SmallCaliberCentral

OK...Finally going to "pull the trigger" so-to-speak...Got a chance to get either a CZ 527 Varmint (wood stocked) for $575 or a Remington 700 SPS Varmint for $560 or a Howa 1500 Custom Varmint with heavy target barrel 22" for $390.....open to suggestions and opinions.....Any help would be appreciated.....Shoot straight and shoot often....

I personaly love the Rem700. Everyone says they take all this work to shoot good but any rem I have had puts them in the same hole right out of the box.
Like the look of the Howa as well. Not really a fan of the CZ

Kale_M wrote:I personaly love the Rem700. Everyone says they take all this work to shoot good but any rem I have had puts them in the same hole right out of the box.
Like the look of the Howa as well. Not really a fan of the CZ

May I ask why you are not a fan of the CZ's...? I was never a fan of Big Green but they do make a good rifle....Howa is basically a Weatherby Vangard with a different suit on...

They should all shoot well. If it's a carry gun check the weight of each.

Kale.. I have two Howa's alongwith Remingtons and TC Contenders and a couple of other brands. The Howa's are a very good value for the money and they shoot very well, from the box. A little tuning and they will cut very small holes.. Check out Legacy sports website. Bill K

One of each.

I agree with Kale. My 204 is a 700 SPS. The factory stock is crap but the rifle itself is superb. Very accurate.

Which one feels the best to you, that is the important thing. I think of the ones you mentioned the Howa is probably the best deal. Lots of decent guns these days at bargain prices. In the same price range though you have the Tikka and Savages. I am a Savage fan myself simply because they are so easy to rebarrel, have decent triggers, and for the most part are tack drivers straight from the box with no tweaking required. I like the looks of the CZ's though, just not real crazy about the set trigger, but then some people don't like the Savage Accutrigger. Only Remington I own is a old BDL from the early 80's, lousy trigger, 1.5 to 2MOA accuracy but as long as it shoots minute of deer that's all I will ask of the old girl. I see a lot of Rems up at the club, they seem to have hit and miss QA these days, one will be a tackdriver straight from the box and the next will leave a lot to be desired. Not nuts about their new trigger design either.

Of the 3 that you have listed I would go with the Howa and you would save enough money to put a replacement trigger in it. They are supposed to have come out with a new trigger which is not bad. I have several customers that have been very happy with the accuracy from their Howas. I for one, like the CZ set trigger. I have had issues with the CZ 527 magazine not feeding properly with a full magazine and it protrudes out the bottom of the rifle a ways. My favorite 204 is the Savage, have two different models that shoot very well. I like the accutrigger for a stock trigger. I have had 3 Remington rifles and they were all mediocre as far as accuracy.

I will have a Howa soon and will post a report after I get it tuned in.
Howas now come with a 2-stage trigger that is fully adjustable.
Why not get the 24" Howa? Its the #6 barrel. You can also buy just the barreled action from Howa if you don't like their stocks.
There's almost no wrong choice these days when it comes to .204. I think the Howa is the best quality for value on the market, that's why I went with them.
Also check out the replacement box magazine system for Howas at the Legacy site. You can get a 5 or 10 round mag system for under $100. Good deal.

My CZ varmint shoots amazingly well and love the set trigger. 1/4" at 100 yds and it's a beautiful gun. Paid $585 new for mine. Would do it all over again.