Bolt Actions that Pinch (CZ and Ruger)

[antiacus]

Went to the gun shop today and was comparing the CZ 550fs in .308 and the Ruger m77 RSI in .06.

Ruger


CZ

I liked them both. They were asking $740 for the Ruger and $850 for the CZ. The ruger's an 18" barrel and the CZ "20. The ruger felt significantly lighter and handier. Both rifles actions were pretty "pinchy" if you were absolutely perfect in how you cycled the bolts. The CZ was a little worse, but neither were very good. Maybe it's just a training issue, that every rifle wants to be cycled just so, but i don't seem to remember that with my model 700adl and beyond the ole "mosin slap" i can yank the bolt on my 91/30 however i want and it cycles without pinching.

Is this a new rifle thing? Is there some polishing that can be done to improve the action?

Both of these rifles have an outstanding reputation and i was a little surprised at their state brand new on the rack.

 

[texascarl]

I've got the CZ (in 6.5x55), and mine was a bit tough to cycle when brand new. I just watched TV one night with the gun in my lap and cycled the bolt a few hundred times. Problem solved.

 

[antiacus]

Good deal. Hard to drop 7-8 hundred bucks hoping something will improve.

Cool rifles though, both of them.

 

[R.W.Dale]

Both being a true Mauser pattern CRF they will tend to be a bit draggier to open the bolt when compared to a push feed action like a rem700


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[chaser_2332]

Get the cz, work the bolt and all will be good, if all in the world is right it will shoot circles around that ruger.

 

[R.W.Dale]

Get the cz, work the bolt and all will be good, if all in the world is right it will shoot circles around that ruger.

I would not say that.

Having owned and shot both extensively IME there are no flies on either. Besides you DO NOT buy a FS rifle if accuracy is a primary concern

The "all rugers are inaccurate" mantra is just a load of BS spilling over from that POS mini ruger to this day still insists on continuing to tarnish their reputation by keeping in production.


If i really have to nitpick Between both I prefer the ruger IMO the cz550 comes across as a bit porky and bloated for the role it's intended to fill.

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[kemper]

Get the cz, work the bolt and all will be good, if all in the world is right it will shoot circles around that ruger.

I'm calling BS. Totally disagree. That statement is based on WHAT ?
RUGER all the way, made in the USA !

 

[ifit]

that cz 550fs is absolutely beautiful, CZ all the way

 

[axxxel]

I oil the bolt of the mauser I use for hunting. It makes all the difference in the world.

 

[jmr40]

Both being a true Mauser pattern CRF they will tend to be a bit draggier to open the bolt when compared to a push feed action like a rem700

In my experience both Ruger and CZ tend to have rough feeling actions when new. They do both get much better with some use, but the ones I've had never got as smooth as other actions. Both are good rifles and this minor issue wouldn't keep me from buying either.

It has nothing to do with the CRF however. I have some CRF rifles that area slick as anything. I have some pushfeed rifles that are less than ideal.

The "all rugers are inaccurate" mantra is just a load of BS spilling over from that POS mini ruger to this day still insists on continuing to tarnish their reputation by keeping in production.

I'm a huge Ruger fan. I like the 77 series of rifles, but have to admit that you are more likely to get an accurate CZ than an accurate Ruger. Many Rugers are as accurate as anything out there. I happen to have one that will consistently shoot .75" groups. But I've also had quite a few over the years that were 1.5-2" guns at best. The newer production Hawkeye's are more likely to be more accurate. With older guns it is a bit more iffy. The Mini-14 series of rifles are part of the problem, but so-so accuracy from SOME 77's is just a fact as well.

 

[dragon813gt]

I have a M77 that is 2" at best. It's only two years old. Between that and my 10/22 it has soured my taste for Ruger rifles. I can not recommend them to anyone that wants accuracy. For hunting the M77 works fine but it's still upsetting that it's not more accurate.


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[PreMod70]

With Ruger M77's it's all in whose using the screwdriver, the action on most is binded by the magazine; rebed the action and they will shoot as good as any factory rifle.

 

[Omaha-BeenGlockin]

Love the Hawkeye's--- the older MkII's--not so much.

CZ's have always seemed a little crude and rough to me---but they were getting better last time I looked----thing is nobody here carries them anymore, you'd really have to seek one out if you were really set on CZ--in this area at least.

I'm assuming they stopped carrying them due to poor sales---don't know if that was because people were actually having problems with them or like me, wouldn't touch them due to the rough metal work---they were also getting quite expensive for what they were compred to all the Browning's-Winchester's-Ruger's etc... that are out there now.

Everybody who makes a bolt action rifle has pretty much revamped and improved their product in the last 3-4 years(except Remington-they did come out with a better trigger though)---Everybody else stepped up their game--maybe CZ couldn't hack it?

This has become the golden age of the bolt action rifle--never in my life have you been able to consistanly take an out of the box rifle that's a MOA shooter(or better) like you can now---in the old days it was hit and miss and if you had a miss, you had to spend hours and $$ bedding--free floating etc..... now even the cheap rifles are tack drivers out of the box.

 

[R.W.Dale]

I have a M77 that is 2" at best. It's only two years old. Between that and my 10/22 it has soured my taste for Ruger rifles. I can not recommend them to anyone that wants accuracy. For hunting the M77 works fine but it's still upsetting that it's not more accurate.


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You do realize that a 2 moa sporting weight rifle isn't exactly broken right? Doubly so with wal mart grade factory ammo. I'm with ya on always wanting more accuracy but in my experience you really can't complain about 2moa from a box stock gun.

Bolt action hunting rifles are better than they've ever been. However expecting everything to shoot sub MOA is still an unrealistic expectation


I've owned a lot of cz's and pre hawkeye rugers. Not once have I been disappointed in their accuracy potential. And I'm picky about how a gun shoots

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[SaxonPig]

The Ruger is not a Mauser action unless they have changed since I owned mine.

I had a 77RSI in 308 and I liked it. A friend liked it better so I traded him for something I wanted more.

Now I have a CZ550 FS in '06 and I like it, too. I prefer it over the Ruger but either will do.

Most bolts are stiff and balky when new. Most will "work in" with time and get smoother. The true 98s like the CZ will always have a bit of wobble in their bolts. They started as military weapons and that clearance was for reliability under battlefield conditions. A purely sporting design like the Remington 700 is smoother.

 

[antiacus]

Thanks guys. Some really good replies!

I'm leaning a little more towards the Ruger, although the CZ is nicer to look at and i like the extra ~100fps velocity those 2" bring.

The Ruger is just so handy and while both are quick to point, the Ruger is downright snappy. For the Oregon brush i intend to hunt deer & elk in, i think the RSI (even at 2moa) will be tough to beat.

I usually load with varget and maybe i could move to a bit quicker burning powder for that 18" barrel to squeeze a few more fps.

Still intend to handle them some more and do a bit more research before deciding. That CZ is just stunning IMO, maybe the best looking rifle i've ever laid eyes on.

*edit* By the way, my shop told me they could order either for me in whatever caliber i wanted. They have the CZ in 308 and the RSI in .06.

 

[chaser_2332]

I have nothing against Rugers I think they make some beautiful rifles, and I understand it doesn't need to be a tack driver when going fs. That being said if faced with 2 similar choices I would take the more accurate of the 2 and that is "MORE LIKELY" the cz, but nothing is set in stone

 

[armoredman]

I have fired several CZ rifles and 4 Rugers, BUT, I can't really speak to Ruger because 2 were Mini-14s and the other 2 were 10/22s.
My 527M is far more accurate than I am, my son's 452 Scout is quite the little snapper, and my wife's 512 is an interesting design that's not quite broken in yet.
The mini Mauser I have had some drag on the bolt, but it smoother up quickly. I certainly didn't notice anything "crude" or "unfinished" in the metal or woodwork, but I am not a collector nor do i work in museum acquisitions. I have yet to try a 550, or the latest, the 557 due in soon, but I hope to be able to.
Just wish the 555 was being imported, really like the looks of that one.

 

[R.W.Dale]

The Ruger is not a Mauser action unless they have changed since I owned mine.

The ruger m77 mkII and later hawkeye variants are every bit as much of a Mauser 98 pattern gun as the CZ is. The only real difference to the eye betwixt a K98, cz550 and m77 bolt is the bolt shroud. Everything else that matters is the same right down to the Mauser style bolt release



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[HOOfan_1]

Everybody else stepped up their game--maybe CZ couldn't hack it?.

Don't know how long it has been since you picked up a CZ, but the fit and finish on my 2008 550 is as good or better than any other rifle I've ever picked up including the Winchester Super Grade.

Fit and finish on my dad's 452 is better than any other rimfire we own, and we own a bunch.

 

[CraigC]

No standard production rifle will be smooth out of the box. They're doing you no favors on the CZ, I see I can get a new one from Davidson's for $765 locally.

Six of one, half a dozen of the other. I wouldn't turn my nose up at either. Though I like the stock proportions on the CZ's a little better. I like Ruger's safety better and it should also have a brighter polish. Fit and finish on either will be excellent. My 77MKII Standard is beautifully finished. Accuracy is not automatically out the window with a full stock. My CZ 452FS shoots like a house afire, averaging .49"@50yds with Remington bulk, if you can believe that.




The Ruger .270 is a fine shooter as well, but it's a standard sporter with nice fiddleback wood.

 

[Kliegl]

I don't mind the looks of the classic military full stocks, but modern full stockers just look...uncircumcised, and I'm not into either.

 

[Smokey in PHX]

Nice photos Craig. I'm going to buy one of those full stock rifles one of these days. Just hard to justify as I still have some new rifles I haven't fires yet.

 

[antiacus]

Beautiful!

 

[SaxonPig]

I was unaware that Ruger redesigned the 77. It has the CRF and dual opposing lugs with the claw extractor?