Allen’s make good gun bags with plenty of room for scopes. There are bags specifically for guns with scopes that are much wider. Hard cases are cool for that one special gun. They are however bulky, a pain to store in vehicles if short on room, a pain to store when not being used.
They don’t impress anybody.
Anyone happen to get their hands on the new version? Keen to get a pic of the lower to see what they’ve changed with the new lever. It looks shorter and a bit more cumbersome now 
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I’ll take some pics when I can.
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how so? its shorter which i think makes it harder to use. i handled one briefly in a store and wasn’t impressed. maybe i just have small hands.
any pics inside? keen to understand how it works since unlike the original one, the bolt locking back wont make the lever lift up. am curious.
If you pay attention to the position of the lever on the American (new), you’ll notice that it is vertically in the same position as the Tactical version. It’s shorter, but it was moved back to have the same vertical alignment above the trigger. As for small hands, the lever sits lower which should be a lot easier. And purely from leverage, you get a lot better feedback on the shorter lever. Overall, it’s noticeable liter than the Tactical version. However, Tactical version is a lot easier to run due to the pistol grip. American is not as comfortable, but none of that has anything to do with the lever, rather the grip.
Soz, I am not going to pull them apart, especially the tactical, it’s a bit of a process…
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one final question. is the bolt knob still wobbly on the new version?
so its also wobbly? thanks for the confirmation. my only gripe on the 515 is the bolt knob is just flabbily. it feels cheap in an otherwise quality made gun
I don’t know man, I feel like there’s some sort of buyers remorse happening. Like you are okay with it because everyone is okay with it, but really, you are not okay with it 
I think you might find that all handles of that design are the same, due to how they are retained. I could give you a list of gripes… A wobbly charging handle is not one of them.
How do you pick a wobbly knob over the fact that you need to remove optic to clean the gun… Or the fact that you can’t remove barrel shroud to wipe the barrel without… Wait for it… Removing the optics. Or that the bolt rids on polymer lower without any metal rail system. But no, no, you Sir, you pick a wobbly fucking knob 
If you want, DM @Tempestman and I am pretty sure he will take it off your hands; if not, I am sure someone else here will, I wouldn’t mind another 
err no. The rest of the gun is solid and well built. A wobbly charging handle is just indicative of a poor design, it should fit snug into a well machined hole in the bolt. it does not do that.
i’ve never handled a 512 but i’d be keen to see if it also has a wobbly knob or if its just some stuff up for the 515 limited run they did
I don’t think it’s poor design. It’s supported in ways it needs to be to accommodate forces.
I have a theory about limited numbers run, I recon it was just left over stock. I thought, would they really be bothered to make a few units specifically for Australian laws. No way. Well, I don’t think so anyway. I think it’s just old unsold stock of the discontinued 512, modified at minimum effort and shipped off. I recon it’s the same 512 with lever add on, so it would most likely feel identical.
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yes the 512 has been discontinued which does not bode well for the 515 in aus. Once they go through their old stock of upper/lower receivers, barrels etc, it’ll be gone here too. 
the 515 is litterally 97% the same as a 512.
legit all they did was drill a hole for the lever, add the spring loaded bolt catch and remove the bolt hold open button inside the trigger guard (the empty hole is still there lol)
Yep, once they are gone, that’s it forever. It’s a conversation we often have… Have the 22LR market in Australia topped out. Unless something like 10/22 lever release comes in, I think it has peaked.
theres one local manufacturer i know working on that
Yeah, I’m about 99% convinced that local manufacturers wouldn’t know their arse from their head. If I’m being honest.
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Long Term Review
I’ve had my 515 for a while now. I would think I’ve put at least 2000 rounds through it. I started with a cheap red dot, it was ok, I upgraded to a Vortex Strike Eagle 1-6 with glowy reticle.
I would say the set up is just about perfect for my intended use of fast off hand plinking and occasion bag resting.
Out of 2000+ rounds it has never failed to extract and eject.
It occasionally , 1 in 200, will misfeed a round, which generally will bend or dent the round and root it. It happens with some ammo, very rarely with other ammo.
Accuracy has been very good and is quite capable of sub moa.
I’ve had to tighten the retaining bolts on the top pic rail once. Nothing else has fallen off, worn out or come loose. The action has bedded in nicely and the bolt cycles very smoothly.
Tac model is very comfortable to shoot off hand and like any 22 is very good on a bag or bipod.
I own a few guns and it has easily slipped into my top 3.
It’s fast , accurate , handy , balanced and well built.
Everyone who picks it up likes it straight away. After they shoot it , everyone has a big smile on their face. The lever is intuitive and easy to use in several different ways with thumbs and fingers.
Gripes: As mentioned, pulling it apart for maintenance is a bit shit. But it’s a 22, I am over 2k rounds and beyond a bit of oil has had minimal maintenance yet functions fine.
-If you get out of sync with the lever and trigger when trying to go fast, you can jam the gun. It’s easy to fix once you know how , I think it’s a design flaw caused by the conversion to lever action.
-The mag well is small and unforgiving. It could do with a bit of flare, eyes off mag changes are rarely smooth.
-The mag release is a bit small, bit sharp, bit hard to find with eyes off. You get used to it, it could be a little more substantial.
Overall ergos are awesome and I would compare it more to an AK platform rather than an AR for overall feel.
In general, easy gun to recommend , a better off hand shooter than the A22 (I have the Varmint, very good bag/bipod gun).
The CZ 515 is currently the pinnacle of the Australian 22lr market for anything outside a tack driving bolt action , where sheer accuracy is your only concern.
Buy one
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Excellent review mate. Few of my observations.
I have this happen too but its only ever happens with my aftermarket Ideal Arms mag which has become anything but ideal. The factory 10rnd CZ mag has been broken in and it runs flawlessly.
Theres not really any “conversion” done here. They added a lever and spring loaded catch to interrupt the bolt, thats it. When the little fork thats actuated by the lever is held down during firing, it slips under the bolt catch and is stuck there.
Yes mag changes suck but i think thats just how it goes with tiny .22 mags. No amount of flaring the magwell will solve fumbling over what is still a miniature mag compared to a 223 PMAG.
There is an american mob making aftermarket extended mag catches for the 512 platform. I’ve been meaning to get one.
Yes having the charging handle on the right hand side certainly does give AK vibes.