CZ 550 FS, But What Round???

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Max-4

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Southern Ontario
Hey, I am looking long and hard at the CZ 550 FS for a new hunting rifle. I think with an overall length of 41.5" and the European stock it will fit me and my needs for an Ontario big game rifle very well. I will be hunting moose and deer sometimes in thick bush around North Bay area. I may try the open sights but I also may put on a low power scope or red dot sight.

I need a good big game round and the options are: 6.5x55 Swedish (too small?), .270 Win, .308 Win, 30-06 Spfld, 9.3x62 Mauser. Im thinking the .308 or the 30-06 might be right but then theres the removable magazine or fixed magazine, is the fixed mag a hinged floorplate? I do not reload and have no intention to in the near future. What do you guys think would be the right caliber for this gun, keeping in mind its shorter barrel length and weight for recoil too. Thanks
 
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If you want an all-rounder, it is hard to beat a .30/06... personally though I am a .308 family guy... so that is probably what I would do... is it available in 7X57, if so that would be a good option for a reloader, not so good if you don't reload.
 
I like your style. I also like the idea of having a European rifle in a European caliber. That being said I would go with the Swede or 9.3 if you feel you can take the recoil.
 
General purpose big game cartridges, in my opinion range from the various 6.5s up to the various .375s. The reason I don't include the quarter bores is that, again my opinion, their bullets are too light for general purpose big game hunting. Those cartridges which produce a muzzle velocity greater than 2300 fps when loaded with medium to heavy weight bullets, will shoot flat enough for the ranges involved, and hit hard enough to have a reasonable expectation of killing all North American big game with a single blow. Don't let your choice be influenced by grandiose figures that causes you to choose a cartridge that is beyond your ability to shoot well. Consider your shooting experience, and choose accordingly. A general purpose rifle should be able to be fired from all shooting positions including prone, if you can't shoot it prone,your rifle is too much for you in this application. However, it could be considered a niche cartridge if you can shoot it well off hand or from a supported field position other than prone. A 6.5X55 loaded with a 140 gr Partition driven at 2650 would be a lethal combination for all but bison, and Ontario doesn't have many bison herds. A 9.3X62 is a wonderful cartridge for the experienced rifleman, and would be particularly useful if you traveled north to the Hudson Bay lowlands to hunt moose or caribou where its prudent to have a rifle that could deal with any bear emergency that could arise.

If you find that the recoil or blast of your rifle is upsetting, ensure that you are using suitable hearing protection, and that you don't have a muzzle break on your rifle. Ensure the LOP fits you, a stock that is too long feels like it kicks more than it does, and ensure that the butt is equipped with a good quality recoil pad. Be sure you scope has plenty of eye relief, a scope that is mounted too far to the rear can hit you, cut you, and result in a flinch. If the scope extends behind the cocking piece of the bolt, chances are it can hit you if you are shooting at a steep angle from a rested position or from prone.

My choice is a .30/06 or a .375. I like them both, I own them both, and I shoot enough that I'm not troubled by their recoil.
 
Thanks for the responses, while I do agree that it would be cool to have a European rifle like this in a European cartridge. I do not reload and buy my ammo at the local gun shop, I don't want to pay $60 for a box of 20 shells unless it has the best Hornady or Barnes partition bullet. I don't know much about the 6.5x55 or the 9.3x62 so while I'm sure they can be found at gun stores how much does a box of hunting ammo cost?

I think the wise choice would be to stick with a 30-06 or .308 because of factory ammo choices and prices. Now with these 2 rounds I can either get a hinged floor plate or detachable magazine. I'm not sure which one would be better on this gun, almost seems like the floor plate would be authentic?

Tell me, with this 7.5 pound rifle would I notice much difference in accuracy or recoil between the .308 s 30-06?
 
Max-4 said:
Thanks for the responses, while I do agree that it would be cool to have a European rifle like this in a European cartridge. I do not reload and buy my ammo at the local gun shop, I don't want to pay $60 for a box of 20 shells unless it has the best Hornady or Barnes partition bullet. I don't know much about the 6.5x55 or the 9.3x62 so while I'm sure they can be found at gun stores how much does a box of hunting ammo cost?

I think the wise choice would be to stick with a 30-06 or .308 because of factory ammo choices and prices. Now with these 2 rounds I can either get a hinged floor plate or detachable magazine. I'm not sure which one would be better on this gun, almost seems like the floor plate would be authentic?



Tell me, with this 7.5 pound rifle would I notice much difference in accuracy or recoil between the .308 s 30-06?
Click to expand...

If you're narrowed down to the 30-06 or 308 I would put my vote on the short action for the short rifle.
 
Max-4 said:
Thanks for the responses, while I do agree that it would be cool to have a European rifle like this in a European cartridge. I do not reload and buy my ammo at the local gun shop, I don't want to pay $60 for a box of 20 shells unless it has the best Hornady or Barnes partition bullet. I don't know much about the 6.5x55 or the 9.3x62 so while I'm sure they can be found at gun stores how much does a box of hunting ammo cost?

I think the wise choice would be to stick with a 30-06 or .308 because of factory ammo choices and prices. Now with these 2 rounds I can either get a hinged floor plate or detachable magazine. I'm not sure which one would be better on this gun, almost seems like the floor plate would be authentic?

Tell me, with this 7.5 pound rifle would I notice much difference in accuracy or recoil between the .308 s 30-06?
Click to expand...

I have the 550FS in .308 with the removable magazines. I didn't know there was an option. I thought the .308 was magazines period. Anyway, I bought two extra magazines at $100.00 each. I only bought them when I ordered the gun because I thought I would never likely see them again. Oddly, I did see them at Wholesale Sports. (Approx. same price) I haven't shot the gun in 30-06 so I can't give you a comparison. I find the recoil very manageable. Well, I guess .308 is relatively speaking a light recoil round in almost any gun. I'd love to try a larger caliber version. The magazines are a little tricky to get in quickly. This might be due to the fact that I don't remove it and load the magazine very often. I just drop a round in. I haven't hunted with the gun so no useful information on that. The rifle is really very nice. The action is tight and it's a rifle I love looking at too. I need to work on my shooting with the iron sights. I took the scope off it and put in on another gun.
Whatever you get, you'll be happy.
 
The action length on CZ FS rifles does not change between cartridges........Same long action for say .308 or say 30-06.
The 243 and 308 both only come with DM.
 
Its a long action no matter what so get a long action caliber. So... 30-06. Better hurry up though as the 557 is the 550's replacement. If you don't care is its push feed or not then doesn't matter.
 
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