What do you think of the CZ 527 Carbine or .223 rifles in general?

[doubleh]

Although the CZ rifles have a very good reputation the box magazine hanging out of the bottom of the stock takes it out of consideration for me. Probably a trivial dislike to most I suppose but it isn't in my case. If that feature doesn't bother you it would probably be a very good choice. I know a few people that own CZs in various calibers and haven't ever heard anyone voice a complaint.

 

[LoonWulf]

"Look Ma! No sticky out magazine!"

Well.....less sticky out magazine.

 

[I6turbo]

Saw a CZ 527 Carbine at the LGS. $650. Caliber is .223. So, it is a beautiful handy little rifle. I am assuming that it will not use 5.56.
I have LOTS of .223/5.56 ammo used in my AR.

I suppose that with a good scope this would be an OK varmint - target rig. As is being discussed under hunting here on the HIGH ROAD, probably not the best choice for deer.

Anyone here have experience with this gun? Opinions appreciated...

As someone else stated, the CZs are designed to shoot both .223 and 5.56, and do so without any issues.

I have a 527 Varmint, FS, American/Classic, and had a Carbine, all in 1:12 twist .223 (which is the twist I wanted because I have other caliber guns for when I want to shoot heavier bullets). I sold the Carbine because I always took one of the others out to shoot instead. I found the accuracy of all to be good, but from most accurate to least accurate, they fell into the order that I listed them above.

All of them are somewhat picky about ammo if you want to get your best groups or accuracy, so you will need to find what your particular gun likes if you want to shoot your best groups or achieve your best accuracy. I don't reload for any of my .223s, but rather have identified factory target ammo that they shoot pretty well and stocked up a bit on that. The Varmint will shoot .3" at 100 yards with some 40-grain V-Max loads. The FS is next, about a tenth or two behind the Varmint, and then the Classic is just ever so slightly less accurate than the FS, then the Carbine was less accurate than the Classic, but in fairness I never tried as many different quality loads in the Carbine as I did with the other guns. I don't go walking and hunting for .223-type game, so I really didn't have much of a purpose for the Carbine.

Which 527 is best for an individual would depend upon how you plan to use it, IMO.

Pitcherz:

Varmint with Vortex Viper 6.5-20x44 (with Black Hills Reman 40-grain V-Max it's the most accurate rifle I own except for a 550 Varmint in .308)


FS with Burris Fullfield II 4.5-14x42


Classic/American (I've since switched to a Weaver V-24 instead of the Burris Fullfield II in this photo)


Carbine with Burris Fullfield II 4.5-14x42

 

[rayatphonix]

I just got my 527 Varmint. Attached is a photo of the target I used for rounds 41 to 45. This is my third 527, but first in 223. All shoot very well.

 

[Mosin Bubba]

Got one in x39. The fit and finish is better than any other factory rifle I can remember seeing under $1K. Just a gorgeous gun.

At $650, you could probably flip it immediately for what you paid if you end up not liking it.

 

[wanderinwalker]

I'm late to the party here, and I see most of my thoughts have already been stated by others.

Yes, you can use 5.56mm ammunition in a .223 Remington chambered CZ 527. I've fired a few different 5.56 rounds out of mine just lazily plinking away at the range.

My particular rifle is a 527FS in .223 Remington. I really enjoy how light and handy this rifle is, even though it really only travels between my cabinet and the range. It's a fairly attractive rifle to my eyes as well. Mine has the 1-9" twist barrel and hasn't been the least bit picky about what I feed it. While some may scoff at the idea of "only" 1-MOA accuracy, I'll submit that mine will do that for 5-rounds with several different varieties of bullets. All are my reloads and oddly enough, none of them have been tuned to this rifle. Hornady 75gr HPBT over a max charge of Varget, originally intended for an AR-15 carbine? About 1-MOA. Nosler 69gr HPBT over a heavy charge of Varget? About 1-MOA. Sierra 65gr Gamekings and Varget? Yawn, MOA again. Some 55gr Nosler Varmageddon flat-base hollow-points over Varget? Yep, also about MOA. In fairness, the last two load/bullet combos were intended for this rifle specifically, but I didn't do much experimenting, it's just the first powder charge I tried with each.

(Oh, as you may have guessed, I really like Varget for reloading .223 Remington. Consistent results being the primary reason.)

 

[I6turbo]

Mine has the 1-9" twist barrel and hasn't been the least bit picky about what I feed it. While some may scoff at the idea of "only" 1-MOA accuracy, I'll submit that mine will do that for 5-rounds with several different varieties of bullets. All are my reloads and oddly enough, none of them have been tuned to this rifle. Hornady 75gr HPBT over a max charge of Varget, originally intended for an AR-15 carbine? About 1-MOA. Nosler 69gr HPBT over a heavy charge of Varget? About 1-MOA. Sierra 65gr Gamekings and Varget? Yawn, MOA again. Some 55gr Nosler Varmageddon flat-base hollow-points over Varget? Yep, also about MOA.

When I say they are picky about ammo, I mean they are if you want them to shoot down in the half-MOA range or lower. They aren't very picky if you want MOA accuracy, which in real world terms is very good accuracy and realistically good enough for just about any purpose other than setting personal records or winning competitions, etc. They are somewhat picky in order to hit MOA, but not too much. I expect that your gun, like mine, would drop down to half-MOA if you go to the trouble to find a load that really suits it (and you have a bench-type setup and shooting procedure that will allow you to hit those levels).

Using the ammo I have on hand, my 527s will shoot from .3" up to 1.6" at 100 yards, the latter being with Wolf Gold bulk ammo that I bought for blasting with my old Colt AR. They will generally shoot GECO .223 Rifle in the .5" to .9" range, depending upon the gun. (This GECO is ammo that I bought a bunch of for $.32/round two or three years ago, and by far the best bulk-priced .223 I've ever shot.) I've also tried various Hornady loads, a couple of Fiocchi, and a couple other makes of target ammo and they fall between the extremes of Black Hills 40-grain Reman (no longer in production, so I'll have to find something else when I run out of the batch that I bought) and the poor-performing Wolf. Generally speaking, my experience has been like yours, though, in that it's pretty easy to find something that'll shoot about 1 MOA.

 

[BigBlue 94]

No experience with the CZ but I do have a Rem700 in .223 and a Rem 722 in .222 that are quite handy and good shooters. Much more comfortable in all aspects vs say my varmint R700 in 243.

For deer, use a big heavy bonded hollow point.

 

[d2wing]

It's on my short list of next rifles.

 

[Skeeter330]

I own 4 of these and I love them. I have both carbines a lux in 22 hornet and another lux in 223. I might sell the carbine as the lux fulfills all my needs but all are quality rifles

 

[Paul7]

I either shoot classic broadside or front of the neck (straight through the white spot) if the deer is facing me. I use a 75 grain Hornady BTHP match. Even with the broadside shots, the deer usually fall down dead. I had one run less than 30 yards. Same with hogs. If its just "me getting lucky", I would love to have such odds at anything else I try.

FL deer are on the small side, aren't they?

 

[d2wing]

I want to add that I have shot many deer including a 14 PT buck I have posted pictures of with .223. Near as I can tell they don't go any further and just as dead if you put the bullet in the right place, whether I shot them with a 30-06 slug or my favorite 7-08 or the .223. Some cartridges if they are within 300 yards or a little more they will be dead. with slug guns 50 yards or closer for a good hit. .223 I don't like to shoot over 200 yards at the extreme or closer and have to be more careful about your shot angle.

 

[d2wing]

FL deer are on the small side, aren't they?

If it helps I hunt in Minnesota and we have pretty big deer here. I have shot up to 300 lbs. deer with the .223. I have seen bigger.

 

[troy fairweather]

A shop just over the state line in pa has a 527 suppressor ready 223 for $740 I'm mulling over to get it not. We can't have subs in ny and not much need for a muzzle break/ flashhider on the 223, maybe since its a 16" barrel. I'd like to mess with one of them barrel tuners but think there all 5 /8 and not 1/2.

 

[Llama Bob]

As already said, it is 100% safe with 5.56. Good on CIP for not buying into the BS.

The rifle itself I'm very happy with, but the magazines are not so hot IMO - very high friction. I had to do some work to get them to feed with more rounds in the mag.

Accuracy has been good with lighter bullets.

 

[Dale Alan]

I have the Mannlicher stock version , just starting to work on loads but I can tell it will be a shooter . I had no idea it could shoot 5.56 safely, glad I noticed this thread. Thanks for that info .

 

[Armored farmer]

we laid a bunch of hogs to rest with our .223s.
I was tempted to use my .243, but i don't think hogs or whitetails in the sub 250# range will notice the .02"

I feel .223 is ideal for varmints up to coyote size.

 

[FL-NC]

FL deer are on the small side, aren't they?

Fl is very diverse- larger size deer in the panhandle would likely be monsters in the Everglades. Our larger deer would probably be average somewhere like Ohio, and something an experienced hunter would likely pass on in Minnesota. What is consistent across the board is that they are all the same in that they have the same basic physical characteristics. A well-placed bullet or arrow in the vitals is deadly. 2 given deer with a 50 pound on-the-hoof disparity in weight is a considerable difference in overall size. What is important to understand is that deer are generally proportional- so the difference isn't an additional 50 pounds solely in the chest area- that additional weight is spread out over an overall larger body area. They all have the same things going on inside of them.

 

[wiscoaster]

I don't have a 527, but I have other CZ rifles and pistols, and IMO you can't go wrong, and you won't be disappointed with a CZ firearm.

 

[Hokkmike]

Thanks all....

 

[Chevelle SS]

I love my 527 in 7.62x39, I like shooting bolt actions and it is the one I shoot the most.