Sweet!!! That's what I like to do, when I sell/trade a firearm. Reinvest in another one to keep the collection growing/improving/interesting.
What's the rate of twist on the CZ's? And what kind of glass are you going to put on the CZ?
Yes,
that was OLD "gun money." That No. 3 came along as a result of having bought/sold/traded over many years and I managed to move up each time I made a move. Who knows what I started out with, but before '08, I was able to stay ahead of inflation by a decent margin. The No.3 doubled in value in ten years and I was lucky that it was a collector. A new CZ was about $300 when I bought the No.3. The one I got is $700 to $900 wherever I looked. Woodbury Outfitters in Coshocton has a price that was so good that I beat all the other prices even though I had to pay sales tax.
1:9 Twist in the CZ 527 Varmint. The No. 3 was 1:10 and shot the 60 through 63 grain bullets amazingly with no tweaks. Supposedly, they are not supposed to do that.
All but the Varmint are 1:12 and that was way too slow for what I like to shoot. Had the other models been available in 1:9 I would have had a terrible time deciding which one. The Carbine looks like a real winner but I may have been in the same handling/feel boat as with the No. 3. I wanted Kevlar but it was way too expensive. Walnut looked really nice but I found a laminate for $540 taxed/shipped and I couldn't beat that with a stick - walnut stick, Kevlar stic or otherwise. I have used laminates and you just can't beat it in my opinion. Very stable, beds like a walnut stock and you can remove bulk and weight as desired (they are usually chunky and have an excessive LOP (for me).
When I took the scope off the No.3 I almost kept the rifle. I feels like a six pound rifle and handles well like that. With a scope, it feels like nine pounds and does not handle well. I won't have a .223 without a scope. I use the .223 on small stuff at long range and a scope is the only way to not waste its potential. I am still on the fence about scoping that CZ 452. It shoots SO well with the factory irons.
Glass, hmmmmmmm,.......
I can JUST afford rings so I have to use existing glass.
"Free" glass (unmounted):
Vintage Bushnell fixed 6X Command Post that came off the No. 3
"Older" Redfield 2-7X, which may end up on the CZ 452 Trainer (.22 LR)
Burris Fullfield 1.75 - 5X with a 22mm objective, like new too
"Newer" (LNIB) Japanese Weaver fixed 6X
Mounted on other rifles but maybe up for a swap:
"Older" Leupold 3-9X Vari-XII, which is on my 'Roberts, which puts 75s into under .5" every time and very frequently under .375"; cloverleafs when I am having a good day....
Vintage B&L Balvar 1.5 - 6X, which is my very favorite scope and is on my 6.5x55 which shoots 160s into one hole groups at a hundred. Not sure I want to mess with that.
I toyed with the idea of getting a fancy, high-powered variable with AO like the guys on the CZ forum use on their .22 LRs for $130, but I have never shot as well with higher than 6X anyway. I have had two Ruger Ranch Rifles which shot under an inch (every time), which is something they are not supposed to do according to some gun writers, but, for example, with a fixed 3X Leupold, I could do that every time. With a 3 - 9X, I could do it "sometimes."