CZ 452 Training or something else?

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johnson_n

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Im looking to buy my first .22lr rifle and was almost set on getting a 10/22 but I think I want a bolt action. 10/22 is still on the list though. So im searching around and lots of people recommend the 452 Training. It sells for $290 at my fun shop and $270 at Walmart. The 452 Lux is about $50 more and the 452 Varmint is about $100 more. The only type of rifle shooting ive had experience with was in JROTC rifle team. We were using pump style pellet rifles with aperture sights shooting at 10 meters. I was a fairly good marksman. Which should I get? I dont know what questions to ask. Itll mostly be used for target/range shooting.
 
Do a little research first. Look at:
http://www.cz-usa.com/
under the rimfire section

Another good source is:
http://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums/
under the cz section

Do you want a scope or just use the irons? I have an American with a scope on it, and a Scout with irons. If you want to be able to use both get the Lux!

These are beautiful firearms that will last for generations if well cared for, so I would suggest spending a little extra $ and getting something better than the trainer model. Although I've heard they are pretty nice also!
 
The only difference between the trainer and lux, as far as I can tell, is that the lux stock is walnut, trainer is beechwood. The iron sights, dimensions, etc are the same on both, and better sights than on the scout.

Just put a 452 on layaway at Scheels yesterday actually, by the receipt it's a trainer. Cost $350 though, so I may be going back in tomorrow to do some checking up, they seem to go for ~$300 online. Though after shipping, transfer fees(if I even find someone to do the transfer) etc I might be paying the same anyway.

Haven't shot it obviously, but it looked good, and as soon as I started handling it I knew I had to have it. In that regards, for me, it seriously outclassed all the other offerings(I was looking at rimfires in general). The 5 round mag it's supplied with is probably the most solid mag I've ever handled, you could whack it a bit with a hammer and not worry too much. Which is good, because the dang things cost $30 each. Only downside for me so far.

If it came down to the Ruger 10/22 or the CZ 452...well, clearly I picked the 452, by far. Only use I have for a 10/22 is if I could get just the receiver, I reckon I'd be tossing every other part anyway.
 
The Lux has outstanding iron sights. I think the Trainer is basically the same as the Lux, but lower grade wood. I have an unscoped UltraLux with the long 28" barrel. My scoped Varmint is an outstanding bench rifle, but I find it too heavy for shooting offhand. I also have an unscoped Scout. The iron sights aren't as good as the Lux, but adequate (I left it unscoped), and the rifle's amazingly handy. Very short, built for youths, and my girlfriend loves to shoot it. Because it's so light, though, I don't find it nearly as easy to shoot off a bench as my varmint. It comes with a single shot magazine, but standard 5- or 10-shot 452 magazines will fit. It also doesn't have sling studs pre-installed in the stock. Overall, I think for all-around use, the Trainer would be a great rifle

In all cases, the adjustable trigger of a 452 can be sweetened up quite a bit with a $14 trigger kit from cz452.com or Whittaker's. In the case of the Lux, you can also buy a rear peep from cz452.com to replace the blade. I tweaked all my CZ452 triggers with the Brooks kit, and the rear sight on my Lux. All are tackdrivers and very pleasurable to shoot.
 
Random thoughts:

I also did research on bolt rifles, got the Lux for $300 at a local shop. I've only put a couple hundred rounds through it but it is a very nice rifle. My test target was good wasn't as impressive as others claim theirs was. Check the targets if you go to a shop with multiple rifles for sale. It likes Eley variants, Federal Gold Medal and CCI Mini-mags.

The plastic mag is solid but the metal Egyptian mag Parsi sells on Gunbroker is built like a tank. I literally hammered on it, chucked it hard in a vice, sanded it, all kinds of stuff. "Some fitting may be required" the website says...some people report they don't need any fitting at all.

You can get an aperture made by Eric Brooks but buy through a reseller. A SKS sling works nicely on the metric sling loops.

www.rimfirecentral.com CZ forum has a wealth of info on trigger jobs, free floating, apertures, etc. The CZ forum is very active.

Finally, I got a Marlin 60 instead of a 10/22.
 
Nicer wood in the Lux compared to the Trainer. Also, I think that the Trainer does not come with a threaded barrel, which the Lux does, for attachments such as sound suppressors.
 
I may get the Lux for the better stock. On the CZ site it says that the barrel is 28.6" on the Lux vs 24.8" on the Trainer. I cant get supressors because I live in MO.
 
Check the CZ site again, there's more than one lux. The 28" barrel is sometimes called the Ultra Lux, it has a beechwood stock just like the trainer. It also comes with a ten round plastic mag rather than the 5 round steel mag.
The main CZ site lists threaded barrels as an option, the CZ-USA site does not.
 
Matt-J2, $350 is high for a trainer. I looked at purchasing one at my local Scheels here in Eau Claire and it was $280. Definately go check to see what is going on. Maybe you're getting a Lux!
 
I may get the Lux for the better stock. On the CZ site it says that the barrel is 28.6" on the Lux vs 24.8" on the Trainer. I cant get supressors because I live in MO.
Click to expand...

It's the American model that offers a shortened threaded barrel.

The Lux and trainer are exactly the same rifle. The Trainer has a Beechwood stock, and the Lux has Turkish walnut.

The American is designed for a scope while the Lux/trainer has a European style hogs back stock for iron sights. Although you can mount a scope on a Lux it's pretty awkward, and you might be better off with the American if that's what you want to do.

You can have a suppressor in Missouri. You have to pay the $200.00 fee and fill out the paperwork.
 
My test target was good wasn't as impressive as others claim theirs was.
Click to expand...

Please pay no attention to the test target - it is a function test only and has no bearing on accuracy The test only ensures the bolt cycles correctly and there are no assembly flaws. My CZ American, for example, shoots half inch groups consistently.
 
The 452 is without a doubt the finest .22LR I have ever owned or shot. In a world with unlimited income and no other concerns I'd have two more in storage waiting for me to wear the first one out. When mine was scoped I routinely made a hole in the center of a target at 50 yards and then used the first bullet hole as a target. It would put shot after shot in the same hole.
Now I have the irons in use on it for longer range shooting. At 100 yards I make hits with it that embarass guys with high power rifles. It's just that great of a rifle.
I'd recommend one without hesitation.
 
Now I have the irons in use on it for longer range shooting. At 100 yards I make hits with it that embarass guys with high power rifles. It's just that great of a rifle.
Click to expand...

That's the beauty of the iron sights on these riles. They have the ability to make repeatable shots on targets out to 200 yards.
 
The trainer is a great rifle. You'll have no regrets if you get it.

$350 is a good price. CZ recently increased their prices, so expect to pay more than you would have even a month ago.
 
$350 is a good price. CZ recently increased their prices, so expect to pay more than you would have even a month ago.
Click to expand...

They do that because we all keep recommending them. How about from now on we all say they are terrible. At least until I buy a 452 FS. :D
 
Thank you vonasemj!!! Right after reading your post I walked out my door and headed to Scheels. They looked it up and like other CZs(the shotguns I know went up by like $100), the trainer had increased in price.
It went from $280 to $300, so I got the $50 knocked off. :D


Granted, until I looked around a bit I had no regrets about it being $350, but hey, that's $50 saved I can spend on ammo later, so Scheels will see that money anyway. :p Handled it again, sweeeeeeeeeeet is all I can say. Handled 2 of their big bores as well, I swear they had the hogback stocks but can't find them online like that. At any rate, they felt real nice too. Given I also like how their handguns handle and those shotguns feel ok too, I'm pretty well hooked on CZ. :)
 
I was just in my local Scheels again today and saw that they have a trainer on sale for $250. I wish I would have waited one week because I would have that instead of the Mark II-BV that I picked up a week ago for $260
 
Please pay no attention to the test target - it is a function test only and has no bearing on accuracy
Click to expand...

Exactly , first time out even with the open sights on my 452 Special/Trainer I was able to shoot significantly better than the test target. With the scope the targets looked like something you would expect with Anschutz.

The trainer is a great rifle. You'll have no regrets if you get it.
$350 is a good price.
Click to expand...

I should have picked up the 452 American I saw at the shop last weekend for $339! You should look around before paying that much for a Trainer. But I think I will get that American if it is still there!
 
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