cz 550 magnum for .375 Cheytac?

[Stephan]

Hello,
I am thinking about a rather ambitious project... a hunting style rifle in .375 CT. Please dont´t ask me what I want to hunt with it... I don´t know, I just like the thought of owning a hunting style rifle so chambered. Since the CZ 550 Magnum is offered in .505 Gibbs, the parent case of the CT, the action of the CZ 550 should be large enough to house a .375 CT Round. Would it be strong enough to endure the energy? Or would the two lugs just shear off...? Anyone around with experience on this maybe?

 

[Stephan]

Hmmm... No answers so far... Maybe that should tell me that it is not a good idea...

 

[benchracer]

I am intrigued by the idea, but I just flat don't know the answer.

I do know that the CZ rifles use a metric barrel thread that is not very common. That will limit the number of gunsmiths willing to do the work if the Cheytac would fit.

Unless you already have the donor action, I also think you might be better off, in terms of cost, if you went with a custom action such as a Stiller.

It seems to me that this area of subject matter would be a good place for someone like Kirby Allen to chime in.

Maybe you should try this post in the gunsmithing section?

 

[Stephan]

Hi Benchracer,
thankyou for the reply. Forgot to mention that I´m in Germany, and over here, we do not have any trouble with the metric stuff .
Barrelmaker Lothar Walther just did another rebarreling project for me with a CZ 550 magnum action, and the outcome was really nice.
What draws me to the CZ action is the controlled round feeding, a moderate price, with nice hunting style stocks from MCMillan readily available.
Maybe I should just ask my gunsmith this question about the strength of this action... But I thought before he takes me for crazy I look for information here...

 

[benchracer]

I have a CZ 550 in 375 H&H. I love that rifle. It is of stout construction and quality built. I, too, am a fan of controlled feed. The set trigger is another feature that I like more and more.

The magnum action CZ's are wonderful rifles. I just don't know enough about the Cheytac cartridges to know if they would work in the CZ actions. I doubt very much that strength would be the issue. I think the only real questions about the action would involve COAL and/or feed geometry.

Whatever you learn when you speak with your gunsmith, please pass it along!

 

[Stephan]

Roger, will do.

 

[benchracer]

I just did a few minutes of research. Here is what I found:

The mag length of the CZ 550 is 3.8ish inches.

The COAL of the Cheytac cartridge is 4.6+ inches.

That tells me that you would have to use the CZ550 as a single shot and that you probably would not be able to eject a loaded round.

I am thinking you might have to modify the bolt stop to permit sufficient rearward bolt travel to chamber a loaded round, but I don't know for sure.

I don't know what it would take to modify the action so that it would magazine feed a Cheytac round, or if that is even possible.

This definitely looks like a topic worth discussing with someone who really knows their stuff. This is way out of my league.

 

[Stephan]

Hi Benchracer,
thanks for the research!
But: I have measured the inside dimensions of the magazine box of the action. It measures 3.82 inches, and the case length is 3.04 inches. So, with a hunting style bullet and not one of the overly long VLDs, it would work not only as a single loader... I will post here what I`ve found out after talking to my gunsmith. Thanks again for your efforts!

 

[benchracer]

Glad I could help! Given your intended use and bullet choice, it sounds like your idea would be doable. Now I'm really curious.

Given the velocity potential of the Cheytac, I would plan to stay with mono metal bullets of some kind. Bonded bullets at the very least. Either way, I am thinking that it would pay to go with a faster than standard twist.

What do you have in mind for recoil control? Muzzle brake? Heavy barrel?

 

[Stephan]

Ähhhh... recoil... yes... It will be an issue. Muzzlebrake for sure, and concerning that the whole project is about the rig still being portable, i`m not sure how much weight to add and where... A mercury reducer might be an option, but recoil will be the biggest Problem for sure.