AU REVOIR CZ 550

There can be very few serious riflemen who have not owned, or know someone that owns, a CZ 550-actioned rifle. The CZ 550 was made in two different configurations: a medium-length action for .30-06-length cartridges (shorter cartridges such as the .308 Winchester was available as well and made use of a spacer in the magazine to minimise feeding problems) and a Magnum-length action for cartridges such as the .375 H&H and .416 Rigby. Before we delve deeper into the 550 action, however, it is perhaps necessary to look at its history.

BRNO ORIGINS

In the mid-1960s, the Czech firm of Zbrojovka Brno introduced the ZKK series of actions. The ZKK was available in three different lengths to suit various cartridges. The shortest was the 600 for cartridges such as the .243 and .308 Winchester, the 601 was a standard-length action for cartridges like the .270 Winchester and 9,3x62, and the 602 was a Magnum-length action for large-bore cartridges such as the .375 H&H.

Brno ZKK-actioned rifles were available for many years in South Africa and, over time, gained an excellent