REVIEWS
Safari Special
Dependable, affordable and powerful, the CZ 550 Magnum Safari has it all.
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Experienced African hunters demand a lot from magnum-action repeating rifles intended for use on dangerous game. First and foremost on the list is dependability: The rifle absolutely must go bang each time the trigger is pulled, then eject and feed each time the bolt is cycled. There are, as my old friend Bill Jordan used to say, "no second--place winners" when it comes to dangerous-game rifles.
Next in importance are specific features that have evolved through time. These features help identify and qualify the rifle as a dangerous-game gun. A cavernous drop-box magazine designed to hold five rounds of stogie-size cartridges is considered by most to be a must, as are integrally milled scope-mount dovetails. Then let's not forget a barrelband front-sight ramp with interchangeable blades and an integral rear-sight base equipped with high-visibility elevation leaves.
Finally, the rifle's stock itself must be special, beginning with a quality straight-grained walnut blank for utmost strength and durability. In keeping with the proven American-classic style, the butt must be extra wide to help distribute recoil across as large a surface area as possible. The comb must be beefy enough so that it doesn't wallop you under the cheekbone. In addition, the comb needs to be in line with the bore axis to drive recoil straight back into the shoulder to assure control and comfort when firing. Balance and fit are important considerations as well. Both contribute to the rifle's shootability in that the rifle's sights can be aligned on target quickly and effortlessly while at the same time the rifle is comfortable to carry over your shoulder for hours on end.
As you might assume by now, these qualities and features do not come cheap. In fact, it is just about impossible to pay less than $2,000 for a rifle of this type, and rifles in the $8,000 to $12,000 range are not remarkable for their price. What is remarkable is that CZ-USA can produce its new, affordable option--the new 550 Magnum Safari--for a suggested MSRP of $833.
The popularity of CZ (or Brno, as it used to be called) rifles is nothing new in Africa. They have been common in hunting-car rifle racks across the continent for more than 30 years, since the introduction of the original Model 602 magnum-action rifles. Difficult to obtain in the U.S. during the Cold War, the Model 602 magnum Mauser action developed a dedicated following among big-game hunters. Here in the States, hunters brought them across the border from Canada when available and thought nothing of paying full retail plus 100 percent duty for the rifles. In fact, my old boss Tom Siatos had a couple, as did his boss Pete Petersen. Perhaps the most famous Model 602 is the one belonging to Jeff Cooper, who used the action to build his much-touted big bore"Baby"chambered for the wildcat .460 G&A cartridge.
As the proud owner of an original Model 602 in .375 H&H that I had customized more than a decade ago, I was most interested in the latest variant. The new Model 550 Magnum Safari rifle is truly a gem, a real working rifle intended for tough use without compromise.
How does the rather-new 550 action differ from later versions of the original 602? The answer is in a couple of minor ways. These differences include a more streamlined cocking-piece shroud and an improved sliding safety that works the way God intended: Moving the lever to the rear will lock the safety; moving it forward will release the mechanism.
For all other intents and purposes the new Model 550 remains a variant of the true magnum Mauser in that it is properly proportioned to accept the longest big-game cartridges, including the .416 Rigby and .500 Jeffrey. The 550 magnum action is also equipped with the bells and whistles we've come to expect on a dangerous-game rifle, like a bolt that uses a controlled-feed, non-rotating claw extractor in league with a brute-strong fixed ejector. The bolt itself has enough Mauser-slop at the rear of its cycle to self-clean the worst dirt and debris that might find its way into the works, just as Peter Paul intended when he designed his unparalleled Model 98 more than 100 years ago.
CZ's new 550 Magnum Safari sounds about perfect at this point, but as with all things made by man, it is not. There are a few things about this rifle that I discovered on the 2003 Guns & Ammo Dagga Boys Safari that are deserving of some constructive criticism.
First off is the blueing on barrel and receiver. It is thin and wears fairly easily, particularly when the rifle rides for days in the hunting car's gun rack. The action is highly dependable, but the bolt's movement within the action is a tad rough. Additional polishing of the bolt rails and the edges on the ejector blade would help slick it up quite a bit, as I found after applying a thin coat of polishing compound mixed with gun grease to those surfaces and then working the bolt repeatedly during my range evaluation.
The rifle's factory-installed single-set trigger breaks cleanly at about three pounds when unset and lacks any discernible overtravel, but it does have more takeup than I prefer. Single-set triggers come standard on all CZ rifles, including the new Magnum Safari, and while I can foresee no eventuality where I would need a single-set trigger on a stopping rifle, it does not bother me to have it in place.
My sample rifle chambered the latest CZ offering, the spectacular .458 Lott. Some readers may already be aware of the faith I place in this cartridge, which was only legitimized as a factory offering two years ago by Hornady and Ruger. During the last two safari seasons, I have taken two Cape buffalo with this round, and my colleagues Bob Stutler and CZ-USA's Alice Poluchova have taken two more. All four fell to single shots from the Lott. The 500-grain bullet leaves the muzzle at 2,300 fps. That puts the Lott on a ballistic par with the .470 Nitro and makes it about as perfect a stopper as most hunters find comfortable to shoot.
The CZ 550 Safari Magnum comes equipped with three sight blades stoutly affixed to a dovetail that is milled integral to the barrel. The rearmost blade is fixed, and the two ahead of it are hinged. Upon closer examination, however, I discovered the three blades were regulated in succession for 100, 200 and 300 meters. I realized with dismay that zeroing the rifle at 50 yards would prove to be impossible as the bullets would fly too high above my target to be of use.
As I did not have a higher front-sight blade to substitute, and I wanted to use the rifle with the iron sights on my hunt, I had to lower the notch in the 100-meter sight with the use of a triangular file. By filing and shooting I was able to drop the bullet's point of impact to just one inch above point of aim at 50 yards, which made the rear-sight leaf usable out to 100 yards. I suggest that CZ either change the rear blades to 50-, 100- and 150-meter increments or offer a higher front-sight blade as an option for use with the existing rear leaves at shorter distances.
On target, the new rifle bore out my previous experience with CZ rifles in that their hammer-forged barrels tend to be extremely accurate. Three rounds from the bench, using the iron sights, landed in a comely clover shape, measuring a scant .75 of an inch center to center. At 100 yards, three rounds could be consistently placed in just over one inch. So I hit the road for Zimbabwe, very confident in this new rifle's employment.
Back up in my favorite Cape buffalo honey hole, the Dande North concession bordering the Zambezi river, I unpacked my gear at Swainson Safari's comfortable Pedza Pasi camp. There I was joined by several of my firearms-industry colleagues and friends.
On the very first hunting day, Alice Poluchova knocked down her bull with her own 550 Safari Magnum also chambered for the .458 Lott cartridge. The beautiful 40-inch bull, hit on the shoulder, dropped immediately at the shot. It never regained its footing, and Alice, along with her PH Cyril "Squirrel" Meredith, walked up and finished him.
Late in the afternoon of the third day, having passed up multiple bulls on previous days, I finally found the one I had been looking for. At last light, following a foot chase, a group of four dagga-boy bulls turned to face us. In the dim light remaining I caught sight of a magnificent sweep of horn. The CZ 550 Magnum Safari came up effortlessly, and as the front sight found the junction of neck to shoulder, I pressed the trigger. The bull went down in a heap, never having time for his death bellow. PH Daryl Meredith and I cautiously walked up on the fallen form to find the bull stone-dead. We were elated not only at the effectiveness of the .458 Lott but also by the fact that the bull measured a superb 43 1/2 inches. Chalk up another for the .458 Lott and the second for CZ's very affordable Model 550 Safari Magnum.
Without reservation I can recommend this fine new CZ rifle to any hunter looking for a relatively inexpensive but well-made stopping rifle. Chambered for the .458 Lott, it will do all you need done, and it won't break the bank, leaving you with more money for trophy fees. I don't see a compromise in that, do you?
