Czech Mark

I've been testing a European .22 that's new to American shooters. CZ-USA, a recently formed U.S. affiliate, is now importing several different rifles and handguns manufactured by Ceska Zbrojovka (CZ). The company is best known for its popular CZ 75 auto pistols, but a number of centerfire rifles have made their way into this country over the years. CZ-USA now distributes a full line of firearms made in the Czech Republic.

The CZ 511 is a solidly made semi-auto rifle with a number of interesting features. It sports a beechwood stock that appears to be hand checkered (a few runovers are evident at the borders). The stock wears a light walnut-colored finish and sports some nice grain in the forend. A gently curving comb attests to the rifle's European origin. Well-made sling swivels are mounted fore and aft.

The rounded receiver is sturdy and houses an equally sturdy bolt There's no hold-open catch, so the bolt closes after the last round in the detachable eight-shot magazine is fired. The top of the receiver is grooved to accept scope mounts while a double-bladed rear sight rides atop the barrel.

These blades are mounted at a 90degree angle and flip up or down for different ranges. One blade is calibrated for 50 meters, while the other is set for 100 meter shooting. The sight can be drifted sideways in its dovetail for rough changes in windage. The front sight is ramped and wears a removable steel hood.

A cross-bolt safety is located at the rear of the trigger guard, while a pair of screws anchor the barreled action to the stock (one at the forend, the other accessed through a recess in the pistol grip). No instructions were pro vided, but a steel plug at the rear of the receiver can be removed to allow cleaning access. The plug is held in place by a sturdy cross-screw.

The CZ selfloader performed very well afield. The single-stage trigger had the barest amount of creep and 'broke at an even 5 lbs. I experienced just three malfunctions in 150 rounds of shooting; all were caused by a fired case failing to fully eject and being caught by the returning bolt.

Accuracy was excellent. From 50 yards, the rifle punched 7/8" groups using Remington's High-Velocity ammo and 3/4" spreads with Federal s Gold Medal fodder.

While I've repeatedly used "sturdy' as an adjective in describing the CZ 511, the little .22 is actually pretty graceful. It sports a 22" barrel and measures just 38 1/2" in overall length The blowback autoloader weighs 5 1/2 lbs. and carries a suggested retail price of $312.

If you're looking for a .22 that differs from the American-made autoloaders we're all familiar with, the GZ 511 is well worth considering. This little rifle is well made, attractive and delivers fine performance. CZ-USA also imports a selection of bolt-action .22s. Now I'm looking forward to giving one of these CZ rimfires a try.

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