CZ’s 457 Varmint temps Brendan Atkinson
The CZ line of rimfire rifles has been around in Australia for many years and is a popular choice with shooters after a tough, reliable and accurate firearm. Many will be familiar with the Model 452, which was responsible for the destruction of generations of feral pests such as rabbits and foxes. Fast-forward to the present day and shooters can now enjoy the Model 457, of which there are several variants to choose from. The subject of this review is CZ’s Varmint Long Range which, as we found out, is an extremely accurate and desirable piece of equipment. It can be used to compete in several SSAA disciplines or for just plain enjoyment in shooting holes in paper.
Starting from the front the VLR has a cold hammer-forged, match-grade fluted barrel measuring 508mm. The muzzle end is threaded and fitted with a compensator, though I hesitate to call it a muzzle brake as recoil of a rimfire is negligible at best. Those seeking ultimate accuracy will replace this with an adjustable tuner of some sort. Importantly, the barrel comes with a match chamber which adds to the accuracy of the firearm. Match chambers are tighter than the standard variety and usually have the bullet engraving into the lands. I checked the chamber in this rifle and yes, a chambered round could be extracted and showed the rifling marks. I’d also make mention of the fact it’s possible to switch barrels, using one of the many other contoured CZ variants if desired.
The 457’s action is of a turn-bolt repeater design, the bolt having the recoil lug as part of the bolt handle. The bolt itself has twin extractors and a single striker. It has only 60-degrees of rotation when operated and, when the safety’s engaged, it’s still possible to remove the bolt from the action. The safety’s on the right side of the action and clearly marked for ‘safe’ and ‘fire’, while there’s a cocking indicator on the rear of the bolt.
The trigger’s easily adjustable for weight of pull and, on this rifle, let go at around a crisp 950 grams. Being a review item I didn’t alter this, though if it was mine I’d set it a bit less. On top of the action sits a Picatinny rail with 25MOA incline built into it to aid with zeroing at longer than normal rimfire distances (this comes with the rifle). A five-round polymer magazine is standard equipment, though no doubt PRS shooters and probably others will invest in additional magazines of higher capacity and these are readily available.
The stock is beechwood timber that’s coated and stippled to assist with grip. There are two mounting points at the front, to which a bipod or sling can be attached. A keen eye will also notice there’s a palm swell on both sides of the pistol grip, allowing for either left or right-handed operation. A soft polymer cheekpiece is provided, which can be raised or lowered by releasing a screw on the right, though be advised a T25 key is required for all adjustment screws on the stock. This cheekpiece must be lowered completely to allow removal of the bolt from the action, so the bore can be cleaned.
The butt-plate area can be altered for length of pull and height. Four spacers are provided and, with some fiddling around, you’ll find a setting which suits your requirements. Removing all spacers proved the best setting for me, while I also noticed that with my short fingers, I couldn’t fully grasp the pistol grip and reach the trigger comfortably. At the heel of the stock there’s also a short Picatinny rail which can be used to attach a monopod if required.
The scope supplied with the test rifle was a Meopta MeoPro R6 3-18×56 with BDC 3 reticle, which features illumination of the centre dot for aiming in poor light. I personally like Meopta scopes and have one on a hunting rifle, clarity being exceptional and a worthy companion to the CZ 457.
At the range
Rimfire rifles can be frustrating things at times and it’s necessary to tune the ammo to the gun in achieving best results. What may perform admirably in one could just as easily shoot very poorly in another. With this in mind I raided my ammo box and found as many different brands as possible, both match grade and hunting/plinking, as it pays to have a variety.
Testing was conducted at SSAA Para in Adelaide on the rimfire silhouette range and, after a brief sighting-in period, five-shot groups were sent down at 50m. I started with hunting and plinking-type ammunition before moving on to the expensive match-grade offerings. After only a handful of shots it became obvious this was an accurate rifle and then some. It did prefer certain brands of ammo to the others, yet I’d no trouble keeping five shots around an inch or better, excellent hunting accuracy from affordable ammo.
After a patch out of the barrel I turned to some Eley Black and Eley Club along with RWS and SK long-range. A scan of the target photo will show one sighter top right, then six groups of five shots better than half an inch. This is serious accuracy and more than good enough for events like Field Rifle, Three Position and, with a bit of fine-tuning, maybe even club-level benchrest. Oh, and let’s not forget rimfire offhand events such as PRS and Silhouette. I actually tried some offhand MS shooting on a turkey target at the correct distance and found this rifle extremely comfortable to use offhand.
Unfortunately true match rimfire ammunition is becoming very expensive these days, with some of the top brands exceeding $50 for a box of 50 rounds. However, you get what you pay for in life and best accuracy comes from best ammunition. The bolt worked flawlessly throughout testing, at no time failing to eject fired cases from the action. This rifle, being brand new, displayed some slight stiffness when cycling the bolt, though I’ve no doubt this’ll improve with use. And yes, I’m aware some PRS shooters polish the bolt surfaces to make them extremely slick.
Conclusion
Accurate rifles are a pleasure to shoot and the CZ457 VLR certainly fell into this category. I’ve seen this rifle advertised for around $1850 in a gun shop and, mated to a good scope, it’s a formidable outfit. Would I buy it? If I could justify it and fit another gun on my licence, definitely. The CZ 457 and Meopta scope were supplied by Winchester Australia.
SPECIFICATIONS
Model: CZ 457 Varmint Long-Range .22 LR RF
Action: Turn-bolt repeater
Bolt: Single-lug, 60-degree lift
Trigger: CZ fully-adjustable
Magazine: Five-round capacity
Barrel: 50 mm fluted, cold hammer-forged
Stock: Timber synthetic coated and stippled, adjustable target-style
Length: 100cm without spacers
Weight: Bare rifle 3.76kg, as tested 4.75kg with scope and mounts
Price: Around $1850