A company like the CZ custodian of a historical and technical background of high value, it launched on the free market with a respectable energy and determination, reaching increasingly important goals thanks to a set of projects, operational methodologies, expansion of settlements in areas of the world where it is good to be present to optimize costs, achievements and distribution. In the broad proposal that sees commercial and military weapons, we focus on the recent one CZ carbine Mod. 557, new to IWA of 2013 and today one of the three focal points of the sector together with the well-known Mod. 527 and Mod. 550. The two very well-established projects still see an action based on the Mauser K98, worthy of honor and glory, but equally of costs today a little above the desirable, while the new reality takes into account also technical factors according to which today's cartridges can be managed by a simplified action compared to the past. The proposal of Mod. 557 therefore completes the options for customers.
Castle and shutter
The classicism of the castle sees first of all a machining from solid of a billet of alloy steel with subsequent thermochemical treatments: the structure adopts the closed bridge and the ring equipped at the bottom with the integral prism for the discharge of forces with the careful interposition of a block of aluminum embedded in the wood while both elements on the top have a raised section with milling for fixing the optics. The hunting destination and therefore the speed of maneuvering required a large ejection and loading window from which the cartridges can be easily inserted into the fixed magazine equipped with the convenient pivoting door. The shutter is equipped with two wings growing from the cylindrical central section, set back by a few mm with respect to the face which is in turn recessed to improve the support of the bottom. cartridge: note the hole in the firing pin, the elastic pawl of the ejector and the pivoting nail with internal register spring. This is the most substantial variation compared to the Mod. 550 in which there is still the positive extractor with the powerful gripping nail and the long leaf spring, but today's system is universally accepted and here it is made with commendable precision. The handlebar is recessed and pinned in a ring support keyed on the central body: the maneuver is always very comfortable thanks to the tapered cylindrical section arm, bent back, sufficiently detached from the stem and with spherical knuckle. The prismatic base is placed in the hole made on the right side of the castle creating, at least in hypothesis, a sort of third closure. The shaped prismatic cap recalls the style of the House and contains the red apex point that indicates the firing pin armament.
Barrel, snap and safe
The barrel is screwed into the ring according to the still perfectly reliable system: the length of only 52 cm is chosen both with a view to saving money and to facilitate handling and weight reduction, factors in great demand today by the average clientele. The elegant conical cylinder profile ends in the muzzle with a rounding to protect the egress of the rifling, obtained with the process of cold hammering followed by straightening: the execution procedure and then control are guarantees of a very high quality and a Great ballistic yield. There are adjustable open sights, placed on raised baseboards and equipped with high visibility references. The notch with square view is adjustable in drift while the red translucent synthetic front sight, adjustable in elevation, is caged in a curious removable windowed tunnel: it seems that it combines protection from shocks and reflections together with the passage of light necessary to make it appreciable to the eye of the shooter. The direct release is entrusted to an arched trigger, in polished steel, adjustable from the outside in the parameters of stroke, weight and retraction: definitely a qualifying detail of the shotgun. The two-position safety button is located behind the handlebar: comfortable and silent, it is easily operated with the rifle already in the tappet and, when activated, it locks the trigger and firing pin, leaving the bolt free to extract the chambered cartridge in peace.
The stock
The good walnut today is available in its various shades of beauty and here has not skimped on the expense, obviously in the parameters of the class and the price of the weapon, working a log obtained from a mature plant, with dense paste, well mineralized vessels and appreciable veins suitably arranged in axis with the recoil energy. The Czech style is a pleasant combination of classicism and customization: we see the butt with a high comb favorable to shooting with optics, Bavarian back, functional cheek rest with a harmonious curved perimeter, well-sized pistol with marked widening towards the guard that firmly stops the hand, barrel and shaft with flat bottom, excellent support for precision shooting, and apex with a hint of schnabel, just to recall a certain contiguity with Germanic classicism. Soft rubber recoil pad and sling t-shirts are not lacking to finish the work.
To finish
CZ also sees and suffers the rising costs, but in a very acceptable way and above all by having a considerable possibility of investments and technological assets that allow it to combine operating methodologies, such as machining from solid, technical choices also dispensed in this shotgun, important accessories such as finishes and the wood of the stock all proposed at a price that is still an understatement to define interesting. Certainly there is no shortage of versions kicked in synthetic and finished in analogy for those who choose extreme practicality, but these classic versions are still available today to the satisfaction of enthusiasts: putting one in the rack is a sign of intelligent foresight.
Data Sheet
Manufacturer: CZ Českà Zbrojovka as - Svatopluka Cecha 1283, CZ-688 27 Uhersky Brod (Czechia) - Tel. +420 572 655120, Fax +420 572 633811 - [email protected] - www.czub.cz
Importer: Bignami SpA, via Lahn, 1 - 39040 Ora (BZ) - tel. 0471/803000 - fax. 0471/810899 - www.bignami.it - [email protected]
Model: 557Lux
Type: revolving and sliding bolt-action rifle with two overhead flaps
CALIBRO: 6,5 × 55 SE (others alternatively)
Castle: from milled steel billet - burnished finish - polished shutter
canna: 520 mm long - 16 mm muzzle diameter - 4 right-handed lines pitch 1:10 obtained by rotary hammering - floating assembly - burnished finish
Percussion: firing pin with coaxial coil spring
Supply: fixed tank with 5 cartridges with push button release of the pivoting sole - detachable magazine on request
Triggering device: direct with single adjustable trigger
Extractor: pivoting claw with piston and spring inserted in the bolt head
Ejector: elastic pawl protruding in the face of the shutter
Sighting devices: notch with square view with white references adjustable in drift - red fiber optic front sight adjustable in elevation - milling on the castle for optics mounting
Safety: knurled button on the right side of the castle - blocks the trigger system
Stocking: walnut wood in one piece - rubber buttplate added - pistol grip - checkered pattern at the gripping points
Finishes: bluing for barrel and castle - polished bolt body
Total length 1063mm
Weight :: About 3300 grams without optics