Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Rimfires Help me pick a nice .22 rifle

I need a nice .22 rifle (no really I do)

What's your pick? Price is a factor.

Leaning heavy toward a CZ 455 American. What others should I look at.

Who has experience it a Remington 504? How hard are they to find?

Browning T-Bolt

Order a Cooper built exactly how you want it and sell off a few other guns to help pay for it. It might take a year to get it so you have the chance to save more money to help pay for it.
You will have no regrets and a rifle that will stay with you until you die.

Since you wrote that price is a factory, I think the CZ will be your top choice. It will most likely shoot better than anything in it's price range.

The 504T I owned didn't impress me accuracy wise.

As much as I like my 453, that's not a bad idea.

You can use the year to acquire some decent ammo.

Get a cz 453 American if you can find one. IMO the set trigger is worth it. If not the 453 then a 452-455 wouldn't do anything short of impress. Just so you know that on a cz the bolt throw is retardedly high and requires mounting of the scope rather high, the safety is backwards and the mag well should be immediately replaced with a aluminum DIP unit. (Stock one is a POS)

Have to agree with the CZ recommendation. I have a 452. I have no experience with the 455. Go to rimfire central and check the CZ page for further information, or any other dedicated brand page they have there.

The required high scope mounts on the cz does concern me. I like a nice cheek weld.

You need a Marlin 39A (no, really you do). Accurate and fun to shoot!

Bryant, I have several Rem. .22's mostly older models and they are accurate.. But I have picked up a couple CZ's.. One in a .22 and the other a .22 mag.. I am impressed.. If I were buying a new .22 tomorrow, it would be a CZ.. I am not sure of the model I would select.. But that is the brand I would choose.. You can spend a lot more money, but I doubt you will get much better quality for the $...Mine are excellent accuracy wise...

Check this out.

http://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/8944334/CZ_453_American#Post8944334

Order a cz 455, the dip mag well, dip extended mag release, a good set of rings, and some decent rimfire glass and watch the magic happen. So far Stoney's cooper has outshot my cz, but only barely and I have yet to install my yo Dave trigger kit. Everything but winchester HV has shot Moa out of it. Eley subsonic hollow points and norma have shot ragged holes. Spend te extra money on a bunch of good ammo and extra mags. You won't regret the cz, unless your looking purely at aesthetics.

If you want a really nice .22, find a used Winchester/Browning 52 repro. Should run you in the neighborhood of $600-$800. Sometimes you can find one for that price with glass/mounts, etc..

It will be better looking than just about anything else you can find for twice the price (except for a used Cooper), it will out shoot just about everything, has a great trigger, and most of them have great wood but it is sometimes covered up with their factory stain and finish.

Bob

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbth...Shooting_the_Cooper_and_CZ_#Post8938188. Just some reading material

What cw says!

donsm70

Bryant, I am a Winchester guy, have been for 55 years, it all started with my great grandfathers model 67 that butchered more cattle and hogs,killed more varmints than 5 semi tractor trailers could pull. I have been very blessed with many Winchesters since that time. If you can find a Zanders HB modle 52 R or repo. buy it, mine is almost benchrest accurate using Wolf MT ammo. They are fantastic, well made , beautiful guns with a centerfire feel! You will not be disappointed. They also hold and keep resale ,in fact they keep going up. I have one and it is every bit as nice, shoots as well as my 56' mod 52 sporter that cost many thousands more! very best WinPoor

The CZ 453 if the set trigger is something you want, have not heard anything bad about them. The CZ American 452 if you want a classic style walnut stock, The 452 Trainer (less money) has a Euro style hogback beech stock (but it has an excellent set of irons).

The CZ 452's need some trigger work, you can do it yourself and the yo-dave kit only runs around $18. There are other sears and replacement triggers avail. but I can not tell the diff. from a $65 repl. sear and a yo-dave kit.

Other CZ upgrades can wait till you can swing them and aren't necessary but add a bit of class to the gun; the triggerguard is stamped metal, DIP has a milled replacement. the magazine housing is plastic (you can not see it without taking the action out of the gun), again DIP has a metal replacement.

Their latest offering the CZ 455 I have no experience with... main advantage is you can switch barrels (22 LR, 22 Mag, 17 HMR & i the think the 17 mach 2).

Was looking at getting a Rem. 504 when they came out, but in a wise moment waited until others reviewed them... There were complaints regarding the accuracy and I skipped getting one.



Me too... pic of my CZ Trainer in an American Stock with a Weaver 2-7 rimfire scope and low B-square sport utility rimfire rings. Works fine.



Jerry

p.s.

Take a look at the CZ 452 FS (full stock), my idea of a classic rifle, don't own one though. AND contrary to what others here have said; Stay away from the rimfirecentral.com CZ subforum... Those folks are the biggest enablers on the internet.

I bought a CZ455 as I wanted to try the 17HMR. It came with a .22 bbl. I have other 22's.

It's very accurate with the 17. The 17 has more range than a 22 and is legal in CT state forests.

The Winchester M75 Sporting's action is not nearly as thick or heavy as the 455 however the CZ's stamping of it's name etc. is course and not ground and polished smooth.

The 455's plastic magazine sticks out at the balance point.

Bought a 452 Varmint ... didn't care for it one bit ... new owner loves it! Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Good Luck with whatever you decide. Maybe you'll like the taste of CZ kool-aid. If so, enjoy!

FWIW, I did shoot the set trigger, didn't like that much either, broke clean and light, but the 1/4" of over-travel after the break IMHO robbed the CZ of some of it's accuracy potential.

OP Assuming you want a bolt action 22. I have owned a 504. I really wanted to like that rifle. It looks beautiful. But they just don't shoot. I got rid of mine and would not recommend them to anyone.