CZ 455 (457) or Tikka T1X

[holstil]

And you will drive straight to the range and report back, right?
Can't wait for mine!

 

[T.Rhodes]

Well, need to mount a scope. I have 4-16 x 50 FFP sitting in a box. Not sure of mounting on the dovetail rail or if I have to get a pictinny rail. We'll see.

OOPS! Scope is 4-16x44mm FFP and does have MOA Christmas tree reticle - I like it a lot.

 

[MarkS]

I'm thinking about a bolt gun for NRL22 matches and these two are within the budget and both seem to be on the better side of performance. Currently using a Ruger 10/22...well the receiver is still a Ruger; Green Mountain barrel, Kidd bolt, Archangel stock, BX trigger. I just got rid of a Ruger American Rifle Target for feeding problems, extracting problems and so-so accuracy.

So, would like to try a bolt gun again and am wondering how these two might work. let me know your thoughts and/or experience related to the Tikka and CZ 455/457.

Chuck,
I have 2 CZ 455 Varmint 22lr and 17 HMR, they shoots great, 0.6MOA out to 150yds. It just got a T1X ( see below post ) so far it is out shooting my 455,s. You may find good deals on 455 now due that the 457 is replacing them. The T1x has a better trigger than the 455, and is easier to change the spring. The new 457, has some of the upgrade that are in the T1X, 60 degree bolt, trigger, and bolt release. I would not take anything for my CZ's, and glad I got the T1X. Anyone of the guns you are asking about would be great guns.

Mark

 

[T.Rhodes]

Yeah Mark - the $399 at Sportsman's for the 455 Varmint looked really good, but I'm going to get the T1x. Hopefully - that will be my Holy Grail for 22rimfire.

 

[Liven The Dream]

I have a 453 . With the right Ammo , one hole groups.
The Set Trigger is top line .
Wish I would have gotten Two .

 

[T.Rhodes]

She's all dressed up for the range. I brought the trigger pull down to 1 1/4#. No creep, nice and crisp.

Trying not to get expectations up too high, after all she is new. We'll see what we get.

 

[T.Rhodes]

Got to the range and sighted in. Took four shots to get to zero after bore-sight. Very happy with initial out-a-the-box results. The 50 yard targets were with CCI S.V. ammo. On the 100 yard shots, I was holding 1moa up wind - clearly not enough.

 

[SDBigDog]

I have 4 CZ's or had, the FS 455 I got rid of because it would not shoot at 25, 50 or 100 yards. Shot over 2000 rounds thru it with all the SK's Wolf's, Eley's, Norma tac-22's nothing worked so I sold it on GB. I still have my 452 Ultra Lux, Lux and American. I will never get rid of them, but they don't stand a chance in hell against my Anschutz 1710D HB, but that is twice + the cost. 22LR rimfire keeps us old farts busy changing scopes, adding shims, changing springs and chasing paper targets all summer long, Great sport!!

never forget the first 22LR u ever had like my 1961 Remington 511 my Dad gave me

 

[Bill K]

Nice looking group of rifles. Those old Remington's shot very well.

 

[Macropod]

Just got back from the range (I'm in Australia) and with Winchester Power Points managed a couple of 3/4" 5 shot groups at 109yds. Validating the MOA guarantee easily.

For high velocity 22lr ammo in a Tikka T1X I'm very happy. With a GRS Kelbly's X eater stock yet to be tried I am convinced the T1X is an excellent platform for the money.

 

[Twdmar]

I got my T1 mounted in an eliseo tubegun stock to the indoor range last night. It will easily clean the 50 ft nra A17 targets supported with a sling with SK standard.
Ejection was a tad finicky until I found the right method. I am satisfied with mine for winter highpower practice.
Here's a 10 shot rapid fire in 1 minute group. Since I only have one mag, I pulled it out and put it on the mat for a second before reloading it to simulate the reload.

 

[flatlander]

I was so attracted by the appearance of the new CZ457s that I ordered in a couple of the American sporters & a Varmint model. Have had my name on 'wish lists' at a couple of wholesalers' websites for a Varmint MTR & a Tikka T1x, but so far, no joy. Have been shooting one of the Americans with an old Nikon 6-18x44 Buckmaster mounted on a Mike Ross 12 MOA rail that I pulled off my Anschutz 2011 prone rifle, and though I was initially rather disappointed with groups, the weather here has been the big stumbling block, and I've only got 205rds through the American to date. The last evening I shot with it, the temps were nearly 20*F warmer than they had been, and I'd had time to adjust the trigger down to a consistent 1.4lbs & torgue the action screws to 30/25 in/lbs - and it shot considerably better groups than it had been doing, even out to 129yds. Not going to pass judgement on it until we've had some warmer weather this spring & I can get the round count up to at least 500rds. Main reason I'm even this critical of the accuracy with the American to this point is that I've gotten somewhat more than slightly spoiled by the accuracy of custom bbls I've fitted & chambered on a number of bolt repeaters, including a Stiller 2500XR, couple of CMP 40X/XBs, and a Vudoo V-22.

But the accuracy reports I've seen & read here & on a couple of other websites have been overwhelmingly positive for the Tikka T1x, so I'm going to keep looking for one. I'm a dealer, and our local club is having its annual gun show next weekend, Feb. 23-24. I ordered in the extra CZ 457s to put on my tables, and though I'd like to shoot the Varmint model before selling it, I'll just keep waiting to get a MTR, and hope to be at least as pleased with it as I am with the American.

 

[kevwil]

I'm curious how the T1x magazines work out. I have a 455 with a Mr. Fly trigger and a Lilja barrel and it shoots great, and honestly the magazines are a real winner. I expect the 457 addresses all of the nits I'd pick about the 455, and I hear great things about the T1x, so I don't think either one will be a regrettable purchase. The 45x magazines are common and work very well, that would sway me if the T1x magazines were hard to find or expensive or didn't feed well. If I had more money to burn I'd honestly upgrade my 455 and get a T1x just because I enjoy 22LR so much.

 

[holstil]

I’m not saying the t1x is an upgrade. At least not yet. My t1x hasn’t out shot my 455 yet. I have the fly trigger also and a shilen barrel that I haven’t felt necessary to keep on. If I decide to shoot the high grade ammo, I’ll have to see how the shilen does. If I start shooting high test ammo, I’ll prolly build a custom or get me that vudoo or Anschutz. I told myself I wouldn’t go down that rabbit hole like I did with center fire.

 

[MarkS]

I'm curious how the T1x magazines work out. I have a 455 with a Mr. Fly trigger and a Lilja barrel and it shoots great, and honestly the magazines are a real winner. I expect the 457 addresses all of the nits I'd pick about the 455, and I hear great things about the T1x, so I don't think either one will be a regrettable purchase. The 45x magazines are common and work very well, that would sway me if the T1x magazines were hard to find or expensive or didn't feed well. If I had more money to burn I'd honestly upgrade my 455 and get a T1x just because I enjoy 22LR so much.

The T1X mags work great, and they are easy to insert and get out. They have been hard to find, as is the guns. That is easing up now. Beretta has them in stock now for $35 plus 20% off.

Mark

 

[flatlander]

I missed our gun show due to a blizzard that hit early last Saturday morning. So, not having a store front & living out in the country, I may not have many chances to sell either of the two CZ457s I bought for the show. I've read good things about Shilen's ratchet rifled 22RF bbls, and can find them online without a long wait. Am thinking about breaking out the 457 Varmint & doing some shooting with the OEM bbl; if it doesn't impress me with its accuracy, I'm looking at either machining a Shilen blank to use the factory screw attachment system, or going radical and threading the 457 action & Shilen blank.

After seeing a drawing of the 457's trigger's parts and then adjusting the one on my 457 American accordingly, I've wound up with a safe & crisp break at just a hair over 1lb. As good as my American feeds, extracts, & ejects, and as good as the factory trigger is, I'm liking the chances of winding up with a pretty fine rifle once a good bbl with match chamber is fitted. Though the bore of the bbl on my American looks pretty good through a Hawkeye borescope, just looking at it doesn't tell me a thing about how uniform the bore dimensions are. Have never slugged a bbl to get a feel for loose spots and/or finding out whether there's any choke at the muzzle; believe it'd be good to learn how to accomplish slugging the bore of these CZ OEM bbls before diving off into the deep end with a Shilen or Krieger or any other custom bbl. Getting any of these things accomplished is going to take some time - and as scarce as decent shooting conditions have been, it's not bloody likely that I'll even get started on this project until after the snow melts & I'm able to get some early spring farm work accomplished.

 

[nockhunter]

Anything new to write about?

Mike

 

[flatlander]

I finally managed to snag a CZ457 Varmint MTR! Though the stock on mine isn't as outstanding as a few I've seen online, neither is it disappointing. Following the same procedure I used on my 457 American, I was easily able to get the MTR's trigger down to under 1lb. Installed a BScar 25 MOA sloped rail, then mounted a spare Athlon Cronus 4.5-29x56 scope & headed out to get it zeroed & see how she runs. Very pleased with the accuracy of this rifle, especially when compared to the mediocre accuracy of the American. The paper target shows 10-shot groups fired at 50yds, right after zeroing the scope, while the steel IPSC target had the upper group shot with SK's new LR Match ammo, and the lower one with Lapua Center-X. They measured just over 3" & just over 2.5", respectively. I like the shape of the MTR's stock, and am very pleased with the trigger. If it's true that these hammer forged CZ 22RF bbls improve with more rounds through them, I'm sure this rifle is going to be outstanding, as it's already shooting nearly as well as the custom bbls on my 40XB & V-22s.

As far as the American goes, I've pretty much given up on getting its factory bbl to perform good enough to satisfy me. Will be watching online to see what offerings come to market over the next couple of months. If I don't find what I want, I'll get a Shilen Ratchet Rifled blank and turn it to suit. Whether I go the full-tilt route and thread the action & bbl, or settle for sticking with the 'quick change' set-up from the factory is still to be determined. All that I'm sure of is that the 457 American deserves a better barrel.

 

[cf]

what distance did you shoot the steel target at? 100 yards?

 

[flatlander]

Guess I got in too big a hurry to finish that post, and forgot to give the distance for the steel target - it was 210yds.