Controlled round feeding?

[RoscoeP]

Well I am getting close on making my choise on a heavy barrel varmit rifle. Going to look at a Sako 85 and Tika's today, but the Sako is probably off the list due to cost plus the high cost of the opti-lock base/rings.

The strong runners are the Savage 12 BVSS and now the CZ 527 both laminated. The Savage is cheaper(on sale) but heavier, but the CZ dosn't need bases so that helps with cost. Both are supposed to shoot good and have decent triggers. One thing I hear about the CZ is this CRF and unless you feed from the mag you can damage the extracter? Any truth to this?
Help me make my choise guys, I am probably answering my own question as I like the look of the greenish laminate on the CZ better and it is more of a middle heavy weight so packing around would be easier.
Are there strong reasons to pick the Savage over the CZ? I want to order by Monday at the latest. Thanks for your input. Cheers Roscoe

 

[BigUglyMan]

My guess is that the Savage will likely be more accurate. I've never used the 527 but most modern CRF rifles have the extractor relieved to allow for chambering a round not fed from the mag.

 

[Jordan Smith]

A true M98 CRF action doesn't allow drop-in feeding, only mag-fed cartridges will chamber, but many modern CRF extractors are either modified from the factory, or by a gunsmith, by grinding a bit of an angle on the extractor lip, in order to enable the claw extractor to snap over the rim of the brass when a cartridge is dropped in the top and the bolt closed.

I suspect the CZ is modified to allow single feeding. The Savage may be more accurate (possibly), but the CZ is a higher-quality rifle. Are you more interested in a solidly-built varmint rifle, or one that has the potential to be more accurate from the box?