|
Jesse's Hunting > Gun Room Articles > The Gun Room > Finding a Match - the CZ 527 in .22 Hornet
Finding a Match - the CZ 527 in .22 Hornet
Andy Moe - JHO ProStaff
- The Frozen Wastes of Montana
November 02, 2006
I started out this month with the intent of writing an article about reloading for the 22 Hornet cartridge, thinking I had something to say about squeezing target accuracy from this old varmint round. I think I did, or do, but as the article progressed I realized that it was getting increasingly more difficult to credit my successes to my loading techniques than to the rifle itself -or at least, a combination of both. As often happens to those who set out to write about something, the story that got written wrote itself, without regard to what I originally wanted to say. Thank goodness for patient editors.
The CZ 527 American
The author found this to be a well-made rifle that performed surprisingly well with the .22 Hornet round. |
If I had gone ahead with that piece you would have quickly concluded that my latest Hornet, a CZ Model 527 American is without a doubt, the most accurate Hornet I have owned. I’ll start this new piece by being a little more direct. I have owned 22 Hornets in all shapes and forms over the last three decades –starting with a Savage 340 and ending most recently with an Anschutz 1430. In between have been custom Hi Walls, Rolling Blocks, Savages…you name it. None have compared to the CZ 527.
The CZ 527 American is a light-weight sporter, weighing 6.5 pounds and sporting a twenty-two inch tapered barrel. The CZ 527 is factory equipped with a fully adjustable, single stage/single set trigger and is furnished with standard 1” scope rings. The stocks are of checkered walnut and the barrel is free floated. Unlike my Anschutz, which was a fine rifle in its own right, this CZ has a Mauser type breeching system with twin locking lugs and a claw extractor. The CZ utilizes a five-shot, detachable magazine. All in all, the CZ is a deluxe package.
I won’t delve into the history of the Hornet. You can find that elsewhere. What I will discuss briefly is the Hornet’s reputation for being finicky and less than match grade accurate with even the finest components and rifles. Author Phil Sharpe once wrote that his good custom Hornet would occasionally deliver groups under ¾” with select loads and that a good Hornet rifle could be counted on to deliver 1” groups at 100 yards when fed quality ammunition. This was true in his day and seemed to be the governing rule in the years since. In three decades of chasing accuracy from various Hornet rifles, my best Hornet was a #7 Rolling block custom that would give 1” at 100 yards almost on demand…. something my Hi-Wall wouldn’t do, and for that matter, a feat my Anschutz balked at. So imagine how I feel when I find a Hornet from which a 1” group at 100 yards is considered rather mediocre?? Jubilant is a good word… perhaps amazed? Call it what you will, such is the case of my CZ 527.
An interesting facet of CZ production is the fact that the barrel and chamber are hammer forged in a single operation. In traditional gunmaking, the cutting of the chamber is a secondary operation which often leads to a slight misalignment of the chamber reamer and the barrel. The most noticeable result is an enlarged case after firing. This is to be expected. The CZ’s “single operation” chambering leaves the chamber excellently aligned with the bore and dimensionally tight. One of the first things I noticed about this rifle was that even with the heaviest loads the brass came from the chamber looking virtually unfired. The second thing I couldn’t help but notice was the accuracy. I found no loads that could be discarded as inaccurate. Less accurate, perhaps, but all were at MOA or substantially less. This is a rarity in Hornet rifles.
In loading for the CZ, or any Hornet for that matter, I have settled on three powders. One is an old favorite in the form of Hodgdon’s H-110. I have gotten good results with this powder for years, most recently being in my Anschutz where it gave top accuracy with the Speer 33 grain TNT hollow point. Hodgdon's H-110 is known for giving the highest practical velocities at workable pressures for the Hornet casing. I have found that to be true: All of my fastest loads were with H-110.
My next powder of choice is Accurate Arms 1680. The most consistent velocities I’ve obtained with any powder in the Hornet, ever, were gotten from loads using 1680. In two separate 10 shot strings fired across my trusty chronograph the difference between the highest and lowest velocities was a mere 17 ft/sec. The velocity peaked at 2750 ft/sec with the 35 grain V-Max bullet, which makes them the slowest loads I deem acceptable, but they are also some of the most accurate Hornet loads I have ever tested. When the targets are small, 1680 is a good first choice powder.
The last powder is the newest and perhaps the best powder there has ever been for the 22 Hornet: Hodgdon’s “Lil Gun” shotgun powder. This powder delivers a level of accuracy that swaps top honors with 1680 depending on what kind of day I’m having and how much coffee I’ve had.
The difference is that velocities peak at just around 2900 ft/sec using the 35 grain V-Max bullet. That little extra velocity sometimes helps here on the prairies. The most exceptional quality of this powder is that with full maximum charges it generates roughly 45% less pressure than H-110 does with the same bullet. The result is long case life and worry-free loading. You just can’t get too much Lil Gun in a Hornet case to cause you any trouble. The same can be said for 1680. What a line up, eh? It was with these three powders that I tackled the 527’s accuracy potential. I am glad to report that the CZ liked them all.
Deadly on prarie dogs
The author's son puts the CZ through its paces. Despite the mediocre reputation of the .22 Hornet, the round performed admirably in the CZ rifles. |
The CZ also isn’t too particular about the bullet it tosses, either. I’ll admit I’ve shot only four so far: the Speer “TNT” 33 grain HP (a special release 33 grain V-Max obtained from Lock Stock and Barrel shooting supply in Valentine, Nebraska some time back), the Hornaday 35 grain V-Max, and the Winchester Supreme, 34 grain Factory HP loading. You’ll note that I don’t shoot the 40 grain and heavier bullets. For my use, the heavier bullets are neither needed nor suited to the Hornet’s hunting grounds where the lighter more frangible bullets are less likely to ricochet towards surrounding farms and livestock. I have found that, within the operating range of the Hornet cartridge, the lighter bullets work just fine on the prairie dogs and rabbits I connect with. Should I run into a coyote I am confident he would also be dealt with efficiently by these lighter bullets.
My initial firings with my CZ were using 13.5 grains of Lil Gun and the Hornady 35 grain bullet touched off with a Winchester Small Rifle primer. My first three shots were a neat, dime sized group looking suspiciously like the 100 meter test-fire target provided with my rifle from the factory. The second group was slightly bigger but still at the half MOA mark. Talk about truth in advertising!
The trigger on the CZ was heavy-ish and somewhat gritty. A mental note to adjust the trigger was made and I continued to shoot my three shot strings. Never a group over 9/16 inches and that one was when the single set trigger got the better of me. What I did notice was a slight shifting of the zero as the barrel and the July morning heated up. Another mental note posted to check bedding. That evening I addressed both. The trigger was adjusted to my liking using the detailed instructions provided by CZ. In examining the bedding I found there was a slight pressure on the barrel from the right side that was relieved with a few swipes of some 220 grit. Problem solved.
The stock work brings to mind the only flaw I found in my rifle. My rifle had the sling swivels screwed in at slight angles and both were driven into the stock a half turn too far. I would think that this was just a random event if I hadn’t seen it on at least one other rifle. I don’t know what the problem is but they should correct it. At this writing I have received word from a shooter in the UK whose new CZ 527 American in .222 had this exact same problem. I’m certain CZ will get their stock QC fixed.
CZ will restock a rifle if there is a problem with the wood but in my case, the issue was resolved quickly with a couple of spacers salvaged from an Uncle Mikes QD sling swivel set. Frankly, I believe that when you have a good shooter you deal with the small issues and stick with a winner. The rifle showed so much potential that I didn’t want to risk upsetting this balance of wood and metal.
Over the course of the summer I shot about 800 rounds from the CZ and never had a single complaint. The Swift 4-12 A/O I started with got moved over so that a Schmidt and Bender 6x42 could get some barrel time. The combo had accounted for many, many prairie dogs and not a few rabbits. I glass bedded the recoil lug on the 527 last month just as a matter of form. Nothing changed, accuracy-wise, but I feel better knowing the recoil lug is snuggly bedded.
My loads are as follows. Mind you: you’ll have to work up each load for your individual rifle:
Hornady V-Max 35 grain bullet: 13.2 grains of AA 1680 for 2750 ft / sec.
: 13.5 grains of Lil Gun for 2880 ft / sec.
: 11.0 grains of H-110 for 3030 ft / sec.
Speer “TNT” 33 grain HP: Same powder charges.
Hornady / Remington 33 grain V-Max: Same charges for 1680 and Lil Gun.
: 11.2 grains of H-110
After much experimenting I’ve settled on Small Pistol Primers for ignition and Federal #100 primers seem to be the best performer. My OAL was 1.730” for the V-Max 35 and 33 grain bullets and 1.720” for the Speer TNT.
With the thought that not all shooters are reloaders, I tried Winchester’s 34 grain Supreme Factory loading and found it to be very good in the CZ. After a few rounds to season the bore to the bullet’s coating, I was getting MOA and somewhat less fairly regularly. If you aren’t a handloader, these are a good load for the CZ. I tried without success to obtain some Hornady factory loads using the V-Max 35 grain bullet at 3100 ft/sec. At the time everyone was sold out. They are reputed to be the best.
Accuracy and bag temperament for the CZ was excellent. The rifle is easy to shoot at the range as it is to carry afield. Off hand shooting characteristics are excellent. Some of my groups were definitely benchrest quality, and looking at them one has to remember this is a 7 pound, sporter-weight rifle with a 6X big game hunting scope riding on top. It’s not exactly a heavy varmint rig!
It is also a 22 Hornet, a cartridge known for mediocre accuracy and doomed for obsolescence. …Well, perhaps not just yet. It’ll hang around a lot longer if CZ-USA has something to say about it.
The CZ 527 American has a MSRP of $ 599 and can be had at fine gunshops world wide.
|
