CZ - which one?

I would get the new. scout 22lr. Never used a 17 for squirrels and every kid needs a 22.

wellllll....i i personally would go with the combo, but I've been wanting a new .17 for a while.

I have the 455 combo and can recommend it.

No experience hunting with the .17 HMR.

The 457 has some updates but I have been very happy with my CZ455.

I’ve never shot a rifle chambered in .17 HMR. If it blows up squirrels like a .22 WMR I’d say get a plain old .22 LR.

From what I can gather the 452 is held in higher regard than the 455 and from the very limited reading I’ve done the .457 is held in higher regard than the 455. I don’t know the reason.

Not that you asked, but I would get a 452, or a 453 if you are willing to pay more. If the change-barrel option is really something meaningful to you, then a 455 or 457 gives you that option, but very few people end up changing the barrels on a gun once they get it sighted in and shooting well. I love the old-school build style and quality of the 452 and can't find any interest in the newer, less-costly-to-manufacture models.
BRNO > 452 > 455 > 457

My "lower cost to manufacture" CZ455 group on the right at 25 yards with SK Standard and stock varmint weight barrel.

CZ's shoot great and if you want match winning accuracy, you can always get a prefit Lilja barrel for it.

A buddy of mine still carries on about how well made and accurate his CZ 452 American is. If I couldn't find one used I would probably get a new CZ 457.

bannockburn said:

A buddy of mine still carries on about how well made and accurate his CZ 452 American is. If I couldn't find one used I would probably get a new CZ 457.

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New old stock 452s aren't that hard to find, and excellent used ones are easy to find unless one isn't willing to wait more than a few hours or not willing to buy anywhere other than the LGS. There are 10 or 12 new and used ones on GB at about any time, sometimes more than that.

Here's a 2007 model that I bought a few weeks ago, owner said that he'd shot it "very little" but it doesn't really look like he fired it, doesn't even look like he put the bolt in it and cycled it. A 2007 model is better than a new one, IMO, because even the 452s went through just a little bit of cost-cutting in the later years.



IMO, it's not worth it to everyone to hunt down a 452. People who connect with more old-school guns are more likely to appreciate the 452 (or the 455, which shares a LOT of attributes with the 452, but not all of them). People who had just as soon have a Ruger American Rimfire as to have a Winchester 52, or a Ruger American Rifle as a Winchester Model 70, so long as the Ruger shoots about as well, aren't as likely to appreciate the 452. It's a YMMV situation, but if you've never owned or handled a 452 (or a 550, or a 527) you can't say for sure how much you'd connect with them vs. more recent guns engineered to be manufactured more cost-effectively, including a lot more CNC machining. And then there are the BRNOs....

I6turbo

If I was in the market for a bolt action .22 your full stocked Model 452 would be exactly what I was looking for!

HoosierHunter128 said:

I’m going to buy a rimfire rifle to start my son shooting. I can get a new CZ 455 combo with a .22lr and a 17 HMR for only nine dollars more than a new CZ 457. Is the 457 better enough to forgo having two calibers? I’m going to be squirrel hunting with this also, is the 17 HMR too much for squirrel hunting? Please advise.

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17 HMR tears squirrels up.

Just my personal taste, for very informal plinking your choice is fine. However, if you decide later to shoot a with tight intentions over the targets.
I would suggest a 457 or 452 in your prefered caliber.

I6turbo said:

And then there are the BRNOs...

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For my taste it doesn’t get any more badazz than Brno. I feel almost the same about 550’s. I bought an American 6.5x55 and they were discontinued soon after.

If I remember correctly the 452 is a 90° bolt and the 455 and 457 are 60° bolt throw. Might matter on how well the scope fits...

FWIW....I have a 453 Varminter. Has a heavy barrel, single set trigger. I would most highly recommend the set trigger if real target grade accuracy is desired. Exceptional accuracy with Wolf Match Extra. It’s shot multiple one hole groups in a sitting.

adcoch1 said:

If I remember correctly the 452 is a 90° bolt and the 455 and 457 are 60° bolt throw. Might matter on how well the scope fits...

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The 452 and 455 have the same bolt throw and same stock geometries, so they have the same considerations for mounting a scope. The 457 has the low-lift bolt.

With the 452 and 455 models that have the hog-back stock like the FS that I posted above, you have to select your scope more carefully if you want to mount it low. You need a scope that isn't too long, doesn't have a huge ocular ring, and not too huge of an objective O.D. I have a bunch of CZ rifles, several of them hog-backs. I always mount the scope low and these guns actually fit me BETTER than the Americans and Varmints that have the straight stocks. But I DO want the scope mounted low on a hog-back CZ because I do not enjoy shooting one with a high-mounted scope.

Here's a photo that compares the scope height on a 452 American (the straight stock one on the bottom) with standard rings to a hog-back 452 FS with a low-mounted scope. There's an eighth of an inch difference in the height above the comb at the point where your jaw/cheek contacts it. The FS shoulders better than the American for me.



Here's a 4-16x44 mounted low on another hog-back 452. This is one of the best-fitting guns I own.


A straight-stocked 453 Varmint:

I6turbo said:

The 452 and 455 have the same bolt throw and same stock geometries, so they have the same considerations for mounting a scope. The 457 has the low-lift bolt.

With the 452 and 455 models that have the hog-back stock like the FS that I posted above, you have to select your scope more carefully if you want to mount it low. You need a scope that isn't too long, doesn't have a huge ocular ring, and not too huge of an objective O.D. I have a bunch of CZ rifles, several of them hog-backs. I always mount the scope low and these guns actually fit me BETTER than the Americans and Varmints that have the straight stocks. But I DO want the scope mounted low on a hog-back CZ because I do not enjoy shooting one with a high-mounted scope.

Here's a photo that compares the scope height on a 452 American (the straight stock one on the bottom) with standard rings to a hog-back 452 FS with a low-mounted scope. There's an eighth of an inch difference in the height above the comb at the point where your jaw/cheek contacts it. The FS shoulders better than the American for me.

View attachment 898566

Here's a 4-16x44 mounted low on another hog-back 452. This is one of the best-fitting guns I own.
View attachment 898567

A straight-stocked 453 Varmint:
View attachment 898568

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Thanks for all the info. I knew about the stock differences, but obviously I was wrong about which model had the 60° bolt. Thanks for clearing it up. Love these CZ rifles...

I just got a 455 with the 16 in barrel in 22. I prefer the safety on the bolt and the stamped metal trigger guard. kinda like a older rem or win. even the magazine is metal with a plastic floor plate. latest ones are all plastic. I had no problem mounting a weaver t10 on it with the older longer bolt throw.
…. vel chronoed at 1078 cci sv. groups are a nickle at 50yards rested though. thought I would add some more experiences to add to the which one dilemma......dc

I would get the 457 in 22 LR. You have the option of getting a 22 mag or .17 barrel later. I have two 452's and intend to pass them down. I think it is the luck of the draw as far as accuracy between them but both of mine shoot very well. The 457 has nice features and you can upgrade barrels easy if needed.

HoosierHunter128 said:

Is the 457 better enough to forgo having two calibers?

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The question would be: Once you have your 455 22LR barrel scoped and sighted in for your son, do you really want to remove the stock, remove the 22LR barrel, insert the 17HMR barrel, re-attach the stock, and re-zero? Now, if you can keep good records on your scope settings for both, that re-zeroing could be reduced. The other question would be: Is it your son's gun (eventually) or just the one he gets to use?

Note that the CZ 22LR and 17HMR magazines are not interchangeable. I think you only get one five round mag of each in the combo. Additional CZ mags are pricey for what they are: a polymer 5 or 10 rd mag (they do make steel ones also). If you're going to spend your time shooting instead of constantly reloading mags, you're going to want to buy extras. Shooting five rounds, reloading five rounds, and repeating is not that fun. Having a few loaded up can be. The point is that I'm not sure that I would want to have drop another $150+ to buy extras of both 22LR and 17HMR mags if I didn't have to. Consolidation would be less expensive.

HoosierHunter128 said:

I’m leaning toward the 17 HMR for its extended distance, and accuracy. Any reason I shouldn’t?

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Extended range is a given, but extended accuracy is not a given. 17HMR is still rimfire and can have some wild extreme spread variation. It is not rare for one box of 50 cartridges to have a spread of 200+ fps.This is compensated for by having a more uniform bullet (compared to 22LR).

On the quietest of days, 17HMR is a lazer. Throw wind at it and it is not quite as accurate at extended ranges. The good thing is that most squirrel hunting is typically less than 50yds. The bad thing is that if you want to eat the squirrel, you're basically relegated to FMJ or SP ammo. Vmax tipped or JHP ammo will have a high degree of fragmentation, unlike 22LR.

Another thought is the safety location and operation. If you're using this rifle to teach your son, the 455 has the safety on the bolt (which is different and not exactly intuitive) and it does take strength to operate. The 457 has it in a traditional location, with a simple lever operation.

At the end, I would probably still get the 455 combo over the 457 22LR since there is more value to the combo in an extra barrel and mag. CZ has basically cost cut in some way every successive generation of rimfires (for the base models). For squirrel hunting, I would probably just run an accurate high velocity load of your choice instead of a barrel swap. They are just squirrels. Hunters should be able to get within 50 yards. 22LR will still take them at 100yds. It's just that the 17hmr can extend to 150 yds or so.

cougar1717 said:

The question would be: Once you have your 455 22LR barrel scoped and sighted in for your son, do you really want to remove the stock, remove the 22LR barrel, insert the 17HMR barrel, re-attach the stock, and re-zero?

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I don’t have any desire for a rifle with switch barrels.