Thread: CZ 455

When someone is asking between 22LR and 223, it actually is not clear what they are trying to do. If you wanted 22LR, you wouldnt entertain 223 at all. Vice versa.

If you have plenty of access to hunt with 223, and are not particularly keen on shooting hundreds of rounds at a time for practice, then get 223. Only get 22LR if you intend to do a lot of target practice or your hunting ground has houses nearby and anything more powerful than 22LR is unsafe or too loud.

Between 223 and 17HMR/22WMR, 223 is better for most things. OK bulk 223 ammo are priced quite competitively now compared to 17HMR/22WMR, yet offers far more powerful, range, and kill certainty. 17HMR can shoot out to 150m, but at that distance it is only good for games such as possums, birds, hare, and stoat. if you want to shoot baby goats or piglets you need to do it within 30 metres to ensure perfect shot placement and good power. 17hmr at muzzle has about the same power as 223 at 450 metres (250 ft/lbs).

I own 17 HMR and 223, I use 17 HMR a lot for possums, it is considerably safer than 223 given that you often need to shoot upwards. One other thing I definitely like 17 HMR better than 223 is shooting at steel targets at 100 metres. 223 punch holes to all but the more expensive and thicker steel targets, while 17hmr is far more gentle but is just as accurate at this distance.

Between 17HMR and 22WMR, despite intuition and wind is actually favours 17hmr due to its speed and BC.

See https://www.outdoorlife.com/story/gu...s-of-all-time/

"The .17’s wind drift advantage over the .22 WMR helps sell me. This surprises many shooters who have too often heard that heavier bullets deflect less in winds than do lighter bullets. No, it is high B.C. bullets that deflect less. Muzzle velocity contributes, too. The faster the better. Less wind deflection of 1.5-inches at 100 yards may not seem huge, but its on the ragged edge of a miss on those 2-inch targets. If you’re needing precision more than punch in your rimfire, the .17 HMR is your ticket."

There are data tables in the article that confirms this conclusion.

Or see
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Or see

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In my view the only reason to buy 22WMR over 17HMR is if you regularly shoot heavy vermin such as wallabies and goats inside 50 metres, where slight loss of accuracy in immaterial and better killing power is preferred. (which begs the question, why not 223?) Otherwise, i think for most applications 17HMR is better.

Lastly on CZ455, it is a nice, fine rifle for its price. That is what I got. On average, you have a higher chance of getting a CZ455 with meh accuracy than its predecessor CZ452. It is also less refined than its successor CZ 457. From the reviews and general owner reports, it seems that buying T1X has a lower chance of getting one with meh accuracy than CZ 455.

A friend of mine bought a mid-high end Savage 17 HMR 10 years ago, it is the one with spiral fluting and Boyd stock. Great looking rifle but shot poorly. It makes it hard to recommend Savage despite I also own a Savage rifle (not 17hmr) and reviews are generally pretty good.