CZ 453 / LEUPOLD ULTRALIGHT - A WINNING COMBINATION!!

[chief38]

I was out at the Outdoor Range yesterday and started off with my coveted CZ 453 American Rifle in 22 LR which proudly wears the Leupold Ultralight 3-9x33 Rimfire Scope. This was the first target shot of the day (5 rounds) at 75 feet. I was using CCI Mini-mags but truthfully this Rifle will shoot just as well with almost any old ammo including Winchester Wildcats! With this winning combo pretty much anyone could do this - no special talent required as the Single Set Trigger makes it so easy. I was at a shooting bench (which I seldom use) and was just making sure the rifle was fine sighted in before taking into the Woods this fall.

Why CZ in their infinite wisdom discontinued the 453 is beyond me - I don't think there was a better rifle available for anywhere near the selling price of the CZ 453 from any manufacturer! I know they replaced it with their 455 but to me it's good, but not AS good - mostly because of the Single Set Trigger. However, they also replaced some parts with plastic and started skimping on fit and finish (high gloss blue is now gone).

I'm saddened that yet another exemplary Firearm bites the proverbial dust!

Anyone looking for sheer tack driving performance, great quality, incredible fit and finish in a .22 LR should start the quest of getting one on the secondary market as they have been discontinued for many years now. Just be careful when looking because they also made them in .17 Magnum which is a discussion for another thread!

Anyway, If I were presenting ....... I would definitely award the CZ453 American with the ".22 LR Rifle of the last 50 years Award" considering that it was just over $500 when I purchased it about 10 years ago. Nothing even close in that price range IMHO.

For those who just can't find a 453, you might consider a 452 American which is the same Rifle without the Single Set Trigger. It is however able to be tweaked to a crisp 2 lb/ trigger pull and will shoot as well as the SST 453 - just doesn't have the same SST feature.

 

[chief38]

While I do also shoot at ranges up to 100 - 125 yards with this Rifle / Scope combo I find 90% of my shooting is at about 25 yards - hence that is where I set the scope up for. I forgot to mention that the Leupold Scope above also has a "quick adjust Parallax" on the front of it, so even close up shots at 7 - 10 yards are easy and clear as are the long range shots.

 

[S&W ucla]

Great combo you have there! I've got the 452 American with same scope. The squirrels have put a bounty on my head, the ones that are still around, LOL!

 

[chief38]

Great combo you have there! I've got the 452 American with same scope. The squirrels have put a bounty on my head, the ones that are still around, LOL!

CZ 452 = GREAT RIFLE TOO!! My friend just bought a NIB 452 on GB and he installed the lighter spring they sell aftermarket so the Trigger is now a crisp and consistent 2 pounds. His shoots as good as mine, just lacks the SST option.

The Leupold Scope is the best Rimfire scope I've yet to own - small and compact too! I'd NEVER buy another Rimfire scope without the Parallax adjustment - it''s so useful!

Forget the Squirrels, you can hunt Mosquitos with that set up!

 

[Doug627]

I also have an early CZ453 American in 22 LR. The bluing is great and the fit is fantastic. It has a Leupold 2-7X scope. I believe they all came with a heavy barrel. Like yours, it is extremely accurate. When it comes to a survival gun, these are perfect.

 

[chief38]

I also have an early CZ453 American in 22 LR. The bluing is great and the fit is fantastic. It has a Leupold 2-7X scope. I believe they all came with a heavy barrel. Like yours, it is extremely accurate. When it comes to a survival gun, these are perfect.

They came with both a HEAVY barrel and the standard "Sporter" barrel. Mine is the regular Sporter type, but yours is supposed to be for ultimate accuracy. I can't imagine a rifle could be even more accurate, but that is the theory behind the HEAVY one.

 

[toofartogo]

CZ rimfires

I discovered CZ rimfires about 10 years ago.
I have 4 CZ 452 rifles and still marvel at the quality.

 

[BAM-BAM]

Nice shooting w/ a great rifle.

I got my first CZ 452 about 7 years ago ..... a 452FS/mannlicher in .22magnum..... I've added several others since ...including a 453 Varmint in .17HMR. and some .22lr.

LOL if you go over to another Forum that has a CZ subforum...... most would be pretty ho-hum at that group at 25 yds..... and would encourage you to stretch your limits out to 50 and 100 yds. cus CZ can give sub MOA at 50 yds ...... and often close to MOA at 100.

CZ 453 and 452 rifles are a great bang for the buck...... to get a better rimfire will cost you twice the price.........

 

[BB57]

I have a CZ 453 Varmint and a CZ 453 American. With SK Std Plus, both will produce consistent 1.25 MOA 5 shot groups at 100 yards and both will approach 1 MOA with SK Match. The American actually has a slight edge in accuracy over the Varmint - but that's due to normal rifle to rifle variation, rather than due to any trait of the designs.

My CZ 453 Varmint pretty much won the CZ wood lottery, given their usual straight grain wood stocks.

My CZ 453 American:

Scope wise I've moved the Leupold VX-2 3-9x33 Rimfires to my Model 52 Sporters as the CZ 453s are a bit more accurate and are better suited to shooting at 200-250 yards, where the larger objective of a VX-2 3-9x40mm provides slightly better resolution.

 

[C J]

My 453 American sports a Weaver T-36 currently for target shooting. It does really well at it but I'm thinking of going with a Nikon 3-9X40 on it for a wider range of shooting. I actually have another rifle that's more accurate than the 453 but not by much and it can't come within a mile of the build quality of the CZ.

Here's what mine looks like with the Nikon scope on it.

And here's a group it shot at 50 yards. It certainly won't do this every time but it has shot a lot of similar targets at the same distance with a lot of them even tighter than this one.

 

[chief38]

BB57:

That's a REAL NICE piece of furniture you have on the Varmint!!


C J:

Nice group!! And you have a more accurate rifle??? Love to hear about that one too!

 

[BAM-BAM]

Just to add to the legend ......................

I got my 452FS in .22mag for the stock...... as I love mannlichers..... but didn't expect much from the cartridge as I remembered the stories from the 60s. That said the .22mag is a varmint/hunting not a target round.

I was shocked ........... groups in the .3-.4 range at 50 yds and around 1-1.5 (under the heavy cross-hairs) at 100 using a 1-4x20 Leupold. My "best" groups at 100 have been in the sub-.9 range but they are the exception rather than the norm.

That rifle led me to the some CZs in .22lr which have also been sub-moa at 50 yds.

 

[C J]

And you have a more accurate rifle??? Love to hear about that one too!

My Savage MkII BTV has shot a few groups under .1". It took a lot of work to make it consistent but I finally got it there. The CZ was consistent out of the box. Here's a group I shot with the Savage. It's only 4 shots at 50 yards because I ran out of ammo.

 

[BB57]

BB57:

That's a REAL NICE piece of furniture you have on the Varmint!!

I bought it like new in box.

It had actually sat on a shelf in the back room of a gun shop for 7 years after a customer returned it, because he felt the accuracy was not what it should be.

I was looking for a CZ 453 Varmint, when I heard they were going to be discontinued, and the LGS owner brought it out. He'd exchanged it for another one he had in stock when the customer brought it back and he'd never got around to sending to back to CZ. After 7 years, he wasn't inclined to send it back, so he gave me a killer deal on it - with the understanding that I was buying it "as is".

As you know, the front and rear screws look very similar and share the same thread - but are slightly different in length. Apparently the previous owner took it home took it apart, cleaned in and then shot it - without realizing that he had the screws in the wrong holes. That has a very negative effect on accuracy.

Once I swapped the screws to their correct holes, it shot very well, and once I bedded it, it shot great.

I'm deeply grateful to who ever that previous owner was who returned this most excellent CZ with it's nice wood, just because he didn't keep his screws properly sorted.

 

[crsides]

I got the 452 Full stock. Amazing how accurate it is, considering full stock are not suppose to shoot. Just picked up am ultra lux to hole down on the noise in the neighborhood. A 452 trainer set up for silencer, although I don't have one. And got my grandson a trainer when he turned 10.

I love the CZ's. Once you learn how to tune the trigger, they are great. Funny story on the screws being reversed. I took my FS apart, did all the trigger mods, put the roll pins in REVERSED. The trigger had just a hint of creep in it for 4 yrs. Couldn't get rid of it. When I did my ultra lux, I realized my mistake. put the right pins in the right holes, and viola!!


Charlie

 

[chief38]

My Savage MkII BTV has shot a few groups under .1". It took a lot of work to make it consistent but I finally got it there. The CZ was consistent out of the box. Here's a group I shot with the Savage. It's only 4 shots at 50 yards because I ran out of ammo.

CJ,
At 50 yards that's impressive. OK, you've thrown the gauntlet down - now I HAVE TO see what I can do at 50 yards. It will be a few weeks (a bit busy now) but I will see how my CZ 453 does at that distance and report back.

 

[C J]

Don't expect that kind of accuracy on every group. It won't happen. But it will happen fairly often if you do you part.

 

[chief38]

CJ,
OK this was the CZ452 (not my normal CZ 453 with the single set trigger - left that one home today) today at 50 yds. Not quite as tight as yours but not my best either. I'll getcha next time Just over 1/4" group but less than 3/8".

 

[C J]

Nice group Chief and probably more like the average group for a CZ. I posted some of the best groups I shot. They aren't the everyday average groups but those are pretty impressive too. CZ makes some great shooters and so does Savage.

 

[cmore]

Has anyone ever fixed their rifle to the bench with vises, etc.?
I would need to do so to see what what my rifles shoot(inherent accuracy?)
because I am not such a great shot.