Jan. 6, 2011
My Fellow Marksmen:
I have been shooting since 1949, but never had so much fun as between 2003
and 2012. After a slump in my shooting activities, when I researched the origins
and rise of the british distillery to make Full Professor and was published and also
made mentor in computer technology, the lapse continued until my older brother
died and I had aortic valve replacement. On recovering in Dec. 2003, an old shooting
buddy, Mr. Ed Auerbach Jr., encouraged me to get out and to have some fun. So in my
average 12-14 hour work day, I scheduled Thursday afternoon for "Research". This
was range time researching the Savage Stevens Favorite to 300 meters, and my
accuracy with this little rifle using Lapua Master L .22 LR, won me a key to the 600
meter range. But I had some sweet surprises coming that began when I spotted a
CZ 452 Lux at the local Shriner's gun show. It was a 1999 with a two stage military
type trigger and match chamber, throat, and bore. I bought it for ca.$300.00, marveling
at its beauty and craftsmanship. Some "Bubba" had obtained it, shot it without
removing the hardened Czech cosmoline from the bore, then got rid of it cheap. I
removed that Czech cosmoline, heart in my throat, and discovered a perfect undamaged
bore. It gave me sub-MOA 100 yard groups with its iron sights using Lapua, and shot
into 4" average just over point of aim at 200 meters with CCI Velocitor. In the squirrel
woods it was excellent.
Then I obtained a CZ 452 Ultra Lux 2007 for tests against medium range black powder
rifles. I selected Aguila Interceptor which averaged 1465 fps MV from it and 1.25" at 100
yards with the rifle's tangent sights and fouled about as much as the black powder .40-65,
.40-70, .44-77, and .45-70 I shot against using a Mendoza micrometer air gun sight high
on the Ultra Lux's 11mm scope rail at the extreme rear using a match aperture. This
performed at best on windless days: 3.3" at 300 meters, 7" at 400 meters, 10" at 500
meters, and 12" at 600 meters. An Interceptor bullet I carefully removed from a
creosoted gum railroad tie at 600 meters had penetrated its length plus 1/16th inch-
air gun performance indicative of today's best hyper velocity 40 grain .22 LR.
The Ultra Lux gave a mind-blowing performance on the range and in the field.
Facing encroachment from feral hogs, a friend asked me to intervene. As I had no
repeating center-fire rifle, I recalled a CZ 527 7.62X39mm I had handled in Walter
Craig's in Montgomery in 2003. I purchased one, tried all commercial ammo with good
results and revived my hand-loading skills to get more powerful and accurate loads
for the piggies. My best load involved a Sierra .311 150 grain spitzer soft point at 2,356 fps,
and my oddest, written in this forum with CZ 527 data, involved the Sierra .311 174
grain Match King bullet to 600 meters.
I retired in August 2009, and was diagnosed with a deadly cancer twelve days later,
fought it with a good doctor's chemotherapy, but got subcutaneous shingles which
persists.
Nevertheless, I am still on my feet having fun with my CZs.
Good shooting to you all!
