oldelkhunter--

Short Answer:
Looks = C (and to some, an F)
Feel = A

Long Answer:
CZ' s stock always gets them lots of attention -- not always positive. For folks that fixate on a straight back " thing of beauty" stock like you find on a M70 (a favorite of mine), they are not likely to go for the looks of a CZ with its " hogback/Lux/European Comb" style. The cheek rest is NOT a thing of beauty (though perfectly functional and cheap for CZ to make). I feel the stock itself makes the recoil easier to manage and since at these calibers we are talking DGR' s more than BGR' s function begins weighing heavy over beauty. A CZ is not a beauty queen. They are a lot like the old SAAB 900 Turbos, i.e. not too hot to look at, but watch out if you ever drive one, as you may likely end up owning one. On the other hand, it looks VERY similar to a Weatherby DGR -- which is not bad company to keep. Now, that is the general " eyes open" overview.

Now for the non-visuals. When I was at Cabelas they had 416' s in Ruger 77, Model 70, and CZ. When I did the " closed eyes" test, i.e. I threw them each up to my shoulder, snuggled in to what felt good, and then opened my eyes only the CZ had me looking right down the sights -- automatically and effortlessly. To me it felt better, aimed better and balanced and handled better than either the Ruger or the M70 and cost hundreds less. I would rather have two plain jane CZ' s (416 & 458?) than one beauty queen Ruger -- cost is about the same and I wouldn' t be crying too hard if they get scratched. I plan to hunt them hard. [>:]

My pattern is to find a cartridge I love and then find a satisfactory " launcher" (rifle) for it. When discussing hunting and folks ask " what did you shoot it with?" they are more after the cartridge/bullet than the rifle manufacturer. But that is just me.

Never Go Undergunned,
EKM