CZ455 .22LR and .17HMR

[gixerjas]

I've spent a fair amount of time 'trying' to shoot rabbits with an air rifle but unfortunately the rabbits were frustratingly timid at the farm I was shooting on at the time. No matter how hard I tried to conceal myself, stalk or lie in wait I struggled to get within 70 yards of them before they'd bolt. I knew from friends that a rim fire rifle was the answer but the farmer didn't want me using a firearm and I was fast loosing interest, until..... thanks to a good friend sorting out a new permission for me and being in the fortunate, but temporary position, of having some money, I got the chance to indulge myself by buying some new kit.

 

I'd recently received my firearms certificate and after a fair amount of looking at what was available locally to me and reading everything I could and considering my budget, I decided to buy almost identical CZ455's one in .22LR and the other in .17HMR with both being the heavy barrel varmint version. I opted for 20" barrels because I didn't need a 16" .22 and I wanted the maximum velocity possible from the .17, I also I wasn't prepared to pay £40 more for a shorter barrel. Having dabbled in field target I knew that I wanted the laminated thumbhole stock, which I instantly found very comfortable and I think looks fantastic. I bought a Hawke Varmint SF 4-16x44 for the .22 and used an Edgar Brothers Optimate 5-20x50, that I'd previously had on an Air Arms s410, for the .17 and fitted SAK moderators to both rifles.

 

I thought it was a little odd that a couple weeks after buying the rifles Shooting Sports magazine ran a review on the CZ455 .17HMR where they stated the price as being £660? I paid closer to half this and I was surprised that the thumbhole stock didn't cost a lot more than the standard stock. I know that the gunsmith I bought them from is good on price, but not that good, so I can only assume that they printed the wrong price and made sure my wife didn't see it. I hadn't had a chance to take the .17 out at that point so I was pleased to read the positive review, but I guess that it's rare that you read a bad review in any of the shooting press.

 

The first rifle I took out to zero was the .22LR using CCI subs, I've also got some Eley and Winchester subs to try but these will need to wait until I've got time I can dedicate to assessing the accuracy differences. Because I'd bought the rifle and scope at the same time the scope had been setup with a bore sight so it wasn't too far out. I decided to check the near zero at 18 yards and then make fine adjustments at 56 yards, the bore sighting hadn't done a bad job and I was quickly zeroed. The trigger felt awful and I'm sure it was causing me to shoot slightly to the right. Ok, I may of been spoiled by the quality of the triggers on my previous air rifles but the weight of pull on the trigger was way to high for me. After a quick bit of research I bought 2 YoDave kits from the well known internet auction site and after a week they arrived in the post. I watched the instructional video on YouTube and the written instructions were clear so I was happy to do the work myself. I've a background in mechanical engineering so it was within my capabilities. I didn't go for the lightest spring option but fitted the a mid stiffness spring, which felt fine, not as light as the trigger on my s410 was but I wanted it to be heavier because I prefer to feel the force of the trigger pull and also to err on the side of safety.

 

Cycling the action it didn't feel particularly slick so I read an article on lapping the bolt. I spent some time following the instructions but this didn't seem to be making much difference so I stripped the bolt, cleaned any of the gummy oil from the parts and then reassembled it with the smallest dab of Teflon grease. This made a big difference and also made pushing the safety catch on less of a thumb breaking exercise.

 

Because I'd duplicated the bolt and trigger work on both rifles when I took the .17 out for the first time everything was feeling much smoother and although zeroing took far longer because the scope was way off everything was feeling good. I was out on a farm with an abundant bunny population with a couple of friends, they were both shooting 22LR. As we walked slowly into a field I could see several rabbits along the far hedge. I ranged the first one at 89 yards so using a fence post as a rest I took the shot an saw the rabbit instantly fall over, I then ranged a 2nd a 112 yards, shot and missed, took a second shot and again the rabbit fell over without a twitch. Both rabbits had been head shot and died instantly with a clean entry and 1/2" exit wound, it may sound a bit soft but it was gratifying to know that they had been humanely dispatched, more often than I would like I've had to take a 2nd shot with the air rifle but the .17 felt like the tool I should of been using all along. My mates were gob smacked as they'd never seen what an hmr can do and I was certainly left wondering if the .22LR is going to see much use.

 

The only problem I've had so far has been with the .22, where the CCI's get stuck and fail to extract. This seems to be a relatively common issue and could be ammo manufacturer related as some people seem to only get this problem with a particular brand where others work fine although it could also be caused by the extractor being stiff or burred. I've not found a definitive cure for my rifle yet.

 

The .17HMR has worked flawlessly. I was so impressed I thought I'd write this review.

[shotgun sam]

cci is a very waxey round and the colder it is thew worse it gets

[farmshooter]

i dont think they are compared to some .22lr rounds you can get, i use them in my semi auto, and it cycles perfectly - and if you use waxy rounds in them they tend to jam up, i would say it will get better when you have done 500+ shots everything breaks in then

 

but as you say you have diffrent brands of rounds try them then make your desision

 

FS

[TaxiDriver]

I've just this morning treated meself to a new CZ455 with Thumbhole laminated stock, have to say it's a lovely looking tool

My friendly local RFD chap uses the same rifle and recommended the Winchester subs as being the best through his, so hopefully they'll do the job for me aswell.

[vampire]

The box of 100 cci i put through my cz american (new),were noisy,not accurate and often got stuck,i tried other ammo and have settled on eley subs as the cz prefers these.

I think there is a thread about ammo getting stuck in .22lr somewhere on here

[gixerjas]

I read on an American forum that Eleys worked best, which was backed by quite a lot of testing although it probably wasn't the most scientific. Unfortunately the CCI's only seem to come in 100's so I've got a few to get through yet. I'll try and get some proper testing in next week but I'm hoping that Eley subs do work without issue or the HMR will definitely be my first choice.

[ollie]

The CCI sticking is a common issue with CZ .22lr. I have a 452 Style and when I picked it up the gun dealer told me that CCI don't cycle correctly through the CZ. Sure enough one day I tried a few of my mates CCI and out of a magazine of 10 there was about 4 bullets that wouldn't cycle.

[dadioles]

God only knows how many times it has been said.....

 

I do wish people would spend more time on targets before shooting animals!!!

 

Try a number of different makes of ammo and find which suits your gun best.

 

Once you have decided on a make, stick to it.

 

Now set up targets at different ranges and practice. Find out how YOUR bullet drops with distance.

 

If you are head shooting rabbits at 89 and 112 yards by leaning on a fence post you are a good shot. Assuming you have zeroed the hmr at 100 yards be aware that the bullet will start dropping quite significantly after about 120 yards.

[Greenhunter]

There's a (fairly) balanced review on this exact subject in the latest issue of Shooting and Conservation! Have a gander if you can

 

GH

[gixerjas]

I've spent some time shooting field target so I'm well used to the idea of bullet drop and windage and generating charts based on actual bullet drop data. Rather than carrying a full drop chart I stick a mini version inside the rear scope cover so when I range I know how much I need to hold over, or what the require moa adjustment is if I've got time to count clicks. The HMR is near flat out to 100 yards and then drops less than an inch at 125 yards when zeroed at 100, as soon as you get past 125 it's not so easy.

 

I read the BASC article and agree with the final comment 'where low noise and discretion is needed, the .22 is still very much the king'

Edited May 7, 2011 by gixerjas

[TaxiDriver]

The box of 100 cci i put through my cz american (new),were noisy,not accurate and often got stuck,i tried other ammo and have settled on eley subs as the cz prefers these.

I think there is a thread about ammo getting stuck in .22lr somewhere on here

Are these cci you're talking about the hyper velocity ones ? 'Stingers' I think they might be refered to as ?

[dadioles]

I've spent some time shooting field target so I'm well used to the idea of bullet drop and windage and generating charts based on actual bullet drop data. Rather than carrying a full drop chart I stick a mini version inside the rear scope cover so when I range I know how much I need to hold over, or what the require moa adjustment is if I've got time to count clicks. The HMR is near flat out to 100 yards and then drops less than an inch at 125 yards when zeroed at 100, as soon as you get past 125 it's not so easy.

 

Thanks for making that clear, too many people just go out and shoot animals before getting used to their gun using targets, it really annoys me, animals are not for target practice.

 

Yes you are right about being pretty flat (.17hmr) within a 2p coin from around 30 to 110 yards and holdover just an inch at 125, a great round for rabbits. Happy shooting. If you get a chance, try a .17 DM80 mod on the hmr, it really helps keep down muzzle noise and being overbarrel does not add too much length - get in touch with Dave Mercer, nice chap.

 

As far as the .22 is concerned, I have the same rifle and did not get on at all well with the CCI subs that you have tried. They chambered badly and were not accurate. Ely subs were too tight as well but Winchester seemed ok although I ended up using SK Subs which were a bit more expensive (made by Lapua I think) as these produced the tightest groups and best consistency, after a couple of thousand shots I have not had a single misfire or any chambering problems whatsoever. With a moderator (SAK is fine for .22) it should be reasonably quiet, the distinctive thud of bullet hitting rabbit being the noisiest part.

 

A thorough cleaning, I know it can be contentious, using rods patches solvent and bore guide, has to be a good thing. Bore snake, especially with built in bronze brush, has to risk rounding off the edge of the receiver and crown. You should easily get better than 1" groups at 50 yards (zero) which gives you flat shooting (within 2p coin) from about 15 to 55 yards with 1" holdover needed at 65 yards. I fitted a trigger kit and had to take some wood off the stock to ensure that the barrel was fully floating.

[bigstevouk]

Nice write up, good luck with your future shooting.........