7.62x39 CZ 527 Youth Carbine
Posted: 21 Apr 2019 07:27
Ten years ago, I finally decided to act upon a decades-old idea of simplifying my personal battery. Of all the great cartridges out there, I needed to pare it down to a small selection of versatile, effective, efficient and truly useful cartridges. Any one of us could slice and dice the list of available cartridges and come up with a hundred combinations, but I had my list after some brutally pragmatic consideration. I've been quite content with my selection and staying on point has not been difficult.
Well, it wasn't difficult until CZ decided to discontinued the 527 Youth Carbine and allow them to go on sale for ridiculous prices. The choices were 223 and 7.62x39. I have a 223. It's a jacketed-bullet gun and is about as exciting to me as a garden hoe - eminently useful, necessary in my opinion, but not a gun I really just can't wait to shoot when I finally have time. The 7.62x39 has its own merits, not the least of which is that is a 30 caliber with a moderate case capacity and quite useful with cast bullets as something more than a "plinker," in fact, like the 30-30, it can equal its jacketed ballistics using cast without a lot of fuss.
I love the 527s and am a fan of the 7.62x39. I've worried CZ would eventually replace the little Mauser clones like they did the 550, and replaced the rimfire 452s. I couldn't bear to be without one of their Carbines forever if they discontinued the 527 as well. They discontinued the YOUTH Carbine model (not all 527s) in 2018 and they are currently on sale for a little over $400. I got mine home for $450, and that included shipping and transfer. The little beauty fits me better than any rifle I've ever owned, which is a BAD thing. Now, I want to buy four more and start doing some rebores and rebarrels.
I knew I needed a light varmint/pest bullet, and Michael fixed me up a while back with a couple LEE C309-113s, one of which I de-gas-checked and which shoots really small groups out of my 30-30 with a pinch of Unique. The other, an RDO invention, Michael's 153 grain .313" RF, was going to be a tough find. I took a chance and posted here thinking someone may have grown out of theirs but it was a long shot. Lo and behold, Michael replies shortly after I posted and has just what I wanted!
Here is a bad photo of the new Carbine alongside my 527 American in 222, through which I shoot Michael's 50 grain .225" RF into just over half an inch at fifty yards - very easily. I think it will do better - I just have to work on the load a little, which is one reason I wasn't buying any more rifles - so I could spend more time with those I already had. Well, CZ shot that idea in the butt.
Well, it wasn't difficult until CZ decided to discontinued the 527 Youth Carbine and allow them to go on sale for ridiculous prices. The choices were 223 and 7.62x39. I have a 223. It's a jacketed-bullet gun and is about as exciting to me as a garden hoe - eminently useful, necessary in my opinion, but not a gun I really just can't wait to shoot when I finally have time. The 7.62x39 has its own merits, not the least of which is that is a 30 caliber with a moderate case capacity and quite useful with cast bullets as something more than a "plinker," in fact, like the 30-30, it can equal its jacketed ballistics using cast without a lot of fuss.
I love the 527s and am a fan of the 7.62x39. I've worried CZ would eventually replace the little Mauser clones like they did the 550, and replaced the rimfire 452s. I couldn't bear to be without one of their Carbines forever if they discontinued the 527 as well. They discontinued the YOUTH Carbine model (not all 527s) in 2018 and they are currently on sale for a little over $400. I got mine home for $450, and that included shipping and transfer. The little beauty fits me better than any rifle I've ever owned, which is a BAD thing. Now, I want to buy four more and start doing some rebores and rebarrels.
I knew I needed a light varmint/pest bullet, and Michael fixed me up a while back with a couple LEE C309-113s, one of which I de-gas-checked and which shoots really small groups out of my 30-30 with a pinch of Unique. The other, an RDO invention, Michael's 153 grain .313" RF, was going to be a tough find. I took a chance and posted here thinking someone may have grown out of theirs but it was a long shot. Lo and behold, Michael replies shortly after I posted and has just what I wanted!
Here is a bad photo of the new Carbine alongside my 527 American in 222, through which I shoot Michael's 50 grain .225" RF into just over half an inch at fifty yards - very easily. I think it will do better - I just have to work on the load a little, which is one reason I wasn't buying any more rifles - so I could spend more time with those I already had. Well, CZ shot that idea in the butt.