Opinions on my next hunting gun purchase

Fuzzy · March 16, 2002, 08:50 PM

I posted a while ago that I would like a smaller rifle for Javelina hunting. I was discussing it with a hunting buddy of mine, who is of Czech decent, and he convinced me that my next firearm purchase should be a CZ for their excelent quality and good prices.

The CZ-527 Lux looks very nice. It's comes with a nice walnut stock, open sights, and it comes in .223, which would be a very good round for javelina. With a price tag of only $449.95, it's a very attractive buy. I haven't held one yet since I can't find a store in town that carries them, but it's not too far of a drive to find one.

But, I was also thinking about applying for a HAM permit (handgun, archery, and muzzleloader) and a CZ-75B in .40 S&W would work very well for that. I went to a few gun stores today and looked at the CZ-75s. I was impressed. All steel construction, it felt great in my hand, it was well balanced, heck the only thing negative thing I could find were the plastic grips, but those can easily be replaced with rubber or walnut. It has a price tag of $398.50.

I'm pretty set on getting a CZ and I'd like to get one before they realize that they aren't charging enough. I'll most likely end up with both eventually, but I'll just start with one for now. I'm really just looking for opinions of what other people would do if this was their choice. I already have a 30-06, a .22 rifle, and a shotgun. I'm leaning towards the pistol since I think it would round out my small gun collection nicely.

What do you think?

Thanks,

Al Thompson · March 16, 2002, 09:52 PM

Frankly, a handgun is way harder to shoot than a long gun. I would get the 9mm to be able to use the cheap surplus ammo and acheive proficency. No clue on effectiveness on javelina. Art has bagged a bunch, so I'll cheerfully defer to his judgement here.

For a first or second handgun, a .22 is almost mandatory.

Giz

Art Eatman · March 16, 2002, 09:56 PM

I'll vote for the handgun. Long Path did in one quite handily with his .40 S&W duty-gun, so I don't see any problem at all with the 9mm.

A javelina seems like it's half head, anyway, so at the usual close ranges a hit isn't that difficult. I guess your range limit would be whatever you're comfortable with to hit a 5" target...

Practice, practice, practice--and 9mm ammo is cheap.

, Art

nrifenbark · March 17, 2002, 06:04 PM

If you are interested in a smaller rifle that shoots an effective round, I think you should consider the 7mm-08. It is far more flexible than the .223 but still is a light kicker and being a short overall round it fits nicely in short actions/small rifles.

Nalle · March 18, 2002, 04:03 PM

If you already got a 30-06 there is really no need for a nother rifle as far as hunting is considered. You can shoot squirrels and grizzlys alike,

Then there is the fun-part, and I´d definately go with the CZ handgun! I´m about to purchase one of thoose babies myself! Its a CZ 85 Combat 9mm, but all of the cz line of handguns are great! A blast to shoot, more accurate out of the box than most twice-the-price handguns and great looking guns! (and no, im not partial at all!!

)

Fuzzy · March 18, 2002, 11:37 PM

Another rifle would be nice, but I think I'd get more enjoyment out of a pistol. Plus, it's a lot easier to get a decient HAM premit than it is to get a good long gun permit.

Thanks for the heads up on ammo prices. I did a quick check of surplus ammo prices and it looks like 9mm ammo can be had for about $0.11 a round while .40 ammo gos for about $0.18 a round.

Since I'm not used to postol shooting, I should probably invest in a .22 pistol and get a lesson or two also. At $0.02 a round I would be able to get in a lot more practice.

It's easy to convince me that I need two pistols, but we'll see how long it takes to get my wife to go for it. She wants to get at least one for herself.

Thanks for the advice.

March 16, 2002, 08:50 PM	#1
Fuzzy Senior Member Join Date: March 22, 2001 Location: Tucson, AZ USA Posts: 126	Opinions on my next hunting gun purchase I posted a while ago that I would like a smaller rifle for Javelina hunting. I was discussing it with a hunting buddy of mine, who is of Czech decent, and he convinced me that my next firearm purchase should be a CZ for their excelent quality and good prices. The CZ-527 Lux looks very nice. It's comes with a nice walnut stock, open sights, and it comes in .223, which would be a very good round for javelina. With a price tag of only $449.95, it's a very attractive buy. I haven't held one yet since I can't find a store in town that carries them, but it's not too far of a drive to find one. But, I was also thinking about applying for a HAM permit (handgun, archery, and muzzleloader) and a CZ-75B in .40 S&W would work very well for that. I went to a few gun stores today and looked at the CZ-75s. I was impressed. All steel construction, it felt great in my hand, it was well balanced, heck the only thing negative thing I could find were the plastic grips, but those can easily be replaced with rubber or walnut. It has a price tag of $398.50. I'm pretty set on getting a CZ and I'd like to get one before they realize that they aren't charging enough. I'll most likely end up with both eventually, but I'll just start with one for now. I'm really just looking for opinions of what other people would do if this was their choice. I already have a 30-06, a .22 rifle, and a shotgun. I'm leaning towards the pistol since I think it would round out my small gun collection nicely. What do you think? Thanks, __________________ -Fuzzy

March 16, 2002, 09:52 PM	#2
Al Thompson Staff Alumnus Join Date: May 2, 1999 Location: South Carolina Posts: 3,611	Frankly, a handgun is way harder to shoot than a long gun. I would get the 9mm to be able to use the cheap surplus ammo and acheive proficency. No clue on effectiveness on javelina. Art has bagged a bunch, so I'll cheerfully defer to his judgement here. For a first or second handgun, a .22 is almost mandatory. Giz __________________ http://www.scfirearms.org/

March 18, 2002, 11:37 PM	#6
Fuzzy Senior Member Join Date: March 22, 2001 Location: Tucson, AZ USA Posts: 126	Another rifle would be nice, but I think I'd get more enjoyment out of a pistol. Plus, it's a lot easier to get a decient HAM premit than it is to get a good long gun permit. Thanks for the heads up on ammo prices. I did a quick check of surplus ammo prices and it looks like 9mm ammo can be had for about $0.11 a round while .40 ammo gos for about $0.18 a round. Since I'm not used to postol shooting, I should probably invest in a .22 pistol and get a lesson or two also. At $0.02 a round I would be able to get in a lot more practice. It's easy to convince me that I need two pistols, but we'll see how long it takes to get my wife to go for it. She wants to get at least one for herself. Thanks for the advice. __________________ -Fuzzy

March 16, 2002, 09:56 PM	#3
Art Eatman Staff in Memoriam Join Date: November 13, 1998 Location: Terlingua, TX; Thomasville, GA Posts: 24,798	I'll vote for the handgun. Long Path did in one quite handily with his .40 S&W duty-gun, so I don't see any problem at all with the 9mm. A javelina seems like it's half head, anyway, so at the usual close ranges a hit isn't that difficult. I guess your range limit would be whatever you're comfortable with to hit a 5" target... Practice, practice, practice--and 9mm ammo is cheap. , Art

March 17, 2002, 06:04 PM	#4
nrifenbark Junior Member Join Date: July 6, 2001 Location: Oak Park, CA Posts: 5	If you are interested in a smaller rifle that shoots an effective round, I think you should consider the 7mm-08. It is far more flexible than the .223 but still is a light kicker and being a short overall round it fits nicely in short actions/small rifles.

March 18, 2002, 04:03 PM	#5
Nalle Member Join Date: January 7, 2002 Location: Sweden Posts: 48	If you already got a 30-06 there is really no need for a nother rifle as far as hunting is considered. You can shoot squirrels and grizzlys alike, Then there is the fun-part, and I´d definately go with the CZ handgun! I´m about to purchase one of thoose babies myself! Its a CZ 85 Combat 9mm, but all of the cz line of handguns are great! A blast to shoot, more accurate out of the box than most twice-the-price handguns and great looking guns! (and no, im not partial at all!! )