Which bolt action .22 LR rifle would you recommend for accuracy from a bench or in the field?
- Thread starter Pat Riot
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AzShooter1
Member
I just mounted the Viridian Serac scope to my CZ 457 Varmint and find that I really like the glass. It seems a lot better than my Vortex scope that cost around $ 250. I like the click adjustments and the locking rings ( although they feel cheap ) The rest of the scope feels good.
ExtremeSquared
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Bergara BMR, just to be different.
There are a number of things I like more than my CZ, and the price of CZs went up quite a bit in the past decade.
There are a number of things I like more than my CZ, and the price of CZs went up quite a bit in the past decade.
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Pat Riot
Contributing Member
Unfortunately, at this time, that $700 limit is pretty much it. Unforeseen circumstances, fixed income and a big trip to see my grandson graduate limit my funds. But, that’s okay. I am not complaining. 
I voted Tikka because I like my T3 in 308 and hear good things about the rimfire. If you like wood, as I do, the CZ 457 varmint is hard to beat. I have not wrung mine out yet, but there are many trigger options and mount options for it. I really like the look and feel, but will probably never know how accurate it can be in the right hands. My single disappointment is that the muzzle is not threaded, but that can be fixed at some point. Meanwhile, my Savage Mk II FVSR in alligator hide livery can be used with silencer and is decently accurate.
I would strongly urge personal examination, as the quality and character of CZ stock wood varies widely. They call it the wood lottery, and if it wasn't for bad luck I wouldn't have no luck at all ( a reference to Cream's "Born under a bad sign"). The one I got off the rack makes me happy!
I would strongly urge personal examination, as the quality and character of CZ stock wood varies widely. They call it the wood lottery, and if it wasn't for bad luck I wouldn't have no luck at all ( a reference to Cream's "Born under a bad sign"). The one I got off the rack makes me happy!
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Pat Riot
Contributing Member
That’s good to hear. Can you post a photo? What base and rings did you use?
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Pat Riot
Contributing Member
That’s a great song.
And it often reflects my reality. 
I have yet to actually see a Tikka T1X around here and, quite honestly, I haven’t really researched them at all. I should rectify that.
Thank you
CraigC
Sixgun Nut
I really like the BMR. I haven't properly wrung it out yet but first impressions have been very good.
Sounds like you're looking to buy a new gun, but if you are opened to used guns, there are some other really great-shooting options in approximately your price range.
All else being equal, the bigger and heavier the gun, the easier it'll be to consistently shoot the smaller groups from a bench or other decent rest. If you are wanting consistent <.5" groups at 50 yards in the real world (not the internet world, and not just the cherry-picked occasional group), you should consider getting the most serious target gun you can. In the new production CZ 457 line that's the MTR (slightly above your target price, but not really that much). The regular 457 Varmint models should also be good shooters, but typically not quite as good as the MTR due to the stock that is better suited for riding the bags, and the Match chamber in the MTR.
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Pat Riot
Contributing Member
Yes Sir. I did consider a used gun, but I have had a couple of bad experiences buying used guns that were supposed to be “the best”, “the most accurate”, “the slickest”, etcetera, etcetera… only to be truly disappointed in the gun and or the person that sold it to me.
If I am disappointed in a brand new gun only myself and or the maker are to blame.
ColtPythonElite
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Many of the models of guns I like are no longer in production. Used is the only choice. In the used under $700 price range, I'd probably be shopping for a CZ 452/453 Varmint or American. It's probably gonna take some shopping around to find a 453 under 700 bucks, though.
redneck2
Member
My 453 Varminter has a heavy barrel and single set trigger that breaks at ounces once set. With the older Wolf Match I’ve shot multiple sub .5’s at 50 yards
LOL I was holding back from saying it, trying not to sound too much like a CZ 452/453 groupie, but if I wanted an all-around gun for bench and some off-bench shooting, I'd be looking for a 453 Varmint also. Or a 452 Varmint and work on getting the trigger really nice (which can be done).
If I really wanted to focus on bench shooting with a "CZ," I'd look for a decent BRNO Model 4. Or a Winchester 52 if I could find one in good shooting condition that I could afford. Those physically big and heavy guns like the Model 4 and Model 52 are fun and satisfying to shoot from the bench. And the long barrels (27.5 - 28") are so quiet that no ear protection is needed (if you're not shooting with someone who is banging away with a loud cannon).
The 452 and 453 Varmints are essentially the same size and weight as the 457 Varmint. In the photo below you see how much larger the BRNO Model 4 (2nd from the bottom) is than the 453 Varmint (bottom).
Rubone
Member
Another in the used camp. I have no use for most newly made firearms. Your list doesn't appeal to me.
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Pat Riot
Contributing Member
Well thanks for dropping by anyway.
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Pat Riot
Contributing Member
Another Savage I came across today on the Bass Pro website is this:
Savage Arms Mark II TR Bolt-Action Rimfire Rifle. It’s a pound heavier than the BTV.
www.savagearms.com
Savage Arms Mark II TR Bolt-Action Rimfire Rifle. It’s a pound heavier than the BTV.
MARK II TR | RIMFIRE | SAVAGE ARMS
We know what it takes to build a truly reliable bolt gun, and we put all of it into our trusted Mark II Series.
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Pat Riot
Contributing Member
Don’t be shy… How do you like it?
The Boyd's stock has a thin and cheap paint job.
Easy enough to hit again w black and then matte clear.
The forend is not perfectly symmetrical in cross section so a non tilt bipod needs a shim on one pad ( using old Harris leg notch ). Barrel channel is fine. Bedding, or lack of it, also seems fine. Easy enough to add pillars later.
Not a fan of AccuTrigger. Rifle Basix would be another 75 bucks. The factory tacticool /angled trigger guard looks horrible. Replaced with a DIP
model. Mo money.
Mags.....nobody makes a nice mag for em. I have not had a problem with mine, but they feel and look cheap. As is retainment.
The action is long and ugly. Adding a pic rail accentuates that.
Have zeroed a scope and that's it. Fiocchi HV, an old box had laying around. Sub .5 at 50.yards for 5 shots.
EGW base and rings, got lower rings now so need to re-zero. Will try SK standard plus. Also CCI Blazer just to see.
Not impressed w the rifle (looks or feel), but shooting seems OK.
Proly what to expect for 600 bucks.
Eh, its a Savage
Easy enough to hit again w black and then matte clear.
The forend is not perfectly symmetrical in cross section so a non tilt bipod needs a shim on one pad ( using old Harris leg notch ). Barrel channel is fine. Bedding, or lack of it, also seems fine. Easy enough to add pillars later.
Not a fan of AccuTrigger. Rifle Basix would be another 75 bucks. The factory tacticool /angled trigger guard looks horrible. Replaced with a DIP
model. Mo money.
Mags.....nobody makes a nice mag for em. I have not had a problem with mine, but they feel and look cheap. As is retainment.
The action is long and ugly. Adding a pic rail accentuates that.
Have zeroed a scope and that's it. Fiocchi HV, an old box had laying around. Sub .5 at 50.yards for 5 shots.
EGW base and rings, got lower rings now so need to re-zero. Will try SK standard plus. Also CCI Blazer just to see.
Not impressed w the rifle (looks or feel), but shooting seems OK.
Proly what to expect for 600 bucks.
Eh, its a Savage
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Rifle was 600 new.
Forget what the DIP trigger guard was.
EGW base and rings was proly another 100.
Leupold 6-18X Freedom VX was 500.
Extra mag was under 20.
Fair chunk for an ugly rifle (scope is ugly too FWIW).
I'll do some more blasting soon and see if its a keeper.
Purchased initially for a try in the lowest NRL22 class. Some minor health stuff keeps me from doing that (knee and back).
Am NOT interested in testing ammo, or shooting bench matches.
Much rather have an Anschutz, even at $2K.
But am a realist.................I don't shoot enough to justify the Savage, let alone something "nicer".
For me its a toy.
Much prefer my CZ457 American. But its .22 mag.
Not perfect either.
The stock wood is blah, and the dims feel a little fat.
Usable but not ideal.
The bbl there is 24" and Id rather have 22".
But it shoots good with nothing done, so I just leave it. Haven't even adjusted the trigger (on either the Sav or CZ).
The CZ is heavier trigger, but both rifles are new.
Id like to try a Weatherby Anschutz 22 bolt rig, no longer made (not that old) and haven't seen one around for a while.
Forget what the DIP trigger guard was.
EGW base and rings was proly another 100.
Leupold 6-18X Freedom VX was 500.
Extra mag was under 20.
Fair chunk for an ugly rifle (scope is ugly too FWIW).
I'll do some more blasting soon and see if its a keeper.
Purchased initially for a try in the lowest NRL22 class. Some minor health stuff keeps me from doing that (knee and back).
Am NOT interested in testing ammo, or shooting bench matches.
Much rather have an Anschutz, even at $2K.
But am a realist.................I don't shoot enough to justify the Savage, let alone something "nicer".
For me its a toy.
Much prefer my CZ457 American. But its .22 mag.
Not perfect either.
The stock wood is blah, and the dims feel a little fat.
Usable but not ideal.
The bbl there is 24" and Id rather have 22".
But it shoots good with nothing done, so I just leave it. Haven't even adjusted the trigger (on either the Sav or CZ).
The CZ is heavier trigger, but both rifles are new.
Id like to try a Weatherby Anschutz 22 bolt rig, no longer made (not that old) and haven't seen one around for a while.
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Pat Riot
Contributing Member
Varminterror
Member
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- Jul 17, 2016
- Messages
- 15,020
It may already be satisfied, but these are just bolt on Weaver style bases. Easily replaced by other rails - and relatively preferentially replaced. But they work well enough if they do what you need.
I am not familiar with the use of 20 or 25 MOA rails and actually wondered why one would need one. Then I remembered the gent that got me hooked on this idea in the first place and how he was shooting 200 & 300 yard plates with his CZ.
After doing a quick search I found a trajectory calculator that was already loaded with CCI Std Velocity data and saw the “rainbow” trajectory graph.
View attachment 1206696
ShootersCalculator.com | Ballistic Trajectory Calculator
Calculates the ballistic trajectory of a bullet fired from a rifle, handgun or other firearm. Produces a ballistic trajectory chart and table that shows the drop, velocity, kinetic energy, windage, and trajectory of a bullet.shooterscalculator.com
Using a 20MOA rail do you Zero at 100yds? This graph shows a 50 yard Zero.
General Question to CZ 457 users:
And, even more importantly, How does one get a 20 or 25 MOA rail on a CZ 457, doesn’t the CZ have an 11mm dovetail for mounting a scope?
Is there any inclination on the CZ dovetail?
No, there is no inclination on the CZ dovetail, nor is there on the Savage receiver. Area419 is one place which offers a clamp on CZ dovetail-to-picatinny base.
I wanna address a little the realities of using different rail angles on a 22LR, especially compared to a centerfire rifle. When you consider that calculated trajectory, what you are NOT seeing is how much MORE vertical correction we have built into our 50yrd zero in a 22LR than we do into the 100yrd zero in a centerfire rifle.
TLDR version: Get a 20MOA rail for your 22. A 40MOA rail/rings is even better.
Details as to why:
Using a 2" optic height for both centerfire and 22LR, we have twice as much elevation correction to be made to bring the bore line up to meet the scope line of sight at 50yrds instead of 100yrds. Equally, we have roughly 3.5 times as much gravitational drop (in moa/mils) to be compensated on a 22LR bullet at 50yrds as we do on a centerfire load at 100yrds. To zero a centerfire rifle scope at 100yrds, we have to dial UP from optical center the optic height 2" plus ~2.5" of gravitational drop compensation, which means only ~4.5moa from optical center. On a scope with 50-60MOA (common for inexpensive scopes used on 22LR's or centerfire hunting rifles), that means the centerfire rifle has 21-25 MOA of elevation left available to dial, which USUALLY means the scope would run out of dialing capacity somewhere around 800-1000 yards. Putting a 20MOA rail on a centerfire means we end up ~15moa ABOVE optical center (-4.5 + 20), which extends that range out past 1100-1300 yards. Most people don't shoot 800-1000, let alone 1100-1300, so not many folks need a 20MOA rail on a centerfire. BUT... A 22LR has to accommodate 4" of gravitational drop compensation and 2" of optic height at only 50yrds, which is 12MOA, meaning instead of only being ~4.5moa from optical center like the centerfire rifle, it's 12MOA below. In a 50-60moa capacity scope, that means we are only ~13-18MOA from the bottom of our dial, which is only 150-175yrds for that 50-60moa scope on a flat rail. Adding a 20MOA rail to a 22LR puts the 50yrd zero back around +8 above optical center (-12+20), leaving 33-38moa available to dial in a 50-60moa scope, letting me shoot out to 250-260 before running out of turret. Holding over in the scope reticle can get that 22LR set up out past 300.
A 100yrd zero with a 22LR is ~19MOA from optical center (instead of ~4.5 for a centerfire at 100yrds), so a 20moa rail doesn't really and any added scope capacity at all, it just puts the 100yrd zero back to optical center, leaving only HALF of the scope turret capacity available to the shooter.
A 22LR really can benefit from having at LEAST 40MOA in the base and rings, using a scope with 60+ MOA capacity. That puts us very near the top of our turret at 50yrd zero, meaning we can shoot out to ~330-340 before we run out of turret, and can hold over to reach 400yrds if so desired. On my Savage Mark II BSEV, currently I have 60MOA in rail and ring shims under a scope which has 110MOA adjustment capacity, so I have access to ~103moa, meaning I can dial clear out to 500 before I have to start holding, and can hold out to ~550. On my Ruger Charger 22LR, I have a scope with 93MOA capacity and 60moa rail + ring shims, so I am ~1" high at 50yrds in my zero, but I can dial out to the equivalent of 94moa, which gets me to 450 without holding, and about 525 holding in the reticle. But those are rather extreme set ups.
Here's my son when he was 6yrs old with a Savage Mark II shooting out to 300yrds on a 12" IPSC - it had 40MOA of ring shims and the cheap Bushnell Trophy 3-9x has 60MOA of adjustment, so he was dialed all he could and holding over in the reticle to hit the target. It's since been replaced with a Bushnell LRHSi 4.5-18x44 with 84moa of adjustment, so he can dial out to ~315yrds and hold out to 350+.
(Note: Here, he's using 40moa shims in cheap Burris Signature Zee rings mounted to the factory Weaver-style 2pc bases).
So put 20MOA or preferably MORE on your 22LR.
I've shared this Savage MkII BSEV many times around here - the Boyd's Evolution (Boyd's Stock EVolution = BSEV) largely sucks for anything but offhand shooting. I dropped mine into a Boyd's Pro-Varmint with adjustable cheek riser. This is what I could do with it at 150yrds, offhand, in response to a relatively odd poster on this forum a few years ago. Here it has a 20MOA Nightforce rail with that Bushnell LRHSi 4.5-18x I mentioned above which is now on my son's Savage Mark II FSS, with 84moa internal capacity.
Here's some of what it can do at 50yrds from a bench, which I shot for a more structured game on this forum, also a few years ago. This was with relatively cheap Eley Club ammo, it shoots CCI SV about as well.
As I mentioned above, I stuck a cheap Athlon Helos BRT2 4-20x50mm on top of it last year with 60moa of rail and rings, moving the Bushnell LRHSi pictured onto my son's Mark II FSS.
Another Savage I came across today on the Bass Pro website is this:
Savage Arms Mark II TR Bolt-Action Rimfire Rifle. It’s a pound heavier than the BTV.
View attachment 1207050
MARK II TR | RIMFIRE | SAVAGE ARMS
We know what it takes to build a truly reliable bolt gun, and we put all of it into our trusted Mark II Series.
This is effectively the same metalwork as the BSEV (and same as any other Savage MkII), but dropped into a Boyd's Pro-Varmint stock. My rifle pictured above has the same stock but without the cheap black paint, mine has spiral fluting instead of straight, and mine is stainless instead of blued, but by and large, this is the same rifle as mine pictured above. Performance will be the same on target, but this one will be a little more versatile without the Boyd's Evolution stock.
With ALL of that said - you'll be better served by a CZ than a Savage.
LiveLife
Member
I do most of my 22LR shooting at 50 yards and use turret adjustment or holdover for 100 yards.
