CZ 527 synthetic in 7.62 x 39
- Thread starter Zulu10
- Start date
None whatsoever, I researched 7.62x39 barrel life and couldn't find anything reliable. Lots of internet claims but no real data, especially not for a bolt action firearm opposed to a rifle like a AK that might blurt out 600 rounds in an hour.
NB: Barrel life means the number of rounds that can be fired before peak accuracy is passed, it does not mention how rapidly your accuracy will degrade after that point has been reached.
According to this article the barrel life of a 308 Winchester is 5000 rounds, and according to this article barrel lives of up to 10,000 rounds with service firearms is not unusual.
308 puts 3617j of energy down range with a 150gr bullet at 860m/s. This is 71.5% more energy and 17.8% faster than the standard 123gr 7.62x39. In addition the max SAAMI pressure for 308 is 430 MPa which is 38.6% higher than the 310MPa for 7.62x39
So all the above leads me to believe that the 7.62x39 bullet with it's significantly lower surface area in contact with the rifling at much lower pressure and much lower speed will make for a barrel life far greater than 308 Winchester.
Long story short: As someone with no scientific background or engineering experience who has looked up some wiki numbers and read a couple articles I would not be surprised if I was able to get a 10-15,000 round barrel life out of a 7.62x39 Bolt gun that is used for steady rates of fire and 5-10 round groups.
- Location
- Steel Town
7.62x39 in a bolt gun? That's pretty much several generations, unless you're over-heating the barrel and shooting the nuts out of it.
The 7.62×39 caliber has one of the smallest Overbore Index (OI) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overbore; http://bulletin.accurateshooter.com/2016/03/defining-overbore-cartridges-the-great-debate/) equal to just 4.81cm. No comparison with 308 Winchester that has the OI=7.66cm. The life of the 7.62×39mm will be much longer than 308 Winchester. Most likely, the 7.62×39 barrel will outlive you.
Interesting thread. I own a CZ, Ruger M77 MKII and also built a Rem 700 in 7.62x39 for testing. I have put over 4 thousand rounds of steel case surplus through that Rem 700 barrel .308 bore and it still shoots as good as the day I chambered it. I gave up trying to ruin the barrel. No need to.
I love the CZ and Ruger M77 for CRF, but am not a real fan of box fed mags for hunting so the Ruger goes with me there for bush hunting. I'm interested in the Howa HB version though as it takes Rem 700 bases and has a 700 style bolt.
Can you Howa owners tell me if the bolt comes apart the same way as a 700 for changing the firing pin springs if need be?
I love the CZ and Ruger M77 for CRF, but am not a real fan of box fed mags for hunting so the Ruger goes with me there for bush hunting. I'm interested in the Howa HB version though as it takes Rem 700 bases and has a 700 style bolt.
Can you Howa owners tell me if the bolt comes apart the same way as a 700 for changing the firing pin springs if need be?
MusicianShooter
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- SW Ontario
It's the original stainless with canoe paddle stock. I think they only made around 5,000 of them. They are hard to find and if you do they are not cheap.
p.Rundle
CGN frequent flyer
I have a Cz. I did have an issue with the bolt where it wouldn't #### when I opened it gently, which is supposed to be impossible with a Mauser ####-on-open. When I opened it vigorously it would #### 100%. Turns out there was a small burr on the sere engagement. Cost me like $20 to have fixed lol. None of the gunsmiths I've talked to have ever seen anything like that with a Cz or Mauser in general. I just have immensely bad luck. Don't let this deter you, literally all of those gunsmiths were super weirded out and this is not something I've ever read about before. Even Cz when I emailed them was super, super confused about how it was even physically possible.
The Cz has an excellent trigger, excellent irons (my synthetic came with fibre optics), and excellent action. There is nothing about it I don't like, except I wish it was nitrided or had a chrome bore. A muzzle device would also be nice, not because it needs recoil reduction, but as a crown protector. I drop things in the mountains sometimes, and don't like the idea of damaging the muzzle. The magazine is also superior, in my mind, to those of the Ruger American line. The straight feed has less to go wrong with it that the strange box/helical design of the Ruger. I cannot keep straight which models have which magazine for the Ruger, so if the one you're looking at has the Mini-30 mags, that's also better than the helical one.
The reality is that Cz is consolidating their line of 527's right now. If you want a synthetic model, which is what I have, buy it now, rather than later--because from my understanding, they stopped making it. It is an excellent rile and I have enjoyed my time with it greatly. Sure, it costs more, but you get useable irons right out of the box and don't necessarily need to buy a scope, unlike the Ruger. At the end of the day, it is your money, and your discretion and only you can determine what is worthy of your income. I chose Cz, and I would do it again. Ruger is not bad, but it's not really up to par with the Cz. That's not to say it's a bad gun, rather I think it offers tremendous value for the money, and for a quad/won't see maintenance rifle, I think it's a better sacrificial lamb, but that's just because I wouldn't want to put the Cz through the same ringer. Mine doesn't get babied, but I couldn't stand to see it abused.
Either way, buy ammo. Hope this was helpful. BTW Frontier Firearms has Bushnell .300 Blackout 1-4 scopes that match 7.62x39 for a great price right now. Would go great on either option.
The Cz has an excellent trigger, excellent irons (my synthetic came with fibre optics), and excellent action. There is nothing about it I don't like, except I wish it was nitrided or had a chrome bore. A muzzle device would also be nice, not because it needs recoil reduction, but as a crown protector. I drop things in the mountains sometimes, and don't like the idea of damaging the muzzle. The magazine is also superior, in my mind, to those of the Ruger American line. The straight feed has less to go wrong with it that the strange box/helical design of the Ruger. I cannot keep straight which models have which magazine for the Ruger, so if the one you're looking at has the Mini-30 mags, that's also better than the helical one.
The reality is that Cz is consolidating their line of 527's right now. If you want a synthetic model, which is what I have, buy it now, rather than later--because from my understanding, they stopped making it. It is an excellent rile and I have enjoyed my time with it greatly. Sure, it costs more, but you get useable irons right out of the box and don't necessarily need to buy a scope, unlike the Ruger. At the end of the day, it is your money, and your discretion and only you can determine what is worthy of your income. I chose Cz, and I would do it again. Ruger is not bad, but it's not really up to par with the Cz. That's not to say it's a bad gun, rather I think it offers tremendous value for the money, and for a quad/won't see maintenance rifle, I think it's a better sacrificial lamb, but that's just because I wouldn't want to put the Cz through the same ringer. Mine doesn't get babied, but I couldn't stand to see it abused.
Either way, buy ammo. Hope this was helpful. BTW Frontier Firearms has Bushnell .300 Blackout 1-4 scopes that match 7.62x39 for a great price right now. Would go great on either option.
- Location
- Steel Town
The only three rifles in current production worth looking at are the CZ, Howa and Ruger. The rest, don't bother, you'll be sorely disappointed.
I really like the idea of a "companion rifle" for my SKS. 7.62x39 in a quality hunting bullet is very effective on medium game within sane (under 200m) distances.
I have stock piled some Hornady SST, Barnaul, GECO, Prvi SP and MFS. The Hornady is quite accurate, but the Prvi brass cased soft points can print 1 MOA with the right rifle, no problem.
I wish I kept my Czech surplus for all the stripper clips for my SKS, but hindsight is 20/20
I really like the idea of a "companion rifle" for my SKS. 7.62x39 in a quality hunting bullet is very effective on medium game within sane (under 200m) distances.
I have stock piled some Hornady SST, Barnaul, GECO, Prvi SP and MFS. The Hornady is quite accurate, but the Prvi brass cased soft points can print 1 MOA with the right rifle, no problem.
I wish I kept my Czech surplus for all the stripper clips for my SKS, but hindsight is 20/20
- Location
- Steel Town
Thank you for this. That's a great idea.
p.Rundle
CGN frequent flyer
You're welcome. Hope you got one!
VanIsleCam
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Do it.
VanIsleCam
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
VanIsleCam
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Where you buying parts?
Wolverine has some parts in stock and will order for you. They have been good to me so far for CZ 527 and 452 parts.
https://www.wolverinesupplies.com/SearchByKeyword?word=CZ 527 parts#?sortValue=0
Did you disassemble bold as well for cleaning ?
Thank you !
