Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Rimfires Is the CZ 455 the best thing going at this point?

I foolishly didn't buy a stainless 77/22 a few months back when ruger announced they weren't going to make them any longer. I liked the 77/22 because it felt like an actual rifle where the 10/22 feels like a toy to me at 6'4.

The ruger American rimfire sort of feels cheap to me and I'm not really interested in it.

I've been reading about the 455 and that seems like about as good as it's going to get unless I can somehow find a 77/22 in anconfigurstion that audits me..

Thanks!!!!

Yep....CZ's about as good as it gets where traditional bolt guns are concerned unless you want to step up to a Cooper or Annie.

For the money, yes. That said there are used 452's Annies and others that I might consider first. Fro a new rifle not much can beat it, perhaps Savage, Ruger, are accurate but not still decent wood and blue.

There's still a few 452 Trainers out there. I prefer the American but I'd take a 452 Trainer over a 455 American.
And that's not to say the 455 isn't a nice rifle. I just have more confidence in the 452's threaded barrel.

How are the CZ magazines??? Are theychewp and [bleep] or at they pretty nice and reliable?

Most of them are nice and reliable.

The new Sako Finnfire II could be added to the list also.

I agree that the new Ruger American has a cheap but interesting synthectic stock, but mine in 22mag. does shoot quite well. Its hard to beat for under $250. And for $200 or less Boyds makes a drop in Wood stock for them. That gets rid of the cheap look.

how are the sights on that RAR?

I have a CZ 452 and two 455s, and I like the 452 best, but the 455s are nice rifles. One of them is a Scout, and the barrel must be lock-tited into place, as I can't get the grub screws out. In any event, it shoots a fair amount better than the 455 American I have. That might be because the barrel is immovable, or that the Scout has a newer receiver.

I am told that they have tightened up the specs on headspace with the "C" (later) receivers (my American is an early one with an "A" receiver). Neither of the 455s is a bad shooter, but the 452 I have outshoots both of them.

Magazines are interchangeable between the 452s, 453s, and 455s, at least the .22LR magazines are. I have one steel magazine and two poly mags, and I actually like the poly mags better. NO CZ magazines are cheap, they all cost about double the cost of a Ruger magazine.
I also have an RAR Predator, that'll hang with the 455s (but not the 452). It's a good shooter, too. I like them all, but the 452 is just a fuzz better, in my book.

THanks for all that information.

I also looked at the sako finnfire and the the quad, those look sweet but 900-1100 dollars is not cheap.

For under $500, yes. I do have an extra CZ455 .22lr Varmint in perfect condition if you are looking for one of those, let me know.

No!

What is better for close to the same money?

Unless you have to have walnut, the Ruger American Target (laminated) is worth a look, given the overall favorable reports on the accuracy of the other models. Last one I saw on GB was $399.

I have 2 Quads I bought shortly after they first came out. Both are unbelievably accurate with many different rounds. One was a 22mag. for awhile and was the most accurate 22mag. I've owned to date and that includes a lot of 22 mags.
The sights on my Ruger American were pretty nice, but I took them off to accommodate my scope setup. Mine is in 22mag. and shoots the Hornady 30gr. very well, but not so much others. But, I haven't played with it much either.

If a CZ 452 doesn't interest you and the cost of Sako's are to much, then I would lean towards a Savage/Anschutz or a Rem. 541. Both are great shooters and maintain the Walnut and blued metal look.

I have a CZ 452, a Ruger American Rimfire, and a Cooper 57M Jackson Hunter. I have a good selection of hunting grade 22 l.r. and match grade l.r., I have tried all of it in the three of them and the Cooper is the best grouping rifle, but it is not inexpensive, the CZ 452 groups almost as well as the Cooper and the RAR groups are generally about twice as large as those by the Cooper and CZ.

With the ammo they like the best five shot groups at 50 yds groups from the Cooper are right around 3/8 inch, the CZ is more in the 1/2 inch range and the RAR runs around 3/4 inch. So yes there is some difference between them but any of the three will hit what I am shooting at. These groups are with medium grade match ammo, with hunting grade ammo groups will open up another 1/4 inch or so with occasional flyers.

I did put a Yodave trigger kit in the CZ, and if it had a better trigger I believe it would hang in with my Cooper for grouping. The RAR, I changed out trigger springs and it is better but for some reason it just doesn't feel right, I have spent quite a bit of time playing with it but can't get it to feel right, I suspect it is a matter of stock design, the size of my hands and angle it forces my trigger finger to assume.

This is a long winding way of saying that IMO the best value out there is a CZ 452, I have read too many bad things about the 455 to have confidence in it but I have never handled or shot one so take that opinion for what it is worth.

drover

Pretty much. I think CZ still suffers from the bias of "Not invented here syndrome". Reliability, accuracy, craftsmanship and cost makes it untouchable. Unfortunately my Germanic roots go way back so I am a sucker for the Bavarian styling on respective models.

Somebody posted here along time ago that "CZ's were 99% Anschutz at half the cost". Amen.

Now if I could find a Ultra Lux and an FS model well you could just scatter my ashes right there.



Brad

I hear ya...I'm a real trigger snob so I put a Basix in mine before I ever fired it.

I've put Yo Dave kit's in a couple of 452's....they worked but to me it seemed like a hokey way of going about it for some reason.

I'm so proud of the way my new 452's performing I'm treating it to one of DIP's machined trigger guards. Been on the waiting list for four months so I should be getting close.

AKPENDUDE: I am with you on the recent Ruger American rimfire Rifles!
I had and have NO interest in these clunkers.
UNTIL... last week, when this new Model Ruger American came out - it is a heavy barrel model (18" long with threaded muzzle) with laminated Varmint type stock and a renovated action area (I am told).
My friend bought one in 17 HMR and I am due to scope it up and sight it in for him soon.
This new offering is VERY appealing to me and comes in 22 Magnum, 17 HMR and 22 L.R.
I have a pair of Ruger 77/22's (one is a Varmint model and the other is the sporter weight barreled model) they are amazing Rifles and are very accurate.
The rotary magazine of the Ruger rimfire models are unsurpassable and the factory furnished magazines fit flush with the Rifles stock and the safety on the Ruger 77's function CORRECTLY - two things about the CZ's that are unforgivable to me.
Best of luck in your search.
Personally I advise you to keep looking for a Ruger 77/22 in a model that pleases you.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

"Correctly" according to who?

Course I'm not really surprised that you're boggled by a safety.

I rarely use a safety but the CZ 452 safety actually seems a bit more intuitive than the "push-forward" to fire safeties. It is the same motion as pulling back the hammer on a lever gun or the hammer on a pistol when you are preparing to shoot. If someone is challenged by something as simple as a different operating safety I am not sure they should be trusted with a firearm.

Firearms I have owned with different safeties -

FN Mauser with the safety mounted on the left side of the bolt shroud, vertically operated, it was up for safe for safe and down for fire.

Ruger 10/22 and some shotguns - safety is mounted on the trigger guard and is pushed sideways for safe and fire.

Semi-auto pistols, some are pushed down to take off safe and some are push up to take off safe.

Savage 99, small safety that was mounted next to the lever and engaged the lever.

Kimber rifles, some were two position safties that had to be pushed forward, some were three position safties that had to be pushed forward.

Win 70, and later Ruger 77, three position safties that have to be pushed forward but the Ruger a lot more so because it swings so far to the rear.

Almost forgot - tang safeties - some of them are two position and some are three position, one must be careful to move them all the way forward.

I had a Mannlicher-Schonauer carbine that had a bolt shroud safety and a side-mounted trigger block safety - that apparently would really confuse some folks.

They all seem to work, they are just different but folks seem to use them all without issue. So why does the CZ seem to trouble so many folks - just something to complain about?

edited to add:
I had forgotten about the M-14 safety that is in the front of the trigger guard, it is pushed back and forward with the trigger finger.

Also the M-16 is another example of a vertically operating safety but in a not so intuitive place.

It is a wonder that anyone could ever adapt to using them. LOL


drover