretta and such, including some sporting clays and trap models - I was very, very, very pleased with the handling and looks of the CZs.

I don't know if they'll hold up like the 311's, but to me they feel a lot better. Maybe it's just that the 311s remind me too much of my clunky old Fox Model B 12 ga. The Fox wasn't a bad gun really, just too much gun for a 12 year old.

John

[BozemanMT]

I have the 12ga ringneck. Bought new not quite 7 weeks ago. I have close to 3000 rounds through it. I haven't picked up my O/U since I got it. I love it. Have had absolutely no issues, and fits me like nothing else has. Still snicks tight together. Still looks great. has a little wear on teh barrel where I stupidly let it rest against a handgun in my safe. :banghead: It shoots tight. I patterned it and it's definately tight patterns. I shoot cynlinder and IC and I can hit (ok, occasionally), way out there. Was shooting trap doubles with it the other day and had ZERO issues on teh 2nd bird with the IC choke. (and some of them were almost to the ground).
I love it, best 600 dollar gun I've ever bought. Larry Ashcraft saw it on saturday, he hangs out here too. Very sweet.
Heartily recomended. :D

eta: to fix Larry's name

[Hawk]

It's always dangerous when someone who doesn't know what they're doing offers an opinion - but I'll do it anyway :p

I got a NIB Ringneck 20 in an even trade (for a much disliked rifle) a couple weeks ago - that sort of stuff works well when the budget is shot. Anyhow, I've been real surprised. With the cavaet that I'm not an expert:

Wood to metal fit is unimpeachable. Hard to believe in a gun with an MSRP of (I think) 875.00. Wood itself is plain but well finished, filled and a pleasant satin sheen. In fact, it's filled well enough it could pass for fake wood.

Checkering is well done - may or may not be cut, but if it is, the diamonds are flat. It looks good but not as functional as what I'm used to on a Beretta. If it's stamped, it's stamped very well.

There's a minor lick of machine engraving (stamping?) here and there which, to me, is rather tasteful and well executed. Works well with the case colors on the receiver.

Lock-up is tight. There's only 200 rounds through it but it's losing some of its stiffness. It's got a Greener cross-bolt. I didn't know what one was; now that I know, I'm not sure it's needed but it is cute, after a fashion. At the only range I've patterned it (50'), POA = POI and the chokes work as advertised, at least with relation to one another. Its full choke tube is pretty loose compared to an older SxS. However, I'm thinking the Elsie I was comparing it to is actually +full+, so "loose" should be taken advisedly. It's probably spot-on with the Elsie too tight.

Color case looks like color case and the sidelocks look like sidelocks, although I presume neither really is. Screw slots are all nicely aligned east-to-west.

The barrels on mine are "polished" and although pleasant, it's different - more like black chrome than blueing. Not that I've got a problem with mirror black chrome but it's hard to describe the difference. You'll like it or not. I confess I rather like it.

There's a very minor "blunderbus" effect at the muzzles as they were slightly "belled" to accomodate the screw-in chokes. I don't care for the effect, but it's easily forgiven. It's one of those things that you don't see right away but, once seen, is obvious from that point forward. I can live with it.

I like it a lot. It does not look or feel like an 800.00 gun. It isn't like the SxS's I was holding at the Beretta gallery, but it's disturbingly close and 1/10th the price. (I didn't handle the nicer ones). Time will tell if it holds up - feels like it will. And it makes you grin when you shoot it. It's my first 20. I should not have waited this long.

[BozemanMT]

it makes you grin when you shoot it
Exactly!!! :D
Has by far become my favorite gun.

Hawk, it takes lots and lots of grease to really get worked into the bushing points. After 3000 rounds, mine is finally holding grease and slippery.
Still locks up tight.

You can't go wrong for 600 bucks. The guy at the gun shop said they were going fast. He was down to his last one when i was in there yesterday, and that was after 4 more delivered like only 2 weeks ago.

[Larry Ashcraft]

Yes, appears to be a nice handling, well built, and attractive gun. Shoots nice too.

Now, this is the second time tonight I have addressed this issue:
Larry Ashcroft
OK, Brian, take a hard look at my name at the top of this post (hint: there is no O in it.)

I swear. :D

[BozemanMT]

But but but
you hadn't replied yet, how could i get your name right without looking at it.

I claim typo.

I'm a guy, guys' can't touch type. ;)

[Larry Ashcraft]

I claim typo.
Excused!

Now whattya say we go shoot some sporting clays? This coming weekend in Pueblo or name the weekend up your way.

Brian and I have shot together before, like last Saturday:

http://www.thehighroad.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=28159

[Grayrock]

They are Huglus. CZ took over the importation from Armsco last year. They are made in Turkey. I have had my Huglu 20ga S2 for a couple of years now. Mine came from Mark DeHaan, out of Rigby, Idaho. It is a beautiful gun- 100% engraved. Nice wood. It is my primary dove gun. I recently started using it in Cowboy Action Shooting, too. Also, Kimber now imports a shotgun that is manufactured in the same factory. Great value for the $.

[Hawk]

Mark DeHann is claiming some differences for the Who-Loos he sells. Details are in his ambassador forum at shotgunworld.com. One remark I found intriguing was not shipping anything with trigger pulls over 5 to 6 pounds.

I don't know where my trigger would fall as it "pegs" my 72 Oz. trigger gauge. Any of us curmudgeonly sorts should try it before buying - it definitely isn't a Beretta SP or vintage (Prelitigous Era) 870 type trigger. Possibly the price to be paid for leaving out all the Beretta-type inertia reset parts and complexity?

I wonder if 3000 rounds will lighten it up some? Bozeman?

[halvey]

absolute0
I see you're from MN...
I think the CZ rep had them out to fondle at Ahlmans shooters roundup last weekend. I didn't check them out, but call Ahlmans ahlmans.com (http://www.ahlmans.com) and they probably have them. Probably worth the drive!?!

halvey

[BozemanMT]

I wonder if 3000 rounds will lighten it up some? Bozeman?

I didn't really notice the trigger as being all that bad.
In fact, it's still really tight, esp. with lockup. (where the wife's Lanbeer in the same amount of time and roughly same amount of shots has noticeably loosened up. I don't expect the Lanbeer to last much past 20k rounds)
so, no, I haven't noticed the trigger loosening, but I didn't notice it was bad to begin with.

[Hawk]

I still like the gun, but the best thing I can say about the trigger is that it's connected to the rest of the firearm.

Somewhere around here is an archived thread where Dave Mc lists the pull weights on his guns - none would peg my 72 Oz cheapie gauge.

Mark DeHaan says he watches that stuff (trigger quality) before he ships and he may well have something there - seems there's a variability in the CZ line. Yours may well be the alpha and omega of clean let-offs, while mine is not. It's not a show-stopper for me, but that trigger is, well..., it could use work.

If CZ's market penetration is what I'm guessing it will be, maybe we'll see a cottage industry grow up around the thing. There may be a limiting factor in that it eschews the Beretta-type inertial reset. 'Course my background is mostly rifles so I might be too fussy. :) My SP trips at 4 pounds and crisp for barrel one, 4 pounds with minor creep for barrel 2.

The CZ trips at, I would guess, 6 to 9 pounds (I'm guessing since the gauge is over its head), with a lot of take-up but little creep and good consistency between barrels. I am most assuredly not going to throw the baby out with the bath water.

;)

[Larry Ashcraft]

The CZ trips at, I would guess, 6 to 9 pounds
Something wrong I think. I shot Bozeman's gun and didn't notice the trigger at all. I normally shoot a Citori and it didn't seem all that different, other than being a sxs.

Except, DANG, those barrels get hot!

[Hawk]

Well, it's not like I didn't try it out before I left with it, or like I paid actual money for the thing.

I'm stuck with it. Just couldn't bring myself to claim it was a surprise when it really wasn't. And I still do like it. My trigger gauge reads to 72 Oz. They could be tripping at 72.01 and I wouldn't know from 108.5.

72 is, after all, only 4.5 lbs, although it seems to "peg" the gauge with a fair amount of steam left.

"Pegged" == "I don't know"

Triggers are subjective, could we put the Bozeman's on the scales? I'm kinda curious.

[BozemanMT]

We could.
If I had scale. If I see one this weekend, I'll ask to borrow it.
no guarantees though.

and yes, those barrels do get hot. Should have seen it in Mesquite NV at noon after 350 rounds. Hot doesn't begin. :cuss: :eek: I've learned to not shoot a lot with my wedding ring on. gets me a nice little burn.

[Larry Ashcraft]

I've got an old scale. Brian, if you can't find one, I could mail it up to you.

Let me know.

[GigaBuist]

I've got a 20 gauge SxS Huglu.. picked it up for $530 "used" from a shop with 5 screw in chokes for the thing. A fellow bought it for his small son but the kid couldn't handle the recoil. He brought it back within a few days.

I feel like I stole something.

It looks good and feels good. I'm a shotgun novice, so I can't really tell you too much about it.

However a fellow at the range a couple weeks ago spotted it in the rack and asked about it. He picked it up, shouldered it, swung it about a bit.. and thought it was a darned fine shotgun. I think he'd have made sweet Monkey Love to the thing if it was possible.

Certainly wasn't the most expensive gun in the rack.. but it was the prettiest. :)

[BozemanMT]

Update: The gun broke today :what: :cuss: :cuss:

Was out at Kiowa creek, was on the 4th 100 (yes, like shot 321 or so) and went to cock it and realized something was wrong.
The foreend didn't match up against the receiver anymore.
WTF?
unloaded took it apart.
The piece that's soldered to the barrels that holds the forearm in place has moved, like 1/2 an ince and taken the strip of metal that keeps the barrels pretty on the bottom with it.
We gently bashed it back into place with a piece of wood, but on the first shot it moved back.
crap.
Going back to CZ this week.
crap, i gotta shoot monday and now i have to use a crappy ;) O/U Citori instead of my beloved SxS.
About 3500 rounds through it when this happened.
Anyone got a Beretta SilverHawk for sale?