holmegaard
Member
Rang in the New Year with a range visit to put my CZ 527M 7.62x39, purchased ~6 weeks ago, through the paces.
It had shown some promise in a few range visits earlier, both with the factory sights & a scope borrowed from another rifle. Wasn’t all peaches ‘n cream though- spent case ejection was rough, & a few times downright brutal. Thought it might be the steel cased ammunition, but tried some brass cased with the same problem.
Emailed CZ & they promptly sent an RSA & shipping number for warranty return. 10 days later it was back in my hands, with a warranty receipt stating they had replaced the extractor & extractor collar. Though not noted on the paperwork, they had also bedded the receiver/stock at & around the recoil lug in the forward part of the action. Also appeared they may have filed a bit of material from the receiver, where the top part of the bolt handle rides against it while being worked. This area will inevitably show finish wear from metal to metal contact, but I think it came back with a slightly larger bright spot than it left with.
Fired a couple magazines’ worth at the local indoor range that day to function check, & all was well. Always a bit frustrating to have problems with a new rifle, but being my 6th CZ firearm & the first to have an issue of any kind, kept it at a simmer while waiting for their response. Problem was completely eliminated, very quickly & completely on their dime. Couldn’t be more satisfied with their handling of things, definitely two thumbs up for CZ customer service.
New scope came in Friday, so I mounted it & made plans for the range on Monday. It’s a VX-3i 2.5-8x36, & I’m pretty happy with it’s clarity, light weight, & how it “fits” the rifle aesthetically. Took several brands/types of ammunition, mostly steel cased Russian stuff. Also had a box of Hornady steel case with the SST bullets, & a box of brass cased SAAMI spec stuff. Have seen a few internet anecdotes stating the SAAMI stuff shoots just fine from the CIP spec CZ bores, but it ain’t so with mine. Functioned fine, but genuinely awful accuracy. That’s all I have to say about that.
Three Russian brands in ~123 FMJ fodder shot about the same, with Wolf Polyformance showing slightly better (2-2.5” @ 100 yards) than the rest (2.5-3”). Had one box of 154 grain soft points that didn’t do particularly well. All groups with the Wolf would have 3-4 with an inch & a half or so, but 1-2 that opened things up. Not at all unexpected , & given the price, plenty good enough for my plinking & practice needs. Think I’m going to order a case.
The Hornady steel cased SST really showed what the rifle can do. Attached photo is representative of the groups I got with it at 100 yards. (6) 5-shot groups; one was ~1.3”, the other five were under an inch. Yeah, that dog will hunt.
Think I’m putting off ordering dies for this caliber, at least for now. Not a great deal of improvement to be had in either economy (Wolf) or accuracy (Hornady).
It had shown some promise in a few range visits earlier, both with the factory sights & a scope borrowed from another rifle. Wasn’t all peaches ‘n cream though- spent case ejection was rough, & a few times downright brutal. Thought it might be the steel cased ammunition, but tried some brass cased with the same problem.
Emailed CZ & they promptly sent an RSA & shipping number for warranty return. 10 days later it was back in my hands, with a warranty receipt stating they had replaced the extractor & extractor collar. Though not noted on the paperwork, they had also bedded the receiver/stock at & around the recoil lug in the forward part of the action. Also appeared they may have filed a bit of material from the receiver, where the top part of the bolt handle rides against it while being worked. This area will inevitably show finish wear from metal to metal contact, but I think it came back with a slightly larger bright spot than it left with.
Fired a couple magazines’ worth at the local indoor range that day to function check, & all was well. Always a bit frustrating to have problems with a new rifle, but being my 6th CZ firearm & the first to have an issue of any kind, kept it at a simmer while waiting for their response. Problem was completely eliminated, very quickly & completely on their dime. Couldn’t be more satisfied with their handling of things, definitely two thumbs up for CZ customer service.
New scope came in Friday, so I mounted it & made plans for the range on Monday. It’s a VX-3i 2.5-8x36, & I’m pretty happy with it’s clarity, light weight, & how it “fits” the rifle aesthetically. Took several brands/types of ammunition, mostly steel cased Russian stuff. Also had a box of Hornady steel case with the SST bullets, & a box of brass cased SAAMI spec stuff. Have seen a few internet anecdotes stating the SAAMI stuff shoots just fine from the CIP spec CZ bores, but it ain’t so with mine. Functioned fine, but genuinely awful accuracy. That’s all I have to say about that.
Three Russian brands in ~123 FMJ fodder shot about the same, with Wolf Polyformance showing slightly better (2-2.5” @ 100 yards) than the rest (2.5-3”). Had one box of 154 grain soft points that didn’t do particularly well. All groups with the Wolf would have 3-4 with an inch & a half or so, but 1-2 that opened things up. Not at all unexpected , & given the price, plenty good enough for my plinking & practice needs. Think I’m going to order a case.
The Hornady steel cased SST really showed what the rifle can do. Attached photo is representative of the groups I got with it at 100 yards. (6) 5-shot groups; one was ~1.3”, the other five were under an inch. Yeah, that dog will hunt.
Think I’m putting off ordering dies for this caliber, at least for now. Not a great deal of improvement to be had in either economy (Wolf) or accuracy (Hornady).
