Mauser GDog
CGN frequent flyer
Finally found a couple hours to take my new CZ455 Varmint in .17HMR to the range yesterday.
I am so happy with this rifle.
This is my first bolt gun (besides dad’s Lee Enfield that we all have kicking around in the safe) and I am already in love with bolt action. The overall shooting pace has a more relaxed, focused feel. Every time I locked the bolt forward it just felt so solid and reliable, I love it.
So far I’ve been pretty much 100% shooting semis, and I tend to shoot fast which is another level of enjoyment all unto itself. So it took me some time to get into the groove and slow things down. In fact, a couple times when I shot and cycled the action quickly, it felt a little sticky, but that could be attributed to just shooting it out of the box with no additional oil. It came test fired so I figured I was good to go.
Well, this rifle IS good to go!
Picked up it at my LGS for a reasonable $467.00 + tax.
Mounted a Vortex Diamondback 4-12x40 (SFRC $219.00 + tax) in a
BKL Rimfire 1x pc 11mm dovetail mount (Airgun Source $50.00 + tax)
So, yes I’m pushing $1000 for a rimfire, but it doesn’t feel like a rimfire, it feels like a rifle.
The wood is beautiful; barrel passes the free float test when resting on the benchrest.
The mount feels very solid, but since there is zero recoil I wasn’t worried about it.
The glass on the Vortex is nice and clear, and I love the Dead-Hold Bullet Drop retical.
This is the 3rd Vortex optic I have, and I sleep well at night with the iron clad warranty they offer.
The Magazine at first glance seemed flimsy. It’s plastic but it works. Likely going to get another mag for it, not sure if I’d want the 10x rounder though, it’s nice not having a mag extending too far below the stock.
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I had 3x types of ammo with me, basically one box of each type I could find locally.
For rimfire, .17HMR is not cheap to shoot. But I only make it to the range 1x a month IF I’m lucky, so the cost is acceptable. Hell, a day at the range with my AR or M14 can be a $500 day before you know it, so this was a cheap day out!
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I started dialing in with the Remington 17 grain, and it shot very well. Took about 20x rounds to get a zero I was happy with. This fast little cartridge has the same POI at 50m and 100m. I confirmed that when I got home and looked at the ballistic chart for.17HMR.
My scope is 1.5” above the bore, and cheek weld is perfect for me.
So with a zero established, I started working on getting a feel for the trigger. My favorite trigger so far is the 2x stage M14 trigger, it helps me to prepare for the shot to take up the slack of the first stage and know I’m right there on the edge when I am happy with my sight picture.
The CZ’s trigger is a single stage and not too heavy or too light. I don’t have the tools to weigh it, but it feels pretty light. The manual says it’s adjustable, but I’m not sure what the ranges are. Google gives me conflicting info, so I’ll have to do some more reading about it. Either way, it didn’t take me long to get used to the trigger, and I like it. It’s a wider trigger than my M14, but that’s a good thing. All I had to think about was a little squeeze and it breaks.
The rifle handles well and feels really balanced, with a little favour to the front end. The heavy barrel gives it a nice feel and swings around really smoothly up front. I will be using this for small game, and I could shoulder it quickly after only 20x rounds from standing position.
I had a bi-pod with me but as soon as I put it on, I knew I didn’t want it. I’m not going to be carrying this with a bipod, so I figured why waste time shooting from it. My dream use for this rifle is rabbit hunting on skis this winter.
So after shooting 50x rounds to get comfortable with the trigger, I tried for a 100m group. I did most of my warm up at the 50m, so I didn’t know what to expect at 100m. I am by no means a great shot, I don’t get enough time to practice. I hardly ever shoot off a bench rest. I remembered seeing precision shooters rest their forehand back under the butt of the rifle near the body, so I gave that position a go. At 12x magnification, you can really see movement in your sight picture, and this position locked everything in nicely.
Shot a 5x round group with the Remington and a 5x shot group with the Hornady, trying to take my time. Walked up and was aghast to see the groups we like 4-5”…WTF!? Marked the bullet holes, took a deep breath and walked back to the bench to try again.
This time I really took my time. I put all my energy into focusing on my breathing and smooth trigger squeezes. Shot 5x more of both ammo types and walked up to the target holding my breath.
I was alone at the range so I didn’t hesitate to let out a WOOT! when I saw the best groups of the day, actually the best groups of my life!
The Hornady was about a 1.75” group, but only because of 1x low right shot. The Remington was a beautiful 1-1/16” group with 3x touching just low of the inner bull. I was in heaven!
There are more than 5x holes on the target, I shot 2x groups on the same target and marked them off as I went.
Remember, I’ve never shot a truly accurate gun so this was exhilarating to see the results.
By this time, it was starting to rain so I called it a day without trying the Winchester 20grain ammo.
I took a poke at the 200m target first for fun, using my 50m/100m zero in a dead on hold just to see where the rounds ended up. Only 1x was on paper about 10” below the bull, the rest were just off paper in the same area, but even that group was a decent 3”. I think with some more practice I could get results at 200m, but realistically it’s beyond what I would ever use this rifle for anyways.
Overall, I love my new 455 and I think it’s a great value for what I spent. I can see many range days ahead trying to get <1MOA groups and look forward to adjusting the trigger. Really hope to get a chance at some small game with it this season, and next summer I will help with the 12 or so ground hogs that show up on my buddies farm each year!
I am so happy with this rifle.
This is my first bolt gun (besides dad’s Lee Enfield that we all have kicking around in the safe) and I am already in love with bolt action. The overall shooting pace has a more relaxed, focused feel. Every time I locked the bolt forward it just felt so solid and reliable, I love it.
So far I’ve been pretty much 100% shooting semis, and I tend to shoot fast which is another level of enjoyment all unto itself. So it took me some time to get into the groove and slow things down. In fact, a couple times when I shot and cycled the action quickly, it felt a little sticky, but that could be attributed to just shooting it out of the box with no additional oil. It came test fired so I figured I was good to go.
Well, this rifle IS good to go!
Picked up it at my LGS for a reasonable $467.00 + tax.
Mounted a Vortex Diamondback 4-12x40 (SFRC $219.00 + tax) in a
BKL Rimfire 1x pc 11mm dovetail mount (Airgun Source $50.00 + tax)
So, yes I’m pushing $1000 for a rimfire, but it doesn’t feel like a rimfire, it feels like a rifle.
The wood is beautiful; barrel passes the free float test when resting on the benchrest.
The mount feels very solid, but since there is zero recoil I wasn’t worried about it.
The glass on the Vortex is nice and clear, and I love the Dead-Hold Bullet Drop retical.
This is the 3rd Vortex optic I have, and I sleep well at night with the iron clad warranty they offer.
The Magazine at first glance seemed flimsy. It’s plastic but it works. Likely going to get another mag for it, not sure if I’d want the 10x rounder though, it’s nice not having a mag extending too far below the stock.
I had 3x types of ammo with me, basically one box of each type I could find locally.
For rimfire, .17HMR is not cheap to shoot. But I only make it to the range 1x a month IF I’m lucky, so the cost is acceptable. Hell, a day at the range with my AR or M14 can be a $500 day before you know it, so this was a cheap day out!
I started dialing in with the Remington 17 grain, and it shot very well. Took about 20x rounds to get a zero I was happy with. This fast little cartridge has the same POI at 50m and 100m. I confirmed that when I got home and looked at the ballistic chart for.17HMR.
My scope is 1.5” above the bore, and cheek weld is perfect for me.
So with a zero established, I started working on getting a feel for the trigger. My favorite trigger so far is the 2x stage M14 trigger, it helps me to prepare for the shot to take up the slack of the first stage and know I’m right there on the edge when I am happy with my sight picture.
The CZ’s trigger is a single stage and not too heavy or too light. I don’t have the tools to weigh it, but it feels pretty light. The manual says it’s adjustable, but I’m not sure what the ranges are. Google gives me conflicting info, so I’ll have to do some more reading about it. Either way, it didn’t take me long to get used to the trigger, and I like it. It’s a wider trigger than my M14, but that’s a good thing. All I had to think about was a little squeeze and it breaks.
The rifle handles well and feels really balanced, with a little favour to the front end. The heavy barrel gives it a nice feel and swings around really smoothly up front. I will be using this for small game, and I could shoulder it quickly after only 20x rounds from standing position.
I had a bi-pod with me but as soon as I put it on, I knew I didn’t want it. I’m not going to be carrying this with a bipod, so I figured why waste time shooting from it. My dream use for this rifle is rabbit hunting on skis this winter.
So after shooting 50x rounds to get comfortable with the trigger, I tried for a 100m group. I did most of my warm up at the 50m, so I didn’t know what to expect at 100m. I am by no means a great shot, I don’t get enough time to practice. I hardly ever shoot off a bench rest. I remembered seeing precision shooters rest their forehand back under the butt of the rifle near the body, so I gave that position a go. At 12x magnification, you can really see movement in your sight picture, and this position locked everything in nicely.
Shot a 5x round group with the Remington and a 5x shot group with the Hornady, trying to take my time. Walked up and was aghast to see the groups we like 4-5”…WTF!? Marked the bullet holes, took a deep breath and walked back to the bench to try again.
This time I really took my time. I put all my energy into focusing on my breathing and smooth trigger squeezes. Shot 5x more of both ammo types and walked up to the target holding my breath.
I was alone at the range so I didn’t hesitate to let out a WOOT! when I saw the best groups of the day, actually the best groups of my life!
The Hornady was about a 1.75” group, but only because of 1x low right shot. The Remington was a beautiful 1-1/16” group with 3x touching just low of the inner bull. I was in heaven!
There are more than 5x holes on the target, I shot 2x groups on the same target and marked them off as I went.
Remember, I’ve never shot a truly accurate gun so this was exhilarating to see the results.
By this time, it was starting to rain so I called it a day without trying the Winchester 20grain ammo.
I took a poke at the 200m target first for fun, using my 50m/100m zero in a dead on hold just to see where the rounds ended up. Only 1x was on paper about 10” below the bull, the rest were just off paper in the same area, but even that group was a decent 3”. I think with some more practice I could get results at 200m, but realistically it’s beyond what I would ever use this rifle for anyways.
Overall, I love my new 455 and I think it’s a great value for what I spent. I can see many range days ahead trying to get <1MOA groups and look forward to adjusting the trigger. Really hope to get a chance at some small game with it this season, and next summer I will help with the 12 or so ground hogs that show up on my buddies farm each year!
