farshot
(.300 member)
05/08/08 05:11 AM
Re: CZ to put Brno O/U double rifles back into production

Yes, i did just take delivery of a BRNO 803 o/u in 8x57 S rimmed . I own many BRNO and CZ doubles and combination guns and rifles and i love them all - im a huge fan of cz and brno but this one is just not the same.

I have not shot it yet as the rifle did not have the dovetail scope mount nor 1/4 rib feature as I expected from the catelogue and pictures and descriptions and I am awaitng some responses from CZ and my dealer.

The quality, frankly, is slightly above the quality of my Baikal sxs I just bought.

The BRNO has a locking system of a wide "lug" or catch at the very bottom of the bbls that engages the lever actuated recess cam in the bottom of the receiver box. There are no traditional lugs or locking mechanisms. The bottom of the receiver box is solid with no lugs penetrating same, but with the rear of the box being removable with cap screws to take the trigger group out.

The receiver is a less then 1/4 inch thick rectangular box of steel and the bbl pivots are side mounted lugs that stick out about 1 cm ala the Berreta shotguns. The rear face of the receiver is a cap screwed on steel plate with the rebounding firng pins not bushed (unless you call the entire rear steel plate as a bushing). The hammers are coil spring driven. It has a front set trigger that is nice to use. The unset triggers have a bit of creep and breaks at about 4-5 pounds.

It has one large extractor across the middle of the upper and lower bbls.

The stock is a decent wood, but the fit to the receiver is poor at best.

The test target shows 220 gr S&B ammo used and about a 2 inch group at 100 m. The rifling and bbls look very good tho. The lower bbl lands start at about 2/10ths of an inch sooner then the upper.

The sights are crude with a single rear notch that is slid over to one side of the dovetail mount with a register mark showing it as zero. The front blade is press fit into the ramp and the soldered on ramp is slightly tilting to one side.

The bottom bbl may be adjusted by a sliding lock collar under the forearm.

The front of the bbls are dovetailed together and again slightly offset to one side and then (I believe) pinned (or a very small set screw) to set the dovetail.

The scope mount is something (no one appears to know at present) that fits into a transverse 1 cm slot flanked by 2 holes drilled along the long axis of the rear of the bbl. There is no 14 mm dovetail as I expected when I ordered.

I had to order it sight unseen as it was a special order. I will live with that. The gun dealer I bought it from here in Canada is doing all they can to help me with the scope mount etc and I harbour no ill will to them.

The quality is in no way up to par with older CZ / BRNO rifles. They never were elegant rifles, but they had a charm of quality of wood and steel and strength - but this one is a collection of cap screwed together bits and pieces. Even the trigger group is cap screwed in from the bottom of the rifle.

The BRNO name "engraving" is even cheap looking -

Cost - about $1800 Cdn - not cheap - but not expensive. If I can find a scope mount and make it work - I will let you now how it shoots.



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