CZ457 Scope Ring Advice - 34mm tube + 11mm Dovetail

doughboy22

doughboy22

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Hi all,

I have a new CZ457 American in .22LR (which has an 11mm dovetail) and a Bushnell Match Pro ED 5-30x56 (with a 34mm tube). I want to know if I have ordered the right parts for attaching one to the other.

I shoot out to 200 yards but may want to try my hand going further in future so having up to 20MOA of cant in the mounting seemed appropriate. I also wanted to avoid a picatinny rail as I just don't like how they look on this rifle. With these requirements, the only rings I could find were SportsMach U.K.'s ATP34. They are carried by Air Gun Source here in Canada.

These rings have a centre height of 41mm and are said to be suitable for up to a 60mm objective lens diameter on most rifles. I am not sure if this is the outside diameter (63mm on the Match Pro). They also have up to 40 MOA vertical adjustment, meaning the rings themselves can be increased in height, I think through a telescoping mechanism in the base.

To compare this setup to a common alternative, MDT make a 20 MOA and picatinny rail and recommend their Premier High rings with a 31.75mm centre height with this for a 56mm objective. The rail itself adds approximately 10mm I would guess, so this seems to be the similar.

If I do the maths, half the 63mm objective outside diameter subtract 3.39mm (the distance from the top of the barrel to the top of the receiver on the CZ) is 28mm. Add some space for a lens cap, allow for some cant, some clearance, and scope height preferences and again this seems to be in about the right ballpark.

I have not been able to find anyone else who has used this setup on a CZ 457 so am wondering if I have made a mistake somewhere or if there is another good reason the picatinny rail is more popular. Why aren't all scope rings height adjustable? One problem I can think of is, without inserts of some kind, are these rings going to put pressure on the scope tube if they are two different heights?

Either way, I will report back when these rings arrive.
 
I have a 419 rail on my 457, but I think the same concept as the MDT.
The design evenly distributes any loading on the pic rail over the entire length of the 11mm dovetail and sets the desired cant so you can use standard pic rail rings.
Placing a 2 lb scope directly to the dovetail with the clamping force concentrated on two small areas of the dovetail is begging for it to fail, imho.

Good luck with your plan - I hope it works out for you.
 
doughboy22 said:
Hi all,

I have a new CZ457 American in .22LR (which has an 11mm dovetail) and a Bushnell Match Pro ED 5-30x56 (with a 34mm tube). I want to know if I have ordered the right parts for attaching one to the other.

I shoot out to 200 yards but may want to try my hand going further in future so having up to 20MOA of cant in the mounting seemed appropriate. I also wanted to avoid a picatinny rail as I just don't like how they look on this rifle. With these requirements, the only rings I could find were SportsMach U.K.'s ATP34. They are carried by Air Gun Source here in Canada.

These rings have a centre height of 41mm and are said to be suitable for up to a 60mm objective lens diameter on most rifles. I am not sure if this is the outside diameter (63mm on the Match Pro). They also have up to 40 MOA vertical adjustment, meaning the rings themselves can be increased in height, I think through a telescoping mechanism in the base.

To compare this setup to a common alternative, MDT make a 20 MOA and picatinny rail and recommend their Premier High rings with a 31.75mm centre height with this for a 56mm objective. The rail itself adds approximately 10mm I would guess, so this seems to be the similar.

If I do the maths, half the 63mm objective outside diameter subtract 3.39mm (the distance from the top of the barrel to the top of the receiver on the CZ) is 28mm. Add some space for a lens cap, allow for some cant, some clearance, and scope height preferences and again this seems to be in about the right ballpark.

I have not been able to find anyone else who has used this setup on a CZ 457 so am wondering if I have made a mistake somewhere or if there is another good reason the picatinny rail is more popular. Why aren't all scope rings height adjustable? One problem I can think of is, without inserts of some kind, are these rings going to put pressure on the scope tube if they are two different heights?

Either way, I will report back when these rings arrive.
Click to expand...
I use SportMatch rings a lot. Probably have a bushel basket full still in their packaging. Seems after I do all my measurements with calipers and do the resultant math I still get the wrong rings!! So now I always order 3 sets, one taller and one lower than what I think I need…and it’s nice to be able to do an instant swap out at the time of mounting your scope as opposed to calling Travis at AGS for more rings and waiting for delivery.
I like my scopes mounted low for better cheek weld. So many scope options now in terms of size, length, distance between turrets and where the tubes enlarge to blend into the objective lens etc etc….
These rings sit on a dozen different CZs for me from 452s to 457s in various rimfire configurations. I also use these rings on various European made .22LR rifles and also most of my air rifles, all which have 11mm dovetails. If I need more height yet then I’ll slap on a pic rail and use appropriate rings, but now I’ve got a top heavy rifle, and what looks like a Zeppelin floating on my rifle. And yes have to crank up the cheek piece yet again. You loose the elegance of a fine rifle and impair the field handling quality of it at the same time. Basically it becomes a bench gun with a bipod. The other benefits of having extra rings is to help out friends who are having challenges mounting their own scopes. I don’t ask for any money for the rings, just say take me out for dinner, to the Keg steakhouse. Cheers
 
Get a MDT 30 or 40 MOA rail. You will still be able to zero out at 20 yards and then dial up to 300. It also allows you to use more common Pic/Weaver rings. MDT is less expensive than the 419 rails. The level on the 419 is difficult to see. Amazon has the ones that clamp to your scope tube for <20 bucks. They work great.
 
doughboy22 said:
Hi all,

I have a new CZ457 American in .22LR (which has an 11mm dovetail) and a Bushnell Match Pro ED 5-30x56 (with a 34mm tube). I want to know if I have ordered the right parts for attaching one to the other.

I shoot out to 200 yards but may want to try my hand going further in future so having up to 20MOA of cant in the mounting seemed appropriate. I also wanted to avoid a picatinny rail as I just don't like how they look on this rifle. With these requirements, the only rings I could find were SportsMach U.K.'s ATP34. They are carried by Air Gun Source here in Canada.

These rings have a centre height of 41mm and are said to be suitable for up to a 60mm objective lens diameter on most rifles. I am not sure if this is the outside diameter (63mm on the Match Pro). They also have up to 40 MOA vertical adjustment, meaning the rings themselves can be increased in height, I think through a telescoping mechanism in the base.

To compare this setup to a common alternative, MDT make a 20 MOA and picatinny rail and recommend their Premier High rings with a 31.75mm centre height with this for a 56mm objective. The rail itself adds approximately 10mm I would guess, so this seems to be the similar.

If I do the maths, half the 63mm objective outside diameter subtract 3.39mm (the distance from the top of the barrel to the top of the receiver on the CZ) is 28mm. Add some space for a lens cap, allow for some cant, some clearance, and scope height preferences and again this seems to be in about the right ballpark.

I have not been able to find anyone else who has used this setup on a CZ 457 so am wondering if I have made a mistake somewhere or if there is another good reason the picatinny rail is more popular. Why aren't all scope rings height adjustable? One problem I can think of is, without inserts of some kind, are these rings going to put pressure on the scope tube if they are two different heights?

Either way, I will report back when these rings arrive.
Click to expand...
I see a lot of Area 419 rails with MOA built in (20, 30, 40, etc.). I am planning a build as well and I will most likely be doing one in a 40. As others have said (and some other research) you may find the direct dovetail mount for rings a bit challenging over time. Your scope size is going to require some heigh anyway to clear the barrel canted. So you either need that height in the rings or get some of it from a rail. I plan on a solid one piece mount (Gray Ops maybe).
 
MDT rail plus Burris XTR Signature rings is what all my CZs get. They come in 30mm and 34mm, and with the included set of Pos Align inserts your scope is protected plus you can increase or decrease the MOA value if you need to.
 
Thanks very much everyone, that helps alot.

Mr. Bill tells me I am not mad to try the SportMach rings first and the MDT or Area 419 rail and rings is obviously a great option also. If I build something without a wood stock that setup would certainly be faster as they are available locally. Looking forward to getting the SportMach and trying them out.
 
doughboy22 said:
Thanks very much everyone, that helps alot.

Mr. Bill tells me I am not mad to try the SportMach rings first and the MDT or Area 419 rail and rings is obviously a great option also. If I build something without a wood stock that setup would certainly be faster as they are available locally. Looking forward to getting the SportMach and trying them out.
Click to expand...
Just be careful with the adjustable rings to make sure both are at the same height, if they are not you are going to kink your scope tube.
Pretty sure they are not designed to allow for "cant".
JMHO
 
your Match Pro has about 15 mils or 50 moa of elevation, from center.
that should get you to near 300 with sv, further with hv ammo
ymmv

another option is 11mm dovetail-Weaver adapter and Burris zee rings for a clean look
 
flyr said:
Just be careful with the adjustable rings to make sure both are at the same height, if they are not you are going to kink your scope tube.
Pretty sure they are not designed to allow for "cant".
JMHO
Click to expand...
No, not for "cant", they are also heavy.
 
You are thinking too much about this. Get a 40 MOA mdt rail and set of medium premier rings. That will take you out as far as you will need and will fit fine.
 
Last edited:
I just wanted to report back on the SportsMach ATP34 rings incase anyone else considers a similar setup in future. In short, they are a solid alternative to using a picatinny rail adaptor & more common rings.

They have both elevation and angle adjustment in the base meaning they can safely apply variable cant to the scope. I have set them up at the same height for now and can raise the rear if I feel the need to in future. This would be done by first loosening the angle adjustment on both rings and then raising the height of the rear ring only with a screw.

They are very well made and totally solid when locked down. They come with a recoil pin and are centerfire rated so I have no concerns with mounting a big 5-30x56mm, 34mm tube, scope directly on an 11mm dovetail.

This approach is also cheaper as I only bought rings for approx. $120, not rings and adaptor.

The only negative might be that they are high, even in their lowest setting. I guess the total height is comparable to low rings sat on a picatinny rail adaptor. You will have to excuse my temporary cheek rest in the picture, now things are mounted I am working on fit.

PXL_20250108_012330765~2.jpg
 
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