CZ200 S / AAS200 anyone here own one?

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zebra

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Sep 29, 2015
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New York
I want to find out what people think of the CZ200 S? 

I have been looking for a little project gun for a while to maybe turn into an inexpensive FT rifle. I don't want to invest a lot in a .177 before I know if I'll like the sport. There are various options but I keep coming back to this one. It looks like one of the best deals available in airgunning on paper. 

PA sells it under the AA brand as the AAS200 for $600 which is nothing special but...while looking for CZ barrel blanks I found the CZ America webstore where, confusingly, they sell the gun under their own brand direct to the American market for just $350...

I don't know if there are different grades of CZ air rifle barrel but if the barrel in the CZ200 is anything like the CZ barrels in my other guns, it would be a real bargain. It's not regulated but I checked and easy install regs can be bought for $80 for this model. It's not quiet but another $80 gets a suitable LDC for the level of power. So for $510 you could get a regulated, quiet and accurate rifle with a CZ barrel...

The stock is only beach instead of Walnut but the Mutant stock is hardly made of nice wood and that is $1200. 

Anyway... It's a great story but what are they actually like? The video review on the PA site was good, but they always are. 

 
"Jonnes"Great shooters! A friend of mine has one (with the red laminated stock) and they're accurate and pretty wel built, and he uses it for FT also. He's very critical about his shooters (like me) and he loves it in every sense of the word! It's a PCP that's high up my wannahaves list! Especially the red one.

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Nice. Is that a standard option? 

I don't usually like bright colors on anything but it somehow seems right on a FT rifle. It's hard to believe that's a $350 rifle when you see how little $650 gets you. 

If if the one I saw reviewed is a typical example of one, then they are consistent and well tuned out of the box too. 

It's no surprise that they are currently sold out
 
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"Nueces"Can't help but notice how much better this rifle looks with a real trigger guard instead of a big chunk of wood masquerading as a trigger guard.
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I bet that on lower price guns like this, they need a metal trigger guard because the stocks are made from softer wood that would probably snap and / or cause a trigger accident if there was a wooden guard. 

That trigger guard may be metal but it doesn't look like anything special to me. I have seen some cool and attractive metal guards but that looks like a $10 job. I wouldn't expect anything fancy on a gun in that price range though. It looks like a gun that gives you more than you pay for.
 
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I have the S200 Hunter in .22, great gun though no powerhouse at maybe 16 ft lbs.the way mine is tuned. Gets about 30 shots on a fill. It's light and accurate with a great trigger, and quieter than my Marauder with the ldc that came with it. Also seems very efficient and operates with a 2600 psi fill making it very practical for guys like me who fill with scuba tanks. Mine has a custom stock that was available from Top Gun Airguns. I don't see it on their site anymore, too bad! It's become my favorite brush gun.
My only dilemma is how to mount a sling, there's not enough wood in the forearm for a sling stud. I'm considering using paracord to attach the front of the sling, any suggestions for something more elegant are welcome!
John


Yes it has a (gasp!) wooden trigger guard.
 
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Because of the odd design (originally for a pistol?) of the receiver the action rests rather precariously in the stock. It is secured by a long bolt through the grip. a second small screw in the forend, and strangely enough, a third small screw that pulls the action laterally. The system does not give me confidence.
That said, it is probably the most accurate gun in its price range, due primarily to its fantastic barrel.
 
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"JohnL57"I have the S200 Hunter in .22, great gun though no powerhouse at maybe 16 ft lbs.the way mine is tuned. Gets about 30 shots on a fill. It's light and accurate with a great trigger, and quieter than my Marauder with the ldc that came with it. Also seems very efficient and operates with a 2600 psi fill making it very practical for guys like me who fill with scuba tanks. Mine has a custom stock that was available from Top Gun Airguns. I don't see it on their site anymore, too bad! It's become my favorite brush gun.
My only dilemma is how to mount a sling, there's not enough wood in the forearm for a sling stud. I'm considering using paracord to attach the front of the sling, any suggestions for something more elegant are welcome!
John


Yes it has a (gasp!) wooden trigger guard.
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Looks like some nicely finished wood on that stock. The design is definitely more hunter than benchrest like the factory stock. 

The only thing I'm not sure about is the slots cut into the forearm. I can't see the front but it seems like it might be a weak point that would snap fairly easily. Still, if you are going to have thin wood, it's good that it is rounded. A right angle cut into thin wood is a mortal sin. The Ataman Ultra compact has that and you could snap it with your little finger. Mine arrived (for the 3rd time) with it cracked before I picked it up...

How much were they charging for that stock when they sold it?
 
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Zebra, the s200 "scout" was around $650. I got mine used from a WTB ad on the Yellow. The guy who makes the stocks is from Eastern Europe somewhere and is named Klinsky, he does have a website. The slots are not an issue as the forearm wraps both the barrel and airtube. As you can see in the pic, the forearm is split vertically, inletted, and glued back together. Unconventional to say the least, but a comfortable easy pointing gun.

John
 
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"JohnL57"
Zebra, the s200 "scout" was around $650. I got mine used from a WTB ad on the Yellow. The guy who makes the stocks is from Eastern Europe somewhere and is named Klinsky, he does have a website. The slots are not an issue as the forearm wraps both the barrel and airtube. As you can see in the pic, the forearm is split vertically, inletted, and glued back together. Unconventional to say the least, but a comfortable easy pointing gun.

John
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That is unconventional but the wood looks nice and thick so breaking wouldn't be an issue anyway.

I can think of some method to the idea of making it in two halves. I could see it being fairly difficult to bore straight holes in a solid piece of wood like that using a drill press and a spade bit. At that length, I bet a good portion of them would end up with one side thicker than the other. If they work on two separate halves, it would be fairly easy to cut even depth channels using a router and appropriate size round nose cutting bit. 

The other (and more likely) explanation is that it is far cheaper to buy thinner blocks of nice looking wood. The cost of buying two 1" thick planks vs a 2-3"+ block that is large enough to be a gun stock blank is a fraction. 

It seems like recently, if you want a reasonably priced stock made with nice wood, you have to get it from Eastern Europe. There is nothing made in America unless you want to pay north of $800 just for the stock. 
 
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Zebra I had a couple of s200's. One was a refurb I bought from PA during a promotion for $500 shipped the other used. Both shot mostly indoors at 13 yards during the winter. The refurb came shooting 10 - 11 fpe.

Positives:
1) 70+ shots on a 190 bar fill. Very air efficient for a non regulated gun.
2) Trigger is excellent and easy to tune.
3) Accuracy was outstanding. It shot many pellets accurately. At 13 yards it was literally pellet in pellet with 7.33 and 8.4 JSB.
4) Light weight but feels solid in the hand
5) Many aftermarket upgrades that are easy to find/buy. 
Triggers. 6 shot adapter. Stocks. LDC's. Fill adapter. Regulators.

Links below I found useful:
http://rowanengineering.com/index.htm
http://www.airgunspares.com/store/department/64/AIRGUN-SPARES/
https://www.gunspares.co.uk/
http://www.altaros.cz/en/16-air-arms
http://www.huma-air.com/Webwinkel-Category-6650065/CZ-200.html

Negatives:
1) Loud for a 12 fpe airgun
2) The dovetail scope rail. I prefer a weaver/picatiny any day.
3) Fill adapter is old news and a part you have to keep track of.


At $500 - $600 the s200 is hard to beat if your looking for a low power airgun. Great gun if you like to tinker. With a little work they are capable of 15+ fpe.


 
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"Sam63"Zebra I had a couple of s200's. One was a refurb I bought from PA during a promotion for $500 shipped the other used. Both shot mostly indoors at 13 yards during the winter. The refurb came shooting 10 - 11 fpe.

Positives:
1) 70+ shots on a 190 bar fill. Very air efficient for a non regulated gun.
2) Trigger is excellent and easy to tune.
3) Accuracy was outstanding. It shot many pellets accurately. At 13 yards it was literally pellet in pellet with 7.33 and 8.4 JSB.
4) Light weight but feels solid in the hand
5) Many aftermarket upgrades that are easy to find/buy. 
Triggers. 6 shot adapter. Stocks. LDC's. Fill adapter. Regulators.

Links below I found useful:
http://rowanengineering.com/index.htm
http://www.airgunspares.com/store/department/64/AIRGUN-SPARES/
https://www.gunspares.co.uk/
http://www.altaros.cz/en/16-air-arms
http://www.huma-air.com/Webwinkel-Category-6650065/CZ-200.html

Negatives:
1) Loud for a 12 fpe airgun
2) The dovetail scope rail. I prefer a weaver/picatiny any day.
3) Fill adapter is old news and a part you have to keep track of.


At $500 - $600 the s200 is hard to beat if your looking for a low power airgun. Great gun if you like to tinker. With a little work they are capable of 15+ fpe.



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Great info. Thanks!

I wonder if the one direct from CZ USA comes with the same anti-tamper mechanism. It seems like it would be specific to the Air Arms branded version and specifically for the 12fpe version to keep within British law. 

The one from CZ USA is certainly a lot cheaper. At $350 it's practically free!

I think it's time to reorganize my air gun collection too. I need to sell some to make room for some new toys. If I buy more air guns without selling some of the ones I have, it is going to start looking like mental illness and my wife will sign me up for that show hoarders or something. I could probably sell one of my two 25 cal Career 707s to make room for a new FT experiment rifle. 
 
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A cz200 for $350 is an awesome deal/steal you will not find a better gun for $350. As far as power the s200 and cz 200 come in different configurations. From what I remember the only one you can buy over 12 fpe is the hunter edition in 22 cal. IMO the cz200 is perfect in 177.

About collecting or having too many airguns. Its hard not to keep a trouble free airgun especially a laser/tack driver. My rule is before a gun comes into the collection one must leave. No exceptions. My limit is 4 and when FT is in season 5. I missed many events because of some kind of problem.
 
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I keep meaning to enforce some rules for my air gun buying....

There are definitely guns that don't get much use but I keep them because they would be hard to buy again. My 25 Career2 707 rifle is in mint condition in it's original box and they don't make them anymore. I have better guns but occasionally I enjoy taking it to the pistol range and shooting it with iron sights (I love that cowboy under-lever). I have a 25 Career3 707 carbine too so there is no reason to keep both. They should really go to someone who hunts bigger game and has the space to use them properly. The rifle gets close to 100fpe which is too much for my needs....

Then there is my old 22 Hatsan AT44 QE tact that I never ever use anymore. I only keep it because I like how it looks on my wall in the carbon fiber stock I made for it. That's a particularly stupid reason to keep it, even by my standards... I was going to make it a project gun by paying to get it tuned, upgrading the barrel, adding a reg etc but the cost was not worth it. I'm sure someone new to the hobby would love to buy an AT44 QE with a custom CF stock.

I currently have 8 PCP guns but the only two I regularly use is my Cricket 25 and Mutant Shorty. They both put a smile on my face every time I take them out. I kinda wish one of them was suitable for FT matches instead of buying something new. Another option is to detune my Ataman Ultra Compact (when I get one that doesn't need to get sent back). It has the potential to be a nice gun.

The thing I like about the CZ200 is that they seem to be so well tuned at the factory. For $350 + another $150 in parts, you get a regulated, quiet, well made air rifle with a quality barrel and target stock. It doesn't even matter if the stock is garbage because I can use the pattern (which I like) to make a carbon fiber version which would perform better than the most expensive aluminum stocks on the top target guns as CF doesn't expand and contract with the weather. 

The issue right now is that they are sold out, which is no surprise when they charge $350 for CZ barrel air rifle. It makes the Marauder and AT44 look expensive.... The main thing is that they can be taken to an FT match without causing embarrassment. I'm not the best marksman in the world but you at least want to know that it is possible to perform well with your gun if you do your part. 

If it turns out that FT is my thing then I am happy to invest in something more serious. I have no other use for a .177 if FT isn't for me. 

One of these days somebody is going to explain to me why air gun target sports are almost exclusively focussed on low power / small caliber stuff. What AOA organized with their Extreme BR comp is far more appealing to me. You want to be able to compete using the rifle and caliber you enjoy using every day without imposing artificial limits. If they want the sport to grow and appeal to a broader audience then they need to expand the Extreme BR concept to include regular matches across the country (especially in NY where I live!). 



 
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"tsakula"where do you find cz200 for 350$? is that a joke?
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From CZ USA:

http://shop.cz-usa.com/ProductDetail/07006_Cz-200-S-Cal-45mm-Fs

I just checked again and it's actually $326 not $350. My bad.

They have an option to get it with a "free" 4x32 scope for $429 but I'd prefer to choose my own scope. If it is a joke then they got me.

The price makes sense as it's coming direct from the manufacturer. We pay a fairly high premium for airguns that go through a number of middle-men with importers, distributors and then retailers who all need a cut. 

That same gun at PA is $650 because it was first bought in the UK by Air Arms from CZ for $326 minus their volume discount. They then slapped their brand name on it and sold it to an importer who brought it to America and sold it to PA who added a mark-up before selling it through their we store. 

 
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