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?