CZ Model 455

[Charlie Martinez]

Just got a call from a good friend that asked me if I wanted a CZ 455 as a Christmas present. He says he doesn't like to shoot bolt action 22's anymore. My trusty Mossberg 46M(b) is getting a bit long in the tooth so I was extremely happy to accept and I'm pretty excited about picking it up this week.
I've read good things about CZ rifles and would like to know a little about my "new" rifle from folks that have experience or own a 455.

 

[dh1633pm]

I love my 46M(b). Still accurate, although it looks like a beater. I have a 457 and not a 455. I love it. Accurate and did I say smooth. My wife was shooting my Savage 22 and then she switched to the CZ. Smoother was all she could say. Very kind of your friend to give you such a nice gift.

 

[Charlie Martinez]

I didn't ask him if it was scoped but I assume that it will not include a scope, I don't hunt and only shoot at paper targets usually 50-60 yards but at my local range I can shoot up to 100 yards.
I have five scopes available for it; Tasco 4X, Weaver 3-9X, Bushnell 4X, Leopold 2.5-7X and a Weaver 1.5X.
I'm tempted to go with the Weaver 3-9X but it is a big (long) scope possibly a bit much for a 22 rifle. My next choice is the much more compact Leopold 2.5-7X.
I have never scoped a 22 rifle so I'd appreciate recommendations from the selection I have on hand.

 

[dieselchief]

i have both a 46b and a cz 452. the mossberg has the factory peep and the cz has the leupold 3-9 fine duplex. both give me the warm and fuzzies for 22s.
...dont worry about the scope being to large, optical clarity is everything. heck my 455 varmint/tacticool has a 8-32 sightron III on it....lol.

 

[greyling22]

The 455 isn't the easiest gun in the world to scope because the bolt handle can get in the way of the ocular bell. My 455 isn't all that terribly smooth, but it will shoot lights out. With good ammo, I can easily do dime-sized 50 yard groups. CCI standard velocity and federal automatch do pretty well for cheap ammo, but if you step up to wolf match Target and similar ammunition by RWS etc it can really shoot well. My trigger has a nice clean break but the pull weight was a little heavy. It's adjusted by a nut and a spring. I adjusted the nut as far as it would go and it dropped my pull weight down to about a pound. You will need rimfire rings rather than Weaver rings. I think most people wind up using high rings to clear the scope handle. I cannot remember exactly what rings I used. Maybe warne rimfire high rings?

 

[Charlie Martinez]

i have both a 46b and a cz 452. the mossberg has the factory peep and the cz has the leupold 3-9 fine duplex. both give me the warm and fuzzies for 22s.
...dont worry about the scope being to large, optical clarity is everything. heck my 455 varmint/tacticool has a 8-32 sightron III on it....lol.

I too have the factory peeps on my Mossberg and it shoots exceptionally well. The CZ with a 3-9X scope should be a bit easier on my not so young eyes. It appears that not all the scopes I have will readily fit so my selection may narrow after I bring the gun home.

 

[Skylerbone]

Adding to what’s been written, a bit of history. The BRNO fan club was never enamored with the 452 at its introduction. When we 452 adaptors came out of the woodwork there were never enough 452s being produced to satisfy us. When the 452 was supplanted by the 455 the true hate fest began for what was described as a cheapened rifle with a plastic spacer (necessary for the longer magazine when swapping barrels to 17 or .22WMR). Despite the complaining, plenty of 455s were eagerly snatched up with the same general reports of good groups and smooth feeding.

Complicating scope mounting further, 2 styles exist; European and American, the former having a hogsback stock meant to shoot irons with, the latter facilitating easier scope alignment despite needing tall rings for most scopes to clear the bolt handle.

Below is the 452, owned now by my daughter, a Trainer model that I scoped and added a Cheek-Eez pad to in order to raise eye positioning a bit more.


I went with 11mm Tally High rings

 

[Frostbite]

I remember mine needed high rings, it was a 455 Standard ( regular short barrel with iron sights). It shot OK, the action was sweet, the trigger was fine. I should have left it without a scope. The stock was designed tu use the iron sights, the scope was too high, even more so in high rings. It proved difficult to maintain my position (forget about a real cheek weld). When I realized I would not be able to get its full potential because I couldn't shoot iron sights as well as when I was younger and I did not like to shoot it scoped because it was too high, I sold it to a loss and bought a 457 Varmint to replace it. The rifle wasn't faulty in any way, I should have kept it for hunting even if it wasn't very good for target shooting in my hands. I like to shoot small groups with my target rifles. It would have been fine for plinking or hunting. The action is just as good on my 457 and it shoots very well. For irons, I kept my Cooey model 60 instead, because of the sentimental value (grandfather to uncle to me) and because I shoot better with the iron sights on that one, maybe because of the longer barrel. Enjoy your new rifle, it is a good one.

 

[PapaG]

My 455 Varmint is the most accurate 22 rim fire I own. Likes the better quality Eley stuff. Mostly stock.

 

[ECVMatt]

I have a 455 LUX in 22 LR with a .22mag barrel as well. I only shoot it with the iron sights, but it is exceptionally accurate. It feels like an adult sized rifle and is a joy to carry in the field.

Scope or no scope I am sure you are going to love the 455.

Congrats and give us an update once you have shot it!

 

[ColtPythonElite]

I had a 455 American for a couple of years. I had a 2-7 Leupold rimfire scope on it. I used inexpensive airgun rings. The gun shot good groups like most CZ's. It wasn't quite as accurate as my 452 models, though.

 

[Riomouse911]

I have a 455 Lux that has been a great rimfire rifle, accurate and reliable all day long.




I put a 3x9x32 Center Point mil dot scope on it using tall Talley CZ rimfire rings, she’s dead-on at 50 yards with a variety of 22 LR ammo.



As the others posted there is not a lot of room for the rear sight blade to clear the bell, nor the bolt handle to clear the body, so choose your scope and mounts wisely or you’ll be engineering a fix to get your CZ and scope to mesh.



When you get it all scoped and ready let us know how it shoots for you.

Stay safe.

 

[sparkyv]

A CZ455 for Christmas! YES! That's hard to beat Charlie Martinez, you have a good friend, there.

I have two, and the sights on most CZ455s are excellent, especially the tangent sights. I had high rings before, but now the medium height ones are just about right. Both are quite accurate, but not high end target-grade and aren't too anmo-picky. Triggers are easily lightened. Great rifles: sold off two very good Marlins since I enjoyed these so much.

This is the Trainer with the high see-through rings:



This is the Scout:

 

[Spats McGee]

Just got a call from a good friend that asked me if I wanted a CZ 455 as a Christmas present. He says he doesn't like to shoot bolt action 22's anymore. My trusty Mossberg 46M(b) is getting a bit long in the tooth so I was extremely happy to accept and I'm pretty excited about picking it up this week.
I've read good things about CZ rifles and would like to know a little about my "new" rifle from folks that have experience or own a 455.

If you don't want it, I'll gladly take it.

 

[Hokkmike]

All I can say is that he must be a GOOD friend!

 

[Charlie Martinez]

All I can say is that e must be a GOOD friend!

Yes he is. Both he and his brother have always been gun enthusiasts (like me) and we have been friends since the early 70's. The rifle was owned by his brother who remained my regular shooting buddy until he recently passed away. He left behind a large gun & knife collection and since I am more active in shooting I was able to help sell a good portion of it rather quickly through my range contacts. I don't know why this particular rifle didn't sell, he told me it has "some rust" on the barrel exterior and that could be one reason. Anyway he only likes to shoot 10/22's and didn't want to keep it so he offered it to me. Sometimes life comes up with nice surprises.
Based on what I'm reading there are issues associated with mounting a scope on the 455. I haven't seen it yet but if it has factory iron sights and mounting a scope becomes too much of a problem I will be happy to shoot it with iron sights.
I appreciate all the input and good wishes everyone has offered and I will definitely post pictures after I pick it up tomorrow and report on how it shoots as soon as I get back from the range.

 

[Frostbite]

I encourage you to shoot it the way it was intended to be shot. You shall not regret it.

 

[Charlie Martinez]

Picked up my gift today and I am attaching a few pictures. Turns out the rifle is not a CZ 455 but a CZ 452. I didn't notice until I got it home and took it out of the case.
I read quit a bit about the CZ 455 and was very pleased with all the reports but Im sure that the 452 is also very nice. It is in good shape except for some light rust spots on the barrel and scope. And surprisingly it included a mounted Tasco variable scope with the right mounts.
Any thoughts on the CZ 452 and the difference between it and the 455 will be appreciated.
I will report on how it shoots later this week but from the looks of it I think it will shoot very nicely.

 

[chicharrones]

Oooh, a 452. I was keeping my mouth shut while the talk was about a 455.

Welcome to club 452. I really like my own 452 Trainer. The 452s are classy old school rifles.

 

[chicharrones]

Any thoughts on the CZ 452 and the difference between it and the 455 will be appreciated.

A photo comparison thread here.
CZ 452 American vs. CZ 455 American

https://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=344852

 

[Mosin77]

Most CZ aficionados would agree that the 452s are more desirable.

They’re the older design, not much changed since the Brno rifles of the ‘50s and 60s, which are themselves direct commercial copies of the .22 training rifle that the Brno factory created for the Germans in the latter part of WWII.

Whether they’re truly “better” than the 455s I don’t know and honestly doubt. The 455s have a swappable barrel setup so you can switch calibers relatively easily, the 452 does not. Allegedly the 452 machining was also a touch more complicated. The 455 was not popular when it replaced the beloved 452, and now the even more refined 457 has been introduced, which seems to have satisfied people mostly.

I have a 452 “Trainer” with 200 yard iron tangent sights and a pretty beech stock, and it’s a really nice rifle. Your friend gave you a great gift.

 

[Flintknapper]

Most CZ aficionados would agree that the 452s are more desirable.

They’re the older design, not much changed since the Brno rifles of the ‘50s and 60s, which are themselves direct commercial copies of the .22 training rifle that the Brno factory created for the Germans in the latter part of WWII.

Whether they’re truly “better” than the 455s I don’t know and honestly doubt. The 455s have a swappable barrel setup so you can switch calibers relatively easily, the 452 does not. Allegedly the 452 machining was also a touch more complicated. The 455 was not popular when it replaced the beloved 452, and now the even more refined 457 has been introduced, which seems to have satisfied people mostly.

I have a 452 “Trainer” with 200 yard iron tangent sights and a pretty beech stock, and it’s a really nice rifle. Your friend gave you a great gift.

Yes. I like that feature. I keep a .17HMR barrel on mine most of the time, but have a .22LR barrel for it as well. Both are quite accurate. Adjustable trigger is a plus on the CZ.

 

[ECVMatt]

Well since this has morphed from a 455 thread to a 452 thread, here is a picture of my daughter with her 452 Scout and me with my 455 LUX.
We also have a 452 Trainer like you just picked up. I love the Trainer as well. It is super accurate and fun to shoot.

 

[Charlie Martinez]

Yes. I like that feature. I keep a .17HMR barrel on mine most of the time, but have a .22LR barrel for it as well. Both are quite accurate. Adjustable trigger is a plus on the CZ.

View attachment 1045334

I was also quite sold on the 455 because of the barrel swap capability. I was looking at extra barrels at Brownells (only $165) and thought I would pick one up as soon as they were in stock but that is not going to happen now.
A couple of features I liked after I inspected it are the all-steel magazine (I understand the 455 has plastic mags) which appears to be very solid and well made, and the adjustable iron sights are excellent. The scope is a Tasco 6-24X which to me appears a bit much for a 22 but we'll wait until after I shoot it to see if that stays or goes.
It is in pretty good shape but looked like it was shot and put away in a gun case & forgotten for a long time. I gave a good cleaning yesterday. I may shoot it this afternoon and see how well it does.

 

[I6turbo]

Looks like a 452 Lux. Possibly a Trainer, but best I can see in the photos the wood looks like Walnut, so that'd make it a Lux. I have a bunch of 452s, and the Lux/Trainer is definitely one of my favorites. (Actually, they all are. ) Re: the scope, the top-end power of 24x (assuming the scope is clear) will be helpful at 50-100 yards if you are trying to shoot for maximum accuracy/best groups from a bench type setup.

On the other points...
You can get metal or polymer magazines for both models. Both work perfectly (one of the strong points of CZs is their high-quality magazines) but many people seem to end up using the polymer magazines just due to the light weight and the fact that if you're blindly inserting the magazine back into the gun, rubbing the polymer around on the bottom metal looking for the magazine well just feels a little better (less likely to scratch something).

Very few people seem to actually switch barrels on the 455 or 457, EXCEPT if they convert to an aftermarket target barrel. But once they get the gun set up, scope adjusted precisely, they don't want to screw all that up by changing barrels. What more often happens is that they buy more CZs. There are TONS of CZ owners who have a bunch of CZ guns, yours truly included.