first .22, CZ 453 or 452 varmint??

crunchiespg

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im soon to be getting my first .22 rifle.

ive narrowed it down to a CZ 452 Varmint or a CZ 453 Varmint..

but can someone tell me the differences between these 2 rifles? now the 453 has a single set trigger, what does that mean? other than that is there any difference and does that justify the extra $180 or so that could be spent on a better scope etc?

it will be used for gophers, and targets..

thanks
 
when I was doing my research on one. I found that the CZ453 Varmint had the trigger and an extra connector for the barrel. The CZ452 America also has the extra connector but not the varmint.

For the money, it may be cheaper to ge the 452 America and then have an aftermarket trigger put in. Just a thought.
 
452 Varmint has a lug in the barrel to attach it to the stock, and one action screw, so the barrel isn't free-floated completely. The 453 Varmint has two action screws, and nothing in the barrel, so the barrel is free-floated completely. (Though you may need to do a bit of sanding to stop it from rubbing the stock. I had to do so with mine.) The 453's single-set trigger also has more adjustments on it than the 452's trigger.

The 452 trigger only has one adjustment, and that's for pull-weight. The 453's trigger has an adjustment for pull-weight. It has an adjustment for pre-travel, or sear engagement, which is how far it has to move before let-off. And it also has an adjustment for over-travel, how far the trigger moves after let-off. That alone was enough for me to choose it over the 453, in addition to the absence of a barrel lug. I've got my trigger adjusted to 2 lbs 2 ozs for silhouette matches, and I quite like it. Very nice.

And it also has the single-set trigger mode. This gives you a much lighter trigger than the regular trigger mode. When you want to use this function, you simply push the trigger forward to set it. Once set, it will let off with a very light touch. Less than a pound seems to be the norm. And this pull-weight is completely seperate from the pull-weight of the regular non-set trigger mode. They are adjusted seperately and don't affect each other.

I would say you're better off spending the extra $100 or whatever for the 453 Varmint over the 452 Varmint. The absence of the barrel lug gives it some theoretical advantage in the accuracy department, and the 453's trigger is much nicer than the 452's if you let yourself get used to the slightly longer pull length than the 452. And it isn't that much of a difference, and after my first day of shooting with it I was used to it and never noticed the difference since. If you are lucky enough to get a response from Eric Brooks you could get one of his trigger kits for the 452 if you get a 452, and they're only $15 a pop. But he seems to be pretty flaky to get a hold of, from reports I've heard. Or you could spend $75-$100 on an aftermarket trigger for the 452. But, you'd still have a 452 and its barrel lug. I thought it was worth getting the 453 instead, and after having owned mine for a few months now I feel even stronger that I made the correct choice. It's a very nice gun.
 
Shorty,
The only argument I have with that is the 452 America also has the two action screws just like the newer 453. However the 452 varmint doesn't. There also doesn't seem to be any accuracy benefit with the CZ in terms of varmint barrel and American barrel. Drop in triggers are also fairly inexpensive to put into the 452. One other advantage is that the American tends to look nicer and have fancier wood.

My choice would be between the 452 American and the 453 varmint. Depending on what is important to you. Then of coure you have to decide, .22 or 17HMR :D
 
All depends on how you define accurate. The Varmint's barrel has more potential, hopefully we'll at least agree on that, even if the way they come from CZ doesn't appear to give it any. It's stiffer, and stiffer is better. All depends what it's going to be used for and how the rifle is prepped. Also, he was just asking about 452 Varmint versus 453 Varmint, so I didn't bring the American up at all since he wasn't considering it. The drop-in triggers I've seen are all $70 and up, so the savings over the 453 are next to nothing. Especially considering the 453's trigger is already installed, and not the least of which is it won't affect the warranty from CZ. For some reason, the 453's trigger gets a bad rap simply because the reach is a little bit longer than the 452's, but the trigger is much better and the reach just takes a day of shooting to acclimate to.
 
thanks for the info guys.

my reasons for getting the varmint are purely i think it looks a lot nicer than the american. it will definately be .22. .17 is NOT a consideration at all. the ammo prices make sure of that. the .308 rifle i will be getting later in the year will take enough of my ammo money!!!

to be honest im still not decided which to get. i have posted this topic elsewhere and also got mixed advice. half say the 453 is not worth the extra $180. half say it is.....

maybe if i see a nice looking american 452 ill get that. if not maybe ill just have to pay the extra for the 453..

does anyone know if wholesale sports in calgary carry both these models in stock normally. so i could go and have a side by side comparison..

thanks
 
I don't know about Wholesale Sports and what they actually have in stock. Nothing I ever tried to order from them was in stock. P&D over in Edmonton was who I ended up getting my 453 Varmint from. They don't appear to have one in right now, but they do have 452 and 453 Americans in stock right now. That would at least let you compare triggers. Although, you would be comparing out-of-the-box triggers, which is entirely different from comparing triggers that have been adjusted. My trigger felt much different out of the box than it does now, after I adjusted it.

People are always quick to say get the 452 and the Brooks trigger kit. The problem, as I see it, with going that route is two-fold. One, there are several threads here and on rimfire central talking about how this guy has ripped them off, taken their money, and never shipped the product. He is not reliable in any sense of the word. He'll take your money, 100% guaranteed. But whether or not you'll ever see the stuff you paid for is another matter. And even if you do, who knows how long it will take. Two, you have to disassemble your trigger, probably several times, to install his kit. You may not be happy with the results of using one piece of tubing, and will have to take it all apart again, try the next tube, put it all back together again, and try again. It may not be a terribly difficult thing to do, but it is time consuming, and you're taking apart something that wasn't really meant to be taken apart after initial assembly. With the 453 trigger, you get more adjustability, and it is meant to be that way. You can turn a screw to adjust pre-travel, rather than having to take your trigger apart and try another piece of tubing and hope that one of the pieces gives you satisfactory results. With the 453, you adjust it to where you want it, and that's that. There's no luck involved, because you simply turn the screw until it is what you want. And there is no provision for over-travel at all with the 452. You're left to various hacks if you want adjustment in that department. But with the 453 it is, again, simply a matter of turning a screw until it is what you want. The only adjustment you get with a 452 is pull-weight. Not to mention you also get the added bonus of a single-set trigger. No matter how heavy you have the regular trigger set, you push it forward and instantly have another trigger that lets off at probably less than a pound. A nice little bonus.

I know it is a fair bit more for the 453. But I seriously doubt you'll be disappointed. I don't know where you are, but if you're close enough to go to Calgary to check Wholesale Sports, it might be worth your time to run out to Edmonton to P&D if Wholesale doesn't have any on hand. P&D does list both 452 and 453 Americans right now, so you could check them both out. Both triggers could be improved from what you'll see out of the box. But I think the 453's is well worth the extra dough. And, although luck of the draw with all CZs, it seems like the 453 Varmints are tending to have better wood than the 452s.

http://www.p-d-ent.com/pages/ourstore.html
 
People are always quick to say get the 452 and the Brooks trigger kit. The problem, as I see it, with going that route is two-fold. One, there are several threads here and on rimfire central talking about how this guy has ripped them off, taken their money, and never shipped the product. He is not reliable in any sense of the word. He'll take your money, 100% guaranteed. But whether or not you'll ever see the stuff you paid for is another matter. And even if you do, who knows how long it will take. Two, you have to disassemble your trigger, probably several times, to install his kit. You may not be happy with the results of using one piece of tubing, and will have to take it all apart again, try the next tube, put it all back together again, and try again.
http://www.p-d-ent.com/pages/ourstore.html

Boy, this wasn't my experience! I placed the order and got the kit in my mailbox in under a week. I subsequently exchanged some e-mail with him suggesting some other product he might want to consider. His replies were courteous and prompt. Based on my own experience, I would recommend him without reservation.

Regarding installing the kit, maybe I'm just lucky (not usually!) but I just chose the second thickest tube, installed it and was happy. It was a quick and simply job and, no you don't need the epoxy jig he sells to drive out the pins.
 
Count yourself lucky. There are reports of people buying $50-$100 worth of stuff from him, their money gets taken right away, but months and months later they've not received anything in return for that money.
 
I ordered twice from Brooks, and had the same results as 762 shooter. Prompt and courteous!! As for installation, It takes a whole ½ hour MAX to do it, and that is if you have to disassemble a couple of times. I have had many 452's and 453's in my hands. There just is not $180.00 difference in these rifles, and I'll bet the accuracy is not even a tiny bit better with the 453. That is why I own 3 - 452 Americans, I guess!! Regards, Eagleye.
 
Personally, I had positive experiences with Wholesalesports, no complaints. Multiple orders.
As far as .22LR goes for plinking and gophers, why not get a Savage .17HMR? IMHO, cheap and accurate, considering cost of the rifle and ammo, you cannot go wrong.
 
I don't know where your are at but Hunter's Sports in Surrey, 604 584 3006 had a 453 varmint the last time I was in. You might also consider a Picatinny rail from Dlask while you are at it.
I have a 452 Varmint and had Hunter's install the Brooks Trigger kit. My trigger is set just over 2 pounds for Silhouettte.
I got my Brooks kit without a hitch; The second order is OTS - Out There Somewhere . . .
 
Eagleye I find your comments interesting regarding the 452. I will be buying one soon but lately I have been leaning towards the 453 because of the set trigger. I understand the 453 has an overtravel setting as well as weight. This is also the first I've heard about Eric Brooks being unreliable. What led you to buy 3 CZ 452's? How much work did you have to do to get good accuracy? Did you bed the action etc.? Any advice is welcome.:)
 
Thanks Shorty. I've joined the rimfire forum and have been reading intently. The more I see the 453 trigger the better I like. Big decisions:)
 
well i think im leaning towards a 452 with the brooks trigger kit.
i spoke to a friend of mine who has a CZ yesterday that i have shot in the past. and he told me that was a 452 with the brooks trigger kit fitted. and it felt perfectly fine to me, and it was super accurate. i wasnt sure which one he had, but now i know its the 452 i know i will be happy with that. and the $180 is a big saving if the only complaint people have with the 452 is the trigger, which i now know isnt a big problem for me.

probably made easier by the fact im used to shooting glocks and HK MP5's, neither of which have a great trigger. so the 452 with brooks kit feels great compared to them...

just out of interest, has anyone here heard of the Rekord triggers? they are found on Weirauch air rifles, and are superb. can they be fitted to rimfire rifles?
 
Eagleye I find your comments interesting regarding the 452. I will be buying one soon but lately I have been leaning towards the 453 because of the set trigger. I understand the 453 has an overtravel setting as well as weight. This is also the first I've heard about Eric Brooks being unreliable. What led you to buy 3 CZ 452's? How much work did you have to do to get good accuracy? Did you bed the action etc.? Any advice is welcome.:)

bat; I bought my first CZ (22 LR) used off another gunnut here on the Exchange. It was bedded already, but had the stock trigger. It shot very well as I received it, but I hated the trigger. Ordered up a Brooks kit, installed the second lightest spring, the bushing that took up all the creep, and voila! A 22 rimfire that was superb in all respects. It won't shoot with my high end target 22's, but it does shoot well indeed, with groups running to .5" @ 50 on a regular basis with ammo that is consistent. If I step up to really expensive ammo, the groups are a bit better yet, particularly RWS R50. Then I decided I needed a 22 WRM, so ordered up a new one. I have not finished wringing it out yet, but it shows a lot of promise, with a couple of ammo types making groups about 1" at 100 Meters. It got the Brooks trigger treatment also, but I have not bedded it yet. I may do that this winter (inside project) Then I spotted a 17HMR 452 on the Exchange here, so picked it up since the other two were so easy to get to shoot well. This one is a real zinger, with the 20 grain Hornady ammo making very tiny one hole groups at 50, and about .6-.8" @ 100. Nothing done to it besides the Brooks trigger. I don't believe there is much room for improvement on this one, so will probably leave it alone. All these 22's wear high powered optics (6-24x) I think that these CZ 452's are hard to beat for the cost involved, since to get substantially better accuracy, one must step up to serious priced rifles. Regards, Eagleye.
 
As I mentioned, you also get a lug in the barrel with the 452, but the 453 does not. This was a big deciding factor for me. That, the trigger, and the rubber buttpad.

yes i agree with the barrel lug thing. so to get around that im going to WSS today and if i like the look of the 452 american ill just get that instead of the varmint as it doesnt have the barrel lug..

but saying that, most people agree the barrel lug doesnt have any major negative effect and accuracy is the same on them both..

so it will come down to what i like in the flesh..

BTW, i ordered a eric brooks trigger kit yesterday and ive already had an email from him saying it will be posted today..
 
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