New member looking for Rimfire advice

[Jjustus16]

Hey, how’s it going everyone. Recently graduated and have time to pursue my interests again so I’ve been spending some time at the range. I grew up an Indiana shotgun hillbilly and have minimal experience with rifles, mostly limited to my time in Army Cosplay (National Guard.)

Currently running a T3X in .223 with a fixed 4 SWFA on it. Cheap shooter and allows me to focus on fundamentals. However, I shot my buddies Marlin .17 HMR last week and instantly knew I had to have one (for myself, and to try to get my girlfriend into shooting with me, but mostly for myself )

So I had been tossing back and forth either the T1X or a CZ 457 Varmint after reading here and on other online forums. Seems like the best sub 1k rifles you can buy according to most people. However, I ran across the Savage B17 precision lite the other day and it checks a lot of the boxes for me. Aftermarket barrel and chassis and known to be (semi?) reliable. Thought process is that I can get familiar and comfortable on the rifle and move into competitions down the line as my skill level progresses.

My issue is that I have handled another savage in 6.5 PRC with the proof barrel at a store and the action felt like complete junk. Is that a common issue throughout the entire brand? I would love to get my hands on one and handle it prior to ordering, but probably not going to be feasible in my area. So here I am, asking to live through your experience lol.

Thanks in advance for any input. Looking forward to hearing from the community.

 

[Csafisher]

CZ457. Proven with lots of aftermarket support including barrels triggers and chassis’s. It’s an endless rabbit hole. You don’t see anyone running savages in PRS/NRL22 matches

 

[MajorD]

While I like my savage MK II it isn’t exactly a smooth refined gun. Then do break in pretty smooth however. For mid tier rifles the CZ and Tikka are the way to go for sure. I would honestly encourage you to go 22 long rifle not 17 due to ammo cost and noise blast especially if trying to introduce a new shooter to the sport.
the savage MKII is a $250 gun, and can’t compare to even the least expensive CZ quality/ refinement wise. But for the price they are pretty accurate rifles, more so than the price might suggest.

 

[Jjustus16]

While I like my savage MK II it isn’t exactly a smooth refined gun. Then do break in pretty smooth however. For mid tier rifles the CZ and Tikka are the way to go for sure. I would honestly encourage you to go 22 long rifle not 17 due to ammo cost and noise blast especially if trying to introduce a new shooter to the sport.
the savage MKII is a $250 gun, and can’t compare to even the least expensive CZ quality/ refinement wise. But for the price they are pretty accurate rifles, more so than the price might suggest.

Are the 17’s that loud? Lol. I didn’t really notice but I did have ears on. I see guys talking about taking 22 LR out to 500 yards, but is that really feasible in a stock gun with factory ammunition? I assumed most 22’s are 50-100 yard guns

 

[Tiger_Shilone]

No rimfire match using steel targets allows any .17 cal. due to target damage. Availability of .17 ammo is also an issue as is the quality of it. You would be better off with a 22lr if you want to shoot matches.

Savages are usually pretty accurate but the failure rate that I’ve seen with them is unacceptable. Stick with cz, tikka, bergara and save the headache.

 

[Jjustus16]

No rimfire match using steel targets allows any .17 cal. due to target damage. Availability of .17 ammo is also an issue as is the quality of it. You would be better off with a 22lr if you want to shoot matches.

Savages are usually pretty accurate but the failure rate that I’ve seen with them is unacceptable. Stick with cz, tikka, bergara and save the headache.

Thanks for the advice. I was having visions of tight(ish) groups at 150 yards with a 17. What are realistic range expectations with a close to stock 22 LR with quality factory ammo?

 

[6.5SH]

Are the 17’s that loud? Lol. I didn’t really notice but I did have ears on. I see guys talking about taking 22 LR out to 500 yards, but is that really feasible in a stock gun with factory ammunition? I assumed most 22’s are 50-100 yard guns

I've taken my Tikka T1x to 567 yards. Dialed 24 mils and held another 11 in the reticle, is about the limit for me unless I get another base or scope.

 

[Jjustus16]

That’s impressive. Maybe I should look into that. I know those CZ’s also have interchangeable barrels so I could have the best of both worlds.

 

[qec238]

I have all three rifles. If you can swing the cost then the CZ or Tikka are better rifles at a much higher price point. I really like my CZ MTR but they are hard to come by these days. TIkka's are easier to find and with CCI SV or Tac 22 they shoot about the same. I don't shoot high end ammo so I can't comment on ultimate accuracy.

 

[NewsShooter]

Are the 17’s that loud? Lol. I didn’t really notice but I did have ears on. I see guys talking about taking 22 LR out to 500 yards, but is that really feasible in a stock gun with factory ammunition? I assumed most 22’s are 50-100 yard guns

My 10/22's are good to 250 yards, I was thinking I'd use one at the next rimfire match instead of my Begara in a MPA chassis. But I currently have a Bergara in a MPA chassis.

 

[GearMaker]

Are you just looking to have fun, or are you looking to be competitive in shooting competitions? A CZ 457 MTR would be a great rifle to start with and would allow you to add custom components as you get more competitive. You might also want to consider a Bergara B-14r as a "stock" rifle, but they are more expensive.

 

[HPIguy]

No rimfire match using steel targets allows any .17 cal. due to target damage. Availability of .17 ammo is also an issue as is the quality of it. You would be better off with a 22lr if you want to shoot matches.

Savages are usually pretty accurate but the failure rate that I’ve seen with them is unacceptable. Stick with cz, tikka, bergara and save the headache.

Our monthly sillhouette match allows anything rimfire, .17 included. Closest target is 82yds, and goes out to 207yds.

 

[MajorD]

Are the 17’s that loud? Lol. I didn’t really notice but I did have ears on. I see guys talking about taking 22 LR out to 500 yards, but is that really feasible in a stock gun with factory ammunition? I assumed most 22’s are 50-100 yard guns

As mentioned by others, 17 ammo quality and consistency limits you. Same for 22LR, but in LR there is match grade ammo available ( not the case with 17’s) which definitely is critical to accuracy. Since the advent of long range rimfire matches ( nrl22 prs etc) the 22LR has definitely stretched its legs. At most matches I attend there will be a good number of targets at 200+ yards, and in some cases 300+, and the shooters skilled at fundamentals and reading and adjusting for wind will shoot long range stages clean with no misses.
the winner of the 2023 NRL22 championship used a nearly stock rifle ( tikka t1x)
a critical factor is also selecting good optics. To get the most out of a rifle, do not be surprised if the optics cost as much or more than the rifle it goes on. Especially at first people make the mistake of not investing in good glass, or for example spending $800 on a rifle and only $300 on a scope, and then getting unsatisfied results, thinking it is the gun when the optic is to blame

 

[MarkCZ]

Are the 17’s that loud? Lol. I didn’t really notice but I did have ears on. I see guys talking about taking 22 LR out to 500 yards, but is that really feasible in a stock gun with factory ammunition? I assumed most 22’s are 50-100 yard guns

It sure is feasible. I have shot my T1X out to 500yds many time hitting 12" plate with Eley Contact. pure stock gun, just a trigger spring change.
I shoot long range steel. My range a 50, 100, 200 and 300 yds. I shoot 200, and 300 most of the time. I put 12" steel out for sighter and shoot 3" at 200yds and 4" at 300yds.

 

[glock24]

I bought both the T1X and the CZ457 as suppressor hosts and offhand backyard plinking. I'm leaning hard toward the CZ457. It sounds like you are well aware of the feature sets of each brand, so I'll skip to my Tikka gripes;

1. The Tikka barrel is surprisingly heavy for offhand shooting, yet not really a match target weight barrel. It's more of a medium, jack-of-all-sports compromise. And as you may have read, impossible to remove and replace.

2. Ejection with the Tikka kinda sucks. If you aren't running the bolt extremely fast, the empty brass barely exits the breech.

Frankly, as much of a fan as I am of Tikka in general, the T1X just doesn't carry the same appeal as the T3X line. Many compromises were made, and that's disappointing considering the company's reputation and the fact that big brother Sako's rimfire is so stellar. It's clear to me the T1X was made with price-point and profit margin as sole priorities.

I also have the older CZ455, and the differences between that and the newer CZ457 are substantial. It's almost like when Tikka initially released the T1X, the CZ guys sat in a room and didn't leave until they were confident their new 457 would be king-of-the-hill. And they needed it. The aging CZ455 was overdue for a refresh.

And if you're sold on the CZ457, I would encourage you to check out their American Synthetic model. It's one of the lowest costs of entry to get your hands that versatile CZ457 action. In other words, you could run the American Synthetic as-is for offhand/plinking/hunting/suppressor-host, but then easily disassemble and drop the 457 action into your choice of aftermarket stock and match-grade barrel for matches and/or benchrest work.

A KRG chassis and Proof/Lija barrel would be lights out for sure! (or shop around for an older CZ455 match barrel, as it'll drop right into that 457 action)

 

[ECK]

I shot a CZ455 Varmint “trainer“ for my first year of NRL22 & PRS22 competitions. Did fine with it from 25 to 300 yds once I found the right ammo it liked. FWIW, I spent more on the scope than I did the rifle, which was handy when I upgraded the CZ to a Vudoo and moved the scope/rings and most of the accessories over to the new rifle. I will say I found the Vudoo w/ Bartlein barrel to be less ammo sensitive than the CZ and its factory barrel.

Main difficulty I had with the CZ was getting it to balance right. Short barrels w/ .820” dia are going to be butt-heavy for the most part. I had a weighted arca rail on there and always shot with the bipod attached to get it to balance right off a bag. With the Vudoo, I went with the trend of longer and heavier contour barrels (22” and 1.200” dia).

If the OP is mainly going to shoot prone or bench from a bipod then weight is probably not a factor.

I do see a lot of CZ 457’s at my local matches and they shoot just fine, well enough to podium. Some of them are quite tricked out w/ aftermarket barrels, triggers, chassis, and bolt handles, to the point where the only thing OFM is the action.