Who wins? CZ 455 Varmint vs. Ruger Precision rimfire
- Thread starter Billinoregon
- Start date
You can never have too much .I love it when a rifle likes the CCI SVs,they are only 35 bucks a brick around here .
USMCDOC
Silver $$ Contributor
For me .. it is Pistol Match and Center-X.. it is the only Eley i know!If you're after accuracy, buy every flavor of Eley ammo. Then be prepared to pay the price for that accuracy.
hogpatrol
Gold $$ Contributor
Eley Club in my Annie for paper, something cheaper for groundhogs.For me .. it is Pistol Match and Center-X.. it is the only Eley i know!
Ned Ludd
Silver $$ Contributor
The original factory barrel on my CZ455 Varmint Precision Trainer had a fair bit of brown stuff in it. Fortunately, it came out pretty easily with Hoppes #9 and some Kroil. Due to my dissatisfaction with the precision of the factory setup, I eventually had the rifle re-barreled with a Benchmark 3-groove barrel and properly bedded. I'm happy to report that the Benchmark barrel did not have any brown stuff in it 
. After swapping out the trigger spring, I tested an array of Eley Tenex and found a Lot # that shoots to my satisfaction. After a fair bit of time, effort, and $$$, I am very pleased with how the rifle currently shoots. You may get lucky with a 455 out of the box, but then again, you may not. My opinion is that their quality control is pretty hit or miss. Not really surprising for a factory rifle, but if you don't get a shooter out of the box, it may take some effort to make it into one.
. After swapping out the trigger spring, I tested an array of Eley Tenex and found a Lot # that shoots to my satisfaction. After a fair bit of time, effort, and $$$, I am very pleased with how the rifle currently shoots. You may get lucky with a 455 out of the box, but then again, you may not. My opinion is that their quality control is pretty hit or miss. Not really surprising for a factory rifle, but if you don't get a shooter out of the box, it may take some effort to make it into one.You nailed it,QC is hit or miss . Some take a bunch of work and money,some are great right out of the box...and some you can tell are not worth wasting time and money on. Goes for most factory produced rifles I guess.The original factory barrel on my CZ455 Varmint Precision Trainer had a fair bit of brown stuff in it. Fortunately, it came out pretty easily with Hoppes #9 and some Kroil. Due to my dissatisfaction with the precision of the factory setup, I eventually had the rifle re-barreled with a Benchmark 3-groove barrel and properly bedded. I'm happy to report that the Benchmark barrel did not have any brown stuff in it
Guys, I am waiting for the YoDave trigger kit before any more serious load testing. I could lighten the spring, but boy there's a nasty crunch of creep in it. I decided to mount the SWFA SS 12X30 tactical scope on the 455, and that should help, too.
I really like CZ 453s, 455s, BRNOs & the centerfires with the SST in fack have one of the few remaining 455s with a SST with fluted barrels but will have to say the Ruger is looking sharp but I only sighted it in & shot it one other day because I ive in eternal winter but it's going to be a shooter I believe & for $359/shipped is hard to beat. I have a 2nd to make an integral suppressor after I get the stamp.
My new Ruger has potential . It likes the cheap CCI SVs @ 50 yards.Tried some Federal Match/Target also. They did not do as well .Looking forward to testing ammo over the weekend .Ruger seems like a very solid rifle so far.
Is this group representative of the average with CCI SV?
Precision Hunter
MarkS
Silver $$ Contributor
My 455 Varmint likes Eley Target and Club. It likes CCI Standard also. Try the low end ammo first.
There are quite a few cz’s around the local range that I have had the pleasure and displeasure to shoot. Some are fresh out of the box new in manners stocks, others are more seasoned still sitting in wood stocks, some are full on custom setups with aftermarket barrels in chassis’s. One thing I have noticed is how the same model guns shoot vastly different sized groups. Of course the guns that have aftermarket match chambered barrels sitting in mpa chassis’s shoot almost as good as my Annie’s, but they should for $2k.
The RPRim is not even in the same league. I have yet to see one print a 10 shot group under 1/2” at 50y. Very disappointing to see guys I regularly shoot with come out with their new rugies and throw down 1-1/2 to 2” groups. Their face tells the whole story. Utter let down.
I bought a cz455 tacticool on sale over a year ago, 16.5” barrel and it must have been a Wednesday gun as it shoots very tight with quite a few club level ammo brands out of the box and just improved over time. One of the other guns I shot, same tacticool model, same 16.5” barrel was totally different. It shot Lapua match ammo very well, but even the sorted club rounds I found shoot well in my rifle, it couldn’t group for shit. Possible Monday or Friday built rifle.
My dad bought a sporter with the pencil 22” barrel, and it shot like crap for the first 200 or so rounds regardless of the ammo used, club or match. After a serious cleaning, using rimfire blend, a quick run through of kroil and jb, and a simple loosening then tighten both action screws to same value, it has tightened up considerably. Using match ammo he has printed numerous .260-.300 groups at 50y. Imo very good for $350 stock gun especially considering the barrel taper. He shoots with a Caldwell bipod and squeeze bag.
After doing some tuning on my tacticool, barrel was recrowned, front and rear pillars added then bedded, action skim bedded, m*carbo spring, toothpaste polished bolt, and dip rail installed, I’ve shrunk my groups down to a consistent .240 using club ammo. I also measure rims and separate into groups. Total investment for me was just the cost of the spring and rail. The devcon used was a small sample tube I got from a marine supply rep, I made the pillars out of scrap aluminum on a lathe, recrowned the barrel and did the bedding myself. I have used match ammo from Lapua and Eley, and found it shoots bugholes off a rest and bag, .190-.200 10 shot groups, but I don’t want to spend $13 a box to shoot 22lr for fun out of a cz. My goal was to have a rimfire I can enjoy shooting on a budget.
Now I’ve added a removable 3” bagrider attachment to the front so I can use a joystick rest and a gater bag from my centerfire setup to achieve almost the same groups I was getting using Eley match, with club ammo sorted for rim thickness.
Still, using oem cz barrel, Boyd’s stock, and aguila super extra to achieve .225s is a feat in my book.
If your comparing the 455/457 to the ruger, there’s no comparison. The ruger’s birdshot groups make the cz look like a benchrest all star. I honestly expected a lot better from ruger.
The RPRim is not even in the same league. I have yet to see one print a 10 shot group under 1/2” at 50y. Very disappointing to see guys I regularly shoot with come out with their new rugies and throw down 1-1/2 to 2” groups. Their face tells the whole story. Utter let down.
I bought a cz455 tacticool on sale over a year ago, 16.5” barrel and it must have been a Wednesday gun as it shoots very tight with quite a few club level ammo brands out of the box and just improved over time. One of the other guns I shot, same tacticool model, same 16.5” barrel was totally different. It shot Lapua match ammo very well, but even the sorted club rounds I found shoot well in my rifle, it couldn’t group for shit. Possible Monday or Friday built rifle.
My dad bought a sporter with the pencil 22” barrel, and it shot like crap for the first 200 or so rounds regardless of the ammo used, club or match. After a serious cleaning, using rimfire blend, a quick run through of kroil and jb, and a simple loosening then tighten both action screws to same value, it has tightened up considerably. Using match ammo he has printed numerous .260-.300 groups at 50y. Imo very good for $350 stock gun especially considering the barrel taper. He shoots with a Caldwell bipod and squeeze bag.
After doing some tuning on my tacticool, barrel was recrowned, front and rear pillars added then bedded, action skim bedded, m*carbo spring, toothpaste polished bolt, and dip rail installed, I’ve shrunk my groups down to a consistent .240 using club ammo. I also measure rims and separate into groups. Total investment for me was just the cost of the spring and rail. The devcon used was a small sample tube I got from a marine supply rep, I made the pillars out of scrap aluminum on a lathe, recrowned the barrel and did the bedding myself. I have used match ammo from Lapua and Eley, and found it shoots bugholes off a rest and bag, .190-.200 10 shot groups, but I don’t want to spend $13 a box to shoot 22lr for fun out of a cz. My goal was to have a rimfire I can enjoy shooting on a budget.
Now I’ve added a removable 3” bagrider attachment to the front so I can use a joystick rest and a gater bag from my centerfire setup to achieve almost the same groups I was getting using Eley match, with club ammo sorted for rim thickness.
Still, using oem cz barrel, Boyd’s stock, and aguila super extra to achieve .225s is a feat in my book.
If your comparing the 455/457 to the ruger, there’s no comparison. The ruger’s birdshot groups make the cz look like a benchrest all star. I honestly expected a lot better from ruger.
coldboreshot
Silver $$ Contributor
I have had such very good performance results with my 455 V that I invested in converting it to a rimfire "match" rifle. Switched out stock for a PDC Custom aluminum full adjustable setup, turned the barrel down to .750' at the muzzle to accept a Norm Houle bloop tube, added a PNW rear and Rightsight front sight set, threw on a Grunig/Elminger handstop and ended up with a very decent performer. Of course, it ended up being ammo specific to Lapua Center X but, oh well. Still far less expensive than an "Anny" in the same configuration and dam near as accurate.
25 in/lbs front and back is the factory recommendation. Here's a link you might find useful:
https://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=431979
I'd kind of wanted a CZ452 for some time, then read some negative reviews when the 455s came out. Since then, I'd gotten into high-end 22RF repeaters done on 40X/XB actions with Benchmark, Krieger, & Lilja bbls, and more or less forgotten about the CZs. But a couple of years ago, one of the kids shooting a short bbl'd CZ Varmint (probably a 455 - didn't ask) beat me & my high-dollar 40X repeater in a 22RF PR match, so I started giving credit where due to the little CZ repeaters. When the new 457s came out, I looked at them on CZ's website and found the new American sporter too attractive to resist, and ordered one in. Their new fully adjustable trigger is very good - got mine down to a safe, crisp break at just a hair over 1lb, and the bore looks pretty good through my Hawkeye. I torqued the action screws to 30in/lbs front-25in/lbs rear, and have seen some respectable groups out of it, although it's been pretty danged cold out here. Sure looking forward to some decent weather for testing this rifle further.
I’m of the opinion that making the right mods to the cz’s can push a decently accurate rifle into a very accurate rifle. I honestly have no experience with the RPRim’s, nor do I want any. They just don’t seem to have the game figured out.
The older 452’s with the zero set trigger are some of the best quality rimfire rifles cz has made. I’ve been looking for one for a long time and they just don’t come up often. The lgs has one of the new 457’s in a manners stock that I’ve been eyeing, but for the money I’d rather go for a custom Annie in a manners for an additional few hundred.
The older 452’s with the zero set trigger are some of the best quality rimfire rifles cz has made. I’ve been looking for one for a long time and they just don’t come up often. The lgs has one of the new 457’s in a manners stock that I’ve been eyeing, but for the money I’d rather go for a custom Annie in a manners for an additional few hundred.
Snuggie
F/TR
Thank you!!
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