CZ Trail vs BCL MRX Bison

I have a CZ Trail in 223/5,56mm. It's very light and compact . The accuracy promise are set lower because of the stock. I get better than advertised shoothing from the bench because I can stabilize the stock better. Shooting standing up with the stock firmly press against shoulder it's accurate enough for any job you ask of it. I would have prefered another stock options but it serve well for what's it intended. The bolt is fast , Slick and the trigger is great (from my point of view).

If you want a "tactical" bolt action rifle the CZ Trail is a sure bet if you pass the prejudice against the polymer frame and slight wobble of the stock. It's no bench rifle or precision rig. Again to carry in the wood for coyote, foxes , protection its a great rifle.

The barrel can be removed and replaced by you but it void the Warranty. You can buy a spare 300 blk and have a two for one rig using the AR mags.
 
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VanMan said:
This is my first foray into rifle load development. The 45-70 I reload is just for range fun and our indoor range is only 17y anyhow lol. This Gordon's Reloading Tool looks great! I'll try using it to develop some lower speed 55gr loads to see if I can get those to stabilize better in the Bison's 1-7" twist barrel. Load development with the 69gr and 77 gr bullets is coming along great, but I do have a large flat of the 55gr hornady's I want to use up in either this Bison or the Ruger American with a 1-8" twist. I'm thinking if I can develop loads 2200-2600fps, maybe one of those would group better in these fast twist barrels.
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Check out the discord channel for new powders, bullets, cartridges etc. https://discord.gg/RTD8KkTn
 
Thanks. Will be testing out these loads in my Bison and Ruger American this weekend. This GRT tool may save me time when I do my next load work ups 🙂


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I've had really meh NEA/BCL products in the past and have heard about all the bad stories but I have a Bison in 7.62x39 that I'm absolutely amazed by.

Second owner. First owner had the firing pin fixed by BCL, I've had a weird nick in the bolt I wasn't sure and BCL quickly replaced the bolt head for me.

I might just be extremely lucky and got a one of, and I've been called for BS here already, but I'll still say it anyways... I get 1.25-2 MOA with flyers here and there with surplus chicom copper washed stuff at 100 yards. I don't know how, but I'm just happy with it.

My complaints would be the somewhat bulky forhand and I think they could've done it lighter and still remain solid. It's sorta heavy for it's size (I have the 12.5 version).

Added a few pics, some with irons (Mbus gen2), some with Bushnell 1-6x. Steel plate is "rapid" shooting, 4x zoom at 185 yards.

Paper was mostly chicom copper washed, but also tried Russian and Czech surplus. Surprisingly, did worst with S&B SP ammo. Last range trip, did better than the surplus with Hornady Black, but not by much.
 

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our gunsmith has had similar accuracy with the Norinco 7.62x39. Both the "Silver" box and the corrosive ammo grouped very well. He didn't even bother doing any load development for his rifle as this was good enough for him lol. I think it was a Ruger American
 
I had a 1st gen mrx in 300blk that i liked but it had some issues that had to be rectified by sending it back. I actually prefer the cz with the smaller handguard and more tidy chassis. Just got one now that we can hunt with 223 in AB im going to put it to work hunting but will mainly be a target shooting/backpacking/camping gun.1000027701.jpg
 
212driller said:
I had a 1st gen mrx in 300blk that i liked but it had some issues that had to be rectified by sending it back. I actually prefer the cz with the smaller handguard and more tidy chassis. Just got one now that we can hunt with 223 in AB im going to put it to work hunting but will mainly be a target shooting/backpacking/camping gun.
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How is the cheek weld on that CZ? That cheek riser looks pretty far back. Can it be adjusted forward?
 
VanMan said:
How is the cheek weld on that CZ? That cheek riser looks pretty far back. Can it be adjusted forward?
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Its good. I dont mind it. With my optic its more of s chin weld. It is non adjustable. If you were planning on laying prone target shooting for long periods it wont be good on your neck probably but honestly ive had worse and I dont mind it.
 
eco said:
Well I just found out there is a trail 600 + coming out... interchangeable barrels, ar mags etc... not in Canada yet of course 🙄
Aaaafter I got my 600 trail..

https://www.czfirearms.com/en-us/products/centerfire-rifles/cz-600-plus-series/cz-600-plus-trail
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I don't see much differences between the 600 and 600+? Maybe I missed something though.

The 600 trail takes AR mags already. And it also originally had a user swappable barrel but they were recalled by CZ. That's why they all started shipping with red locktite on the barrel screws and stopped offering the barrels. It was a major let down to most owners at the time. It's nice to hear they are re-releasing that feature, as it was a major selling point for a lot of people.
 
Can-down said:
BCL has a reputation at this point, but part of that reputation is dealing with any problems and supporting the life time warranty.
Sounds like buddy got a lemon and rather then letting BCL deal with it decided he knew better.

My understanding is the lifetime warranty is transferable to ever owns the gun.

My biggest issue with the BCL bolt actions are the lack of nice "curves" and weight. It looks like it was designed by a German who liked right angles and straight lines.... :)

The CZ trail is a cool looking gun that would no doubt sell better under $1000.00. I guess the price of plastic is high in Czechia.
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I can confirm the warranty is transferable.
I'm enjoying mine.
 

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The CZ Trail is a great little gun for what it is.
If you don't mind (or at least are aware of) the PDW stock wobbling, which can affect accuracy, then otherwise it's a fun gun.
It packs well, shoots well, trigger is quite good for a stock trigger and it's nice to have something to shoot .223/5.56 out of still that takes AR mags. I used mine with the Cross 10 round mags almost exclusively and it was a super handy little rig. I sold my CZ Trail to my buddy last year, he's still shooting the piss out of it now and it's running great. He has Magpul MOE grip, Burris 1-6 optic and a lightweight QD B&T bipod on it.


A more expensive alternative would be the Jmac Screech Owl chassis for Rem 700 in .223.
Just throwing that fun option out there too, incase you were not aware of it. It's stock is much more solid than the Trail but keeps same form factory. Definitely costs and weighs more than the Trail but it is more stable and still packs well, despite the added weight.
Hope you find what you're after!
 

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SilentKnight said:
The CZ Trail is a great little gun for what it is.
If you don't mind (or at least are aware of) the PDW stock wobbling, which can affect accuracy, then otherwise it's a fun gun.
It packs well, shoots well, trigger is quite good for a stock trigger and it's nice to have something to shoot .223/5.56 out of still that takes AR mags. I used mine with the Cross 10 round mags almost exclusively and it was a super handy little rig. I sold my CZ Trail to my buddy last year, he's still shooting the piss out of it now and it's running great. He has Magpul MOE grip, Burris 1-6 optic and a lightweight QD B&T bipod on it.


A more expensive alternative would be the Jmac Screech Owl chassis for Rem 700 in .223.
Just throwing that fun option out there too, incase you were not aware of it. It's stock is much more solid than the Trail but keeps same form factory. Definitely costs and weighs more than the Trail but it is more stable and still packs well, despite the added weight.
Hope you find what you're after!
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I had the screech owl on a remington 700 308 12.5" barrel (was a pcr/sb) and it was super nice. Wish i never sold that rig.
 
212driller said:
I had the screech owl on a remington 700 308 12.5" barrel (was a pcr/sb) and it was super nice. Wish i never sold that rig.
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That's awesome. My local shop just built out a custom .223 variant recently and it was super cool, felt well made and designed in hand. First time I had seen that chassis and I was impressed.
The manager is a buddy there and he has a shorty Owl in the Rem700 .308 action that I am super jealous of.
I may be building a .308 Owl soon myself here, it was so nice. It would be used as a brush gun and/or close distance hunting rig with a red dot + magnifier combo or 3x Prism setup. I think that's where it shines.
 
SilentKnight said:
That's awesome. My local shop just built out a custom .223 variant recently and it was super cool, felt well made and designed in hand. First time I had seen that chassis and I was impressed.
The manager is a buddy there and he has a shorty Owl in the Rem700 .308 action that I am super jealous of.
I may be building a .308 Owl soon myself here, it was so nice. It would be used as a brush gun and/or close distance hunting rig with a red dot + magnifier combo or 3x Prism setup. I think that's where it shines.
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What shop?
 
In looking at the Trail and now the Screech Owl, I am curious as to how the makers can delude themselves into calling that little flap of material at the back of the extended stock a "cheek rest". I've never handled one of these guns, but I'm pretty sure that my cheek wouldn't be anywhere close to that thing. How do owners feel about that? It really looks like it needs to be moved forward about 5 inches to actually perform its function.

I can only imagine how the folks who want a larger Trail chambered in .308 would feel if they tried to shoot a lightweight .308 with their cheek resting on the thin metal rod of the stock.

I recall seeing mention of an adaptor for the Trail that allows mounting of AR-style buffer-tube stocks, maybe even with a folding option. Assuming that one was careful to remain long enough when collapsed/folded to remain non-restricted, maybe this would help with both issues, i.e. cheekpiece location and also the wobbly stock thing?
 
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I have both I find the bolt throw smoother on the CZ. They are both fairly accurate. I like having more rounds available with the MRX magazine.

 
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