CZ-457

If you have spent time at any long range .22 match, you know it’s nearly impossible to go without bumping into a CZ rifle. The CZ 457 has earned the title of an accurate and reliable rifle and rightfully so. I know this review has been highly anticipated for some of you. So, here we go, time for a look at the number one contender, the CZ 457 Pro Varmint.

Accuracy testing this rifle was awesome. It didn’t seem to matter what ammo I used - it operated flawlessly. Lapua center X produced the best accuracy. This ammo was shooting .25 of an inch with no problems. I do believe you could get this rifle down to an unmeasurable group size. Even cheaper ammo did very well and was grouping around .3 to .4 five shot groups at 50 yards. Initially, I did have trouble shooting Norma match ammo. However, when I retested Norma, I was able to achieve .4 to .5 inch groups. This ammo was the worst of the test. The CZ 457 shot so well with SK standard there is no reason to use any other type of ammo. Furthermore, this rifle has the smallest first round shift on a cold rifle I have seen so far throughout the review process. It would seem you could feed any ammo through this rifle and it would out-perform other rifles at similar price points. In full disclosure, the owner of the CZ did tell me that he spent some time playing with the torque specs on the action screws. This little trick helped the rifle shoot better.

The CZ 457 retails for around 550 dollars. However, the rifle comes with no scope mount, no flush cups for a sling and no MLOK slots for easy mounting of an ARCA rail or any other gizmos the shooter might want. It also only comes with a five round mag. You can inlay some nuts to mount an AREA 419 ARCA rail as the owner of this rifle did. Mounting a 20 MOA rail and adding a ten round mag will add at least another 150 dollars to the cost. Additionally, this rifle does not have an adjustable cheek rest or length of pull. Adding features to account for these shortcomings could easily add to the overall cost. It is easy to see how all the missing features can add up quickly.

In spite of the shortcomings, testing the CZ 457 in real world shooting positions went amazingly well. This is now number 5 of 6 to go through this PRS testing process, so we’re nearing the end! Stage 1 - the simple stage. This stage consisted of one three-inch target at one hundred yards, and two different positions on the tank trap barricade. On the sound of the buzzer, I moved to the tank trap, fired five shots at the target, then proceeded to the second position and fired five more shots. I completed this stage clean in 52 seconds. The next stage I ran was a little harder. On this one, I shot five different targets from five different positions, moving every two shots. On the buzzer I moved to position one and shot at target one, two times then moved to the new position. I cleaned this course in 81 seconds. The targets consisted of a two-inch steel circle at seventy-five and eighty yards, a two-and-a-half-inch target at eighty-five and ninety-five yards, and a three-inch target at one hundred yards. All positions were fired from a barricade with the help of my Whiskey Hotel stock-aid bag. All movement was on the clock. My times are well within the 90 second window found at some PRS/NRL matches. Five positions with five targets tends to be one of the harder styles of stages one can face. Having to hold or dial for five different targets and moving into five different positions can eat up a shooter’s time. This gun is a dream to shoot when resting on a barricade, in prone, or any position. It is the most accurate .22 I have shot with a retail price under 600 dollars.

This is a perfect PRS training, competing, or sniper trainer rifle. While I love the accuracy, I hate the little added cost you can run into. Nonetheless, using a little ingenuity and some do it yourself work you can save money - like with the cheek piece and arca rail mount. This is hands down the most accurate .22 rifle I have shot at this price point. The CZ rifle is consistent in any shooting position you may be challenged with. I would highly recommend this rifle to just about anyone - keep in mind you will need a 20 MOA base and a 10 round mag.

The CZ 457 Pro Varmint is all a shooter needs when it comes to a rifle capable of winning this game. There may be better rifles with more features which will undoubtedly come with added cost. For example, the CZ line of 457s carries several higher level rifles. The argument is not that these rifles aren't worth it. Rather, this one is well inside the capabilities of the champion. Whether or not it is worth it to jump to the next tier is up to each individual shooter.