My New (to me) CZ in .416 Rigby

I came across an ad on another website about this rifle. It was advertised as having pretty nice wood for a non-custom. So I made the mistake of asking for pics to be emailed to me and well now I own it. Here's a few pics.

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Merry Christmas, I would say! I have the same rifle in .375 H&H, and I absolutely LOVE it! And yes, the wood on yours is exceptionally beautiful. I hope you have a lot of fun with it, and get to shoot some real interesting game.

Hi.

What exact model is that? I know its the 550 but... I grew up on one exactly like that, my dad let me use his as my first weapon of choice for the last fifteen years but I never ever enquired about the type of model until recently. I knew it was a 550 but it was different to other factory models though it is not custom and I was there when my dad purchased it straight off the gun racks. I never thought I would see one again because I have looked for one on numerous occassions to get the name of the model.

Regards

'To Dad..from Dad' ?

Good stuff, Phil. I hope it brings you much joy. Had one just like yours but changed it for a CZ in .404 Jeffery. It is easier to get reloading equipment for the .404 here in Namibia.

PS Please post photo's of your shoulder after your first bench session !!

My Dad never used it ( the CZ .375H&H in the model under discussion) because he passed away from asbestosis/lung cancer which he contracted a year after the purchase, which is why he bought it and then allowed me to use it...he could not handle the recoil of anything larger than a .222 in his last years due to the painful tumors all over his back and flanks and his deteriorative condition.

Fifteen years is a gross exaggeration, only ten years at most, it seems very long ago.

*Just to respond to any snarky comments*

That is beautiful wood on your rifle. I have the same model also in .416 Rigby. I had three changes made.

Change the front sight to a Recknagel larger bead so I could use the express sights.
I had the factory set trigger left alone, only the unset section adjusted for a lighter and crisper pull.
The bolt handle straightened.

Some people recommend that you get it bedded and say the stock wood is soft. Mine was checked by my gunsmith who stated that all bearing surfaces touched wood and I have had no problems.

I found the Hornady factory solid ammo very accurate.

Originally Posted by HDP Safaris

*Just to respond to any snarky comments*

My comment is a light-hearted jibe at Phil concerning the rifle that HE bought HIMself for Christmas. If he had put it under the Christmas tree, it could have had a card written 'To Dad..from Dad'. I hope this clears things up for you. Your post just happened to land before mine.

Ok, it does clear things up.

My apologies, definitely my error. I am a bit sensitive about that issue and my defences are up, I just jumped into it.

A good new year ahead for you.

Originally Posted by DOCMAN

My comment is a light-hearted jibe at Phil concerning the rifle that HE bought HIMself for Christmas. If he had put it under the Christmas tree, it could have had a card written 'To Dad..from Dad'. I hope this clears things up for you. Your post just happened to land before mine.

Congrats Phil, Beautiful gun...I hope you have many happy years with the 416 Rigby!

Congrats for your beautiful new rifle ,i hope he bring nice and happy hunting moments to you.
brgds
bob \ Brazil

Phil,
That is an awesome rifle. The wood is not my thing, since as you know , a wooden stock does not last in our industry, and I have grown accustom to the coldness and lifelessness of the synthetic stock.
But a CZ in .416 Rigby, is just awesome.
You know what they say, any rifle is a bargain. Hope you create many happy memories with it. Now you need to find yourself a bargain African Safari, to go with your rifle. Problem solved!

Best Regards
Marius Goosen

Originally Posted by HDP Safaris

Hi.

What exact model is that? I know its the 550 but... I grew up on one exactly like that, my dad let me use his as my first weapon of choice for the last fifteen years but I never ever enquired about the type of model until recently. I knew it was a 550 but it was different to other factory models though it is not custom and I was there when my dad purchased it straight off the gun racks. I never thought I would see one again because I have looked for one on numerous occassions to get the name of the model.

Regards

Rohan,

Go to this link: CZ-USA -> CZ 550 American Safari Magnum

You'll see a drop down menu for calibers and stocks that you can cycle through for various calibers and stock combinations. This was something I hadn't done in awhile until I read your thread. I believe what I've got here is definitely the "Fancy Grade" stock. And I don't think the seller realized this when he sold it to me, don't ask me why.....

Originally Posted by DOCMAN

'To Dad..from Dad' ?

Good stuff, Phil. I hope it brings you much joy. Had one just like yours but changed it for a CZ in .404 Jeffery. It is easier to get reloading equipment for the .404 here in Namibia.

PS Please post photo's of your shoulder after your first bench session !!

The only thing that could've made this better was if the gun was in .404. This was actually a "To Dad..from Dad" twice deal. The other gun was a NIB .300WM M70 Super Grade. The M70 was what I was really interested in, but when I saw the CZ and the price he was asking, I just couldn't help myself and made a two gun deal out of it.

Needless to say, dirty dishes in my house don't stay dirty for long right now!

Originally Posted by Code4

That is beautiful wood on your rifle. I have the same model also in .416 Rigby. I had three changes made.

Change the front sight to a Recknagel larger bead so I could use the express sights.
I had the factory set trigger left alone, only the unset section adjusted for a lighter and crisper pull.
The bolt handle straightened.

Some people recommend that you get it bedded and say the stock wood is soft. Mine was checked by my gunsmith who stated that all bearing surfaces touched wood and I have had no problems.

I found the Hornady factory solid ammo very accurate.

Well I was planning on sending it to American Hunting Rifles to do one of their upgrades, most likely the #2. This involves replacing the trigger I believe with a Timney. But it also involves replacing the front sight. This requires cutting the barrel which I'd like to do anyway. The CZ barrel length is 25" which is longer than I care for. So I need to decide on a length to cut it to.

Phil,

Beautiful rifle!

As has been stated here before by others and myself. I would not make any permanent alterations to the gun until you have had it awhile and plan to die with it because it will hurt the value of the gun should you decide to sell it at some point. There is not a thing wrong with the CZ trigger system, its fully adjustable. If you dont like the set feature, ignore it. Is the stock bedded? My .404 came bedded and side bolted as well and I see yours is also bolted so chances are it also has some bedding. Dont be too quick to lop off the barrel. Merry Christmas!!

Congratulations for your new rifle Phil, may you have many successful hunts with it !

Originally Posted by sestoppelman

Phil,

Beautiful rifle!

As has been stated here before by others and myself. I would not make any permanent alterations to the gun until you have had it awhile and plan to die with it because it will hurt the value of the gun should you decide to sell it at some point. There is not a thing wrong with the CZ trigger system, its fully adjustable. If you dont like the set feature, ignore it. Is the stock bedded? My .404 came bedded and side bolted as well and I see yours is also bolted so chances are it also has some bedding. Dont be too quick to lop off the barrel. Merry Christmas!!

Good points there Scott. I guess I'll have to check on the bedding. It's interesting picking up the CZ and then my M70 in .375. Though the barrel is longer on the CZ, the weight distribution being more towards the rear compared to the M70 is better for me. It makes the gun that much more pointable.

Yeah the set feature on the trigger is a no-go. Something like that on my long range Coues deer rifle would be great. I just don't see where it has much use on a DG rifle. The problem is if I don't "set" the trigger and just fire it that way, at least on this rifle, there's a ton of creep. Perhaps a gunsmith can fix that? On this comparison to my M70, there is no comparison, the M70 trigger is much better out of the box.

Phil, yes a gunsmith can change the trigger as it is. I'll re-inforce what sestoppelamn said, the factory trigger is very good when adjusted properly. A REAL gunsmith can even rebuild the factory trigger to remove the set option. I had this done on a .308W CZ 550 and took it too Africa. If they don't know how to rebuild a trigger I would suggest you need to find another gunsmith.

There is a 'culture' that everything has to be changed or modified and the marketing people have played on this. Get someone who knows what they are doing to look at the actual rifle first.

Originally Posted by Code4

Phil, yes a gunsmith can change the trigger as it is. I'll re-inforce what sestoppelamn said, the factory trigger is very good when adjusted properly. A REAL gunsmith can even rebuild the factory trigger to remove the set option. I had this done on a .308W CZ 550 and took it too Africa. If they don't know how to rebuild a trigger I would suggest you need to find another gunsmith.

There is a 'culture' that everything has to be changed or modified and the marketing people have played on this. Get someone who knows what they are doing to look at the actual rifle first.

I hear ya Code. The only thing I'd change on my M70 is putting some weight in the back to make it not feel so forward heavy.

As far as the CZ goes, the only I don't like as is, is the trigger. If that can be fixed without replacing all the better. The only reason I'm thinking of cutting the barrel is to just make it more compact for use in thicker brush. But I will hold off on this until I'm certain this is a gun I will keep.

Actually, one more thing I'd change is the safety. I've always like the 3 pos wing safeties on my M70's, some thing I'd like on the CZ I'm sure.

Okay, you guys have piqued my interest here. I took the action screws out and pulled everything apart to see if there was any bedding. It doesn't appear that there is. But here are a few pics. The one pic of the recoil lug slot shows there is "something" there, but it doesn't look like glass bedding to me.

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The other thing I'm seeing is there's kind of a secondary recoil lug underneath the rear blade sight. This makes contact with this other piece of metal that you can see in the last two pics. One pic shows this piece in place, the other shows it removed and upside down. I've never seen anything like this. Anyway, some bedding may not be such a bad thing to do.

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