Thread: 7.62x39 (or similar) bolt gun decisions

Copied and pasted, more or less...

There's pros and cons to both. I'd say that the Howas are quite utilitarian in comparison to the CZ's. And the CZ's have a bit more character and could almost be described as a poor man's Sako.

I don't know whether a factory CZ rifle would do the same thing or not - or whether it's the cartridge, my magazine, or artefact from the conversion from 7.62x39 - but my CZ doesn't always feed very well. I've learned to live with it but the Howa just works, all the time, every time.

I lightened the trigger on the Howa to about 1.5lb by snipping the spring. It's nicer, but it still doesn't compare to having the adjustable set trigger on the CZ.

The standard Howa mag system is shite in my opinion. The floorplate of the mags rattle. I had a 223 that didn't feed well because the fit was so sloppy. And wtf is the release catch doing right where your pinky finger wants to go?? The chassis was a big improvement here, because the catch on it is shrouded, it locks it in tightly, and some tape around the base of the mag cures the rattle. The CZ ones are slim profile steel mags and lock in very positively with a catch you can't accidentally press - nothing needs fixing.

This isn't entirely fair, since the Howa's got the factory barrel and the CZ's got a match grade Shillen on it. But I have been very pleased with the Howa - it's been a solid sub-MOA rifle - under 0.5MOA with the right load. But the Shillen somehow still puts it to shame and seems to tolerate much warmer loads.

The bolt is undoubtedly smoother on the Howa. It's a simpler more modern design that I'd trust to be a bit stronger and more durable than the CZ.

Hope that helps.