SmallCaliberCentral

I would prefer the CZ for these reasons: 1. The CZ is a true short action, while the Savage uses a block to shorten it. 2. The CZ is not nearly as heavy as the Savage. 3. I prefer the CZ trigger to the Savage Accu-trigger. 4. CZ hammer forges their barrels, and this may be superior to the Savage but...

On Friday I just picked up my new CZ 452 in .22 LR. Early Saturday morning, I cleaned it, mounted a Leupold 3-9X36mm EFR on it with Leupold one piece rings that fit the dovetails on the CZ, and started shooting at a target. Within three rounds, it was hitting the bullseye at about 30 yards, and then...

I have heard very good reports about the CZ 527s in .204, in both the Varminter and the American versions. One is on my wishlist. Also, no one has mentioned the Ruger M77 Hawkeye, which I consider to have very good classic lines and styling. Ruger accuracy and triggers have been spotty, and Rugers o...

I do not yet have a Cooper, but at least one Model 57, a Model 52, and a Model 54 are on my lengthy wishlist. I have a shooting buddy with a Cooper M21 Varminter in .204 which he has had for about three years. His has a 26 inch barrel, but I believe that most are 24 inches. It is very accurate at pr...

Thanks Rick. This is somewhat tempting, even though I have two nice Sako 25-06s.

I would like your opinions as to this subject: I have been tempted by the Ruger Hawkeye in 25-06 (lefthand), and I see a number of them on websites and in Cabelas for sale at around $600 or so. Ruger has chosen to put a heavier contour, and 24 inches in length, on the 25-06s. I like many things abou...

I think that is a good choice.

What make of barrel are you going to use? I did not see your comments if you addressed that above.

Ken: The snugness aids in consistency and accuracy, because the cartridge is being aligned more precisely in the chamber. But again, not overly tight. If you have to really crank on the bolt, then that is probably resulting in more wear on your action, chamber, etc., than is desired. It is a bit lik...

I am no expert on this subject, but a "custom chamber" means that the tolerances are tighter, which means that ammo which is a tad long will be up against the chamber tight when you close the bolt. I prefer a reasonable amount of resistance when I close my actions. And, when I have firefor...

FB: Have you seen the article on this site about the test of taking the .204 with a 24 inch barrel, chronographing it, and then taking an inch off at a time, and chrongraphing the result? Without going back and looking, there was very little difference in velocity between 24 inches and 21 inches. I ...

Giz: I have had two Ruger No 1s. The first was a 1-V in 22-250, and it was made in 1976. It would not shoot under about 1.5 MOA even though I tried to work up a good handload for it. This may have been the period of time that Ruger had an issue with bad barrels. The second one was the 1-B Standard i...

K22: Yes, I know that Tikka makes several models that they chamber in .204. However, BerettaUSA is the importer, and if you go to their website (berettausa.com), I do not believe that they import any of the .204s into the US. This is unfortunate, and I must presume that it is due to financial and ec...

To my knowledge you cannot get the Tikka in a .204, and this is unfortunate. Tikka makes at least the Varminter in .204, but Beretta USA, does not import it into the US. I am disappointed at this because the Tikkas are known for out of the box accuracy, reasonable pricing, good triggers, and other g...

From what I know, Lothar Walther is very high quality. Their website states that their barrels are button rifled.

As indicated above by the extraordinary group, the proof is in the pudding. If you can get that kind of groups with factory ammo, you are definitely doing it right, in my book!!

My experience with 40 grainers in a 1 in 12 twist has been described previously: I was shooting an almost new Savage 12 Low Profile, at rockchucks about 650 lasered yards away. Neither I, nor my shooting partner (shooting a Cooper .204), could reach them, no matter how much elevation we gave the rif...