The innovative design of the CZ 600 series marks a bold new direction for Czech rifle manufacturers
Written by Matt Foster | Published 1:26 PM, November 15, 2021
Last month Outdoor Life asked if I would go to the Czech Republic to show the CZ 600, the new bolt action rifle of the Czech company, and the opportunity to find Mouflon rams. After a moment of deliberation, some panic of schedule rescheduling and passport renewal, I said, "When you push him, does a fat dog fart? Hell, I'll go!"
There is no shortage of recently introduced bolt actions, most of which have good shooting effects and are reasonably priced. This is a highly competitive market. It is not easy to stand out in the crowded field of bolt action for less than $1,000, but the new CZ 600 series rifle does stand out from the competition.
CZ is headquartered in the Czech Republic and is famous for making classic square-bridge Mauser bolt action rifles. The design is sturdy and durable, using a typical claw extractor with a controlled circular feed, which can be traced back more than a century ago. Although it is still a good configuration, the technology has been advancing, and CZ decided it was time to keep up with it.
Therefore, the CZ 600 series is not only a brand new design-which is big news in itself-but it is replacing all the existing center hydrant actions in the CZ catalog, which means that CZ will no longer manufacture CZ 527, CZ 557 and CZ 550 Safari rifle. Therefore, for the CZ 600, the company can say that it burned its ships on the beach and will not look back. I used to work at Marlin Firearms, so I can realize that this is a difficult task. After several days of handling new rifles in the Czech Republic and hunting with them, it looks like the CZ 600 will be a great success.
The desire for modularity has had a huge impact on receiver design. Unlike most bolt actions, the locking lugs of the bolts do not engage with the receiver, but instead engage with cooperating lugs machined into the barrel. This allows the barrel to be inserted into the receiver in a manner similar to AR, making it easier for users to replace the barrel without having to set up a headspace when performing the replacement. Another interesting option: the receiver can be steel or aluminum, depending on the model. CZ's new design also abandoned their traditional proprietary dovetail tenon, and instead adopted a Picatinny/Weaver style base, or on some models, a version that bored and tapped for users to choose mounts and rings. The CZ 600 series rifles will be manufactured in one of three receiver sizes: mini for .223 size cartridges, medium for .308 size cartridges and 6.5 PRC, and for .30/06 and .300 Win Long rifle. Marg. Ink cartridges.
The barrel of CZ 600 is cold hammer forged with a threaded muzzle, and different weights and lengths are available according to the model. Because it slides into the receiver instead of penetrating, there is no external thread. Instead, there is an indexing groove on the barrel, so it is impossible to insert it by mistake. The barrel is removed and reinstalled with three large Torx fasteners in the receiver, which are tightened or loosened in a specific pattern. There is no need to reset the headspace, CZ is guaranteed to return to zero within 1 MOA. This is one of the easiest and easiest ways to remove and reinstall the barrel I have ever seen.
As mentioned earlier, the bolt has two rows of three locking lugs and a compact 60-degree bolt throw, except for the mini action with only three lugs. A lot of energy has been invested in bolt design. CZ abandoned the classic Mauser claw extractor in favor of a more modern AR or Sako type, but still managed to make it control the circular feed. Another feature is controlled ejection. Many riflemen who shoot Winchester Model 70s or Mausers like to slowly turn the bolt to place the box next to the rifle, or quickly turn the bolt to send the box to a friend away from two benches. The CZ 600 has a plunger ejector that ejects the housing in the same way. This is how it works. On the Remington 700, the plunger is pushed forward by a spring. On the CZ 600, it is fixed backwards by a spring. When the plunger is flush with the bolt plane, this action can still be fed as a control circle, because the edge of the cartridge can slide under the extractor without hitting the launcher. When the bolt moves backward, the plunger engages with a stopper, moves it forward above the bolt face, and then pops the brass away. The harder you tighten the bolt, the harder the brass sail. This is a good contact. In addition, the bolt head can be replaced to fit the new chamber.
Most serious hunters and shooters want an adjustable trigger, because the pull on the lawyer-approved factory trigger is annoying at best and almost impossible to shoot at worst. The only drawback is that sometimes adjusting the pull weight can be tricky. CZ is innovative and patentable in this respect. Their adjustable triggers have four positive, pawl-defined settings, which can be selected with an Allen key without having to take the action from the butt. This prevents unsafe triggering. Pull weights are in Newton meters (feel free to start with a metric joke), but work out to about 1.5 pounds at the lightest setting and 3 pounds at the heaviest setting.
Safety is the most unusual I have seen in the bolt action, but it is also very intuitive and requires only a little use. This is a plunger design mounted on the tang. Basically, the safety device consists of a button located at the top tang. Press the button to "fire". Push it back from behind the trigger guard at the bottom of the buttstock and place the rifle in a safe position. In the safe position, the bolt is locked in place. I appreciate this because it keeps the bolt closed when the gun is hung on my shoulder while walking. The receiver is covered by a bolt lock on the side. Press and hold this button to operate or remove bolts, all of which put the gun in a safe state. During hunting, I often use this function to clear the movement of entering and exiting vehicles, entering the stands, etc. This is a clever design element.
The detachable box magazine is great. They make it easy to load and unload rifles and carry spare ammunition. Nevertheless, in the most unexpected or worse cases, it is not impossible to accidentally hit the magazine release button of the rifle and drop the magazine, or even lose the magazine. The CZ 600 has a lockable detachable box magazine to prevent this from happening. Just insert it like any other detachable box magazine, and then slide the release button forward to lock it in place. It is simple, convenient and safe. When the magazine is in the gun, the detachable box magazine can also be loaded or filled like a traditional top loading bolt action. CZ is manufacturing polymer magazines for CZ 600.
Initially, four models will be available in the United States: Alpha, Range, Lux and Trail. It is expected to start seeing them in mid-January 2022.
Alpha is a basic 600 action, made of synthetic material, with molded rubber inserts, flat bottom, can be easily placed on a bag or backpack, aluminum receiver with integrated Picatinny base, and with 1 MOA's semi-heavy profile barrel guarantee. Available calibers include .223 Rem., 7.62×39, 224 Valkyrie, .308 Win., 6mm Creedmoor, 6.5 Creedmoor, 6.5 PRC, .30/06 Sprg., .300 Win. Magazine, 8x57JS. Suggested retail price: US$749.
Lux is a more traditional looking hunting rifle, with European walnut butt, pig back comb, sporty counterweight barrel, open sight and threaded muzzle, and a base for scope Steel casing for drilling and tapping. 1 MOA guarantee. Available calibers: .223 Rem., .308 Win., 8×57 IS, .30/06 Sprg., .300 Win. Mag. Suggested retail price: US$849.
This range is aimed at long-range hunters or precision rifle shooters. It uses target-style laminate material, with adjustable cheeks and integrated button sling swivel cups and double swivel studs on the front. The heavy target barrel has a 0.75 MOA accuracy guarantee. Available caliber: .308 Win., 6mm Creedmoor. Suggested retail price: US$1,199.
Trail is completely different from the other three models. Trail is only suitable for the 0.223 Rem. mini rifle, which is a hybrid of AR-15 and chassis rifle. It adopts a modular and portable design, with a telescopic buttstock, a free-floating M-LOK handguard, a closed receiver with a top Picatinny rail, and an AR-15 magazine. The design of the magazine release device and safety device is inspired by CZ's Bren series rifles. The magnetic release button is not locked. Trail has a 2 MOA accuracy guarantee. Available caliber: .223 Rem. Suggested retail price: $1,155.
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Overall, this is an impressive new rifle platform with well-thought-out features and useful innovations, not just to be different. The interchangeable barrel function is ideal for those who want to change the caliber without buying a new rifle, or those who shoot frequently and need to replace worn barrels. We are unable to conduct a thorough accuracy test at the event, but it is expected that someone will complete the test in a controlled environment soon.
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