Four different people + One rifle + Five Shots Each = One MOA
That’s what the .30-06 CZ Alpha 600 was able to do out of the box at 200 yards with Sierra 165 gr. TGK Gamechanger ammunition. When I first received the loaner rifle, all I had for testing was a few boxes of old hunting ammunition. Old meaning slightly worn cardboard boxes with stickers advertising a price of $6.80 for a box of 20 rounds. In today’s world, that’s ancient pricing.
Even so, off a rest the gun managed just over 1.5 MOA with hunting, not match ammunition. I’ll admit that the .30-06 isn’t my go-to round. Unless I’m shooting light reloads out of a Garand, it generally throws me around more than is fun. Even with all the thrashing, this rifle still impressed me, and everyone at the range.
The new CZ 600 Alpha comes in nine calibers: .223 REM, 224 Valkyrie, 300 WIN MAG, 308 WIN, 6.5 Creedmoor, 30-06, 6.5 PRC, 6mm Creedmoor and 7.62×39. The black polymer stock has a nice recoil pad on the end. Though not adjustable, the 14” length of pull is manageable for most shooters. I most appreciated the “grip zones” on the stock inlayed with serrated soft-touch inserts for comfort and grip in less than ideal conditions. The polymer bolt knob is large and easy to quickly maneuver – a huge plus in my opinion. The action features an integrated Picatinny rail for easy optics mounting. For this project I selected the German Precision Optics (GPO) SPECTRA 4x 4×16 x 50i scope. This was my first experience with GPO and though I prefer MOA to Mils, the G4i reticle is incredible. Intuitive, easy to use, and just the right size – with no priming everyone who shot the Alpha 600 had something positive to say about it. It also has adjustable parallax and an illuminated dot.
The cold hammer-forged barrel comes suppressor ready. Also ideal is the adjustable trigger. You can choose between four different weights ranging from 1.3 lbs. to 3 lbs. without having to remove the action from the stock. Out of the box, the trigger weighed in about 2.5 lbs. Flush with the stock is a five-round magazine. It’s a little different than most other magazines I’ve used but comes with an instructional sticker. Push one side to release, the other to click into place.
One of the most important features of a hunting rifle is an easy to operate safety. The CZ 600 Alpha has a vertical two-position safety just above the grip, an ideal location for easy thumb operation. The rifle is easy to manipulate and at 7.3 pounds, is manageable with the integrated sling swivels. CZ calls this a sub-MOA rifle at 100 yards – I found it was under 1 MOA at 200 yards.
Arguably the best part? No sticker shock. The CZ 600 Alpha has an MSRP of $749, but is available for close to $700 retail! Find out more at cz-usa.com/product/cz-600-alpha/
