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22LR for Squirrels and offhand practice

Hi guys, I am looking to buy a moderately priced accurate rimfire chambered in 22lr that I can use for squirrels and hone my off hand shooting skills.

I have a few worked over 10/22s and they are fun, but in this rifle I am looking for a good bolt action that feels like a real action instead of some of the cheaper stamped pieces.

I don't want to spend an arm and 2 legs for a full blown custom rig for squirrels, but I don't mind paying a little more for quality and accuracy.

A friend suggested a CZ 452 or 455, what do you guys suggest?

PS: only interested in 22 LR because I have many thousands of rounds for that caliber.

Thanks.
 
Preacher said:
A 77/22 bolt action surely wouldn't disappoint you....

I will have to look into them. If I remember correctly don't they use standard 10/22 magazines? If so that would be a plus since I have several.
 
CZ is great i have a 455 in 22 mag that is really surprising but if you could find a rem in 541 t or s that is the way to go have one super my cousin shot barrel out of his [ i did not have the money then for shells to shoot] and re barreled it from fac, did not do so well
 
salitydog said:
CZ is great i have a 455 in 22 mag that is really surprising but if you could find a rem in 541 t or s that is the way to go have one super my cousin shot barrel out of his [ i did not have the money then for shells to shoot] and re barreled it from fac, did not do so well

I have yet to here anything bad about the CZ rimfire rifles.
 
It's easy to get spoiled by shooting centerfire rifles with excellent (usually aftermarket) triggers. I have an old Rem 541S, and it was easy to rework the factory trigger to be very good -- as good as a tweaked M700 trigger. But the 541 has been out of production for a long time. My eyebrows went up when I saw the price on used rifles.

I have recommended CZ to several friends looking for .22s recently. The 453 is now out of production (since 2011?), but there may be some NIB still left with dealers. The advantage of the 453 over the 452 or 455 is the single set trigger. The 455 has easy switch-barrel capability to other rimfire chamberings (e.g., 17 HMR), if that matters.

The Kimber .22s are also out of production, but very nice if you can find one. Very good adjustable trigger.
 
nonliberal said:
Preacher said:
A 77/22 bolt action surely wouldn't disappoint you....

If I remember correctly don't they use standard 10/22 magazines? If so that would be a plus since I have several.

Almost.

The 10/22 mags have a slightly curved bottom to match the stock contour, while the 77/22 mags are flat.

Doesn't mean they don't work though. I keep all of mine together, and interchange at will. I never even notice the slightly different shapes.

As to good squirrel rifles, yes, the CZ is very good. Along with the 77/22, the Rem 541-T (good luck finding or affording an "S" :o ), or a handful of others.

A quality bolt action 22 LR is a joy to shoot... so much more so than a 10/22 (fun little rifles, but a totally different class and purpose).
 
I have a CZ 455 Varmint in which I installed a YoDave trigger kit (a whopping $23 including shipping from his location in in British Columbia), and I love it - very accurate for a factory sporter, and the YoDave kit made an acceptable trigger a great one; just follow the directions. My other go-to .22RF sporter is a 77/22; bought it from a friend's father's estate, so I don't know it's history, but it's the only Ruger 77 (I have 2 others, a .257 Roberts and a 77/22 Hornet rechambered to K Hornet, and have shot or dry fired many more) I have owned or tried that I didn't have to put in an aftermarket trigger from Timney or Rifle Basix to get a decent trigger pull. I don't know if the previous owner had the original trigger reworked, installed an aftermarket trigger, or we just got lucky (my philosophy with the 77/22 RF has been if it ain't broke, don't fix it, so it hasn't been disassambeled to see what's there), but as long as you get OEM (or install yourself after the fact) a decent trigger, I have little choice between the 77/22 and the CZ 455 Varmint; both are hard to beat.
 
nonliberal said:
Hi guys, I am looking to buy a moderately priced accurate rimfire chambered in 22lr that I can use for squirrels and hone my off hand shooting skills.

A friend suggested a CZ 452 or 455, what do you guys suggest?

Look no further. Your friend nailed it. Now just decide which CZ you want and get it. ;) WD
 
I have not handled the CZ's, so cannot speak to them. I went looking for a good, readily available 22 rimfire many years ago. My search ended with purchasing a new Remington 541T. This is the best shooting factory rifle that I have ever owned. Admittedly, I never could afford the most expensive guns. I just don't think you will find a better, more accurate rifle for anywhere near the price of the 541. The trigger pull is a little heavy, but it breaks clean and crisp. I watched Gunbroker a couple years ago and there were some on there from time to time.
 
nonliberal said:
Hi guys, I am looking to buy a moderately priced accurate rimfire chambered in 22lr that I can use for squirrels and hone my off hand shooting skills.

"Moderately" priced means different things I suppose, but have you considered an Anschtuz? I prefer their (usuualy more expensive) Model 54 action rifles, but many shooters rave about their Model 64 action rifles too. I recently picked up a vintage Model 54 Sporter (as imported by Savage back in the day, but made by Anschutz), which is a repeater and has an adjustable single stage trigger. It cost a grand, but these things are getting any cheaper, and considering what some guys are paying for .22lr ammo these days, that might translate to just ten bricks of ammo. :)

It's missing the hood for the front sight, otherwise it's in all original condition; I'm guessing it was made in the 70's:
SavageAnschutzModel54Sporter005_zpsb1333763.jpg
 
CZ rimfires are great values. Marlin or Savage rimfires are good too, but I feel the CZ (I own a 452) is more robust and and they have better stocks too.
 
Thanks for the help guys.
I found a local dealer that has a NIB CZ453 and a NIB CZ455 in stock. I can't decide which one I want so I guess I will buy them both. That way I have all the time I want to make my decision to keep one and sell the other.

Does that sound like a reasonable approach?
 
Since there's no such thing as "too many rifles," I can't fault your approach. ;) The set trigger on the 453 will be better than the standard trigger on the 455 (dry fire them to see for yourself), and the 455 has easier switch-barrel capability. If you don't care about the switch-barrel, just buy the 453 and call it a day.

P.S. If they have more than 1 of each, look them over and pick the model you like with the nicest stock. I've seen some amazingly pretty stocks on the occasional CZ.
 
tobybradshaw said:
Since there's no such thing as "too many rifles," I can't fault your approach. ;) The trigger on the 453 will be better than on the 455, and the 455 has easier switch-barrel capability. If you don't care about the switch-barrel, just buy the 453 and call it a day.

P.S. If they have more than 1 of each, look them over and pick the model you like with the nicest stock. I've seen some amazingly pretty stocks on the occasional CZ.

Thanks! Will do.
 
nonliberal said:
I found a local dealer that has a NIB CZ453 and a NIB CZ455 in stock. I can't decide which one I want so I guess I will buy them both. That way I have all the time I want to make my decision to keep one and sell the other.

Does that sound like a reasonable approach?

That is the most sensible post I've seen in a while. Good on you. Let us know how that turns out and which one you like best and why. :) WD
 
541 remington, in any configuration - all 3 i have experence with shoot 50yd bug holes.
CCI mini mag is great out to 80-90 yds on pd head shots with 3x9 luep ao
Bob
 

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