CZ Yearbook 2019 /eng

64 | | 65 CZ 557 – FIRST-RATE RIFLES FOR THE WHOLE WORLD For many years, the globally-renowned CZ 557 bolt action rifles have held a stable position in the hunting and sports rifle market. The numerous variations and diversity of calibres the 557 series offers have made these rifles a truly universal product, fulfilling the needs of a large number of customers from all over the world. Although both European and US markets tend to favour a fairly limited range of calibres and certain types of materi- al and stock designs, for the 2018/2019 season, designers f rom CZ have brought out some rather interesting fu- sions of structural and design elements. Thus, the CZ 557 ri- fles now offer an even more versatile solution for just about every hunter or shooter any- where on the planet. CZ 557 LUX II Regarding new products of 2018, one name worth men- tioning is the second genera- tion of CZ 557 LUX, the CZ 557 LUX II. It came as a response to the wishes of many traditional- ists, local and foreign alike, who yearned for the return of some parameters associated with the CZ 550 RIFLES, the previ- ous CZ 537 model or even with the legendary ZKK 600 series. While the CZ 557 LUX II has retained the elegance rep- resented by the traditional Bavarian style stock, it has also been given several in- novations. The f irst one is a modified two-position safety which in the “locked” position blocks the bolt mechanism, thus preventing its uninten- tional opening, for example when scrambling through dense vegetat i on dur i ng a battue or when tracking wounded game. Another element that has also been modif ied is the trigger mechanism. Where CZ rifles of the “medium” category are concerned, and after many years, Česká zbrojovka has made a return to the single set trigger. However, the trigger mechanism system, very fa- miliar to all the users of CZ 550 series, has undergone a major CZ 557 overhaul. In the CZ 557 LUX II, the improved trigger mecha- nism allows the user to set the trigger travel and pull weight, as well as the pull weight of the actual trigger lever after the SST has been activated. The last difference to the CZ 557 LUX is the barrel, which is 24 inches, or 610 mm, long. This increase of nearly 10 cm allows for the optimum burn- ing of the powerful gunpow- der used in modern hunting ammunition. Because of this, there is no loss of muzzle ve- locity or uncomfortable in- crease in the recoil and flash after discharge. This improve- ment will be most welcome by hunters who are not afraid to shoot at longer distances and who fully ex- ploit the potential of modern hunting ammunition. The CZ 557 LUX II is available with a detachable magazine (308 Win) as well as fixed mag- azine (308 Win, 30-06 Sprg., 7×64, 8×57 IS). The model equipped with a detachable magazine is supplied with a shortened receiver. It should be em- phasized that all t h e d e s c r i b e d changes, including the extension of the barrel, have been carried out whilst taking into account the practical aspects of hunt- ing. That is another reason why there has only been minimum