The 550 American has been discontinued. The Varmint models in .22-250 have been discontinued. The only "varmint" models you can get now are a "Tacticool" synthetic stocked .308 and a Walnut stocked .308. I don't really consider .308 to be Varmint round.
I a not completely enamored with CRF, so the push feed aspect of the 557 doesn't bother me, but from the pictures I have seen of them, the stocks look much more plain than the 550 stocks, and they only come in 20" barrels. A .270 or a .30-06 in a 20" barrel seems like a complete waste. Why not give 22" or 24" barrels for them?
I'd always wanted a nice walnut stocked 6.5x55 Swede....when Beretta stopped importing the Tikka in 6.5x55, I started looking at the 550. Now the 557 is offered in 6.5x55, but I will have to consider that 20" barrel. I had also considered the Ruger 77 in 6.5 Creedmoor, seems the standard Walnut in 6.5 Creedmoor has been discontinued....sigh. Apparently gun makers think Americans don't care about the 6.5 calibers. I see the Thompson Center Venture comes in 6.5x55 now, but T/C has discontinued their wood stocked Icon.
I a not completely enamored with CRF, so the push feed aspect of the 557 doesn't bother me, but from the pictures I have seen of them, the stocks look much more plain than the 550 stocks, and they only come in 20" barrels. A .270 or a .30-06 in a 20" barrel seems like a complete waste. Why not give 22" or 24" barrels for them?
I'd always wanted a nice walnut stocked 6.5x55 Swede....when Beretta stopped importing the Tikka in 6.5x55, I started looking at the 550. Now the 557 is offered in 6.5x55, but I will have to consider that 20" barrel. I had also considered the Ruger 77 in 6.5 Creedmoor, seems the standard Walnut in 6.5 Creedmoor has been discontinued....sigh. Apparently gun makers think Americans don't care about the 6.5 calibers. I see the Thompson Center Venture comes in 6.5x55 now, but T/C has discontinued their wood stocked Icon.
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