looking for a 6.5gr bolt gun

[JSH]

[Oso Polaris]

My experience with several CZ527:
1) Bolt is tiny and tends to rack if closed by handle so easiest is to push closed with thumb on back of bolt and then drop the handle.
2) Trigger (single set) is best standard factory trigger.
3) Magazines are solid construction and offered in 3-round (flush fit) and 5-round versions. The feed lips are sharp and need to be rounded with either a stone/file/sand paper or simply use steel-cased cartridges... buy a box and sit on couch feeding/stripping them off the magazine. You can even shoot the steel case cartridges if you like.
4) Standard barrel profile is very light and doesn't hold up to high volume shooting, and wall thickness is insufficient to support suppressor for threading and POI shift.
5) Varmint barrel profile is only way to go. It is not quite as heavy as Remington Varmint profile, but good enough for the smaller cartridges and suppressor usage.
6) American Stock is nice and wood is acceptable. However, completely different animal when dropped into a B&C stock.
7) Bolt knob upgrade is last step ... mini-Badger is perfect fit and gives added clearance.
8) Single Shot Loading Block - James Calhoun or Bob Sled

All of this is less work then getting my Howa Mini running.

Let's talk about the Borden Rimrock action... now that's worth the effort!

[Laman]

I am very familiar with three Grendel Mini's and have seen hundreds of rounds run through them in the last two years using the factory magazine setup. Feeding problems have never been a concern, in fact I don't ever remember a failure to feed using different brass and bullets. The trigger is an easy improvement and the rough bores have never shown up in my borescope, besides its a 400 rifle what do you expect a handlapped cut rifle barrel.

[Bottomdweller]

I think about all the money I invested in the new bottom metal CDI installed. All the mags I bought, tore through, ruined, before finally building what works. And, big AND, all the bullets, powder I went though...I wish I would have started with a custom action and barrel. I like my Howa, but I wouldn't do it again. It really is a shame that the engineers took a great action and bastardized it with the mag set up. Live and learn. But if there is one caveat it's the learn. I learned how to bed a rifle, throat a chamber, weld glass filled polymer, trigger work.....Now I'm feeling like a custom project is not nearly as daunting.

[A5BLASTER]

I am very familiar with three Grendel Mini's and have seen hundreds of rounds run through them in the last two years using the factory magazine setup. Feeding problems have never been a concern, in fact I don't ever remember a failure to feed using different brass and bullets. The trigger is an easy improvement and the rough bores have never shown up in my borescope, besides its a 400 rifle what do you expect a handlapped cut rifle barrel.

I have to agree. The howa I owned that's now my best friend's son's primary deer gun has had zero mag issues.

I'm not sure what's going on with the other guys mags but mine never had a problem feeding that I can remember. Heck they ran great even when cut down to be flush fit.

[Bottomdweller]

Agreed. If I could take the barrel, trigger and mags from my CZ and install them on a howa action it would be perfect.

Interesting

[JSH]

[Bottomdweller]

I think the inherent problem is the cartridge itself. I would bet that other howas chambered in the longer cases feed better than the shorter grendel. The problem I had with all of the mags I worked with was the shoulder being so far back from the tip making the ballance of the cartridge too far forward. A longer case with a short throat facilitates feeding from the mag.

[A5BLASTER]

I think the inherent problem is the cartridge itself. I would bet that other howas chambered in the longer cases feed better than the shorter grendel. The problem I had with all of the mags I worked with was the shoulder being so far back from the tip making the ballance of the cartridge too far forward. A longer case with a short throat facilitates feeding from the mag.

If that was true no grendel bolt action would feed.

My cz 129 ablr handloads coal is 2.335 from a windowed cz mag. So if the bullet was to far forward of the case to feed I would be seeing it with that load.

I honestly believe that mag issues and feeding with grendel is 10% out of spec gun parts, 5 % mag issues and 85% the owner has no clue how to figure out what he did wrong.

[Stinky Coyote]

JSH...no one will disagree with you on everything from the trigger upward on a howa. The metal is a gem, the action is a gem, barrels shoot lights out, trigger is great for the price range, my beef with the trigger is mostly feel, it's pull and break are great...its feel sucks a bit. The CZ trigger has the best feel and it's a bomber little rifle, not a perfect push feed like the howa but a true controlled round feed mauser that should not be compared to a push feed like the howa for smoothness. But you can slick those cz actions up pretty damn nice.

Howa could really change the game in this segment if they do 2 things.

1. above all else, redo the magazine and bottom, metal magazines that are reliable, efficient/compact...like the competition! dumbasses
2. bring the stainless over like Australia has access too...don't bother bringing stainless until you sort out #1.

And at least for number 3...one can replace the trigger with better. Only would i consider that if 1 and 2 were sorted out, then it would be a truly worthwhile higher level rifle and it would pay more for it to boot. Howa only went 50% as far as they needed too, they didn't realize how important the bottom half of the rifle really is. Go ahead, take your money and run...or...step up to the plate, listen, and dig in, you're only building half a rifle and that's simply not good enough.

[JSH]

[Stinky Coyote]

wow, lost a post here, deleted and not sure how or why, lets try again

cz 527 is a crf action, controlled round feed, the bolt starts to wrap itself around the cartridge rim as soon as it picks it up from magazine, internal box, or detach...because of this i've never even tried to single load a cz, always feed it from the magazine, this is a hunting reliability and initially military reliability thing

the fact cz makes varmint models on a crf action seems odd to me, american only models with hunting in mind for me, if i was a bench/varmint guy i'd be into push feeds where you can lob them into the hole and easily close things up with smooth push feed action

this is why a cz will never be as smooth/light pushing as push feed action like a howa, the cartridge is under tension and held by the magazine SO THAT the bolt can start to wrap it's extractor around the cartridge rim as it picks it up and guides it in under full 'control', it's now become one with the bolt you're gonna likely damage the bolt/extractor trying to run it like a push feed action and force the extractor over the cartridge rim rather than have it turn over the rim early in the magazine while it's being held under tension...anyway hope this helps some

as for the trigger, this last one took a little fussing to get set right, the creep screw kept backing out as it shot, so required a little loctite then sit overnight to cure, and it's been money every since, crisp 2 3/4 lbs single stage with great feel, it's my fav trigger of the 3, ruger is next best

[A5BLASTER]

wow, lost a post here, deleted and not sure how or why, lets try again

cz 527 is a crf action, controlled round feed, the bolt starts to wrap itself around the cartridge rim as soon as it picks it up from magazine, internal box, or detach...because of this i've never even tried to single load a cz, always feed it from the magazine, this is a hunting reliability and initially military reliability thing

the fact cz makes varmint models on a crf action seems odd to me, american only models with hunting in mind for me, if i was a bench/varmint guy i'd be into push feeds where you can lob them into the hole and easily close things up with smooth push feed action

this is why a cz will never be as smooth/light pushing as push feed action like a howa, the cartridge is under tension and held by the magazine SO THAT the bolt can start to wrap it's extractor around the cartridge rim as it picks it up and guides it in under full 'control', it's now become one with the bolt you're gonna likely damage the bolt/extractor trying to run it like a push feed action and force the extractor over the cartridge rim rather than have it turn over the rim early in the magazine while it's being held under tension...anyway hope this helps some

as for the trigger, this last one took a little fussing to get set right, the creep screw kept backing out as it shot, so required a little loctite then sit overnight to cure, and it's been money every since, crisp 2 3/4 lbs single stage with great feel, it's my fav trigger of the 3, ruger is next best

CZ says it's perfectly fine and safe to single feed. I have done it a good bit with mine and have had zero problems.

I keep seeing folks say you have too run the bolt with your thumb from the back of the bolt. I have never had to do that and can't understand for the life of me why when someone would have to be doing this. Why you wouldn't try to figure out why and fix it.

But I have said before. If I could take the barrel, trigger and mag from the cz and put it on the howa action. It would be the perfect bolt action grendel.

[Oso Polaris]

Yesterday, I was out shooting my little pig rifle , CZ 527 chambered in 300BO, checking zero before a pig hunt. This is my first time shooting it since I recently replaced the bolt knob with a Badger Mini-Tactical knob. No issues operating bolt using the knob... no wracking issue. The wracking of the bolt is a combination of its small size/short handle with small knob coupled with heavy force by user. It is a small compact action with a short throw, which doesn't require much effort.. no more than your thumb to run it and an index finger to throw the handle. In most cases Gorilla grip causes the bolt wracking issue.

I know that CZ has stated that it is perfectly fine to single feed into chamber and force/pop the extractor claw over the rim, but I prefer not to. I bought the single load block from James Calhoun, which is designed to feed the cartridge up behind the extractor as push bolt forward. Its a clean, convenient solution that lives in my rifle until I am read to insert a 5-rounder with 110gr TAC-TX to pacify the bacon.

As far as extra tension from positive control feed of CZ's mausier action... I don't even notice it in the field. I guess all my years with a Rem 870 has prepared me for extra effort of working a control feed. Push Feeds are making you Soft!

[riuma]

It had been almost two decades since CZ 'fixed' the single feed issue with their extractor. I have a buddy that has a 22 Hornet CZ that must be fed from the magazine. My newer Hornets are fed single shot all the time. I have a 204, 22 Hornet (x2), 223, 300 AAC, 7.62x39(X2) and two 6.5 Grendels and toss rounds into the chambers of all of them. You are not "forcing" the extractor over the rim. They were been (re) designed around 2000 to function this way. Nine 527's purchased from 2005 to 2020. None have any feeding issues operating the bolt. None have issues with the extractor. Bedding and their 'set' trigger? Sometimes. (More so of late) If they start bedding their American series like the new Varmint bedding system, they will have a lot fewer complaints about bedding. All they will need work out is putting in a decent, single stage adjustable trigger and losing that cranky set trigger.~Riuma