Range Report - CZ 527 Carbine

[RNB65]

On Friday I picked up my new 527 Carbine in 7.62x39. Gave it a quick cleaning and took it to the range on Sat and shot 60 rounds of WWB at 50yds.

My impressions: It's a terrific little rifle and fun to shoot. Very lightweight (less than 6lbs) and handles great. Not much felt recoil even with such a light rifle. Decent walnut stock -- not great but not bad. Fit and finish are first rate and it looks as good as it handles.

The iron sights are very good, but my eyesight isn't. The rear sight is a V shape and the front sight is a post with a circle on top. Shooting offhand at 50yds I had no problem shooting 3-4in groups which isn't bad considering that both the front and rear sights were blurry. I expect the groupings will improve once I put a low power scope on it.

The single set trigger is awesome. Set it. Line up the sights. Touch the trigger and it fires. The standard trigger is decent, but my groups got significantly smaller when using the set trigger. I'll never buy another bolt rifle that doesn't have a set trigger.

I e-mailed CZ and they said that shooting steel cased/jacketed ammo would do no harm, so next time I go to the range I'll give Wolf a try. I'll probably stick with the poly coated so I don't have to worry about lacquer build up in the chamber.

Negatives -- nothing major, just a few little things. The sights are semi-fixed. The rear sight appears to be welded to the barrel and can't be adjusted for windage (the windage was set perfectly and needed no adjustment). The front sight can be adjusted for elevation but it requires removing the sight and replacing it with one of a different height. No extra front sights came with the rifle, they have to be purchased seperately.

The bolt will bind a bit if you put sideways pressure on it while cycling. Just be careful to go straight back and staight forward and it works fine.

It doesn't have a standard Weaver scope mount. It uses a proprietary scope mount that requires rings specifically made for the 527. CZ sells rings for it as well as most of the major optics mount makers (Millet, Warne, Burris, Leupold).

Overall, it's a great little plinker and I would recommend it to anyone.

 

[MinScout]

Wait til you mount a scope on her and use that set trigger. It's a little tack driver. Btw, that rear sight is dovetailed, so you can drift it for windage.

 

[kasTX]

I have one too and my impression is similar. The un-set trigger on mine is dreadful though. The set trigger is wonderful.

I put CZ rings and a scope on it this weekend and took it for a spin. I think wind was factor, because groups were actually bigger than with iron sights (which I really like). My best group with irons was five shots under an inch at 50 yards using Hornady FMJ bullets, Win brass and Hodgdon 335.

Finding an appropriate scope is a challenge. The spacing between rings is pretty short, and the rear iron sight is close enough to interfere with the front bell of the scope. I ended up with a Sightron compact fixed 4-power scope and it fits great. If I could change anything, I would want 1 or 2 inches less eye relief and rings that are 1/4" shorter.

 

[MyRoad]

Does the 527 Carbine come with the base and rings, or do you have to order them separately?

 

[rbernie]

Does anyone know of a decent replacement stock for the 527 that'll let you get a good cheek weld from a sitting/standing position without having to drop your head dramatically? I like the rifle and want to buy one, but the stock just does NOT fit me....

 

[grimjaw]

MyRoad, no rings included.

Shouldn't be hard to find them, though, as popular as the CZ line has become.

I have had similar experiences with the CZ Carbine.

jm

 

[bender]

the cz 527 carbine is high up on my want list. Gun show dealers, even CZ dealers, don't usually have this particular model at the shows.

It retails around $600. What's a good discounted price that they can be gotten for?

 

[MyRoad]

Does anyone know of a decent replacement stock for the 527

I would contact CZ and find out if the stocks they sell for the other 527's would fit the Carbine. They are fairly expensive, ranging from $215-$300, but I believe the "American" has the shape you are looking for.

---> CZ 527 Stocks

 

[RNB65]

Does the 527 Carbine come with the base and rings, or do you have to order them separately?

The base is two sets of slots milled into the top of the receiver. The rings are sold seperately.

 

[RNB65]

Btw, that rear sight is dovetailed, so you can drift it for windage.

Really? Damn it's tight. Looks like you would have to use a sledgehammer to move it.

 

[Davo]

What kind of velocity can you get with these?

Ive read that the x39 is downloaded for autoloaders and actually can do better in terms of muzzle energy out of a boltie.

 

[R.W.Dale]

Ive read that the x30 is downloaded for autoloaders and actually can do better in terms of muzzle energy out of a boltie.

Yes and No, Domestic 7.62x39 is somewhat underpowered compared to my handloads, So far my handloads have yet to beat the Barnual 123grn SP and the WOLF 154grn SP in terms of velocity. The Barnual fodder chronied at just under 2600 FPS and the WOLF at 2200

 

[jerkface11]

Buy some wolf 154gr soft points and the accuracy will SHOCK you.

 

[LAK]

rbernie

Does anyone know of a decent replacement stock for the 527 that'll let you get a good cheek weld from a sitting/standing position without having to drop your head dramatically? I like the rifle and want to buy one, but the stock just does NOT fit me....

The standard eurostock is proportioned for using iron sights - like the old english guns (and shotguns). The only thing I can think of is to call CZ and ask them if this rifle can be readily dropped into one of the stocks for one of their "American" models which are proportioned for scope use.

-----------------------------------------

http://ussliberty.org
http://ssunitedstates.org

 

[kasTX]

As stated above, you will need to buy the rings separately. Make sure that you get the rings made for the 527, not the 452. On the CZ brand rings (very nice but a little pricey at around $45) you will see "527" stamped on the bottom of the rings. It is also worth your time to read the instructions that come with the rings. The upper and lower half of each ring are machined together, and should stay together. CZ machined a little groove on one side of each ring to make sure they go back together again correctly.

As for cheek weld, there might be a cheekpad out there that would help. I only put a scope on it for load development, and intend to take it off again for hunting. I really like the iron sights that came on it. Adding a scope also changes the balance of the rifle - with a scope it wants to "tip over" in your hands.

 

[RNB65]

Problem

Follow-up report -- Took my 527 Carbine on its second trip to the range today. After about 40 rounds the magazine release spring broke. There's no tension on the mag release at all and it won't hold the magazine in the rifle.

Anyone know how to replace a mag release spring on a 527? Is this a do-it-yourself job or do I need to send it to CZ for repair?

Oh, well, at least the first 100 shots were fun.

 

[grimjaw]

RNB65, if you contact customer support for CZ, they should fix you up pretty quick. I've had nothing but good experiences with them.

jm

 

[RNB65]

I found the problem. The sping didn't break, it just came out of its slot. It's a flatspring that presses against the back of the mag release. It popped out of its slot and was loose inside the stock. I put it back where it's supposed to be and the mag catch is working fine now. But if the spring worked its way loose once, it'll probably work its way loose again eventually. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

 

[Jackal]

It popped out of its slot and was loose inside the stock. I put it back where it's supposed to be and the mag catch is working fine now. But if the spring worked its way loose once, it'll probably work its way loose again eventually.

Thats what glue is for.

 

[kasTX]

RNB65,

Thanks for the post about the spring. I will check mine tonight since I plan on taking the 527 hunting this weekend.

I was sighting it in this weekend and let my hunting partner try it out with my hunting loads. I first had him try the trigger un-set. He made a good shot anyway, so I had him try the set trigger. He put the second shot nearly on top of the first at 100 yards! That had to be luck so I had him take another shot with the set trigger and this one nearly landed on the first as well! Three round group size at 100 yards? 0.30 inches! After he left I spent another 20 rounds or so trying to beat that but never did. This was the first time he had shot the rifle, and he typically shoots about ten rounds a year total.

Also, a correction of sorts to a previous post. I had stated that I would like slightly shorter scope mounts, but noticed this weekend that if the mounts were any shorter, the bolt handle would hit the ocular objective. As it is now, the handle clears the ocular objective by about 1/8". So I guess it is as good as it is going to get.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

Does anyone know of a decent replacement stock for the 527 that'll let you get a good cheek weld from a sitting/standing position without having to drop your head dramatically? I like the rifle and want to buy one, but the stock just does NOT fit me....

Get a closed cell foam pad from Wal-mart or a similar source -- the kind backpackers use -- and make a cheekpiece with that. Tape it to the stock and experiment until you get it right. Get some walnut from a carver's hobby shop and plane it to the right thickness, and cut it to shape. Steam it until you can bend it to fit over the comb of the stock. You can then epoxy it in place and it will look great.