CZ 452 American Owners?

[HighRoad]

I was thinking of getting a 22lr and looking into the cz 452 american. What do you think of this rifle? I was basically looking for the most bang for the buck under $350, with accuracy as most important factor. And should I order this with "CZ rings"?? I will have to save for a scope so I'm not too concerned with that just yet. Any other small must have accessories or other last minute considerations? Thanks for the help.

 

[Art Eatman]

I've been mumbling about getting one in .17 HMR. All the comments I've read here, these last few years, have always been complimentary to the CZs.

Taht rig in the picture, I'd get the scope set lower and move it forward as much as possible...

Art

 

[22-rimfire]

I think it's a good choice. I have not heard anything negative about the CZ rings to comment one way or the other as long they are high enough (but not too high) for the scope you choose. The rings in the picture are un-necessarily high for that scope and I would also move the scope forward as far as I could and still have a good full sight picture.

 

[Legionnaire]

Very popular rifle. Check out the CZ forum over at RimfireCentral.com. I bought the 16" threaded barrel version with the idea of buying a can, but haven't gotten around to the paperwork yet. Still a joy to shoot.

 

[eliphalet]

BKL rings IIRC, guy named Eric Brooks sells them or can be ordered from the manufacture, Brownell's etc.
Scopes need to be mounted a tad high so the bolt will clear.

I bought a CZ American LH almost as soon as they came out and have not been sorry. It is a great rimfire , well worth the cost.
Lots of guys do a trigger job, and it isn't uncommon for the bolt to be a bit rough but both are easy fixes.

 

[jkingrph]

I do not have a CZ rimfire, but have one of their mineture Mausers in 22 Hornet. Fit and finish are ok, bolt action a bit sitcky, but the set trigger is nice and does not need any additional work.

My choice for a rimfire is a Marlin 39a

 

[hksw]

I was thinking of getting a 22lr and looking into the cz 452 american. What do you think of this rifle? I was basically looking for the most bang for the buck under $350, with accuracy as most important factor. And should I order this with "CZ rings"?? I will have to save for a scope so I'm not too concerned with that just yet. Any other small must have accessories or other last minute considerations? Thanks for the help.

IMO, the 452 is the top choice for under $500. Only shortcomings of the American (and the other 452s) is an initial rough bolt and the limited adjustedments for trigger weight and no adjustments for creep. The bolt will eventually smooth out, minimum trigger weight is an exceptable 2.5-3.0 lbs, creep is easyi to fix with aftermarket shims or replacement trigger or sear (can be installed by owner).

The OE CZ rings are all steel and, although officially characterized as medium, is actually more like medium high. Bolt clearance won't be an issue but scope height for your eye may be a bit high causing a poor cheek weld. Can be fixed with a cheek pad or use other rings.

A must buy is a good set of hollow ground screw drivers. The slots for the action screws are narrower and shallower than normal, easy to round the slot edges. Aftermarket hex bolts are available.

There have been issues about getting purchased products from Eric Brookes at this time (including ghost rings for the open sighted CZs I bought a month ago, still waiting).

I use a .22 American for CMP Rimfire Sporter T-Class (and an Ultra Lux for O-Class). My CZs (452 and 453) outshoot my Marlins and Savage (with the exception of the 452 Scouts which shoot about the same).

 

[sanglant]

they are nice rifles, if the length isn't a issue the ultra lux is really nice with CB's and such

james
P.S.
here are a few links rimfirecentral CZ-USA forum, and Eirc Brooks web store i havent ordered anything from Mr. Brooks yet but i have a long list, if i ever get around to it

edit: Oh and on the models with sights the sights are GREAT

 

[jmr40]

Great rifles. My brother and I both have one and both are tack drivers. If you go with the American any rings made for a standard groved receiver .22 will work. You only have to use special rings with the other versions.

They have a few quirks, but are worth the trouble. The safety operates backwards. The trigger is a little stiff, and the bolt was stiff at first. My brother has had a smith work on his trigger and it is much better. I highly reccomend them.

 

[Gudis]

I just ran about 700 rounds through mine (a left-handed .22lr) a few days ago, I was able to easily and repeatedly hit clay pigeons (and then hit the resultant chunks o' clay pigeon) at about 100 yards. Bear in mind; I was using a plastic rifle case as a rest, shooting Remington bulk ammo, not caring much about how hot the barrel was, and using a crappy Chinese scope, all while being a total newb. The action is a bit stiff at first, but some grease and a few hundred cyclings later mine can easily be opened with one finger. The safety is somewhat odd, the trigger guard is just an ugly piece of sheet metal (someone somewhere makes a nice replacement), and the OEM magazine sticks out just enough to be annoying when I shoot offhand with a hasty sling, but it's a hell of a lot more accurate than I am and is available in lefty format.

 

[WayneConrad]

I own the CZ 453, which is the CZ 452 with the set trigger. In other words, same rifle but with the trigger group from CZ's center fire rifles.

The five round magazines are steel and are nearly flush, as Gudis says. You can also get 10-round plastic magazines. They work well.

The bolt cycles very well.

I don't use the CZ scope mounts. I've got a 40 mm objective scope (Nikon Monarch), but I don't know which scope mounting hardware I've got. It's whichever Bob told me to get. I go to the gun counter, tell Bob which gun and which scope I want, Bob tells me whether I'm nuts or not, and then he tells me which parts I want to put them all together, and puts them all together for me. What rings do I have? I haven't a clue. I just know they're not the CZ rings.

I just hate "rimfire" scopes. So it's worth it to me to put up with some of the oddness of mounting a centerfire scope on a rimfire.

It takes a shooting sling really well. The sling mounts are not just for looks. They take the pressure of a shooting sling just fine.

It feeds anything in LR (and I've fed it every brand I could get my hands on).

It's a good shooter. At 50 yards, I feed it Wolf MT. Somewhere around here I've got a quarter-sized group I made, slow-fire prone, 10 shots from 50 yards. That's not benched.

At 25 yards, I feed it Federal Bulk. I shoot 230 (out of 250) on Fred's Quick and Dirty AQT all the time with that gun, and once I cracked 240 with it.

I've never shot it from a bench, but a bench rest guy once did. He made a ragged hole with it at 50 yards with Wolf MT. It was pretty.

It's not so expensive that you'd be afraid to take it hunting. It's a fine rabbit rifle, but be sure you don't over scope it, magnification-wise, if you're going to go hunting.

This is my go-to gun for riflery training. It's the rifle I use to practice breathing, trigger control, prone, sitting, kneeling, offhand, sling use, all the basics of marksmanship. You just can't go wrong with this one.

By the way, the American has no iron sites, so until you have the money for the scope saved up, you won't be shooting it at anything very far away.

 

[Horsemany]

I've got the 452 American in 17hmr. I and everyone who's ever shot is have been impressed. It hits whatever you aim it at, simple. You can call your spot on a 1" dot @ 50yds. 50 yd groups are in the .2" and .3"s. The fit and finish, action smoothness is better than almost any American made stuff these days. Triggers are a little creepy but light. They are a great value and I would pay hundreds more than I did for mine now that I know how good it is. You won't be dissapointed.

 

[grimjaw]

Some people don't like the triggers, but I'm pretty happy with mine. I have the regular Lux version.

jm

 

[GunTech]

The CZ-452 is a great rifle. My main complaint is the trigger. I've tried several aftermarket solutions, and find the RifleBasix to be the best for easy of adjustment and consistency.

I am also not fond of the dovetail, but several makers have good quality rings available. The ones from CZ are lacking. You can also order a Weaver adapter rail.

 

[GunTech]

 

[alexanderplatz]

I really love my 452-Lux. THR moderator Correia is running a CZ group buy. (link) You can get the rings as well as the rifle, which will save you some $$$ since the CZ accessories in general are expensive. Also, last time I visited Buds Gun Shop in Paris (a week ago) they had a used 453 American with teh set trigger.

 

[Claude Clay]

+1 Eric Brooks trigger spring & tube set. best bang for the buck EVER. i made a 8oz, 2 stage trigger that couldn't get any better. floated the bbl with a washer. super brno 1 of 2500. standard rings fit The American model--453's. its the European 11 degree cuts that need a adapter.

 

[IndianaBoy]

If mine will do this with iron sights, it makes me wish at times I had a scope on this rifle. All groups are five shots. I had a double on the 50 meter target.




Get the American. CZ makes great rifles.


BKL makes some excellent rings for the 452 rifles.

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

I don't have an American, but I do kinda have a hankering for the American-16".

Between my brother and myself, we have:
1. 452 Scout, .22lr
2. 452 Lux, .22lr
3. 452 Varmint, .22 Mag
4. 453 Varmint, .17 HMR

 

[YodaVader]

I was basically looking for the most bang for the buck under $350, with accuracy as most important factor.

Picked up my American earlier this year for $339 , I am really pleased with the fit/finish/function of this CZ. To me it actually looks and feels like a much more expensive rifle! The initial accuracy results are very promising. I mounted a Weaver V16 with BKL rings for now.

After owning the 452 Special/Trainer for 6 years I decided it was time for an America. The Special has been one of my two most accurate out of the box 22ls , the other being a Sako Finnfire - so that speaks highly of the "cheap" CZ.

The only negative is the trigger. One of the guys at the range has an extra Eric Brooks kit that he said he will install. I felt the trigger on his after the kit was installed and it was better than anything I have with the exception of my Jewell trigger centerfire rifles.

 

[M1911]

A friend of mine has one. It is a freakin' tack driver.

 

[ar10]

Can't answer for the 22 but I bought a NIB 527 7.62x39mm last year for 450 and it's extremely accurate. I like the mauser style bolt and set trigger. You can even adjust it. It's also the first floating barrel I owned.
300yds w/scope I'm getting some pretty good 1" shots. I think if it wasn't a carbine or heavier I bet you could get smaller ones. It does tend to kick when you least expect it though.

 

[WayneConrad]

If you are ever going to take your CZ hunting, avoid the aftermarket "hair" triggers and instead save up your money for the single-set trigger (the CZ 453). The reason is that the after-market triggers, as far as I know, can only be adjusted one way, and if you adjust them to be hair-light, they may not be drop safe. The single-set trigger, however, can be used as a normal (and drop-safe) trigger normally, and only becomes super-light when pushed forward, at which time it becomes a very light trigger with a glass break. That way, your rifle doesn't have any safety issues when hunting, but you can still have that super-light trigger any time you want.

Ask your gun counter to let you try the trigger on any of the center-fire CZ's that have the single-set trigger. Get permission to dry-fire. Now dry-fire a shot normally, then push the trigger forward, and dry-fire again. You'll see what I mean.

 

[aka108]

Just bought a 453 Varmit. Mounted a Leupold VX1 3x9 scope. Used (don't LOL) a set of Simmons air rifle/rimfire med. hgt. rings. The scope clears the barrel by a little less than 1/4 inch and, not having a massive dial for the variable, a lot of clearance for the bolt handle. Get all the cheek weld needed. Fit and finish is nothing to write home about. Equal to a inexpensive Rem, Win or Marlin in the 1950's. Accuracy is top of the line. Ran some Eley Sport, Aquila std vel and bulk pack Rem thru it. Did well with each, the two Mexican mfg brands giving more precise results.

 

[Rembrandt]

An OK entry level rifle, got some short comings which is expected at that price. Weaknesses are the triggers, wood quality, sights, and plastic components. Many tout these as the equivalent of better quality rim fires and would have you believe they got Kimber, Cooper, or Annie quality at a bargain price.....plain fact is they are not in the same class. If you're looking for an accurate bolt gun in the $500 or less range....it's a good choice.