CZ 600 American in 223

By Chris Parkin

CZ are now offering the 600 action with an `American` style ambidextrous walnut stock for hunters.

The rifle is an intermediate weight at 3.2 kg with a 610mm/24” barrel (depending on calibre) producing all the velocity promised from factory ammunition. The barrel is cold hammer forged with 6 grooves and this 223 on test has a 1 in 9” twist rate ensuring it will stabilise heavier and physically longer bullets in either lead or copper. The Turkish walnut stock has a matt finish that contrasts traditionally with the proprietary matt black finish applied to all the steelwork to fend off corrosion. It’s screwcut 15x1 for a sound moderator or brake and comes with a threadcap. The stock’s forend is totally rigid and allows the barrel to float freely throughout its length in all scenarios.

The barrel is clamped into the flat bottom receiver on this mini actioned 223. The bolt has three lugs and a semi-controlled feed face which is a superb design as with an additional sprung plunger ejector at its base, ejection vigour is totally reliant on bolt operation speed.

The three-lug bolt cocks the action on opening and requires a 60-degree lift to unlock the lugs before drawing it back smoothly. The safety catch is a plunger system behind the receiver’s tang and presses down through the stock to set `fire`. This then exposes the safety plunger on the underside of the gun just behind the trigger guard and if you want to re-set safe, just push it back up with your second finger behind the trigger guard. The bolt handle is also locked closed on safe but if you want to open it, the bolt release plunger just behind the handle, will allow opening of the action and once opened, also works as the bolt release catch.

The action is fastened into the stock with two T25 Torx screws spanning the polymer magazine and within the stock, the flat-bottomed receiver seats in place within the stock’s precisely machined inlet and aluminium bedding block without any stress. The magazine is a superb design and one of the few examples of a twin column 223 system in a sporting rifle. The release catch under the rifle is just ahead of the magazine and presses to drop the mag into your hand and the button also slides to lock the magazine in position if desired. The benefit of a twin column magazine is that it can be loaded directly from the top, simply pushing the ammunition down, either in or out of the gun which benefits fast changeovers if required yet still the optional security of using it as a fixed system when circumstances allow. Looking back to the hunting scenario, if you shoot off a single round, you can refill the mag without removal and risk missing an opportunity for another shot as an animal passes.

CZ’s trigger is another fine addition to the 600 action and shows a 5mm wide steel blade offering a crisp single stage release for the shot. This trigger offers four weight settings and there is a small Allen screw just ahead of the blade that can be clicked through settings offering trigger pull from 370 to 1100gr (13-40 ounces). The defined detents mean you can change trigger settings if desired very simply without trigger tuning skills.

The stock shows a straight grain pattern and the checkering on the forend, and grip is neatly applied for tactile security on the rifle. Recoil is almost non-existent on a 223 but the 355mm length of pull ensure the rifle feels full sized and fit me perfectly. The comb is straight, and the recoil pad is a firm solid rubber item that grips well into your shoulder. Alignment behind the scope is good because the cheekpiece is slender and won’t push your jaw sideways. The butt’s underside has a sling stud securely fitted, and the straight taper ensures the rifle is fast handling and mounts/fits well in your shoulder with linear recoil transfer in a dynamic situation. In a precision situation, the sloped underside is perfect for a supporting rest bag or clenched fist to give assured elevation control which makes an accurate 223 like this a pleasure to shoot on targets at longer distances and will of course make is a popular varminting rifle. The front sling stud is securely anchored and with a bipod fitted, the rifle was stable from prone, or bench rested positions where there is no flexibility in the stock so any pressure you do apply with your shoulder to seat the bipod’s feet won’t affect your point of impact.

I used a 2-16x50 Element Helix Scope with a Harris Bipod and Barton sound moderator. The gun is an absolute pleasure to shoot and will certainly print small groups on target to satisfy CZ’s precision promise with utter ease. I used four bullet weights from 35gr Copper up to 73gr ELD match ammunition and found all worked acceptably, some of them were stunningly accurate. It was great to see the 9” twist rate on the barrel as it makes the gun so much more versatile for longer range 223 shooting but hasn’t compromised performance and speed with either 35gr copper bullets or the common 55gr bullets like Hornady’s V-Max which is a favourite amongst pest controllers, myself included.

Ammunition Performance Data

These were all three round groups and shot slightly off the aimpoint to ensure no aiming error which is a good job because they all shot extremely well. I did of course measure the best groups, but no 5 round group exceeded 0.85 M.O.A. The gun was delightful to shoot because it tested me as a shooter, highlighting my mistakes reading the wind I was the weakest link in the chain because it was so easy to find the precision from this rifle. When shot from a tripod, the forend resisted compression with no zero shift which is an important factor in the modern shooting world where clamped rifles above a tripod are commonly used, not just rested in position. The underside of the forend is hand filling without any likelihood of fingers touching the barrel and I felt the ergonomics of the whole rifle were correctly proportioned. Further to this, bolt operation is light with minimal force transfer into the rifle so you can stay on point of aim while cycling the action.

CZ have taken the superb 600 action and paired it to a great stock for hunters wanting to keep more conventional looks, without losing any performance from their rifle. I found it hard not to adore this rifle whose barrel was thermally stable, retained zero without problems and surefootedly proved its capability with a broad range of factory ammo. I don’t want to send it back and I can’t wait to test one of the larger calibres for larger game and assessing the full recoil character in something like a 308 or 30-06. So far this has been one of the outstanding rifles I have reviewed in 2024 and I cant see any shortcomings at all in the design, manufacture or performance.

• Model: CZ 600 American in .223 (also available in .243, 6.5 Creedmoor, .270 WIN, .308 WIN, .30-06, and 7.62x39)
• Barrel: Cold hammer forged, 610mm/24”
• Twist Rate: 1-9”, matt black proprietary finish
• Muzzle Thread: 16x1
• Overall Length: 1097mm/43.25”
• Overall Weight: 3200gr/7lb 3oz
• Length of Pull: 355mm/14”
• Trigger: Single stage adjustable, 4 settings (372-550-804-1134gr / 13oz.-19-28-40oz.)
• Magazine: Twin column top loading polymer, 5 rounds + 1 in the chamber
• Stock: Ambidextrous Turkish Walnut, Matt finish, Chequering at grip and forend
• Scope Mounting: Remington 700 compatible for Bases or Picatinny Rail

Price

£1347.99

Our Thanks

• Chris Parkin
• CZ
• Element Optics
• Harris Bipods
• Barton Moderators