Brno rifles big bore

[Hombre]

I have a 602 Brno in a .375 caliber. Very impressed with the quality. I believe Brno also made the 602 in 416 Rigby and 458. Does anyone know if they made it in a 404. I would be keen to try and find one in the 416 or 404 if available. Anyone out there with one and consider selling??

 

[deewayne2003]

I started to have a 602 in .375 made into a .404J 5 years ago and counting..... long story with 2 gunsmiths.

If I were to do it all over again I would pre order the new barrel and send it off to Tipton Burns of Texas Sporting Arms.

 

[RR 314]

I started to have a 602 in .375 made into a .404J 5 years ago and counting..... long story with 2 gunsmiths.

If I were to do it all over again I would pre order the new barrel and send it off to Tipton Burns of Texas Sporting Arms.

Bingo. Tip is a magician. Great guy as well.

 

[Hunter-Habib]

I have a 602 Brno in a .375 caliber. Very impressed with the quality. I believe Brno also made the 602 in 416 Rigby and 458. Does anyone know if they made it in a 404. I would be keen to try and find one in the 416 or 404 if available. Anyone out there with one and consider selling??

I’ve used BRNO ZKK602s chambered in .375 Holland & Holland Magnum countless times over the years on several safaris. They used to be extremely popular in Africa (particularly in Rhodesia/Zimbabwe during the arms embargo years).

I’ve heard rumors that they were also produced in .404 Jeffery and .416 Rigby. But all the examples which I’ve seen in these calibers over the years… proved to either be custom jobs or rebarreled rifles. This leads me to believe that BRNO only offered the ZKK602 in .375 Holland & Holland Magnum and .458 Winchester Magnum.

Kenya Bunduki in Kenya in 1974 only offered BRNO ZKK602s chambered in .375 Holland & Holland Magnum and .458 Winchester Magnum. As did Bulawayo General Supplies in Rhodesia in 1977.

My collection of vintage BRNO catalogs indicates the same.

 

[deewayne2003]

#4 on the 3rd page says “available in 8 popular calibers from .243 - .458.”

But the 2nd page lists 12 calibers for the ZKK series.

I’ve seen another advertisement posted here years ago that listed .358 Norma as an offered caliber.

When I sent my ZKK602 .375H&H to Arizona for reboring to .404J and open the bolt face; I was sent a picture of a “takeoff barrel in .416Rigby” with barrel stamping that looked the same as the factory.375 BRNO markings on another rifle I had.

Perhaps different calibers were sold in different regions or distributors ordered other calibers…..

Possibly, but with the international crown of owners on this forum, it does beg the question - if they were made in other Calibers someone on this forum would own them?

 

[Hunter-Habib]

#4 on the 3rd page says “available in 8 popular calibers from .243 - .458.”

But the 2nd page lists 12 calibers for the ZKK series.

I’ve seen another advertisement posted here years ago that listed .358 Norma as an offered caliber.

Oh, no. These catalogs are from different time periods. The most offerings were available in the 1970s.

The BRNO ZKK series ceased production in 1993. The last catalog from 1992 shows that production had been streamlined by then, with very few chamberings being offered.

 

[CoElkHunter]

I’m kind of surprised the .338 Winchester Magnum wasn’t a cartridge offering. It pre dated the .300 WM but maybe it was too close to the .375 and couldn’t hunt DG with it?

 

[Hunter-Habib]

I’m kind of surprised the .338 Winchester Magnum wasn’t a cartridge offering. It pre dated the .300 WM but maybe it was too close to the .375 and couldn’t hunt DG with it?

Back in those days, the .338 Winchester Magnum never really caught on in Europe. European hunters preferred the 9.3x62mm Mauser in comparison. As a matter of fact, the first .338 Winchester Magnum I ever saw used by an European hunter… was in Denmark in 2001.

 

[Miletic]

I have a 602 Brno in a .375 caliber. Very impressed with the quality. I believe Brno also made the 602 in 416 Rigby and 458. Does anyone know if they made it in a 404. I would be keen to try and find one in the 416 or 404 if available. Anyone out there with one and consider selling??

Greetings Hombre. From the East manufacturers, Cz and Zastava produced the Big Five 375 and 458. These 458s are hard to find.

 

[Pondoro]

Rigby built expensive rifles on the 602 action..says something about their quality..

 

[Luvthunt]

Rigby built expensive rifles on the 602 action..says something about their quality..

+1

 

[DieJager]

Greetings Hombre. From the East manufacturers, Cz and Zastava produced the Big Five 375 and 458. These 458s are hard to find.

The Zastava are not too hard to find in 458. See them regularly being for sale on German gun sites

 

[mark-hunter]

I have a 602 Brno in a .375 caliber. Very impressed with the quality. I believe Brno also made the 602 in 416 Rigby and 458. Does anyone know if they made it in a 404. I would be keen to try and find one in the 416 or 404 if available. Anyone out there with one and consider selling??

The ZKK 602 was produced in these calibers:

• .300 Winchester Magnum
• 7 mm Remington Magnum (later production)
• .375 H&H Magnum
• .404 Jeffery
• .458 Winchester Magnum

 

[Aaron N]

I have a 602 Brno in a .375 caliber. Very impressed with the quality. I believe Brno also made the 602 in 416 Rigby and 458. Does anyone know if they made it in a 404. I would be keen to try and find one in the 416 or 404 if available. Anyone out there with one and consider selling??

I jsut picked up a never been fired 416, It’s a CZ though. I’d let it go to someone who really wanted one

 

[Aaron N]

I jsut picked up a never been fired 416, It’s a CZ though. I’d let it go to someone who really wanted one

Still in the box, I should add

 

[Mark A Ouellette]

The BRNO 602 action is excellent as the basis for a custom build. This one is a .458 Lott.

 

[deewayne2003]

The ZKK 602 was produced in these calibers:

• .300 Winchester Magnum
• 7 mm Remington Magnum (later production)
• .375 H&H Magnum
• .404 Jeffery
• .458 Winchester Magnum

I’ve seen .300win, .375 & .458win

Anyone here own a 7mm rem or .404J?

Not saying they don’t exist, I’d just like to see them.

 

[Ericedwinbates]

I have a 602 action on a 400 H&H, great rifle. The "crowbar" of Africa.

 

[skydiver386]

The ZKK 602 was produced in these calibers:

• .300 Winchester Magnum
• 7 mm Remington Magnum (later production)
• .375 H&H Magnum
• .404 Jeffery
• .458 Winchester Magnum

This is exactly what my references show.

The BRNO 602 was sold in some impressive numbers considering that it was prohibited from importation into the U.S. during it's production run. The 404 Jeff is a great round, but has never been popular in North America, and this is likely the reason they aren't common.

The other calibers I've seen, but most are the 375 and 458.