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CZ 527 American Rustic 6.5mm Grendel Bolt Action Rifle By Chuck Hawks with John Lyngdal  Guns and Shooting Online member and contributor John Lyngdal suggested we review a CZ 527 bolt action rifle in 6.5mm Grendel caliber. Being as we were fans of 6.5mm cartridges long before they became popular in the US, this seemed like a reasonable suggestion. We had not reviewed any 6.5mm Grendel rifles, as the cartridge was developed as a match cartridge for AR-15 platform rifles and we are neither competitors nor AR fans. However, the little 6.5mm Grendel cartridge in CZ's miniature Mauser pattern bolt action is another matter. The CZ 527 action is designed for .223 length cartridges. In addition to 6.5mm Grendel, various 527 models are chambered for .17 Hornet, .17 Remington, .204 Ruger, .22 Hornet, .221 Fireball, .222 Remington, .223 Remington, .300 Blackout and 7.62x39mm. Long story short, the helpful folks at CZ USA shipped us a 6.5mm 527 as soon as they got one in stock and the result is this review. Our test rifle is a CZ 527 American Rustic model. There is also a standard CZ 527 American model. The Rustic version comes with an aged beechwood stock, while the standard American model has a walnut stock. Otherwise, as far as we can tell, the two models are identical. Both stocks are the same shape, what CZ calls "American" and most American rifle shooters call "modern classic." Interestingly, the 2017 MSRP for both versions is the same: $733. The CZ American stock is functional and attractively shaped. The comb is fluted, the pistol grip curve is moderate and the fore end is less bulky than most factory rifles. The butt terminates in a black rubber pad. There is no grip cap or fore end tip, but steel detachable sling swivels are provided. Our 527 Rustic stock is walnut stained with what looks like an oil finish and evidences some contrasting straight grain pattern. There is four panel, 18 lpi, (apparently) laser cut checkering in an economical, but functional, point pattern. The test rifle's stock has a warmer walnut stain that makes it more attractive than the stock on the rifle in the CZ press photo at the top of this article. The stock's machine cut inletting for the barreled action left a lot to be desired. The gaps around the receiver and magazine well are excessive and the barrel, which is supposed to be free floating out of the box, made contact with the stock all along the right side of the fore end. During a quick trip to the range for initial sighting-in after mounting a riflescope in the provided steel scope rings, John discovered the little rifle basically sprayed bullets all over the target. He therefore removed the barreled action from the stock and removed enough wood from the fore end channel so the barrel was actually free floating for the accuracy testing part of this review. This is an all steel barreled action. We could find no substitute materials (aluminum, plastic, etc.) used anywhere in its construction. Unlike most rifles these days, CZ took the time to give the barreled action what used to be a "standard" polish and blue job. It is not as glossy as Weatherby's high polished blue, but it is attractive in a classy way that the many matte finished (basically unpolished) rifles turned out today are not. It is nice to review a rifle from a manufacturer that still takes pride in the aesthetics of their finished product. The machined steel, open top receiver makes clearing a jam, or loading a single cartridge directly into the chamber when the magazine is empty, easy. It has a flat bottom that incorporates an integral recoil lug, which mates to a squared recess in the stock. "Square bridge" receiver rings are grooved to accept CZ type scope rings. Steel Warne Maxima one inch diameter "high" rings were included with the test rifle. These are heavy scope rings that weighed 0.4 pound on our digital scale. The Mauser 98 type bolt body uses dual front locking lugs and a 90 degree bolt rotation. The left (or top when locked) bolt lug is split in the Mauser 98 pattern to let the receiver mounted extractor pass through when the bolt is pulled rearward. A long, Mauser type, controlled feed extractor takes a full bite on the case rim and is bevelled to easily over-ride the rim of a cartridge loaded directly into the chamber. A left side, receiver mounted, pivoted ejector kicks fired cases from the action when the bolt is pulled all the way back. Move the bolt swiftly and cases are thrown clear of the action. Open the bolt slowly to deliver the brass to a waiting hand. The bolt head and body is one piece, but the bolt handle is a separate piece. The bolt handle and round bolt knob are also machined in one piece. The bolt handle is securely attached to the bolt body through a rectangular hole in the bolt body. The bolt body is left in the white, while the bolt handle and the steel rear shroud are blued. The bolt release is located in the left rear of the receiver. Depress to remove the bolt. There is a pivoted, steel, two-position safety lever at the right rear of the receiver. Push forward/up for "safe." When the safety is rotated rearward/down to the "fire" position a red dot is revealed. This safety operates in the opposite direction from most US made rifles, but it caused us no problem. Its operation is simple and positive. The safety locks the bolt closed when applied. The trigger is a single set type, typical of CZ rifles. You push the trigger forward to set it for a light let-off. The unset trigger releases at around 4.5 pounds with some gritty creep and slight over-travel. When set, the pull weight is a clean 1.25 pounds per our RCBS pull gauge, but with a great deal of over-travel. The steel trigger blade appears to be chrome plated. A detachable, all steel, five shot, single stack, box magazine hangs 1-3/8 inches below the bottom of the action. It is not only very unsightly, totally interrupting the otherwise pleasing lines of the rifle, it also gets in the way of comfortably carrying the rifle. It should be replaced by a flush mount, three shot magazine. The latter is available as an accessory, but only for .223 caliber rifles. A three shot magazine should come standard with all Model 527 rifles. The magazine is well made and it feeds cartridges smoothly and reliably. The follower is formed from sheet steel and the bottom of the magazine is removable for cleaning. The magazine release is mounted on the right side of the steel magazine well. It is a flat, spring loaded, sheet steel tab that lays close to the right side of the magazine. Press in to release the magazine. The steel trigger guard is integral with the magazine well. Two screws, one at the front of the magazine well and one behind the trigger guard, hold the barreled action, stock and one-piece bottom iron together. A tapered 24 inch, light weight sporter contour barrel allows the 6.5mm Grendel cartridge to develop its full rated velocity without burdening the rifle with excess weight. The rifling is cold hammer forged and the muzzle is given a target type crown, although a standard sporter crown would suffice just as well. Specifications
The 6.5mm Grendel Cartridge The 6.5mm Grendel has been covered in detail on the Rifle Cartridges index page. To summarize, the 6.5mm Grendel was designed as a cartridge for long range precision shooting with AR15 type rifles. It is basically a match cartridge, although in a hunting rifle, such as the CZ 527, it has potential as a low recoil Class 2 game cartridge. Bill Alexander of Alexander Arms and Arne Brennan (Founder of Competition Shooting Sports, Inc) developed this short, squat 6.5mm cartridge as an improved version of the earlier 6.5mm PPC, with a little help from Lapua technicians. (Lapua, the Finnish ammunition company, makes the 6.5mm Grendel brass for Alexander Arms.) Bill Alexander is an engineer with a background in defense projects. He and Arne Brennan reportedly finalized their design studies for the 6.5 Grendel cartridge in 2002. Lapua, contracted to provide the brass, added the final touches. The AR15 rifle imposed certain constraints on the 6.5mm Grendel's design in the areas of back thrust, pressure (MAP 45,000 psi) and cartridge overall length. The new cartridge had to function safely in an action designed around, and feed through a magazine intended for, .223 Remington cartridges. The 6.5mm Grendel offers performance similar to that of the old 6.5x52mm Carcano Italian Army cartridge with bullets weighing up to about 130 grains. (With its longer case, the Carcano is better adapted to the heavier 140-160 grain bullets that made the reputation of all 6.5mm hunting cartridges.) The useful bullet weight range of the 6.5mm Grendel is about 85-130 grains. (6.5mm bullets lighter than 100 grains are typically varmint bullets, not for use on Class 2 game.) Cartridges of this class are adequate for taking most Class 2 class game, such as deer, pronghorn, sheep and goats, with 120-130 grain hunting bullets. NEVER use match bullets for hunting, as their terminal performance is erratic; they are not designed to properly penetrate or expand in animals. Hornady offers a Custom 6.5mm Grendel hunting load using a 123 grain SST bullet (SD .252) at a muzzle velocity (MV) of 2590 fps. At 200 yards the remaining velocity is 2256 fps and the remaining energy is 1390 ft. lbs. Zero this load to hit three inches high at 125 yards to take full advantage of its maximum point blank range (+/- 3") of 259 yards. So zeroed, the trajectory looks like this: -1.5 inches at the muzzle, +2.8 inches at 100 yards, +1.15 inches at 200 yards and -3.0 inches at 259 yards. In terms of killing power, this load achieves a G&S Online Rifle Cartridge Killing Power score (KPS) in excess of 25 at 100 yards, which is nearly twice the minimum required for shooting Class 2 game at this distance. Hunters should welcome any new cartridge that combines adequate trajectory and killing power with low recoil. Shooting the CZ 527 Since no iron sights are supplied on the 527 Rustic we needed to mount a riflescope before taking it to the range. We happened to have a Japanese made Bausch & Lomb 6-24x40mm AO target/varmint scope on hand, so this is what we used. It has a medium-fine Duplex type reticle that is convenient for target shooting. This scope has a one inch diameter main tube and is a whopping 16-5/8 inches long overall, so at least there was plenty of mounting latitude. The CZ receiver's integral dovetail mounting grooves made for a secure mount, with no scope base screws to potentially loosen. For use as a hunting rifle a physically smaller, lighter, lower power scope with a larger field of view would be much more appropriate. Something along the lines of a 2-7x33mm would be ideal. As usual, we did our accuracy testing at the Izaak Walton shooting range south of Eugene, Oregon. This facility offers 25, 50, 100 and 200 yard target stands and covered shooting benches. The summer weather was warm with only a gentle breeze, so the range conditions were good. Guns and Shooting Online's Chuck Hawks, Jim Fleck, Bob Fleck and John Lyngdal handled the shooting chores. John had taken the rifle to the range the day before and gotten the preliminary sighting-in accomplished, so we were able to immediately start shooting at 100 yards, our standard distance for accuracy testing. We used a Caldwell Lead Sled DFT to steady the rifle on the bench rest. Our recorded 5-shot groups were fired at Champion Redfield Precision Sight-In Targets. We had two 6.5mm Grendel factory loads for testing, both target loads and both from Hornady. The first being Hornady Black Match loaded with 123 grain ELD bullets (catalog MV 2580 fps) and the second being Hornady Match loaded with 123 grain A-MAX bullets. We would like to have tried the Hornady Custom 123 grain SST hunting load in our test rifle, but this load was not available (sold out) at the time of this review. We chronographed the A-MAX factory load and recorded an instrumental velocity of 2593 fps 10 feet from the muzzle. The standard deviation was only 11, which is excellent consistency and indicates very careful manufacture. 100 Yard Factory Load Accuracy Results
This time out Bob shot the smallest group, a freak 3/4" group that was not equalled, or even approached, again. As you might imagine from the above results, we were not impressed by the accuracy of the CZ 527 American Rustic test rifle. Remember, this was after John had removed excess wood from the barrel channel, so the barrel was at least free floating, as intended. Here at Guns and Shooting Online, we are not as picky as some about gilt-edged accuracy. We know any hunting rifle that can deliver 2 MOA groups is sufficiently accurate for hunting Class 2 or larger game to beyond the MPBR of almost all hunting cartridges. Unfortunately, the CZ 527 did not meet this standard with the factory loaded ammunition we had available, even though the ammo was high quality and normally very accurate Hornady match loads. Otherwise, the little 527 was fun to shoot. The subjective recoil was more than expected, but not enough to cause us pain or distress. The action was acceptably smooth in operation and easy to single load at the range. The magazine fed cartridges reliably. The short bolt stroke is nifty. As with any Mauser 98 pattern rifle, the receiver mounted ejector means you can eject fired brass onto the shooting bench or into your hand. As long as you do not retract the bolt too fast, you will not have to pick-up fired brass from the ground. Functioning was perfect throughout. The thin barrel heats up rather quickly, even shooting the relatively modest 6.5mm Grendel cartridge. It is best to let the barrel cool after every 5-shot group. One might be inclined to blame barrel heating for our larger than normal groups, except that the very first group from a cold barrel was no better than the last group from a hot barrel. We think imprecise bedding of the receiver in the stock is a more likely explanation for the indifferent accuracy. The CZ 527's very light, single set trigger (when set) aids precise aiming at paper targets and we all appreciated it during our time at the range. However, in the field, setting the trigger increases the time required to get off a shot at a nervous animal that may be about to bolt for cover. Once set, considerable care must be taken not to fire the rifle accidentally, which can be all too easy during the excitement of a big game hunt. If you don't set the trigger, you must deal with a creepy and heavy trigger pull. This is why we prefer a smooth, single stage trigger with a 2.5-3.0 pound pull for hunting rifles. Reload Chronograph and 100 yard Accuracy Results As mentioned previously, we chronographed the Hornady Custom Match A-MAX load for this review. We also chronographed some of John's 6.5mm Grendel handloads in the CZ 527, with the following velocity results 10 feet from the muzzle. (5-shot test groups were fired for average velocity and group size at 100 yards.) NOTE: this data was found to be safe in our test rifle. All rifles are different and therefore it may not be safe in yours. Use at your own risk!
As you can see from these results, careful reloading reduced the average group size by 1.1 inches. The SAAMI maximum cartridge overall length (COL) for the 6.5mm Grendel is 2.260 inches and we found the maximum COL that will work through the 527's magazine is 2.313 inches, so there is room to spare. The 120 grain Sierra Match King and 123 grain Hornady A-MAX are match/target bullets not suitable for hunting. The 85 grain Sierra Pro-Hunter HP and 95 grain Hornady V-MAX bullets are intended for hunting Class 1 animals (varmints and small predators weighing less than 50 pounds). The 120 grain Speer Spitzer SP, 120 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip and 129 grain Hornady SST are hunting bullets for Class 2 game animals. This rifle preferred John's reloads to the Hornady Match factory loads, even though their standard deviation is comparable. However, the velocity of the factory load is impossible to match within the SAAMI maximum average pressure limit using canister powders. It is interesting that when you convert instrumental velocity to muzzle velocity the 85 grain load is very close to the old 87 grain .250-3000 Savage load. Conclusion The CZ 527 American Rustic is a medium priced, lightweight hunting rifle with a miniature Mauser 98 type action that we find appealing. The American style stock is generally well shaped and attractive. We were pleasantly surprised to find the aged beechwood stock on our test rifle as attractive as the standard grade walnut stocks found on production rifles today. (However, we would still prefer the otherwise identical 527 American model with a walnut stock, particularly since there is no difference in price.) If this were our rifle, we would standardize on near maximum reloads using either the 120 grain Speer Spitzer SP bullet or the 129 grain Hornady SST bullet for hunting Class 2 game. Either provided good hunting accuracy in the test rifle. All rifles are individuals, so your results will probably be different. The worst feature of the rifle, by far, is the ugly 5-shot magazine that protrudes far below the line of the stock. CZ should include a 3-shot, flush mount magazine with every Model 527 rifle. RIFLE REVIEW SUMMARY
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