Wanting to buy a CZ527.....17 rem or.204 please help me decide. I have everything to reload the 204. I'll mostly be hunting ground hogs w it and have missed my 204 since trading it off but have become infatuated w the 17 rem.to the point that I ordered brass!! good excuse to buy one I guess,it's worked before. I currently own a 223 and a 243, Ive owned a 17hmr,223,204,22-250,243.
cz 527 ,17 rem or .204
- Thread starter rsbenden
- Start date
Rustydust
Active member
That is quite the dilemma you got there. I will put my 2 pesos in and hope that it will help.
I have had three .17 Remington rifles and the best shooting one right out of the box was my CZ 527 Varmint. And it is jim dandy for taking groundhogs with as long as you keep your shots sane. Your groundhogs are the same as our rock chucks and they can get to be a pretty good size animal. Keep your shots under 250 yards with at least a 25 grain bullet and you should be fine.
BUT, a .204 is likely better. I have owed .17 Remingtons for a lot more years than I have .204's but both have their plusses and minuses. And one of the pluses of the .204 is that you can get the same speeds as the .17 but with a lot heavier bullet. That means a boatload more energy (killing power) at all ranges- especially when you get out there a bit. IF you got something like a 39 grain Sierra in that .204 you can literally get out there with twice the energy at say 400 yards. I would not want to try for a ground hog at 400 yards with my .17 Rem but I would not hesitate to use my .204 at that distance.
I have taken prairie dogs at just over 450 yards with my .17 Remington and he was still almost able to crawl back to his hole before he expired. I have never seen that happen at over 500 yards with a .204.
I love my current Lilja barrelled .17 Remington. I kill many hundreds of ground squirrel and prairie dogs with it every year. I love my Criterion barreled .204 too. I kill hundreds of ground squirrels and prairie dogs with it every year. Sell one and keep the other? No way. They will be reside in my safe until my widow gets rid of them at my estate sale. But a jones for a .17 Remington is a mighty powerful one. I would say, and this is just me of course, to get you that neato keen CZ and after you put some nice glass on it go out and lots and lots of fun with it. Then later, get you another .204 too. Both great calibers and both are just Too Much Fun.
I have had three .17 Remington rifles and the best shooting one right out of the box was my CZ 527 Varmint. And it is jim dandy for taking groundhogs with as long as you keep your shots sane. Your groundhogs are the same as our rock chucks and they can get to be a pretty good size animal. Keep your shots under 250 yards with at least a 25 grain bullet and you should be fine.
BUT, a .204 is likely better. I have owed .17 Remingtons for a lot more years than I have .204's but both have their plusses and minuses. And one of the pluses of the .204 is that you can get the same speeds as the .17 but with a lot heavier bullet. That means a boatload more energy (killing power) at all ranges- especially when you get out there a bit. IF you got something like a 39 grain Sierra in that .204 you can literally get out there with twice the energy at say 400 yards. I would not want to try for a ground hog at 400 yards with my .17 Rem but I would not hesitate to use my .204 at that distance.
I have taken prairie dogs at just over 450 yards with my .17 Remington and he was still almost able to crawl back to his hole before he expired. I have never seen that happen at over 500 yards with a .204.
I love my current Lilja barrelled .17 Remington. I kill many hundreds of ground squirrel and prairie dogs with it every year. I love my Criterion barreled .204 too. I kill hundreds of ground squirrels and prairie dogs with it every year. Sell one and keep the other? No way. They will be reside in my safe until my widow gets rid of them at my estate sale. But a jones for a .17 Remington is a mighty powerful one. I would say, and this is just me of course, to get you that neato keen CZ and after you put some nice glass on it go out and lots and lots of fun with it. Then later, get you another .204 too. Both great calibers and both are just Too Much Fun.
Originally Posted By: RustydustThat is quite the dilemma you got there. I will put my 2 pesos in and hope that it will help.
I have had three .17 Remington rifles and the best shooting one right out of the box was my CZ 527 Varmint. And it is jim dandy for taking groundhogs with as long as you keep your shots sane. Your groundhogs are the same as our rock chucks and they can get to be a pretty good size animal. Keep your shots under 250 yards with at least a 25 grain bullet and you should be fine.
BUT, a .204 is likely better. I have owed .17 Remingtons for a lot more years than I have .204's but both have their plusses and minuses. And one of the pluses of the .204 is that you can get the same speeds as the .17 but with a lot heavier bullet. That means a boatload more energy (killing power) at all ranges- especially when you get out there a bit. IF you got something like a 39 grain Sierra in that .204 you can literally get out there with twice the energy at say 400 yards. I would not want to try for a ground hog at 400 yards with my .17 Rem but I would not hesitate to use my .204 at that distance.
I have taken prairie dogs at just over 450 yards with my .17 Remington and he was still almost able to crawl back to his hole before he expired. I have never seen that happen at over 500 yards with a .204.
I love my current Lilja barrelled .17 Remington. I kill many hundreds of ground squirrel and prairie dogs with it every year. I love my Criterion barreled .204 too. I kill hundreds of ground squirrels and prairie dogs with it every year. Sell one and keep the other? No way. They will be reside in my safe until my widow gets rid of them at my estate sale. But a jones for a .17 Remington is a mighty powerful one. I would say, and this is just me of course, to get you that neato keen CZ and after you put some nice glass on it go out and lots and lots of fun with it. Then later, get you another .204 too. Both great calibers and both are just Too Much Fun.
The best answer I can give to this quote above is..........Yep!
I have both and love both. Forced to choose just one, then make mine a 17 Rem. Need to stretch out the distance more than 350yds. then pack er full of H414/W760 and shove a 30gr. bullet in the neck.
Hey Rusty, you should try some of Blaine's (blackhole bullets) 37gr. 20 cal. bullets.
I have had three .17 Remington rifles and the best shooting one right out of the box was my CZ 527 Varmint. And it is jim dandy for taking groundhogs with as long as you keep your shots sane. Your groundhogs are the same as our rock chucks and they can get to be a pretty good size animal. Keep your shots under 250 yards with at least a 25 grain bullet and you should be fine.
BUT, a .204 is likely better. I have owed .17 Remingtons for a lot more years than I have .204's but both have their plusses and minuses. And one of the pluses of the .204 is that you can get the same speeds as the .17 but with a lot heavier bullet. That means a boatload more energy (killing power) at all ranges- especially when you get out there a bit. IF you got something like a 39 grain Sierra in that .204 you can literally get out there with twice the energy at say 400 yards. I would not want to try for a ground hog at 400 yards with my .17 Rem but I would not hesitate to use my .204 at that distance.
I have taken prairie dogs at just over 450 yards with my .17 Remington and he was still almost able to crawl back to his hole before he expired. I have never seen that happen at over 500 yards with a .204.
I love my current Lilja barrelled .17 Remington. I kill many hundreds of ground squirrel and prairie dogs with it every year. I love my Criterion barreled .204 too. I kill hundreds of ground squirrels and prairie dogs with it every year. Sell one and keep the other? No way. They will be reside in my safe until my widow gets rid of them at my estate sale. But a jones for a .17 Remington is a mighty powerful one. I would say, and this is just me of course, to get you that neato keen CZ and after you put some nice glass on it go out and lots and lots of fun with it. Then later, get you another .204 too. Both great calibers and both are just Too Much Fun.
The best answer I can give to this quote above is..........Yep!
I have both and love both. Forced to choose just one, then make mine a 17 Rem. Need to stretch out the distance more than 350yds. then pack er full of H414/W760 and shove a 30gr. bullet in the neck.
Hey Rusty, you should try some of Blaine's (blackhole bullets) 37gr. 20 cal. bullets.
Jay Cummings
New member
Well, me personally, I'd have to go 204. I got bit by the 17 cal some years back and had a Mach IV built. I know it's not a 17rem but after shooting it awhile i just kinda grew away from it. I still own it though. But 4 or 5 years ago I bought my first cz, a 204. Man, I love this rifle! Superbly accurate with a great trigger and the 204 is just a fun cartridge! Fast, but shoots a heavy enough bullet that it hits with authority, more so than the 17's. When I go calling this is usually the rifle I take.
Rustydust
Active member
Originally Posted By: rsbendenhey Rustydust,
how is that 24" varmint 527 to drag round? what is the rough estimated weight scoped up? Ive had many 26" bulls,seems it would be reasonable to me.Id prefer a sporter bbl myself since chuck hunting doesnt heat up the bbl like prarie dog hunting would.
Oh, I did not do much dragging. I shoot off a bench like 99% of the time. When on foot I am toting a .22 rimfire of some kind. Most of the time a 10/22 or a handgun of some sort.
The first time I took it prairie dogging we were out south of Glenrock Wyoming. There was a good sized town about 300 yards out. It was boom...pop! Boom...pop! Boom...pop! I let my buddy Billy try it and the first words he said was "Man! How can you miss with this thing?" And really, I couldn't. Barrel started getting hot so had to put it down and pick up something else for a while. Man, that was fun though.
I don't remember what it weighed but it was heavy enough that I would get tired of it pretty quick if I had to tote it around much. If CZ offered their American in .17 Rem that sounds like it would be right up your alley. Perhaps a custom of some sort?
how is that 24" varmint 527 to drag round? what is the rough estimated weight scoped up? Ive had many 26" bulls,seems it would be reasonable to me.Id prefer a sporter bbl myself since chuck hunting doesnt heat up the bbl like prarie dog hunting would.
Oh, I did not do much dragging. I shoot off a bench like 99% of the time. When on foot I am toting a .22 rimfire of some kind. Most of the time a 10/22 or a handgun of some sort.
The first time I took it prairie dogging we were out south of Glenrock Wyoming. There was a good sized town about 300 yards out. It was boom...pop! Boom...pop! Boom...pop! I let my buddy Billy try it and the first words he said was "Man! How can you miss with this thing?" And really, I couldn't. Barrel started getting hot so had to put it down and pick up something else for a while. Man, that was fun though.
I don't remember what it weighed but it was heavy enough that I would get tired of it pretty quick if I had to tote it around much. If CZ offered their American in .17 Rem that sounds like it would be right up your alley. Perhaps a custom of some sort?
Winny Fan
New member
CZ shows the weight of the 527 Varmint in 223 to be 7.8 pounds, so that is probably pretty representative. That is light compared to some other maker varmint rifles like a Rem 700 Varmint that averages 8.5 pounds according to Remington's web site.
Granted, all up with a scope and a full magazine it weighs more, but so does the Rem 700 in comparison.
Nothing helps the weight of a rifle more than a bit of pre-season conditioning.
Granted, all up with a scope and a full magazine it weighs more, but so does the Rem 700 in comparison.
Nothing helps the weight of a rifle more than a bit of pre-season conditioning.
I would love to see the American come in a .17 standard bbl. I cant seem to find any. Ive drug around a 700 sps varmint in a H&S and a Savage 12 lpv in an H&S I also had a marlin xlv 22-250 that was heavier than the wheel on my truck in a Boyd stock. So at 7.8# and a 24" bbl the 527 17 REM w/o adding an aftermarket stock I think this is doable.
I keep reading all these topics here on the rem 17 and realize this round/rifle combo is legit and proven so Im going to have to give it a shot n see what its all about. Did CZ quit making the 17 rem in standard barrel offerings?
I keep reading all these topics here on the rem 17 and realize this round/rifle combo is legit and proven so Im going to have to give it a shot n see what its all about. Did CZ quit making the 17 rem in standard barrel offerings?
MoYoBomber
Member
Originally Posted By: Winny FanCZ shows the weight of the 527 Varmint in 223 to be 7.8 pounds, so that is probably pretty representative. That is light compared to some other maker varmint rifles like a Rem 700 Varmint that averages 8.5 pounds according to Remington's web site.
Granted, all up with a scope and a full magazine it weighs more, but so does the Rem 700 in comparison.
Nothing helps the weight of a rifle more than a bit of pre-season conditioning.
And that weight is in the right place, out in the barrel. Get a B&C if you want to lighten it up any.
If a gun is a pound or 2 too heavy then lose a pound or 2 from the belly. Problem solved.
Granted, all up with a scope and a full magazine it weighs more, but so does the Rem 700 in comparison.
Nothing helps the weight of a rifle more than a bit of pre-season conditioning.
And that weight is in the right place, out in the barrel. Get a B&C if you want to lighten it up any.
If a gun is a pound or 2 too heavy then lose a pound or 2 from the belly. Problem solved.
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Originally Posted By: rsbendenWanting to buy a CZ527.....17 rem or.204 please help me decide. I have everything to reload the 204. I'll mostly be hunting ground hogs w it and have missed my 204 since trading it off but have become infatuated w the 17 rem.to the point that I ordered brass!! good excuse to buy one I guess,it's worked before. I currently own a 223 and a 243, Ive owned a 17hmr,223,204,22-250,243.
FWIW, I don't think you'll get a single complaint from anyone if you just go ahead and get both.
BUT, for me, if I had to pick one or the other, I'd go with the Varmint model in 204. I think, because of the bigger bullet selection, it's just a bit more versatile.
I've got a similar problem as I've been bitten by the 20 cal bug and I can't decide if I want to take the simple easy route and get another 527 Varmint but in 204 or go semi custom and have a super hot rod 20 cal built. Decisions, decisions....
FWIW, I don't think you'll get a single complaint from anyone if you just go ahead and get both.
BUT, for me, if I had to pick one or the other, I'd go with the Varmint model in 204. I think, because of the bigger bullet selection, it's just a bit more versatile.
I've got a similar problem as I've been bitten by the 20 cal bug and I can't decide if I want to take the simple easy route and get another 527 Varmint but in 204 or go semi custom and have a super hot rod 20 cal built. Decisions, decisions....
varmit_master
New member
I don't have a 17 rem love to have one but finding brass or ammo is hard in my area . I have a 204 I shoot 39gr bking and I love that bullet for that gun. I would go with the 204.
Utahcaller
Active member
The .204 is a better cartridge.......
Rustydust
Active member
Originally Posted By: RePeteOriginally Posted By: varmit_masterI don't have a 17 rem love to have one but finding brass or ammo is hard in my area.
You do know that you can order components on the internet....right...
Pete's right about that. As a matter of fact, everything that I have bought for my .17 Rem in the last several years I have gotten off the internet. I used to buy everything off the shelf (I still do sometimes) but 90% I buy online. Cheaper, easier and right to your door.
You do know that you can order components on the internet....right...
Pete's right about that. As a matter of fact, everything that I have bought for my .17 Rem in the last several years I have gotten off the internet. I used to buy everything off the shelf (I still do sometimes) but 90% I buy online. Cheaper, easier and right to your door.
I was thinking about the CZ 527 in .17 Rem., but I really don't want the varmint rifle. I had a 527 varmint and a 527 American at the same time for several years. I sold the Varmint model and I kept the lighter American model. If I am going to pack a heavier, more stable rifle, I use a larger caliber like a 22-250.
CZ really needs to listen to their customer base. I think a 17 Rem in the American model would out sell the varmint model.
CZ really needs to listen to their customer base. I think a 17 Rem in the American model would out sell the varmint model.
Is there really that much difference in weight between the American and Varmint model?! It's not like the Varmint model has some huge bull barrel on it so I can't imagine there is much over a pound difference.
My 527 Varmint got chopped back a few inches so it probably weighs the same as the American now anyway. I weighed it when I first got it back from the gunsmiths and if I recall it only weighed a couple ounces over 8lbs and that is with a Burris MTAC 4.5-14x42AO scope.
My 527 Varmint got chopped back a few inches so it probably weighs the same as the American now anyway. I weighed it when I first got it back from the gunsmiths and if I recall it only weighed a couple ounces over 8lbs and that is with a Burris MTAC 4.5-14x42AO scope.