Advice on ?good enough? scope for CZ 457

[mrahkus]

This will be the 1st rifle with a scope I own. Zero experience with scopes. Shots will be at 100 yards, max 200 yards. Preferred price range: under $500. Will consider ~$700. Any advice? Thanks in advance!

PS CZ 457 will be 22LR


My location: San Francisco Bay Area

[Teachu2]

That's a long ways for a 22lr. Based on the parameters you give, I'd look at https://www.opticsplanet.com/leupold...sh-175081.html as a starting point. I prefer 40mm objectives on my 22s, especially bolt actions.

Another popular "good enough" is the https://www.muelleroptics.com/produc...us-target-dot/.

[Preston-CLB]

I just want to add: Don't forget to factor in mounts and rings.

Be sure to put a tiny amount of blue Loctite on the mount screws and torque them to spec. With the rings, be sure to torque the screws to spec. (Do Not use Loctite on those screws).

If you have a friend with the tools, ask them to lap the rings for a good fit to the scope tube and install the scope for you. A decent gunsmith could mount your new scope for you. It doesn't take long and will be money well spent.
-P

[newbutold]

Might want to check the .22 forum, shouldn't be a problem finding a decent scope for $700 or less.

[mygeaux]

That's a long ways for a 22lr. Based on the parameters you give, I'd look at https://www.opticsplanet.com/leupold...sh-175081.html as a starting point. I prefer 40mm objectives on my 22s, especially bolt actions.

This could be a great choice. I use a Leupold VX-Freedom EFR 3x-9x-33mm on a .22 air rifle and I love it. You can focus up close if needed and the glass is fantastic for the price. It has survived springer recoil without issue.

As noted, you'll have tro dial up a bunch to shoot .22LR at 200yds.

[Preston-CLB]

Another thought...

Hop over to Rimfire Central. I'm sure the guys over there will have some good info for you.
-P

[Imageview]

I have a couple of the leupold 3-9 EFRs and really like them for my purposes. That being said will you be doing anything else besides punching paper with this rifle? Competition or just casual plinking? Any thought for hunting small game? The efr has capped turrets so you won?t be dialing in adjustments, something I suspect you?d want to do to really reach out there with a 22. at 200 yards that?s a whole lot of Kentucky windage.

[Darto]

Any scope is way better than no scope. Paying over $300 will get you very little that is actually useful. Look for tests on Youtube where the testers do not know which scope they are looking through and then they rate them. Put your money towards a better gun and better ammo.

[FNGGlock]

I set up my 457 Varmint for target shooting and have taken it out to 200yds with great success, still looking to try my hand at 300yds and maybe more in the future.

A couple of things to consider if you want to reach out to 200yds and maybe more with a 22LR.

Make sure to know your scope center line to bore axis height. In my case it is 2.1? as I used a Picatiny 20MOA base on the CZ.

If you zero at 25yds (very typical, as it gives you a 50 yd zero or close to it), expect about a 6-7? drop at 100yds, 50?+ at 200yds and also 150?+ at 300yds. A 10mph cross wind also will push you 4-5? at 100yds, 17?+ at 200yds and close to 40? at 300 yds. That is roughly 25MOA adjustment at 200 yds and 50MOA at 300 yds for elevation, and 8MOA at 200 and 13MOA at 300 for windage. Keep this in mind when selecting a scope.

So get a scope with a lot of adjustment and turrets that you can set, and also that returns reliably back to zero. A Christmas tree recital is helpful, don?t get one with a build in BDC as there are too many variances with rifles and ammo to give you the accuracy you may want down the line. Adding in a scope mount with built-in elevation can be very helpful beyond 200yds, but you can be OK without it if the scope has enough adjustment.

I find a FFP (first focal plane) scope to be great for using with a drop and windage hah marks, as the recital gets bigger as you increase magnification and the marks are calibrated correctly irrespective of magnification setting. A word of warning, with a racial that has a lot of drop build in, it seems to not be a 100% as you get further out from the center mark on the recital. Using both turret adjustment and the close hash mark on the recital seems to produce better results.

For 22Lr get a scope that does parallax adjustment from 25yds to infinity. Do not get a scope with this feature.

For elevation adjustment, the scope specs may state X MOA or MILs. However typically only half of it is useful, as the other half is down adjustment. That is why people get mounts with built-in elevation, 20 MOA is typical.

Decide if you want to use MOA or MILs. Lots of good videos on the differences. For my 22 I just stuck to MOA, as it was easier for me at the time. Now I may decide to use MILs if I swap in the future.

Depending on your eyesight, magnification can be more important. I find that 12X or more is preferable for me, as I can use the scope to spot my hits on paper down range. 14X -16X is better for me to se 22cal holes at 100yds. This can be handy to avoid the need to lug a spotting scope to the range if you test at 100 yds.

WIth more magnification you need to check for proper eye relief and exit pupil size. This is what you pay for in a good scope, along with clarity of glass and return to zero turrets.

As mentioned above, get a good mounting system and spend the time to mount it properly. Don?t cheap out on mounts if you want good results. It is critical to make sure the scope is mounted level with the rifle, as it will really show at 100yds and more on a 22. Also make sure it is set up properly for eye relief shooting prone and from a bench - unless you plan to fit an adjustable chassis on it.



Anyway, this is probably a lot of info. But take your time and do some research as it will yield pretty good results. Buy once and cry once. It may be better to spend a bit more initially than run out of scope and have to upgrade later.

For info I ended up with this setup on my CZ. Vortex Diamondback Tactical 4-16X 44mm with 30mm tube, was on special at Midway when I got it for $350 (seems to be $400 now), but any good scope with this type of specs will work. It is not the greatest scope, but clear glass and good adjustment. I tried to keep my budget down, and this was a good compromise. Ideally a higher end scope with smoother parallax and return to Zero turrets would have been the ticket, however the ones I have seen so far are at least 2-3x the price of this Vortex.

I also got a EGW picatinny rail mount for the CZ 457 with 20 MOA base and Keystone 30mm RIngs (this setup was about $160, but I figured I really want the 20MOA base for future use - have not needed it). However if you don?t want or need the 20MOA you can just get dovetail mounts for the CZ (which will be a bit less expensive). This setup is definitely capable of taking me to 300 yds at least.


In my experience I have found that using CCI SV is a good starting point for ammo, and you can then see which standard velocity (sub sonic) 22LR ammo your barrel likes. Aguila SV is a good substitute if CCI SV is not available. Don?t use HV 22 ammo, as it seems to lack the precision in most rifles. I got some Wolf Match Extra on TargetSports, that seems to work well with my CZ Varmint. Haven?t been able to source more high end ammo to try out, but I?m OK with the CCI and Wolf for now.

A Yo Dave trigger spring kit is also a great add on later, if you like. Gives you a very light crisp trigger. Just FYI.

[dfletcher]

You can plop a 22 lr into a target at 200 yds, certainly. A bit of a challenge. But most shooting will likely be 100 yds or less. And ammo choice is as important as your choice of scope. Buy something the rifle doesn't like and you'll be able to see those 3" groups nice and clear with a good scope.

I would be certain to get a scope with an adjustable objective. I'd stay 12 power and under and be mindful of not having the scope too large. Also, the CZ rimfire series usually requires a fairly high mount to clear the bolt handle.

Regarding rings, although 11 mm is specified by CZ I've never had any issue with plain old 3/8" tip off mounts.

I suppose spending $500.00 or so gets an excellent scope (and on the internet no one buys an inexpensive scope) but a Burris, Nikon or Leupold at about $300.00 or even less would work fine. I have a Browning made Winchester 52B with a 4 to 12X Burris Fullfield and it works fine.

Natchez is pretty good selling off "last year's model" scope, SWFA has their "Samples List" of factory demo and trade ins. Lots of good deals.

[dfletcher]

Double Post - Site can't be reached 1st time.

[echo1]

Check out this post. Good scoop on cheap glass, PAX

https://www.firearmstalk.com/threads/cheap-chinese-good.151505/#post-2465408

[SandDiegoDuner]

I have 3 CZ 457?s two MTR 22lr and one 17HMR, all three have area 419 30 moa scope bases, Vortex Diamondback Tactical 6-24x mil scopes, in Vortex low 30mm rings.

[NapalmCheese]

Cheapest vortex you can find in the magnification range you want.

[Spyder]

200 yard and beyond 22lr shooting is hella fun. Get a good scope and enjoy it!