CZ-858 pics

[Cannon]

Well, didn't want to continue the "Welcome" thread and tie it up with photos, so here's the latest pics.  The new red dot scope came in yesterday.  I'm hoping to get some range time this week to sight it in.  I think it's going to take a bit of getting used to being so far forward on the rifle, but I'm going to try it out and see how it goes
 
http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii121/Jonny_Cannon/IMG-20111122-00110-1.jpg
 
http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii121/Jonny_Cannon/IMG-20111122-00112-1.jpg
 
Cannon

[GhostWarrior]

       Sounds like a plan, good luck and let us know how it works out, please.

[Cannon]

Well.  Managed to take the CZ out to the range and put another 200 rounds through it.  I was pleased to fire it in what I would consider its' final configuration.  The forend grip also arrived in the mail before I went, so I put it on also.
 
http://s263.photobucket.com/albums/ii121/Jonny_Cannon/?action=view&current=CZ-1.jpg
 
I must admit, being "old school", and carrying a rifle in the military before soldiers started using such modified rifles, I often wondered where the need was for these newfangled "red dot scopes", "picatinny rails", "forend grips", etc.  Bah.  Babies.  Well, the latest experience certainly changed my mind.  Once I got the scope zeroed in, the day became boring.  If I could see it, I could hit it.  Standing made for a bit of a challenge, since I had to be aware of my stance, balance, grip, and breathing between shots.  I tried adjusting the cheeckpiece to get a better fit, but the #1 position seems to be best.  Having the forend grip certainly makes for a more stable weapon when standing.  I can balance the rifle better, and pull it in tighter to my shoulder when firing.  With a firm grip, I can reduce recoil.  Sitting at the bench was a joke.  I became bored, and instead of tight groups in the bullseye, I began shooting for the logo on the target from the print company, etc.
 
The scope itself is a 2 x 42mm.  I was impressed with it overall, and it handled 200 rounds good.  My only complaint is that the pins that hold the dust covers in place eventually shook out.  On one of my shots, not only did the round eject up into the air, but the front dust cover from the scope did too.  A bit of silicone on either end to keep the pin in will rectify this problem.  That being said, that's what you get for buying a $60 scope.  It does the job, and I won't be hunting or sniping with this thing.
 
I continue to be impressed with the mechanics of this rifle.  It just keeps shooting and shooting and shooting.  Once it was too hot to touch in places, I loaded it up and shot some more.  I fired that thing until the corrosive primer residue began to irritate my eyes through my shooting glasses.  So far, I am very pleased, especially with the reliability.
 
Cannon
 
 
 

[GhostWarrior]

         Oh YA! That's SHINY! (Fire Fly Reference) And I'm really happy to hear how much you like shooting the finished product, I grew up I'm guessing about the same time as you and all the extra stuff that people put on their weapons these days looked pretty far out there. But I have come to like the extra choices they give me.

        The only thing I would do different, and this is a person choice and also depends on who and how you trained, I perfer to have the rifle sling wrapped around my hand and grip to make a stable plateform, the grip feels weird to me. But as I said, it's your weapon and you are the one that's using it, and if you are happy with it, then nobody else's opinions or thoughts really enter into it.
        Safe shooting, and Happy Holidays.

[Cannon]

I would agree with you about the sling, as I've done it before with other rifles.  However, in boot camp we were forbidden to do it, and my drill sgt. would constantly berate us for it.  Now it's like Pavlov's Dogs - every time I even THINK about it I suddenly feel the urge to start doing push-ups....
 
Cannon
 
 

[b5.5dan]

That's a very cool rifle. I'd love to have one myself! Thanks for the pictures!

[GhostWarrior]

          The other thing I learned about slings was from a visit to the British Military and one of their training facilities. US Military keep they SMG's in close and tight to their bodies, The British teach using the sling as a fulcrum? by pushing the SMGs as far forward as they can making the Sling part of the stabilizing system and giving them in most instances more accuracy and control of their weapons. I learned our way of doing it and for the month I was visiting I had the devils own time trying to master their way of shooting. And the single last person you want on your back for doing things the incorrect way is a British Sargent Major who doesn't give a pox in hell what your rank may or may not be. Frankly I think they ride the "VIPS" whatever their rank harder than they do the regular blokes and frankly I didn't think that was possible. I was wrong. And that was 30 years ago, Deity help those poor buggers (VIPS) now.

       The only thing that saved me from dropping from humiliation and fatague was the fact I spent some "off" time practicing and then got to show them tricks with a Winchester Model 12 12GA Riot or Trench shotgun (I.E. Short Barrel) that they hadn't thought of themselves. The reason being is that the British have this ingrained thing about what a shotgun is supposed to be and how is supposed to work, as in O/U or S/S, anything other than those two styles were anathema to them. Even to this day I'm fairly sure that if you were in England and got invited to a Quail hunt and you borrowed a pump/auto from the Marines at the Embassy and showed up to the hunt with it,  your status and respectability would take a hit so bad that dog doo would look better. Your Deity of choice help you if you showed up at a Skeet Club with one.

[b5.5dan]

I understand that. The grand old tradition of sporting shotgunning practically began with the British gentry, and even during times of war I can see some of those grand old blokes wanting to take a gorgeously-engraved side-by-side or redhead over/under into battle 

Another thing... Maybe they're just mad about how truly awesome and amazing we Yanks are with small arms!  haha!

[GhostWarrior]

        First and foremost let me said in the most unequivocal way I know how, I think the US has the best trained overall fighting forces in the world, bar none Period Exclamation point.

        However when it comes to SpecOps folks there is no way I am going to say the British SAS and their other SpecOp Force are second best, nor will I say it about the GSG9, the Specnaz, or the Israeli's, as for the French who cares? 

        I think it can be said that the US more of less invented SpecOps back during the Revolutionary war, when we took to simply wearing whatever we had and using whatever we had to fight with, while the British wore their Bright Red coats and fought in a line, and thought shooting Officers as churlish and uncivilized etc. (Well ok I suppose the Celtics sort of came up with the idea first but I still think we refined the idea and everyone else took their cue from us.) However only and idiot would say the British don't embrace new ideas when they have had their noses rubbed into those new ideas and they came out second best. Once you get their attention they take the bull by the horns and spend every waking moment thinking of better and better ways to come out on top in a fight, and they have had a LOT of years dealing with the IRS (Oh! Thats way to funny and a Fraudien slip if I ever saw one)  I ment the IRA to practice those idea. Which is where and how the SAS came into existence. About the only place in SpecOps they don't have an equal footing with us in is Snipers, I have this sort of leaning shall we say towards the Army's snipers, but by the same token I would not be happy to know I was in the cross hairs of a Marine or Seal Sniper even if I was a mile and a half away. After the 1968 Olympic Games when the Israeli athletes were murdered, the GSG9 folks game into the existence, and they have spent the last 30 or 40 years putting into practice everything they can learn about SpecOps and doing a damn fine job of it, The Russians have their Spetsnaz folks and they aren't shy about who and what they are at all. As a matter of record consider the fact that until the fall of the Iron curtain only a complete fool would kidnap a Russian citizen anywhere in the world and demand a ransom. Same goes for the Israeli's. They have been using spec Ops since the 20's back when it was known as the "Irgun" then the "Irgun HaHagannah Ha'vri" and the simply the "Hagannah". (Give or take a few Historical facts I have left out to speed things up.) Then they morphed once again into the Israeli Special Forces and the Mossed and either way they took up the lessons of SpecOps and applied them in their very own unique way. But we all know the old saw that the winners get to write the history books. Suffice it to say they have more than a passing knowledge in SpecOps. The Entebbe Airport July 1976 made that very clear. (for the Record the Israeli Special Forces and NOT the Mossed pulled off that raid.
 
 
       Every one of the groups I have mentioned are the best in the world when their Politian's let them do their jobs. Every one of them have honed their skills one way of the other for dozens and dozens of years if not decades.

      I'm not trying to be a dick here Dan, I know you well enough to know that first and foremost you are not only an American but a damn Proud American, same as I am and I believe same as a goodly number of our members. The one thing you have to keep in mind is that this is a World Wide Forum and as such they are folks from other countries that are passing through here on a daily basis that are just as proud of their Countries SpecOps folks as we ourselves are of ours. I was rude and uncouth for my crack about the French and for that I do apologize because they are pretty damn worthless but I should have not said so in that manner. This forum is NOT about Politics or Religion an neither have any place in a weapons forum, nor will I allow them. Unless, the Political post has relevance regarding our rights and freedoms especially the Second Amendment, or in regards to the Religious part the manner in which a member chooses to sign off his post. I.E.: God Bless, Allahu Ekber, Namaste, and so forth as long as no one tacks on religious scripture of any sort.
 

[b5.5dan]

Nope. Never would offend, especially not the British!  I have British family, and there are a few things they take very seriously. Shotgunning is one of those things. And when we get together or talk the joke always is that no matter what, they will always have better food and be able to best us with shotguns. From what I've seen, I may agree about the shotguns. I'm saying nothing about the cuisine... 

[GhostWarrior]

I'm with you on the food.    And they do indeed have some mighty fine shotguns. Second to none.