Need Help Choosing a Scope and Rings for my CZ457 Lux

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RVD13

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I've almost reached decision paralysis. This is my first gun and I'm still very new to shooting, my intention is to practice shooting at the range before learning how to hunt small game and then hopefully something bigger once I gain some experience. I'd like to find a scope that is decent for shooting paper targets at 100m and also doing some small game hunting, hopefully without breaking the bank (under $400 for scope and rings). My top contenders are the Athlon Talos 3-12x40 from Wolverine Supplies for $300, Burris Droptine 3-9x40 $280 from Canadian Tire and I was thinking Warne Medium rings from Bass Pro for $65. Also on the list is burris fullfield 3-9x40, sightron 3-9, vortex options, hawke options ,Anyways I need to go outside and get some fresh air, I've been looking at scopes and reading forums for far too long.

Cheers,
Ryan
 
I had a CZ 455 Lux and went with 6-24x56 FFP, mainly for versatility. The 24 was good for targets and the 6 could 'work' if I wanted close range like for hunting. However, the 56mm caused me to get as low as possible and still had to rely on a 'chin weld'. That was OK for targets since I didn't have to move around a lot, shooting from a one-piece rest. A smaller Objective would reduce that issue, like a 40mm but still get as much mag as possible. "Aim small, hit small". I have a 3-9x40 Bushnell rimfire on a Marlin 795 and don't find it accurate enuf for me even at 50 yds. And a 4-12x40 Tasco 'Sportsman Plus' on a Marlin 60, thst is OK but I'm switching a 6-24 onto it this summer. That Talos might be OK for you if you're looking at the BDC reticle so you can have some 'reference points' for varying distances. A lot depends on 'how accurate' you expect to shoot. I would get a cheap scope (read Amazon) in higher mag to see what it 'could be', then maybe drop serious money on a 'Name Brand' once you decide. That Tasco was a CT 'sale' for ca $150 and its fine within it's limits . That's why i 'went bigger'; even 24x is OK for 175-yds, the max at the range I use. My 'better guns' wear Athlon 8-34 x56 FFP and I see the flies at 175 - rarely hit 'em tho.
 
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I have the Burris Fullfield E1 4.5x14x42 on my CZ457syn and I really like it. It has side parallax adjustment. I bought it some years ago when Burris had a Promo on where you got a Fullfield E1 4.5x14x42 and a Fullfield II 3x9x40 but I don't remember the price , I want to say $229. Anyway I was going to put the E1 on a 30-06 because I liked the reticle so much but it ended up on my CZ.
I also have Sightron, Vortex, Leupold and Pentax scopes on different rifles; Although in my personal experience I now steer clear of Leupold ; they seem to have skyrocketed the price but the quality didn't follow along IMO. YMMV
I still have one VARI X III 6.5x20x50 on one rifle that's been there since 1996 IIRC that has been excellent with zero problems.
 
Welcome to it.

From your original post, here's my advice. (and this is based solely on what you provided :) ) - that will make sense in a couple of years as your interests may possibly evolve.

For 100 yards, you'll want minimum 4 X 16, 3 X 15 or 18.
Probably more like an 6 X 24.

For 50 yards and under, a 3 X 9 "will do" but you will probably outgrow it quickly. There is no "need" for illumination when you start, and that adds cost.

Your selection of brands is ok, but you pay a premium for the names

You're at a place in your journey where you "don't know what you don't know" - yet.

Don't buy into the marketing machine.. there is better "value" outside of mainstream name brands.

A lot of folks get wrapped up on warranty. I have some thoughts. A: If it's a scope under $300 you'll pay 1/2 again in shipping and have to wait 3-6 months to get it back. B: You'll want a brand where you don't actually have to use the warranty process. Don't shy away from Chinese scopes either. Granted there is a lot of crap out there, but also many of the brand names get their scopes made there anyway.

Surf the EE Optics under $2000 section. There are decent deals to be found. Generally 75% of retail pre -tax and lower is fair. I just browsed the first 5 pages and there is not much that hits your budget, but watch regularly.

Stay away from Amazon, super cheap brands, but don't be afraid of brands like Discovery / Vector / Zerotech / Riton / (new model) Scorpion.
They make some great glass for the $.

For starting out, probably not a big deal, but definitely YouTube the difference to make an informed decision. SFP will be way cheaper than FFP all day long.

The Fullfield that possum had noted is above is a great scope for the $ .
You can do better for the $ than the Droptine line that you are considering.

Within $400 with mounts:

Riton, 1 CONQUER, Rifle Scope, 6-24×50, reticle R3, SFP, MOA, Model 1C624AS

Scorpion Optics Marksman 4-12x40 Scope w/Rings - Duplex Reticle

Discovery Optics LHT 6-24X44SFIR MOA-L Ultralight First Focal Plane Optics Scope Diameter 30MM

Burris Fullfield E1™ Riflescope 4.5-14x42mm (budget stretch)

Higher end Hawke are decent, but anything in your budget range will disappoint.
 
That iron sight on the Lux will give you problems unless removed. The rear sight will be in the way depending on how large or long the scope is and the front sight will come into the scopes view at lower magnification.

I had the 452 Lux in 22 mag and made for great rifle but had to be selective on the scope as I didn't want to remove the sights.
 
350tracker said:
That iron sight on the Lux will give you problems unless removed. The rear sight will be in the way depending on how large or long the scope is and the front sight will come into the scopes view at lower magnification.

I had the 452 Lux in 22 mag and made for great rifle but had to be selective on the scope as I didn't want to remove the sights.
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Yup. I have run a pic rail and medium rings on my 452 Lux. That gives the height needed to clear sites and accomodate the high bolt throw on the 452. MDT actually sells a 452 20moa rail, so you do not need to go on a CZ parts wild goose chase.

When running a scope I also pop off the front site hood (not sure if that is the proper term) as it would be visible in the bottom of the scope. It took me an embarrassingly long couple minutes at first to figure out what I was seeing in the bottom of the scope, lol.

The Lux stock is really set up for iron sites with the drop in the comb, so I had to set up a cheek riser to get a proper cheek weld, especially an issue because you need to run the scope high. If you don't want to modify the stock, vet wrap and foam works well. In the end, it shot great with a scope once set up.

All that being said, I have a 457 now to run with a scope and my 452 is now being run with just the irons and my 452 Lux is my favorite rifle.
 
Thanks for all the great replies! I'm definitely enjoying the rifle as is with the irons right now but I knew form the beginning that I'd want a decent scope at some point. I think my budget has already grown to about $500 and maybe more now with some extra looking around, especially if a cheek riser and pic rail is needed. Not sure I really see the point of a pic rail unless you want to change optics regularly, I think mine would stay in place for a long while.
 
I don't really know what I want and I kinda want something that can do everything for not much money, pretty well the impossible. I stumbled across some really good deals in the US and have a friend with a place down there I could send stuff too and I could pick it up and bring it across but it definitely seems a bit grey to straight up illegal?

$275 CAD for a Vortex Optics Diamondback HP Rifle Scope 4-16x 42mm Side Focus Dead-Hold BDC​

 
RVD13 said:
I don't really know what I want and I kinda want something that can do everything for not much money, pretty well the impossible. I stumbled across some really good deals in the US and have a friend with a place down there I could send stuff too and I could pick it up and bring it across but it definitely seems a bit grey to straight up illegal?

$275 CAD for a Vortex Optics Diamondback HP Rifle Scope 4-16x 42mm Side Focus Dead-Hold BDC​

Click to expand...

Scopes are ITAR controlled so not a good idea to bring across the border from the US without a lot of headscratching.

For $400 you should be able to find a 2nd hand Leupold VX Freedom 3-9x30 or VX2 3-9x40 scope in excellent condition. That leaves $100 for decent rings/base.

Burris Fullfield 2 or the Burris droptine Rimfire specific scope are also good, cheaper options.

I’d stay away from ARKEN, Riton, athlon etc stuff for a practical carry rifle. They’re too bulky and heavy. Can’t go wrong with Leupold and if you don’t buy/try one, you’ll never know what to compare against.
 
morp said:
Scopes are ITAR controlled so not a good idea to bring across the border from the US without a lot of headscratching.

For $400 you should be able to find a 2nd hand Leupold VX Freedom 3-9x30 or VX2 3-9x40 scope in excellent condition. That leaves $100 for decent rings/base.

Burris Fullfield 2 or the Burris droptine Rimfire specific scope are also good, cheaper options.

I’d stay away from ARKEN, Riton, athlon etc stuff for a practical carry rifle. They’re too bulky and heavy. Can’t go wrong with Leupold and if you don’t buy/try one, you’ll never know what to compare against.
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I've brought a couple of scopes across and declared them with no issues. All the border guards wanted to confirm was that the total value was under my limit, that I didn't have any firearms or ammunition, and that the mag extensions I'd bought weren't for a 10/22. YMMV, of course.
 
RVD13 said:
I don't really know what I want and I kinda want something that can do everything for not much money, pretty well the impossible. I stumbled across some really good deals in the US and have a friend with a place down there I could send stuff too and I could pick it up and bring it across but it definitely seems a bit grey to straight up illegal?

$275 CAD for a Vortex Optics Diamondback HP Rifle Scope 4-16x 42mm Side Focus Dead-Hold BDC​

Click to expand...
I've got a Diamondback HP that came on one of my wife's 22s and it's decent for what it is. The parallax adjustment is a nice touch at that price point.
 
HighSpeedLowDrag2023 said:
I've brought a couple of scopes across and declared them with no issues. All the border guards wanted to confirm was that the total value was under my limit, that I didn't have any firearms or ammunition, and that the mag extensions I'd bought weren't for a 10/22. YMMV, of course.
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Canadian side doesn't care about optics or bullets, it's an American side thing
 
wstcstlad said:
Surf the EE Optics under $2000 section. There are decent deals to be found. Generally 75% of retail pre -tax and lower is fair. I just browsed the first 5 pages and there is not much that hits your budget, but watch regularly.
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^^ This ^^

Looks like the LUX is a lighter weight rifle most suited for hunting and casual range blasting. I wouldn't go too big and heavy for that rifle. If it was a HB target gun, I would. A lightweight Burris FFII in 3-9 or 4-12 would be perfect. They can be found used and are nice scopes.
 
Don't buy cheap scopes, period. For the money you get a better quality second hand.
Sooner or later you out grow it and cannot sell it. Again and again you upgrading to cheap scopes you never learn.
Second, buy higher power then you need, actually you never know. People buy a first scope and low power because that was a trend and somebody told them so.
Any scope maxed out at power will get you bloor or vignetting.
If you need a x24 scope buy at least x32 and you can back it out to x24 if you chose to.
For 100 meter rings I use two scopes, one is x40 and the better (brand) is x50. Sooner or later for 200 or 300 you would welcome these powers.
 
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