CZ 550 Lux Feeding Issues

jackstrawIII · April 23, 2019, 08:30 AM

I recently purchased a used (2004) CZ 550 Lux in 6.5x55. It's a beautiful rifle and shoots great... but there's a huge problem with getting a round to chamber. The bolt will go forward about 80% of the way, then get stuck and I'll have to ram it really hard to push the round forward all the way and get the bolt to close. Bolt cycles fine without a live round in there, but I've tried various brands of ammo and handloaded brass and it just doesn't feed well.

I contacted CZ about it, but they said since it's more than 5 years old it's no longer covered under warranty.

So here's what I'm wondering:
1. Is this an easy fix I can handle myself? I'm an amateur tinkerer at best.
2. Is there a certain smith that you guys would recommend I send this to?
3. Or should I just send it to CZ and pay them to fix it?

Thanks guys.

tango1niner · April 23, 2019, 11:08 AM

It should take more effort to strip a round from the magazine when closing the bolt than when closing the bolt on an empty chamber. The bolt going forward 80% of the way tells me the round is partially in the chamber but not completely out of the magazine. Sounds as though the case head is having difficulty slipping under the extractor. Perhaps there are burrs on the extractor that could be smoothed.

jackstrawIII · April 25, 2019, 10:30 AM

This may be a stupid question, but how would I go about determining whether the extractor was causing this issue? Thanks!

thallub · April 25, 2019, 05:01 PM

The CZ 550 has controlled round feed. The bolt closes harder on guns with controlled round feed because of the non-rotating extractor. The bolt on my new CZ 550 in 9.3X62 closes very hard. i just slap the bolt handle harder.

After firing about 200 rounds the bolt on a friends CZ 550 in .30-06 worked smoother.

Scorch · April 26, 2019, 01:58 AM

Quote:

how would I go about determining whether the extractor was causing this issue?

Remove the extractor and try feeding a round into the chamber. Be prepared with a cleaning rod to knock the cartridge out of the chamber, too.

Likely causes: feed lips are sharp or rough, the edge of the extractor is sharp and catching on the brass cartridge, the extractor is fitted too tight to the bolt face and the cartridge rim is having a hard time getting under it when feeding.

eastbank · April 26, 2019, 05:29 AM

both of my cz 550,s, a 375 H&H and a 6.55x55 are both American and have fed and extracted every thing from day one out of the box. I always feed from the box magazine, (shell stripped from the magazine, not single fed).

tango1niner · April 26, 2019, 06:20 AM

After doing what Scorch suggested you should also closely examine the brass after chambering and look for scratches or shiny wear marks.

April 23, 2019, 08:30 AM	#1
jackstrawIII Senior Member Join Date: July 20, 2016 Location: Upstate NY. Posts: 901	CZ 550 Lux Feeding Issues I recently purchased a used (2004) CZ 550 Lux in 6.5x55. It's a beautiful rifle and shoots great... but there's a huge problem with getting a round to chamber. The bolt will go forward about 80% of the way, then get stuck and I'll have to ram it really hard to push the round forward all the way and get the bolt to close. Bolt cycles fine without a live round in there, but I've tried various brands of ammo and handloaded brass and it just doesn't feed well. I contacted CZ about it, but they said since it's more than 5 years old it's no longer covered under warranty. So here's what I'm wondering: 1. Is this an easy fix I can handle myself? I'm an amateur tinkerer at best. 2. Is there a certain smith that you guys would recommend I send this to? 3. Or should I just send it to CZ and pay them to fix it? Thanks guys. __________________ In God we trust.

April 25, 2019, 10:30 AM	#3
jackstrawIII Senior Member Join Date: July 20, 2016 Location: Upstate NY. Posts: 901	This may be a stupid question, but how would I go about determining whether the extractor was causing this issue? Thanks! __________________ In God we trust.

April 25, 2019, 05:01 PM	#4
thallub Senior Member Join Date: November 20, 2007 Location: South Western OK Posts: 3,112	The CZ 550 has controlled round feed. The bolt closes harder on guns with controlled round feed because of the non-rotating extractor. The bolt on my new CZ 550 in 9.3X62 closes very hard. i just slap the bolt handle harder. After firing about 200 rounds the bolt on a friends CZ 550 in .30-06 worked smoother. Last edited by thallub; April 25, 2019 at 08:57 PM.

April 23, 2019, 11:08 AM	#2
tango1niner Senior Member Join Date: March 5, 2009 Location: NY Posts: 317	It should take more effort to strip a round from the magazine when closing the bolt than when closing the bolt on an empty chamber. The bolt going forward 80% of the way tells me the round is partially in the chamber but not completely out of the magazine. Sounds as though the case head is having difficulty slipping under the extractor. Perhaps there are burrs on the extractor that could be smoothed.

April 26, 2019, 05:29 AM	#6
eastbank Senior Member Join Date: February 7, 2008 Location: pa. Posts: 2,450	both of my cz 550,s, a 375 H&H and a 6.55x55 are both American and have fed and extracted every thing from day one out of the box. I always feed from the box magazine, (shell stripped from the magazine, not single fed).

April 26, 2019, 06:20 AM	#7
tango1niner Senior Member Join Date: March 5, 2009 Location: NY Posts: 317	After doing what Scorch suggested you should also closely examine the brass after chambering and look for scratches or shiny wear marks.