Gun Of The Week: CZ 600+ American

CZ Firearms is a renowned Czech firearm manufacturer with a storied history, but it’s a company that has the pulse of the American firearm market in a way that few other European manufacturers do. In 2022, CZ committed to a complete overhaul of its bolt-action line and rolled out a comprehensive collection of rifles, all specifically designed to meet the needs of different shooters. Only a couple years later, in 2024, the company expanded this line with yet another design that was designed with U.S. shooters in mind: the CZ 600+ American.

In style, the American pays homage to the classic, walnut-stocked, sporting rifles that have been popular with American hunters and shooters for decades. This example is chambered for the all-American .30-’06 Springfield cartridge, but the rifle is available in seven popular chamberings, starting from the .223 Remington and going all the way up to .300 Win. Mag. But this CZ 600+ has one feature going for it that few other rifles do: You don’t have to choose just one chambering.

The “Plus” in the gun’s designation indicates that this 600 Series rifle finally has a feature CZ promised it would incorporate into the design all the way back in 2022: caliber-interchangeability. Depending on your rifle’s action length, each receiver can accommodate up to five different chamberings. In the case of this rifle’s long-action receiver, it’s capable of swapping between .30-’06, .270 Winchester, 8 mm Mauser and even .300 Win. Mag. with just a simple bolt and barrel change.

Another highlight of the CZ 600+’s receiver design is the so-called “hybrid controlled feed” system used in the action. Controlled-round feed is considered by many to be ideal for hunting, as the round is “controlled,” or retained, by the claw extractor from the magazine to the chamber, allowing hunters to reload confidently from nearly any position. With its hybrid system, CZ has been able to maintain a level of cartridge control with a semi-push-feed system, as the round being loaded doesn’t fully clear the magazine until it’s about halfway into the chamber. Once it’s there, a claw-style extractor grabs the rim of the cartridge, controlling it the rest of the way into battery.

CZ’s 600 series rifles also have a few other unique, innovative features. There’s a detachable box magazine that holds five rounds, but it can be locked into place and loaded from the top of the action to prevent any chance of accidental activation in the field. The rifle also uses a unique SEA vertical safety, which is a push-button design located at the top of the stock wrist in a natural position for the strong-side thumb. The single-stage trigger comes with four different adjustment points, providing a pull weight ranging from 1.4 lbs. up to 3.1 lbs.

There’s a lot to explore on the CZ 600+ American design, and in our range experience, we discovered that CZ put a lot of thought into creating a natural, effortless control layout. The safety design made a lot of sense and was intuitive to use, and the trigger was incredibly crisp, even at a higher, hunting-safe weight range. The textured stock felt great in our hands, and we appreciated the aesthetic touch of adding a walnut knob to the end of the bolt stem for a bit of additional class. Mounting an optic was easy, thanks to the receiver design, which is compatible with Remington 700-pattern bases.

All told, the CZ 600+ American felt like a well-thought-out rifle that blends classic craftsmanship with the best in modern firearm design.