NON RESTRICTED VZ85 vs AR180B

Shazam

Shazam

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OK. Looking at Non restricted project.

The AR180B with rails and folding stock are a great option

  • 10 round RRA pistols mags
  • 5.56 is expensive

The other option is a the CZ VZ858 with rails grips etc

  • 5 round limit with pinned mags
  • 7.62x39 is CHEAP

Both have their advantages etc, and quality is comparable IMHO. Anyone have experience with these?
 
I own a CZ 858 in the non restricted version. Great gun, a little clunky but an accurate rifle "of this type" with a great kit for the money. There is a fairly good choice of accessories for this rifle as well from guys like Wolverine or Marstar. Only one little flaw that I can pickup on, are the sights that are installed on the 19" barrel & the 16" barrel are the same. So the rear sight elevation graduations are off around the 300 or 400m (can't remember exactly) & beyond range. Some of this could have to do with the ammo I use too. But all n all a fine rifle.
 
It's a tough call. If you like the gun, you're going to end up spending a fair bit on ammo. Might be worth it for the 7.62, then again, I prefer shooting .223 personally. It's just a nicer round and worth paying a bit extra to shoot.
 
You can reload for an AR. Reloading 7.62warsaw isn't really worth it, with rounds being so cheap already.

I personally prefer the kick of the CZ-858. The gun itself is a bit of a mystery, a bit of a "are you allowed to have those?" gun. I really enjoy having mine, and they're simple as pie to clean. I would recommend the CZ-858 for your first non-restricted. You can abuse them a lot more than an AR-15, since the tolerances are a lot less. Get the AR-15 second. That way as you become a better shooter, you upgrade to a more accurate platform. It's also twice the price, so you can spend more on ammo for the CZ-858 in the meantime. ;)
 
I have an 858. I've held a 180but never fired one so take my opinion for what it's worth. I vote the VZ58. It's cheaper, ammo is plentiful and it's a riot to shoot. I find my 858 to be very accurate. At 200 yards I can repeatedly hit an 18 inch diameter gong shot after shot - and I'm not really a great shot...
 
Yeah, enjoy the 858 while ammo is still cheap and plentiful. I'm sure at some point we'll be reminiscing (sp?) the good ole' days when 7.62x39 was cheap. Take advantage of the supply situation now.
 
Assyrian said:
If 5.56 is expensive, You picked the wrong hobby
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I know it isn't too pricey - I have a .223. But one must admit that 7.62x39 is half the cost of .223 at the moment. :)

Collecting matchbooks from local resteraunts would have been a nice low cost hobby to get into. Maybe in my next life.;)
 
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the mini-30 is ok if you want to make noise... trying to hit anything beyond 50m is not fun though. It's good if you shoot 1 mag only, once it heats up it's a dog though.

My vote goes to the AR-180B - Awesome rifle!

I don't mind the 858's (58's), but they do feel a little rougher for sure... not as refined. Tight mags, rougher finish, corrosive ammo, etc.

.223 ammo is roughly the same price as .40 S&W. It's a little more money, but it's good stuff (Federal AE .55gr at least) and it's made recently. I have stuff marked 2007 :p Feels good shooting. Did I mention I can nail a small gong repeatedly at 200m with my AR180B just using a 1x RDS.
 
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I vote VZ, but I am biased:wave:
Cheap ammo for plinking and target practice. Evil looking banana mags to piss off antis.
Also, with soft tips you can hunt deer/black bear if you really want to.

However, if you live in the flat parts of canada, you might like the .223 instead, in order to destroy little cuddly creatures:evil:. Your optics mount options are also better on the 180.
 
ilovepotatos said:
You can reload for an AR. Reloading 7.62warsaw isn't really worth it, with rounds being so cheap already.

I personally prefer the kick of the CZ-858. The gun itself is a bit of a mystery, a bit of a "are you allowed to have those?" gun. I really enjoy having mine, and they're simple as pie to clean. I would recommend the CZ-858 for your first non-restricted. You can abuse them a lot more than an AR-15, since the TOLERANCES are a lot less. Get the AR-15 second. That way as you become a better shooter, you upgrade to a more accurate platform. It's also twice the price, so you can spend more on ammo for the CZ-858 in the meantime. ;)
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First off, the tolerances aren't less, the clearances between moving parts is more. The cz 858 is a great gun. sometimes the recoil nails you in the cheekbone. The AR180B is a fine rifle. both rifles will need aftermarket accessories to mount optics. 7.62 x39 is legal on big game. In some places .223 is not.

.223 is ballistically a flatter shooting round. both deliver approx. the same energy to the target, but the .223 is a faster, lighter bullet. do you intend to hunt? bear defence? shoot coyotes? gopher hunt? plink? I own 2 858's an AR15, and an XCR. I love them all. different tools for different jobs.
 
I have both so it's hard to say. However, if I had the choise of what to buy first...I go for the AR180B cause there are alot of CZ/VZ's around and they are cheaper so you can aford it faster AFTER you buy the AR180B :)
 
I had both and sold the ar 180 its accuracy was not much better at 100yrd and like you said the cz is cheaper to shoot and more compact. If I need accuracy I use my sl8
 
Well ... the real choice is between the cost of ammo (7.62x39) vs the extra 5 rounds available in the AR15 "pistol" mags.

Ive seen some pretty cool CZ85 rigs with rails etc...
 
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