The first 557 that came my way was an early Sporter. Jason suspected its stained beech stock was pre-production. I liked the look and feel, though, even better than that of the stock on my 550 in 9.3x62mm. The 557’s has a more appealing profile, more attractive checkering, a slight grip swell that helps me hold the rifle steady. And given the fence-post figure of most walnut stocks these days, beech need not apologize! Even without stain, it can be handsome. Under a 2.5-7x32mm Weaver, this .30-06 shot close to a minute of angle with several loads. The intelligently designed stock and center-weighted balance kept recoil civil, even with stiff, heavy-bullet loads. I liked the rifle well enough to buy it.
Then the Carbine beckoned. A sucker for iron sights, I found this 557 most attractive. In a fit of passion, I snared this 557 too. Unlike rifles with clean barrels awaiting optics, a carbine with irons begs you to cheek it. On its arrival, I did. Like the kiss of a pretty lass, that blink of contact set the hook deep. Not only did this CZ point itself, but the stock fit me perfectly. Grip and fore-stock filled my big hands but burdened them with no unnecessary bulk. The rifle had a lithe, lively bounce, a nose for the target. The comb pressed gently as sights locked in line. Eyes closed, I could shoulder the Carbine, then look to find those sights married perfectly, steady on the mark behind them. The solid, gunny feel helped keep them there long enough to milk three pounds from the trigger.
A Mauser claw can give actions so equipped a halting feel when you retract the bolt. Rifles with a pinned front hook and plunger ejector can seem loose. Both 557s in my rack are blessed with quick but slop-free cycling. The bolt knob, properly smooth, hangs in just the right place for fast second shots from the shoulder. The straight, well-rounded comb mitigates recoil and keeps my eye on the target.
For range testing, I equipped the Carbine with a Zeiss Terra 3X 3-9x42mm riflescope ($444). In my view, the Terra 3X is one of the best new buys in hunting variables. Evidently other riflemen think so too, as it has sold briskly. The steel, four-screw CZ rings are beautifully machined and stout enough to secure missiles under F-22s. My only nit-pickin’ problem with them is their height. For shooters like me, who did get milk on the step and did run trucks with vacuum wipers, a sight should lie close to the bore. I prefer slender scopes in low rings. This Terra’s 42mm bell is about as big as I’ll use on a hunting rifle, and the lowest CZ rings give it more than enough barrel clearance. While I adore the CZ’s dovetail clamping, I’d be much obliged for a set of truly low rings for that beautifully machined top.
After bore-sighting and an on-paper hole at 35 yards, I dialed the Terra 3X to center the next shot and moved the target to 100 yards. With five brands of factory loads, featuring bullets from 150 to 180 grains, I fired 3-shot groups from sandbags. Hornady’s 150-grain SST took the prize, with a 0.75-inch cluster. Black Hills’ 155-grain A-Max and Winchester 180-grain E-Tip both cut neat 1-inch triangles. With noon-time heat at 90 F, the barrel stayed warm. To see how it would perform hot, I ended a long string with five 165-grain Remington Core-Lokts, lickety-split. The group measured a pleasantly surprising 1.45 inches, with the best four just inside an inch. It’s been my experience that short (stiff) barrels do not walk as badly as longer (whippy) barrels when hot. While the 557’s performance is hardly proof, it does bear out the theory.
I don’t need two CZ .30-06s, but I can’t yet part with the Carbine, my Czech sweetheart. Superior in some ways to its 550 cousin, it’s a rifle you can’t judge by its price—or by changes in American bolt rifles. See the 557 at your firearms retailer, or for more information contact CZ USA, Dept. OT; Tel.: (800) 955-4486; Web: www.czusa-com
How Crucial Mauser’s Hook?
In his Model 1892, Paul Mauser introduced a long, external, non-rotating extractor. It has become widely hailed as the most reliable ever. Attached to the bolt body with a collar, this extractor required the rising case head to slip into the claw from underneath, for a positive grip before the cartridge aligned with the barrel. The 1892 bolt emptied the breech even if, in the press of battle, a rifleman “short-cycled.” The claw engaged a big section of case head, to haul hot, sticky hulls from dirty chambers. A recess enabled the claw to jump, then grab the rim of a chambered round if the shooter pinched the extractor at mid-point against the bolt.
Many purists still think this powerful, expensive extractor is the most positive, and insist on it for dangerous-game rifles. CZ’s Model 550 still has it. The newer Model 557 has a more economical, but still beefy Sako-style hook. For the record, in more than 45 years firing many types of bolt rifles, I’ve never seen an extractor fail to perform as designed. The 557 feeds well, and there’s plenty of power in its claw!
