CZ 550 Safari Magnum

Guns Magazine, Sept, 2003 by Dave Anderson

In a departure from the norm, I'm going to give you the bottom line right from the start: The CZ 550 Safari Magnum is an excellent rifle. Anyone wanting a practical, dependable, big-bore hunting rifle could hardly do better at any price. At the suggested retail price of $833 it's an outstanding value. Now, let me tell you why...

CZ rifles are relative newcomers to the American hunting scene, but in fact they go back quite a way. According to Frank de Haas in his fine book Bolt Action Rifles, prior to 1918 the Austro-Hungarian government had an armament shop located at Brno, in what is now the Czech Republic. In 1918 when World War I ended, several ex-military officers took control of this plant and began manufacturing rifles based on both Mannlicher and Mauser designs.

In 1924 the plant was named the Ceskoslovenska Zbrojovka A.S. (Czechoslovakian Arms Factory Ltd.), commonly known as CZ. The company made military rifles and carbines for a number of countries, most notably the VZ-24 Mauser rifle. For a time in the 1930s they also made fine quality sporting rifles on VZ-24 actions.

Over the years the company went through several reorganizations and name changes. Following World War II, and the eclipse of the bolt action rifle as a primary military arm, production shifted to sporting firearms. The Brno ZG-47 was a good quality hunting rifle made from 1947 through the mid-1960s.

It was replaced (around 1965, deHaas suggests) by the ZKK series; the 600 standard (i.e., .30-'06 length) action, the 601 short action and the 602 magnum action. These gained an excellent reputation with hunters worldwide but for many years were virtually unknown in the U.S.

Cold War Embargos

The reason, I believe, is because its production coincided with the Cold War era, when importation to the U.S. of products from Soviet-bloc countries -- especially firearms -- was restricted. Even as international relations improved and restrictions eased, for a considerable time arms with rifled bores were not allowed, only shotguns.

It's human nature to want what someone says you can't have. Demand for ZKK rifles (and the fine CZ-75 pistols) grew, both for their obvious quality and for their rarity. For a time, individuals were able to import these firearms for personal use, though import duties were very high. Other examples may have come in as actions alone.

I recall coming across a ZKK-601 short action rifle at a gunshop around the mid-1970s. It was barreled to .243 Win. and the asking price was $200. Why I passed it up I'm at a loss to explain. It's near the top of my list whenever stories about "guns I should have bought/kept" are being exchanged.

It was the big ZKK-602 action, though, which created a near cult following. Here was a true magnum action, designed and built for big cartridges, not a standard action opened up. Through the '80s and '90s as the U.S. economy prospered and as interest and participation in African hunting increased, demand for big cartridges and big rifles grew dramatically.

How Refreshing

The current CZ 550 is functionally identical to the ZKK-602 with a few minor changes. In this case, I'm glad to say, the changes really are improvements. I was able to compare the 550 rifle to a ZKK-602 made in 1989. In every case where the two rifles differ, the new CZ 550 is superior.

Let's look at the features of the 602/550 action. Receivers are made of forged and machined steel. As nearly 40 years of production have demonstrated, the quality of steel used, heat treatment, and overall workmanship is high. In features and operation the action is based largely on the classic Mauser 98.

CZ rifles provide controlled round feeding, with a large external claw extractor and fixed mechanical ejection. The slot on the bolt face for the ejector is below the left locking lug. I like this arrangement better than that of Mauser 98 actions in which the left locking lug is split to accommodate the ejector. Unlike Mauser military actions there is no thumb slot for clip loading in the left receiver wall, making for a more rigid action.

Original Mauser 98 actions have an internal collar in the front receiver ring. When a Mauser barrel is properly fitted the end of the barrel tightens up against this collar at the same time the barrel shoulder tightens against the front of the receiver.

When the bolt is closed the nose of the bolt fits inside the collar, flat against the end of the chamber, with the cartridge enclosed in barrel steel right up to its extraction groove. The right side of the collar is slotted for the extractor. Looking into the receiver the collar looks like the letter "C".

Some Mauser derivatives have been made with the collar slotted on both sides, in order to make it easier to broach the locking lug raceways in the receiver. While this system has proven satisfactory, most Mauser enthusiasts feel the collar should be left as Mauser designed it. The CZ actions retain the C-ring design.

Details Large And Small

The bolt stop on the left rear of the receiver is similar to that of the Winchester Model 70, unobtrusive, simple and reliable. The receiver has integral receiver bases for scope rings. Early ZKK actions had a neat pop-up peep sight in the receiver bridge. I've seen these on 600 and 601 actions but never on 602 actions, even in pictures.