In the $200 range I would look Savage. Not my first choice of rifle with a larger budget, but not much else out there other than maybe a Marlin 925 (who's trigger is about the worst next to a 10-22).
I greatly enjoy my CZs and would recommend them to anyone. To me, they typically fit a given shooter. That shooter is the guy who came from the 10-22 land, said that he enjoys working on his rifle, but is tired of spending big money to do so. Trigger work costs $15 or so and can get you down around half pound on the trigger and a very crisp break all the way up to 5-6lbs or so. Most of the rifles enjoy a good bedding, again, which many guys coming from the 10-22 world are willing to do themselves. After that, the things flat out shoot. In all honesty, they seem to shoot better than the 2000 action Anschutz and maybe a hair behind the 64 action. Other than that, you have to really search to find a better shooter (on average) for similar money. They make a great middle ground rifle for someone wanting more substance than the cheap feeling Savage/Marlin actions but not willing to spend $1k+ on a new Annie. If you want an amazing trigger out of the box, the 453 line gives one of the best adjustable triggers out there, again this side of an Anschutz.
Now that isn't to say I don't like my Marlin and Savage. They both shoot well. Some days better than the CZs. They just aren't the rifle that the CZ is. They are all function and no form. The CZ is a ton of function and loads of form. They are a rifle to hand down from one generation to the next where as the Savage/Marlin feel more like a rifle you would use for 10 years and be ready to pitch away. The factory Marlin trigger (T900) is flat out bad. I tried the home fixes and still thought it stunk. Swapped in a Rifle Basix as well as a bedding job and the thing is a heck of a shooter. Mine is the 917V and I have found less and less reason to shoot 17hmr so it mostly sits, but not because of lack of accuracy. My Savage is a MKII FVT which is a heck of a lot of fun. really like the aperture sights. The accutrigger is potentially the best out of the box (not counting the vastly superior 453) but with a little work on the 452, the Savage falls to second place. I would put it a little behind the Rifle Basix but not a ton. That said, you don't have to spend $100 on a new trigger with the Savage unlike the Marlin.
For me, I find I shoot .22lr more than any other rifle/caliber in both round count and time on the line. I would rather spend more money on a quality .22lr that I can enjoy and go low budget on a couple centerfires as I know I will shoot the .22lr many fold more than any centerfire I own. As such, spending a little more on a CZ is a great use of money and even spending on an Anschutz proves to be a good deal. I would take a Rossi break action in .308 and an Anschutz 54 actioned rifle over a top of the line Remington 700 and a bargain bin .22lr.
I greatly enjoy my CZs and would recommend them to anyone. To me, they typically fit a given shooter. That shooter is the guy who came from the 10-22 land, said that he enjoys working on his rifle, but is tired of spending big money to do so. Trigger work costs $15 or so and can get you down around half pound on the trigger and a very crisp break all the way up to 5-6lbs or so. Most of the rifles enjoy a good bedding, again, which many guys coming from the 10-22 world are willing to do themselves. After that, the things flat out shoot. In all honesty, they seem to shoot better than the 2000 action Anschutz and maybe a hair behind the 64 action. Other than that, you have to really search to find a better shooter (on average) for similar money. They make a great middle ground rifle for someone wanting more substance than the cheap feeling Savage/Marlin actions but not willing to spend $1k+ on a new Annie. If you want an amazing trigger out of the box, the 453 line gives one of the best adjustable triggers out there, again this side of an Anschutz.
Now that isn't to say I don't like my Marlin and Savage. They both shoot well. Some days better than the CZs. They just aren't the rifle that the CZ is. They are all function and no form. The CZ is a ton of function and loads of form. They are a rifle to hand down from one generation to the next where as the Savage/Marlin feel more like a rifle you would use for 10 years and be ready to pitch away. The factory Marlin trigger (T900) is flat out bad. I tried the home fixes and still thought it stunk. Swapped in a Rifle Basix as well as a bedding job and the thing is a heck of a shooter. Mine is the 917V and I have found less and less reason to shoot 17hmr so it mostly sits, but not because of lack of accuracy. My Savage is a MKII FVT which is a heck of a lot of fun. really like the aperture sights. The accutrigger is potentially the best out of the box (not counting the vastly superior 453) but with a little work on the 452, the Savage falls to second place. I would put it a little behind the Rifle Basix but not a ton. That said, you don't have to spend $100 on a new trigger with the Savage unlike the Marlin.
For me, I find I shoot .22lr more than any other rifle/caliber in both round count and time on the line. I would rather spend more money on a quality .22lr that I can enjoy and go low budget on a couple centerfires as I know I will shoot the .22lr many fold more than any centerfire I own. As such, spending a little more on a CZ is a great use of money and even spending on an Anschutz proves to be a good deal. I would take a Rossi break action in .308 and an Anschutz 54 actioned rifle over a top of the line Remington 700 and a bargain bin .22lr.
