thoughts on the CZ 527 carbine?

Do you reload? I carried a .223 on the trap line and loaded it with heavy full power loads, but in my pocket we're a bundle of reduced loads... the reduced loads had about the same energy as CCI Mini-van .22 LR and we're excellent for dispatch... I colour the headstamp blue with a permanent marker so that the two power level cartridges aren't confused. I have also owned a pair of 527 FS .223's... my only complaint was the mag design for carrying in hand, however when slung over the shoulder the magazine lays down to the side and does not stick into your back, at least I did not find it uncomfortable when slung.
 
If you lose that mag, you are stuck with a single shot rifle.
Don't ask me how I know.

Actually, I prefer internal, non detachable magazine in a rifle.
At the range it does not matter, but hunting it does.
 
I looked briefly at the 527. One drawback that I saw with the rifle was that the bolt can contact the scope if mounted too low. Some people had to get higher mounts to clear the scope. I think that there are aftermarket bolt handles or mods that can be done though, If you have optics to mount then I would research this before buying.
527weaverclearance1.jpg


Image stolen from the interwebs.

I would personally look into the Winchester 70 Compact, but it is harder to get and more expensive.
 
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I have one in .223, and have had a couple in 7.62x39...wish I still had one of those as well. These are nice guns, very accurate, compact and handy. They do need rings that are a bit higher than many guns, although a bit of grinding at the root of the bolt handle can work wonders towards curing this glitch. The only other negative I can think of is that they haven't got the most wonderful triggers...the set trigger option is nice, but un-set the trigger is very creepy, jerky and inconsistent. I've largely corrected this with a bit of careful polishing, but it's something to consider. I also prefer non-detachable mags, but to be fair, I've never had one of these pop out or get lost.

I've also owned a Zastava M85...yes, they are cheaper, but IMHO they aren't anywhere near the quality of the CZ...nor even near the 90% mentioned above. I'd never own another one.
 
I do not reload, but the CZ 527 is still the lightest shortest rifle I can find is almost any action including single shot. I can't seem to find a CZ 527 Carbine for a reasonable price. had a line on a few but failed.
 
non-detachable mags just don't seem to make a lot of sense for my situation. I would be on and off of a snowmobile and every time I get on or off I would have to load the internal mag. If we needed to get a quick shot off, it would greatly delay the shot to have to load internally... in my own opinion.
 
You might also consider the single-shot Baikal rifle, comes in both .223 and 7.62x39. Not anywhere as nice as the CZ, but you can probably find one for less than half the price. Might make a nice little beater gun that suits your purposes. With practice, it can be loaded and fired very quickly. The one I had (7.62) was very accurate.
 
With all due respect, I find that people sometimes focus so tightly on one minor and less important detail, and overlook all other considerations.

I've done it myself, and regretted it every single time.

You end up buying one after another firearm that serve same purpose, and in the end you wonder how did you overlook obvious solution, that was actually simple all along. :)

Devon, it is all about training.
Once you get used to loading into internal magazine, it will not detract you at all... speaking from experience, as I had both of these rifles.

In the end of this quest, it all comes back to the price point.

All good rifles, and you will get what you pay for.
 
jjohnwm said:
You might also consider the single-shot Baikal rifle, comes in both .223 and 7.62x39. Not anywhere as nice as the CZ, but you can probably find one for less than half the price. Might make a nice little beater gun that suits your purposes. With practice, it can be loaded and fired very quickly. The one I had (7.62) was very accurate.
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Baikal is a nice rifle, but not anywhere near Zastava quality and level of refinement.
Also, Baikal is only single shot, while Zastava loads 5+1 rounds.
Being about a same price, choice is obvious.
 
I have one in 7.62x39 and love it. I use it scoped for deer and use NEGS peep sight for plinking or a a carry gun in the wild (just needed to change the front sight for a taller one also from NEGS). With the peep, it remains extremely light, well balanced and itnis still one of my most accurate rifle to date. Hornady sst is perfect (and surplus for plinking).
 
Since getting my CZ-527 FS .223 last year, I've had lots of fun with it. My singular complaint is that the twist is 1:12 where my preference is for a fast twist for those long heavy VLDs. That said, when I do my part loading appropriate bullets at the loading bench, and again when behind the trigger, it's capable of remarkable accuracy, much better than I'd have imagined. Yesterday didn't show that off, but I was shooting in a gusty wind that proved a bit tricky with the light bullets at 200 yards. I topped the rifle with a Leupold 4-12X, mounted in Warne QD rings, so I can swap to irons when the mood strikes me. There are no clearance issues between the bolt handle and the scope. I replaced the factory sights with NECG's CZ-527 ghost ring rear sight, which is simply a scaled down CZ 550 rear sight, and their brass faced rectangular post front sight.







 
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