Thoughts and impressions: CZ 600 LUX

That's a great price. I got one in 8mm and in 243 and they are solid, well made performers. I have enough PF and CRF rifles to know that there's no practical difference in the field. While I may lean towards a 45-70 lever for dangerous game, I would not hesitate to use my 8mm Lux if that's what I had.

Here's my 8x57 sitting in a solid factory synthetic stock. The factory sights are excellent:

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Because this is too nice for the muck:
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This factory synthetic stock is going on my 243 Lux SA:

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Does anyone have an alpha yet and have they taken it out shooting?

The pistol grip looks interesting. I’d love to get some impressions on it
 
I find every CZ I've ever bought new the bolt is rough and smooths out pretty quickly. Both of my 550, my 455, and 457. All 4 are butter smooth now. There is just a certain sound my 550 Safari makes when operating the bolt that just sounds so satisfying.

old303 said:
Barrel swap might be why the rear sight is forward on the barrel, so the sights stay aligned to it.

On the one hand that really cuts down on the sight radius, but on the other hand it might mean that old cheapskates who don't mount a scope don't have to try to focus on a rear sight as close in.

Has anyone tried one of these with the iron sights?
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The rear sight is likely far forward so people don't have issues with their scope bottoming out on the rear sight. Most, if not all modern hunting rifles with iron sights only have them for the intention to be used as backup incase the scope fails. The lack of the ability to adjust these iron sights is pretty evident of this intention.
 
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I cancelled my pre-order last week. Nothing Tesro did wrong. I just recently decided that I have more than enough standard calibre rifles and thus I decided to "invest" into my existing rifles that I know are well built and can shoot well. I will carefully watch the reviews and may pick-up an 8x57 Alpha in the future. I am currently saving my coin for a new Sako 85 Bavarian Carbine in a heavy hitter chambering, probably 9.3x62.

Regarding the wooden bolt knob, no thanks. I like Bavarian styling alot, but that is just over the top and I can see myself damaging/gouging that wooden ball in short order.
 
We ordered the entire line up of these rifles when they were first announced but we cancelled most of them after the recall. We kept our order for the LUX in .308, .30-06, and 8x57 as well as the Alpha in 7.62x39 and the Trail in .223rem.
 
I bet the trails will sell well. If they are competing with bcl offerings it’s not hard to win.

I want to try one of these because of how strange they are. At 1000k approx in today’s market they are sadly an upper tier budget gun. Honestly any gun in that price range that offered a top-load magazine, milled in picatinny bases and that style of adjustable trigger would have my attention

Still would love a comment from an alpha owner on the bore height cheekpiece and near vertical pistol group.

Aluminum receiver, futuristic California stock styling, med- heavy barrel on a sub 7lb gun?

Too weird to live, too rare to die.

I want to try one
 
The Kurgan said:
I cancelled my pre-order last week. Nothing Tesro did wrong. I just recently decided that I have more than enough standard calibre rifles and thus I decided to "invest" into my existing rifles that I know are well built and can shoot well. I will carefully watch the reviews and may pick-up an 8x57 Alpha in the future. I am currently saving my coin for a new Sako 85 Bavarian Carbine in a heavy hitter chambering, probably 9.3x62.

Regarding the wooden bolt knob, no thanks. I like Bavarian styling alot, but that is just over the top and I can see myself damaging/gouging that wooden ball in short order.
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You and me both. That was an unfortunate long roller coaster ride that ended in disappointment. All I wanted was a classic looking CRF, wood stocked, Mauser style rifle with iron sights that I can use to take big game. Since placing my preorder for the 600 Lux in .308 over a year ago I've managed to pick up a 527in 7.62, a 550 in 375 H&H and most recently a 457.

I didn't really see the need for a 600 Lux since I had already met the criteria I set out to get. I am going to consider looking at the 557 line and that may be the last CZ bolt gun addition to my collection. I'd love to find a .557 Range model in .308, but I may still consider one of the Lux models or one with a polymer stock.

Hopfully CZ provides further updates to the 600 line to address the earlier criticisms.
 
Northern Shooter said:
You and me both. That was an unfortunate long roller coaster ride that ended in disappointment. All I wanted was a classic looking CRF, wood stocked, Mauser style rifle with iron sights that I can use to take big game. Since placing my preorder for the 600 Lux in .308 over a year ago I've managed to pick up a 527in 7.62, a 550 in 375 H&H and most recently a 457.

I didn't really see the need for a 600 Lux since I had already met the criteria I set out to get. I am going to consider looking at the 557 line and that may be the last CZ bolt gun addition to my collection. I'd love to find a .557 Range model in .308, but I may still consider one of the Lux models or one with a polymer stock.

Hopfully CZ provides further updates to the 600 line to address the earlier criticisms.
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You certainly won't be disappointed in a 557 Lux model. You can also order an EGW pic rail and Range stock if you wan't to convert to a Range style. Their polymer stocks are also excellent. Yes, I was a bit turned off by the wait and the lack of barrel interchangeability. I am certain they will sell like hotcakes though as there is a host of great features for a great price, but I just don't need one. Like you, I will get a more powerful rifle (Sako Bavarian Carbine in 9.3x62) and my collection will have everything covered. Still looking for an unaltered Brno 22F to take care of my classic itch and it's a true Mauser 98 pattern.
 
With the price the Ruger American 7.62x39 is going for, and the thing is a pile of garbage, The CZ 600 Alpha in 7.62x39 should do just fine. If someone wants something like a 527 Carbine then they could just order the LUX in 7.62x39. I understand that CZ would void the warranty if you swapped the barrels yourself but the calibers are still very easy to swap by yourself. I don't care about warranty. For firearms, it's just a service that takes your gun away for half a year when you could fix the problem yourself faster and for cheaper than the freight cost.
 
dgradinaru said:
I agree plastic has its own place, but with all the plastic options already on the market, I don't think we needed another. Especially from CZ with a reputation built around traditional rifles.
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The Kurgan said:
I agree to a point, but I would rather buy a CZ over the other brands for "tool gun" purposes. The real test, in my eyes, is: how does it shoot and will it stand up to rigorous field conditions?
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Northern Shooter said:
You might be on to something here with the new 600 line. I may have been looking at this the wrong way with wanting a quality wood stock rifle with iron sights where as thats where they shined with previous generations. It might be the alpha, range and trail models where the 600 will hit it's stride.
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The Kurgan said:
I have several very nice wood stocked rifles with iron sights and blued steel in both CRF and PF configurations, and I won't part with them, but I really needed something I can bang around and not have to worry so much. I also think traditional rifles are now best found on EE, from pre-64 Wins to Brno 21's to the earlier M77's, among others, including previous generations of CZ.
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You guys are all missing what is to me, the biggest change: the use of a nitriding process to make the gun very weather resistant. Long barrel life, rust-resistant. What's not to love? Same goes for 457's. Those will outlast any other .22, and that's saying something.
 
So I handled a CZ 600 Alpha 308 at a gun counter today. Thanks to the gentleman at TnT for letting me drop the bolt, play with the magazine, pull the trigger etc. A lot of stores would not do this

I have some impressions from the quick once over I gave it:

- maybe the most front heavy gun I have encountered. This sound like an exaggeration but I am really struggling to think of anything that is even in the same realm.

The guy at the gun counter suggested that a heavy European scope would balance it out; excellent upsell but honestly not sure it would. Seems to be an issue of not only heavy barrel weight on a light receiver but a forward balance point. I think it would feel front heavy even if you tried to balance the weight over the receiver with a big scope.

Because of this an objectively light gun feels heavy when shouldered. I imagine shooting it offhand would be very difficult. A big design flaw for a gun from a manufacturer that may be targeting an audience of European battue hunters

- the bolt release is on the right hand side of the receiver. It is a small thing and you might be able to get used to it, but I found it genuinely infuriating lol. Just a very strange design choice, would be even more annoying with a scope mounted.

- it is very funky looking. The pictures online do not do justice to how straight the pistol grip is. I thought it looked kind of cool in a “ so ugly it’s cute” kind of way. You almost feel bad for it and want to take it home because no one else will. Like a pug or something

I have long fingers and a short neck. For me a straight comb is perfect and swept back grips often end up functioning as normal ones. I really liked the straight comb at bore height and near straight pistol grip; it felt more in common with a chassis rifle or ar in terms of comfort than a traditionally styled stock

- I like the idea of the novel style of the safety; I do question if there is any benefit over a traditional tang safety; especially in terms of taking it off of safe in a hurry. I am not sure it could be easily taken off safe without breaking your grip on the gun

- trigger is very good

- magazine with mag lock and top load is a cool feature but I can’t speak to its function. I would not be concerned about locking or unlocking the mag intentionally

- with the cut of the stock and machined in bases I imagine with low rings it would be very quick to get on target.

- seemed slick without rounds in the mag but most guns do

- build quality seemed high, stock is your usual “ plastic fantastic” but doesn’t seem to flex a ton like very cheap models (American, axis etc). Fit and finish good. The coating on the receiver and barrel seemed solid, but that doesn’t mean much


All in all, a bit disappointing. I wouldn’t mind playing with one a bit more; but at ~1000 dollars I don’t know if it’s worth it or bringing anything to the table that a well made budget gun like a tikka, bergara does with better balance and more traditional manual of arms
 
I wonder if the Lux, with its steel receiver and lighter profile barrel, balances better? Just keep in mind that the Alpha is designed to take a scope and that should help balance things out. I am intrigued by the user friendly adjuster for the trigger. Also, how did the plastic trigger guard feel? Is it beefier than the Tikka? The T3 trigger guard assembly is too delicate for my tastes.
 
The Kurgan said:
I wonder if the Lux, with its steel receiver and lighter profile barrel, balances better? Just keep in mind that the Alpha is designed to take a scope and that should help balance things out. I am intrigued by the user friendly adjuster for the trigger. Also, how did the plastic trigger guard feel? Is it beefier than the Tikka? The T3 trigger guard assembly is too delicate for my tastes.
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The lux is no different than cz 557 in regards to balance point.
 
conor_90 said:
So I handled a CZ 600 Alpha 308 at a gun counter today. Thanks to the gentleman at TnT for letting me drop the bolt, play with the magazine, pull the trigger etc. A lot of stores would not do this

I have some impressions from the quick once over I gave it:

- maybe the most front heavy gun I have encountered. This sound like an exaggeration but I am really struggling to think of anything that is even in the same realm.

The guy at the gun counter suggested that a heavy European scope would balance it out; excellent upsell but honestly not sure it would. Seems to be an issue of not only heavy barrel weight on a light receiver but a forward balance point. I think it would feel front heavy even if you tried to balance the weight over the receiver with a big scope.

Because of this an objectively light gun feels heavy when shouldered. I imagine shooting it offhand would be very difficult. A big design flaw for a gun from a manufacturer that may be targeting an audience of European battue hunters

- the bolt release is on the right hand side of the receiver. It is a small thing and you might be able to get used to it, but I found it genuinely infuriating lol. Just a very strange design choice, would be even more annoying with a scope mounted.

- it is very funky looking. The pictures online do not do justice to how straight the pistol grip is. I thought it looked kind of cool in a “ so ugly it’s cute” kind of way. You almost feel bad for it and want to take it home because no one else will. Like a pug or something

I have long fingers and a short neck. For me a straight comb is perfect and swept back grips often end up functioning as normal ones. I really liked the straight comb at bore height and near straight pistol grip; it felt more in common with a chassis rifle or ar in terms of comfort than a traditionally styled stock

- I like the idea of the novel style of the safety; I do question if there is any benefit over a traditional tang safety; especially in terms of taking it off of safe in a hurry. I am not sure it could be easily taken off safe without breaking your grip on the gun

- trigger is very good

- magazine with mag lock and top load is a cool feature but I can’t speak to its function. I would not be concerned about locking or unlocking the mag intentionally

- with the cut of the stock and machined in bases I imagine with low rings it would be very quick to get on target.

- seemed slick without rounds in the mag but most guns do

- build quality seemed high, stock is your usual “ plastic fantastic” but doesn’t seem to flex a ton like very cheap models (American, axis etc). Fit and finish good. The coating on the receiver and barrel seemed solid, but that doesn’t mean much


All in all, a bit disappointing. I wouldn’t mind playing with one a bit more; but at ~1000 dollars I don’t know if it’s worth it or bringing anything to the table that a well made budget gun like a tikka, bergara does with better balance and more traditional manual of arms
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I have a couple Tikka rifles and I'd go with those over the alpha or ergo.
 
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