I decided it was time to get out of the house and go to a few gunshops, sporting good stores and the like to see what these newer, lower cost plastic stocked rifles had to offer besides accuracy. So off the wife and I went, to eat out, travel around, talk a lot and look at guns/shop. We had a meal at the China Buffet in Athens, then hit the gun counter at the Academy Sports next door.
First up: Academy sports
Guns looked at: Mossberg MVP 18.5" barrel .223/5.56 w/AR magazine, Laminate stock - Stock was nice, both in look & feel, barrel length was good for short/intermediate range, I immediately noticed two things about the magazine: 1. Hard to seat 2. Required a modified bolt with a lip hanging down to pick up the round. This hanging down lip made the bolt rough as three cobbs to operate. While I could expect it could smooth up with tuning procedures/wear/use, from where it's starting I doubt I'd ever like the operation of the bolt. I also could not see a real use for that magazine in that gun, even as a situation urban police sniper. You just wouldn't need the capacity of the AR magazines and the AR magazine would limit how far out you could seat your bullet when handloading. If the rifle had a standard rifle magazine, even a blind magazine in the handy MVP size, I would have bought it on the spot.
Savage Axis with plastic stock, no Accu Trigger - Classic Savage, except cheapened down. Magazine was platsic mostly and had a "gonna eventually break on you" U-shaped magazine latch made out of plastic. Stock was definitely floppy tupperware and it would take enough time/money stiffening it I would just buy a laminate stock. Action was good, bolt was good and you can buy a used take off Axis trigger for $25 bucks plus shipping. So if the accuracy is good, you take a $278.00 (current price) rifle, add a hundred dollar boyds stock, fit it and add the Axis Trigger and you're golden. Let's see, we'are about $403.00 not including shipping on that stock and you're still stuck with the junk magazine unless someone figures out how to replace that fine item. Hmmm, it's a shame they don't offer a rifle with the package I described or maybe nobody carries it. Right now, poor young men are buying these things to hunt with and their time is cheap, their energy is high, so it's what they can afford. Me, I'm willing to spend more to get something I don't have to mess with so much to get it to where I want it to be.
At that point,the counter man, who prefers wood and steel to the plastic guns, admitted to me he had nothing behind the counter that I would like and said he thought the CZ's were the best deal going for a man who wants a rifle he can be proud of and not just shoot.
Headed out to the LGS over in Winterville, Georgia
Looked at one rifle, the Ruger American in .223 - Very much like the Mossberg, except plastic stock (both of these were Savage action clones, executed slightly differently, both had a copy of the Savage Accutrigger as well and both ran right at $400.00) The Ruger had a plastic stock that was better executed than the Savage and a box magazine better executed than the Savage, with a spring/hinge pin. This plastic latch is going to last a good long time and magazines are going to be inexpensive relatively speaking. If this rifle had a laminate stock like the Mossberg, it would have went home with me. Alas, again, no dice. I'll have to wait.
Left there and headed down to Bass Pro shops to pick up a Browning Buckmark .22 pistol slab side in stainless with URX grips. Looked at their rifles, same result, same admission by the clerk, who again, was a blued steel/wood kinda guy. Again, he said go with the CZ.
So here's what I'm going to do:
1. Order a CZ 527 American in .22 Hornet and have it reamed to .22 K Hornet and be happy. I may bed it as necessary if the walnut stock needs a little help or open up the barrel channel a bit. I may tune the trigger and polish lap the bolt to smooth it up to suit me. But it's a Mauser with the old controlled feed and I'm going to like it, a lot.
2. Order a CZ 557 Carbine in 6.5 X 55 Swede. This gun is not a Mauser, but is closer to a Sako action (The good Sako, the very smooth one) and can be easily smoothed to any level I wish using a bit of lapping compound. I'd prefer a Mauser action, but they only offer their CZ 550 in a full stock Mannlicher style. If they had it in the Carbine version with the 557 stock, I'd be all over it. The 557 also has a very nice fiber optic front sight for the iron sights. Looks like a professional's hunting rifle and I love those. Wish my shoulder were younger, I'd get it in .308 or perhaps the 550 in .308. I think they have a carbine version of the 550 in .308.
I've decided to hold off on the 7.63 X 39MM and .223/5.56 bolt actions for now. I would like them, but they're not on the "gotta have" list and I may fine something else I want by then.
