SmallCaliberCentral

Thinking about buying a CZ 527 Varmint Kevlar .204; however, I'm hesitating because the barrel isn't a true varmint barrel, it's tapered. This will be used purely on a bench in the rat fields. I'm concerned that it will heat up too fast. I like that the CZ comes with a kevlar stock and set trigger. That's the main reason I'm looking more seriously at the CZ than the other brands out there (don't have a Cooper budget).

Would you more experienced shooters hesitate to buy it over another brand with a thicker varmint barrel?

Thanks

The CZ 527 Varmint kevlar is an excellent rifle. You are correct that the barrel isn't as heavy as a typical Rem varmint barrel however they are still adequate for bench use in the Pdog fields. You will have to remember to check barrel heat every so often and switch to a different rifle when the barrel heats up. Even with a very heavy varmint contour barrel you will still need to watch barrel heating.

A heavier barrel doesn't normally heat up as fast as a thinner barrel but the trade off is the thinner barrel cools quicker. JMO

All true. Load testing with my CZ-527 American is an all day affair because of how fast the barrel heats up. I've heard tales of folks putting damp cloths on their barrels during the "hot" rat-patch activities but I wonder how the barrel would act because the barrel temperature wouldn't be uniform. Maybe it does or maybe it doesn't.

Jim

Personally, I prefer shooting the heavy varmint barrels from my bench in the "rat patch". My 223 is the only rifle I shoot in field that has a sporter barrel on it. My 204 and my 20VT both have the heavy varmint barrels on them. When the temps get warm, I am one who believes in the "wet towel". RIO has posted pics of me in the field, using this method. As far as I can tell, it does not affect POI. And using this method allows me to keep shooting the same rifle longer, on a hot field. When I feel the barrel is getting hot, I put that rifle in the shade with the action open and the muzzle pointed upwards.

futuretrades wrote:When the temps get warm, I am one who believes in the "wet towel". RIO has posted pics of me in the field, using this method. As far as I can tell, it does not affect POI.

Yep, it's true......seen it myself:



If it changed Kevin's POI, the squirrels sure didn't seem to notice, even the ones I saw learning to fly around the 400 yard marker.

How cold is the towell? Is it at ambient temperature or is it right out of a cold water cooler?

I always keep 1/2 gallon of water under the seat of my pick up, just in case I need it for drinking or, in this case the towel on my barrel, so the water is ambient temp. With any kind of breeze, the towel cools some, but at least the barrel is closer to ambient temp for a longer period of time. As the barrel begins to warm up, the water in the towel will begin to dry out from the heat, so once in a while I will re-soak the towel, if needed.

Well hopefully, I'll get an opportunity to test that theory this year.

Thanks again,