Name : Zastava CZ99 Precision .17HMR
Caliber : .17 Hornady Magnum Rimfire
Capacity : 5 Rounds
Weight : 6.2lbs or 2.8kg
Length : 41in or 1040mm
Action : Bolt Action Repeater
Origin : Serbia
Zastava Arms has been in business for 1853, first producing cannon barrels, then latter moving into the production of rifles predominantly for the military. During the Second World War the Zastava factory was used for making ammunition and a small number of rifles and rifle parts until 1942 when the German occupiers shut the factory down and its production equipment were moved to equip other factories. Upon the end of World War Two Zastava was rebuilt and started producing a version of the Mauser K98k known as the M1948. Up to today Zastava has been producing their own versions of the AKM series of rifles and their own pistols based on popular designs. Though through this time they have produced relatively small numbers of hunting arms, which is were the CZ99 Precision comes in.
The name CZ99 Precision, is a little confusing for some as another popular manufacturer predominately uses the prefix CZ in their firearm's name, however this is not Zastava trying to capitalize on others success necessarily, since 1946 the name of the Zastava factory is Crvena Zastava, thus CZ has been roll marked on several of their rifles since.
Using a version of the Mauser action, the CZ99 Precision is a solid and utterly reliable little rifle. Designed with the varmit and sports shooter in mind this rifle is available in .22LR, .22 WMR and .17 Hornady Magnum Rimfire, the latter caliber is what we will look at here. The barrel making process that Zastava uses when making the CZ99 is called Cold Forging a popular process of hammering lengths of cold steel around a rifling insert. Furnished with a beautiful walnut stock and blued metal components the CZ99 is a nicely finished rifle on par with many other quality firearms of the type for a considerable discount. The pricing on the Zastava is by no means "dirt cheap" but it does take a prospective purchaser who up until now has been looking at budget rifles to consider spending a little more and getting a rifle that is of superior quality over the 'entry level'. In a simple sentence 'value for money'.
The CZ99 Precision is available in .17 Hornady Magnum Rimfire cartridge a round that is steadily gaining popularity. This round was created in 2002 and is effectively a .22 Winchester Magnum necked down to .17 (4.5mm) caliber with a 17 or 20 grain projectile. The round boasts several advantages over its parent round such as higher muzzle velocity, flatter trajectory, longer range, with the potential for greater accuracy. Though it is more more expensive and doesn't have as much kinetic energy due to the lighter projectile.
The Zastava rifle has a smooth operating bolt and has an adjustable trigger for different weights. Overall it's tight tolerances make its bolt a pleasure to use.
INTERESTING FACT : Just to make things more confusing Zastava also produces a pistol with the name : CZ99.
PRO's : Quality, Reliability, Accuracy, handy size
CON's : .17HMR is more pricey, ejectors hold to tightly on some ammo
COOL FACTOR : 6/10
Name : Kel Tec PMR-30
AKA : The FlameThrower
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| .22 Magnum Ammunition |
Caliber : .22 Magnum Rimfire
Weight : 13.6lbs or 385.6g
Length : 7.9in or 200.7mm
Capacity : 30 Rounds
Locking : (Hybrid) Blowback / Locked Breech
Action : Semi-Auto, Single Action
Origin : U.S.A.
In 2010 came the Kel Tec PMR-30, overnight public interest was high. A new and rather space-age looking pistol, firing a cartridge usually found in bolt action varmit rifles. The pistol's appearance is nothing short of 'out there', futuristic and cool the PMR-30 sports easily visible front and rear fibre optic inserts within the sights. The front sight post is furnished with green, and the rear with orange helping make a good sight picture. Along the top rear of the sight are four screws for mounting of a red dot optic. Forward of the trigger guard is a picatinny rail for flashlights, pointing lasers and other accessories. The grips of the PMR-30 have that classic Kel Tec large square cut outs, they are of course not replaceable as the are part of the frame.
In what would seem an unusual move Kel Tec's designers have opted to have the magazine release on the heal of the grip, a move that would make reloading a slightly more cumbersome task if one was using this pistol in a self defence situation. Be that as it may, if the pistols large 30 round double stack magazine wasn't enough, perhaps a 12 gauge would be in order or a good escape plan. On the left side of the frame towards the back a small rectangle slide lock sits almost flush with the frame, further behind the slide lock is the ambidextrous manual safety which operates in the standard 1911 fashion : Up for safe, Down for fire. Interestingly the design of the slide is also worth a mention, for the slide operates by sliding on rails within the frame very similar to that of a CZ-75 or Sig P210.
The PMR-30 is constructed with a steel slide and barrel, while the frame is made from Aluminium. Internally the pistol has steel inserts within the frame for all necessary components that are under stress when firing. The pistols action is something unique and interesting, with high pressure ammunition the case of the round will expand and 'grip' the inner walls of the chamber just long enough for pressure to drop to safe levels and then the rest of the cycle will continue in ordinary fashion. It's a kind of delayed blowback using the rounds own pressure to lock the action temporarily.
The PMR-30 is a great pistol to shoot as it has light recoil and weight with a good crisp trigger. Equally impressive is the considerable muzzle flash that this pistol produces, in itself a nifty feature for entertaining any onlookers at the range. The PMR-30 makes a great addition to the rimfire market, for those interested in target shooting, pest control or just casual plinking the PMR-30 is certainly worth consideration.
INTERESTING FACT : During the production of the PMR-30 a fully automatic version was also developed.
PRO's : Inexpensive, Magazine Capacity, light weight, fun to shoot,
CON's : Sensitivity to some ammo, Magazine catch position.
COOL FACTOR : 7/10
