CZ or Savage

Lately I have heard several reports of feeding problems with the Savage as well as accuracy varies by individual rifle. I was about to by a Savage in .17 HMR but I might spend more and get the CZ. I have 2 of those and both are great in every way.

I have a CZ 453 and a Savage MkIIBTV both in .22LR. The CZ is the nicer rifle but the Savage is more accurate. It isn't a lot more accurate but it is more accurate. And I've had more problems by far with my CZ than I have with my Savage. But again the CZ is a well built rifle and very beautiful. It also costs a good bit more than the Savages.

I like both rifles very well to be honest. I had to work on the Savage to get it shooting like it does. Things like tweaking the torque on the action screws and pillar bedding made it shoot more consistently. The CZ is very close in accuracy to the Savage though. Most people would never notice the difference if they didn't have them side by side to shoot like I do.

Because the CZ is such a beautiful rifle I would probably go with it if I had to choose just one. Luckily I won't have to do that any time soon unless the economy completely tanks (a distinct possibility).

CeeZee, what are some of the problems you have had with the 453?

I like the CZ well enough to own several. I have no Savages, or Remingtons for that matter. But I won't run any of them down. Savage (and Rem and Ruger) make some great rimfires, and really it comes down to personal preference. I know a guy with a heavy barreled Savage 22 LR and it is very accurate; virtually no difference between that and my CZ 452.

But beware, CZ can be addictive. Mine tend to multiply in the safe somehow. Anywhat Czech them out, and happy shopping and shooting!

303tom said:

Savage, buy America...................

Click to expand...

If I am not mistaken, Savage rimfires are made in Canada. I have a 93G in 22 mag and probably will end up getting rid of it. It feels good and has a great trigger, but accuracy is erratic and it has feeding problems. If I push up on the magazine while cycling the bolt, all is well, but that is annoying to do every shot and not conducive to a quick follow-up.

The most accurate rimfire I have ever shot (by far) was a Savage, they really are that accurate, but the Savage is a little rough around the edges and if the CZ is just as accurate I would pay the extra for the style and QC of the CZ.

One more vote for CZ.

You wont do bad with either rifle. For years I loved my Savage rimfires, I had a standard 17hmr with bull barrel, a Mako edition 17hmr, and a TR in 22lr, they were great rifles, but all gone. I have had two CZ rifles, a 452 Trainer, and a 452 Ultra Lux Super Exclusive, I still have the Ultra Lux Super Exclusive. I love the action on a CZ. Both are reliable rifles, goto every shop you can, and play with every rifle they will let you, watch lots of youtube, then buy one. That's the best advice I can give you. Let us know what you get!

CZ's are addicting, I own three CZ pistols and 3 rifles. I have wanted a .22 mag since I was about 7 years old and finally got one last year at the age of 53. Compared Marlins and Savages side by side and thought the Marlin was a little better made and they have good triggers now. So I bought a Marlin. But something kept quietly telling me to to get what I really wanted so I sold the Marlin un-fired and bought a CZ 512 WMR. I haven't looked back. Put a Clearidge AO rimfire scope on it, had a trigger job done, to me it is the utlimate rimfire. Plus in my opinion it looks cool. Super Accurate too.

I have a Savage 16 .243 with the Accustock and Accutrigger. It is very accurate. But my CZ centerfires are very accurate too and seem to be built better.

I had rust on the barrel and receiver of the CZ. Plus the bolt stuck quite a few times when I first got the rifle. I saw a thread about that on Rimfire Central just a few days ago. It seems quite a few people had that problem. And sometimes the set trigger wouldn't cause the main trigger to fire. I fixed the rust problem by using a different protecting oil. I fixed the sticking bolt by just working it until I knocked the burr down that was catching it but I think it caused the top of the stock to scratch just behind where the bolt slides back. And I haven't had the problem of the set trigger not engaging the main trigger for almost 2 years. The only other thing is that the wood is a lot softer than I expected for walnut. I got several small scratches that shouldn't have happened. I barely bumped the wood and it scratched.

The rifle just needed some time to settle in I believe because I haven't had any problems for quite a while. It's a very nice rifle. No piece of equipment is perfect. I did have a few problems with the Savage too but they were minor compared to the CZ's problems. I don't really expect perfection though. I'm never disappointed that way. But I wouldn't hesitate to buy the same rifle again. They really do shoot great and they look great too.

HOOfan_1 said:

I've tried v- max bullets in two .22 magnums...horrible accuracy

Click to expand...

What makes and models of guns was that in?

Most people I've seen over at Rimfire Central have had good results with Hornady 30 gn. V-Max and CCI 30 gn. V-Max in .22 WMR.

Myself included. http://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums/showpost.php?p=4375264&postcount=4

I own a Savage 93R17 and have shot several CZ452's. I would go with the CZ. That said, the Savage 17 can shoot (from a bipod):

chicharrones said:

What makes and models of guns was that in?

Most people I've seen over at Rimfire Central have had good results with Hornady 30 gn. V-Max and CCI 30 gn. V-Max in .22 WMR.

Myself included. http://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums/showpost.php?p=4375264&postcount=4

Click to expand...

Mossberg 640K
Savage 65M

Neither of these guns is particularly accurate at 100 yards...but much more so with Winchester and CCI 40gr. Hollowpoints than the 30gr. V-Max.

I was getting 1.5"-2" groups with the 40gr. hollowpoints. I was getting 3"-4" groups with the V-Max

Most people I've seen over at Rimfire Central have had good results with Hornady 30 gn. V-Max and CCI 30 gn. V-Max in .22 WMR.

Click to expand...

My 22 mag barrel prefers lighter weight bullets and does very well with these loads, along with the 30 gr HP CCI. From what I've read, many people's CZs seem to shoot best with the light/fast 22 mag loadings.

I have a Savage Mark II FV-SR. Awesome accuracy if I do my part, but the stock is terrible! $100 to Boyds Stocks was money well spent. I've handled CZ's and love the way they feel, just haven't brought myself to get one yet.

I have the CZ455 with .22LR and .17hmr bbls. Am very happy with the accuracy, feel and quality of make. Should I consider buying an extra bbl in .22mag? As of now the only varmints I shoot are squirrels, rabbits, opossums and a rare armadillo. I am a tinkerer so I may have answered my own question.
I have no experience with Savage rifles but am intrigued by their accu-trigger.
Maybe I'll get a nice lever gun in .22mag? Good hunting.

Oh, btw, I put a Nikon Buckmaster scope in 4.5-14x40 bdc on the 455 and love it.

Took my brand-new CZ Trainer out yesterday. 63 year old bi-focaled eyes, using the provided irons, first killed clays @ 50 yds, then broke up all the pieces. Until they were too small to see. Also have a Savage w/Accu-trigger in 17 HMR. It's up for sale. YMMV

HOOfan_1 said:

Mossberg 640K
Savage 65M

Neither of these guns is particularly accurate at 100 yards...but much more so with Winchester and CCI 40gr. Hollowpoints than the 30gr. V-Max.

I was getting 1.5"-2" groups with the 40gr. hollowpoints. I was getting 3"-4" groups with the V-Max

Click to expand...

Gotcha! We all have to find what our rifles like the best, that's for sure!

I have three Savage Mark 2s. They are made here in Canada and they are all crap.

They will ALL lock up if you work the bolt with one finger while shouldered. The trigger will lock up 100% of the time.

The holes in the receiver are not drilled straight so if you take a level to the scope bases you will see that they are not at the same point on the round receiver.

this means that the scope is not perfectly aligned with the barrel and if you sight in for a certain distance, it will shoot either left or right before or after that distance.

Also, the bottom of the bolt is made of ridiculously soft metal and will always bur and roll back on every single bolt 100% of the time.

The 17HMR/22WMR version have bad magazines with feeding problems.

Anyone who likes a savage rimfire simply doesn't know firearms and doesn't know quality - OR - they are blind.

Should I consider buying an extra bbl in .22mag?

Click to expand...

Definitely.... Mostly because it is cheap, easy and fun to tinker with. CZ 455 barrels are only like $130 directly from CZ, the shipping was pretty fast when I got mine.

CZ's all the way for me:

Fella's;

I've had a Savage 93GL, but don't anymore. I do however have a CZ452 lefty. It's my long-range small varmint gun of choice, good to 100 yards.

900F

CZ.

Ge idcurrie. I haven't had more than one of those problems with my MkII. You sure it isn't you that doesn't know how to work them? I do have to say the holes for the scope mount weren't perfect but it took all of 5 seconds to shim it and make it right. It's not the first rifle I've seen with that problem. But my bolt never sticks and my trigger has never locked up. And I don't have burrs on the bottom of my bolt. Do you use the right torque settings on your action screws? Because that could cause those problems you mentioned.

I bet I've seen 5000 reports on Savages on various boards and not one person has said the things you have said. Any rifle can have a problem. Like I said even my CZ has had problems and they were worse than anything my Savage has had. And my Savage shoots more accurate than the CZ. Yeah they're junk alright. You should send yours to me and I'll give it a decent burial - in about 50 years.

I just don't get how someone could have so much trouble from a gun I've had such good luck with especially considering I've seen so many other Savage owners say the same things. Are they Sakos? Now they aren't. But they don't cost nearly as much either and they come close to being as accurate. I know it's a one off group but at 50 yards I've put 4 out of 5 shots in a single hole (not a connected hole - a single hole about .05 bigger than a .22 bullet hole by itself) with the other missing by a whole .2". I've shot groups under 1/8th inch at the same distance and that was all the shots. I had another group with 4 out of 5 under .1". I ran out of ammo on that group and had to get a bullet from another box and I missed a whopping .3" on that one.

Generally the rifle will shoot between .25" and .5" but fairly often I'll get a great group. I shot 2250 on an ATA target with that rifle. Yeah it's a real POS.