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Mike Dewey

Hello All, thanks for the opportunity to blather.

I'd wanted a 'thumper' for a while for moose and elk. Thought 35 Whalen, but hard to find. Saw a picture of a CZ 550 full stock in 9.3x62 and was smitten. Only problem: unavailable, discontinued. Dang. Found an ad for a ZKK 600 Brno, cut down 20" barrel, ugly stock in 9.3, thought and then bought.

On arrival, didn't look as bad as in photo, mostly just awkward black spacers added to increase pull length. Took out one spacer, sanded down the recoil pad, lemon oiled the stock and look: nice checkering and tiger stripe walnut popped out. OK.

Bad job of a front sight on the cut down barrel, too tall. Tried to sight in using the sweet pop up peep in the rear scope base but 18" low at 50 yds. Put on a lower front Marbles and back in business just in time to dispatch a problem bear.

BRNO ZKK 600 on the front scope base and 70 524 17,792 on the right side of the action. I figure this means 1970 circa Brno mid length action (in 9.3x62). Not sure whether the 524 means that it's a Brno made by CZ or what. Sounds like there was an unhappy marriage between the two companies in those years.

Lots of time on my hands and spent a lot of it cleaning. Looked fine but every patch, every oily rag came up brown from surface rust. Took a lot to clean out the bore but seems fine now, no pits that I can see.

Was missing the front 'pillar' between the bottom of the recoil lug and the front bottom metal. Couldn't find anything close to the right inside/outside diameter so cut a piece off a useless tripod leg to fit between the lug bottom and the bottom metal. Used shrink tubing around the aluminum tube to fill the space in the stock hole (don't laugh, I'm Canadian).

Put on a Leopold 2-7x33 VXR scope with Leopold CZ 550 rings and started load development. Understand that powder, brass and bullets take some effort to find here. Started with IMR 4320 and managed a 3 shot group under an inch (100 yds.) with 57.5 gr 4320 and Nosler 286 gr partition. Seems hopeful. Got 2267 fps average and 15fps variation with a very compressed load in a new PRVI case.

Since then found some IMR 3031 and IMR 4064 along with some Hornady 250 gr GMX (copper fouls like crazy) and some ugly 285 gr PRVI round nose (but cheap).

Having fun. Once fired cases (I only neck size and did find a custom Lee 'Factory Crimp" die) take at least 2 or 3 gr more powder so will try some heavier loads. Seems the 20" barrel costs at least 200 fps according to published load data. Thinking the 3031 might be the ticket with the shorter barrel.

No signs of excess pressure. Lots of free bore, couldn't touch the rifling if I tried. Will keep playing.

Rifle supposedly came with two triggers: standard and a single set option. Mine has the standard version. 7# out of the box but luckily did have a lot of creep, almost two stage. Took some research but pull is now 36 oz. and took out all the creep by using JB Weld to glue in a piece of tin to take up all the slack. (Remember, I'm Canadian.) Breaks clean and is stable: can't make it fire except with the trigger.

Will bed the action when I quit playing. Wondering about cross bolts, lots of beef behind the recoil lug and behind the magazine box...

Noisy safety (backwards of course but seems natural now: stalk with forefinger on trigger guard, thumb on safety. Ready to fire: just pull back thumb, as you would anyway, and good to go). Noisy, big click. The bear heard the click and turned towards me just as I fired. Diagonally through neck and out shoulder. No contest.

The adventure continues...