Let me start off by saying I'm not easily impressed when it comes to firearms.
Been around the block to know that there are pro's and con's to everything.
The primary reason for purchasing a VZ was due to the relatively cheap ammunition and the "clunkyness" of the SKS's I own that fire the same ammo.
To give you an idea of how long I've been around I was digging through my ammo bins the other day and discovered I still had a 20 round blue box of Century Arms .308 Ball ammo with the $3.95 price tag on it.
So I had a mental health day yesterday and ended up at the range with my new (to me) VZ-858 and two AR-15's.
After spending two hours sending rounds downrange I must admit that I've been smittened with the rifle. Such that I can honestly say its become my favorite rifle (and I have a lot to chose from in my stable (vaults)).
I was concerned that the lightweight rifle (compared to the AR's) would result in greater felt recoil. However, after my 12 year old son shot it for the first time, all concerns were put aside. "It kicks less than your AR's" was his comment followed by "pass me somemore ammo".
The factory ergonomics are just about perfect as is the fit and finish of the firearm itself. Front sight stays pretty well on target even during rapid fire. Got a muzzle brake on the way and will be interested in testing the difference it may make.
Ended up shooting at 24"X18" steel plate at 200 yards with the factory sights.
Nobody was more surprised than me when I proceeded to hit the gong at 1 second intervals 4 out of 5 tries. The fifth was a "tink" instead of a "thunk" so even though it grazed the gong I can't claim to have hit it. Its not a tack driver by any stretch of the imagination but it is easy to hit anything you are aiming at (within reason - thought the 4" diameter "white rock" at 200 yards was being a bit of wishfull thinking - Son).
Other than adding a NEA top handguard for a dot sight I don't plan to change anything ele.
There is something very satisfying shooting a 'old school" firearm that is light-weight, easy to index the sights, and devoid of all the bells and whistles we tend to add to our toys because we can.
Combined with the cheap ammunition it made for an enjoyable - stress free day. Even the cleanup afterwards was no big deal. Rifle comes apart for cleaning pretty easily.
Looking forward to the new handguard/Dot so we can see if she's capable of better accuracy.
Cheers,
L
Been around the block to know that there are pro's and con's to everything.
The primary reason for purchasing a VZ was due to the relatively cheap ammunition and the "clunkyness" of the SKS's I own that fire the same ammo.
To give you an idea of how long I've been around I was digging through my ammo bins the other day and discovered I still had a 20 round blue box of Century Arms .308 Ball ammo with the $3.95 price tag on it.
So I had a mental health day yesterday and ended up at the range with my new (to me) VZ-858 and two AR-15's.
After spending two hours sending rounds downrange I must admit that I've been smittened with the rifle. Such that I can honestly say its become my favorite rifle (and I have a lot to chose from in my stable (vaults)).
I was concerned that the lightweight rifle (compared to the AR's) would result in greater felt recoil. However, after my 12 year old son shot it for the first time, all concerns were put aside. "It kicks less than your AR's" was his comment followed by "pass me somemore ammo".
The factory ergonomics are just about perfect as is the fit and finish of the firearm itself. Front sight stays pretty well on target even during rapid fire. Got a muzzle brake on the way and will be interested in testing the difference it may make.
Ended up shooting at 24"X18" steel plate at 200 yards with the factory sights.
Nobody was more surprised than me when I proceeded to hit the gong at 1 second intervals 4 out of 5 tries. The fifth was a "tink" instead of a "thunk" so even though it grazed the gong I can't claim to have hit it. Its not a tack driver by any stretch of the imagination but it is easy to hit anything you are aiming at (within reason - thought the 4" diameter "white rock" at 200 yards was being a bit of wishfull thinking - Son).
Other than adding a NEA top handguard for a dot sight I don't plan to change anything ele.
There is something very satisfying shooting a 'old school" firearm that is light-weight, easy to index the sights, and devoid of all the bells and whistles we tend to add to our toys because we can.
Combined with the cheap ammunition it made for an enjoyable - stress free day. Even the cleanup afterwards was no big deal. Rifle comes apart for cleaning pretty easily.
Looking forward to the new handguard/Dot so we can see if she's capable of better accuracy.
Cheers,
L
I need to get out and play with it. 
