My typical grading system for products is “Don’t buy it,” “It’s okay,” and “Very good.” After testing hundreds of pieces of gear, I can say that the CZ457 is a rare product that I like. I have a CZ 455 and two 457s; All three of them are absolutely great shooters. If you feel you need more from the gun, you can outfit it with aftermarket accessories, barrels, stocks and chassis.
The CZ 457 has its own specifications, and some factory configurations are missing key features such as the threaded barrel and Picatinny scope mount. But, dollar for dollar, I don’t think there is any better factory fired .22 LR on the market. Here’s how my two 457s performed, and what it’s like to use them in the field
Get the CZ 457 American from Guns.com
Get the CZ 457 American Synthetic SR from PSA
Get the CZ 457 American from Bass Pro
- Barrel Length: 24 inches (American) and 20 inches (Synthetic SR)
- Synthetic SR threaded 1/2 x 28
- Adjustable trigger: 1.8 to 3.4 pounds
- Comes with 5-round magazine
- User-swappable barrel and caliber
- 11mm dovetail scope base
- 60-degree bolt throw
- Overall 50-yard average (150 shots): 0.39 inches
- Stock trigger pull: 3.2 pounds (American) and 2.9 pounds (Synthetic SR)
- Weight: 6.61 pounds (American) and 5.51 pounds (Synthetic SR)
- Price: $680 (US) and $630 (Synthetic SR)
shooting experience
Whether I’m shooting the smallest targets on the KYL rack or giving a long-range craniotomy to a gray squirrel, the American and Synthetic SRs are ergonomic, fast-accessing to the shoulder, and reliably cycled. This is a platform where I really enjoy shooting and I don’t have many complaints.
I have over a thousand rounds in my three rifles, and I’ve had a few failures to draw. Some were caused by the gun being dirty, and some by a short-stroke on the bolt. (Firing excessively waxy rimfire ammo and firing under pressure is a recipe for a dirty rifle.) In cases where I have short-stocked the bolt, the empty casing falls into the mag just above the next round. In general, brass flies out of the chamber, and fresh rounds feed reliably.
The CZ 457 has a 60-degree bolt throw, which is a nice quality of life improvement. This provides better clearance for the scope, and it makes follow-up shots a little faster.
All of my CZ 457 bolts are smooth and lock tight. You can fire them very fast and maintain your solid firing position on follow-up shots.
accuracy test
I shot subsonic .22 ammo in three price ranges, at 50 yards. CCI standard This is my choice of quality, yet affordable, .22 ammo. I usually shoot it on steel from 25 to 50 yards. SK Rifle Match is match-grade ammo that is not very expensive. Next up is the Lapua Center-X, where I go for long-range hole punching when I don’t mind dropping 40 cents per round.
I fired five, five-shot groups from each rifle with each type of ammo. While switching between loads, I first fired five fouling rounds to allow the barrel to acclimate to the new ammo. This became a controversial practice because the groups were practically equal.
| rifle | Lapua Center-X | sk rifle match | CCI standard |
| American Synthetic SR | 0.28 | 0.32 | 0.52 |
| American | 0.20 | 0.29 | 0.72 |
As the accuracy results show, if you want the .22 to shoot at a high standard, you have to feed it good ammo. With mid to elite level ammo, the CZ 457 will give you mid to elite level accuracy. You can easily pick up these bone-stock rifles and be competitive in a local NRL .22 match against rifles costing three times as much. I mainly want to enjoy fun shooting and small game hunting with these rifles. For that, a 1-inch group at 50 yards is acceptable. That’s why I usually hunt with the CCI standard.
Just for fun, I also shot synthetic SR at 100 yards with the Lapua Center-X. It shot a 0.94-inch group average in a light crosswind.
CZ 457 American vs CZ 457 American Synthetic SR
As for aesthetics, the CZ 457 American with a wooden stock is phenomenal. The 24-inch barrel is not as thin as I thought it would be, and I would stick with it if there weren’t a single problem. The barrel is not threaded. Shooting a gun is no more enjoyable than a .22 LR with a suppressor, and I prefer to keep a can on all my rimfires. I plan on replacing the barrel or cutting it and threading it.
That’s where American Synthetic SR comes in. It has everything I love about the CZ 457 American with its threaded 16.5-inch barrel. The synthetic stock is ergonomic, but it lacks the charm and classic feel of a wooden stock. If you can get past that, synthetic is the way to go.
modularity
The 457 is a great rifle, but you can turn it into a world-class rimfire with an abundance of aftermarket accessories available. As for the barrel, you can get pre-fit Lilja or carbon fiber-wrapped barrels from Proof. Swapping a barrel simply requires unscrewing two set screws, sliding the new barrel in, and reinserting the set screws. You can also jump between .22 LR and .17 HMR when swapping barrels.
There are also chassis options from MDT, KRG, XLR, Gray Birch, Voox, and Masterpiece Arms. In their catalog, you’ll find everything from ultralight to heavy competition chassis.
Where the 457 can improve
The CZ457 uses an 11mm dovetail scope base, which is not the preferred mounting method for most people these days. A more modern upgrade would be a 20- or 30-MOA Picatinny base. You can find high-quality aftermarket 11mm to pickup adapters for the 457, but I would prefer it came stock from the factory in that configuration.
If you’re planning on building a CZ457 for competition shooting, where you’ll reload on the watch, you’ll be at a disadvantage compared to those with a 700-pattern .22. Rifles built on RimX-like actions have larger magazines and magwells that are easier to reload. The magwell on the CZ is also plastic, which can cause the mag to bind and I have heard of some breaking. Metal magwells are available for the 457, but they are quite expensive, at around $200. Along those lines, I would prefer the 457 came with a 10-round magazine rather than a 5-rounder. Another con is that the magazines are quite expensive, $40 for 10- and 15-rounders.
Read further: Best Air Rifles for Squirrel Hunting
final thoughts
I have tested some great rimfires, but I have yet to find one that matches the CZ 457 in performance for the price. The fact that you can get the American Synthetic SR for $630 and it will shoot .25-inch (or smaller) groups right out of the box is insane. This alone makes it my favorite squirrel gun. If you add the fact that you can easily replace the barrel and chassis, you have a highly versatile .22 platform that is inherently accurate. It’s a step up from awesome if you ask me.
Best Deer Hunting Rifles
