The NEW CZ 457 Long Range Precision .22 LR

The NEW CZ 457 Long Range Precision .22 LR

First Look

The NEW CZ 457 LRP is something we have been looking forward to here at Rifleman Firearms for quite some time! Having an on-site 100m underground range and a high population of members (and staff) who shoot .22LR very competitively, means the new LRP is something very exciting for us all.

First impressions are very good, CZ has taken some of its design inspiration from the previous 455 Mini Sniper which was very popular. The chunky fore-end provides a very stable base for a bipod or a good platform off a bag, moving further back the butt, the rifle curves to suit most shooting positions and with the added adjustable check piece and length of pull it allows the shooter to fit the gun perfectly to their shooting style. The new LRP certainly seems to have precision in mind with its new features, however with its 20” fluted barrel, muzzle brake and sniper grey stock it will definitely catch your eye on the range!

 

Calibres

At the moment the LRP is only available in .22LR, this rifle is aimed at the long range rimfire market which has been building in popularity over the last few years. Shooters are now pushing the limits of the calibre well past 100 meters, previously the phrase ‘Competition .22’ would bring an Anschutz with dioptre sights to mind but this is something that follows the long range or PRS discipline more closely. You can now engage in a long-range competitive sport at a fraction of the price, with good quality ammo averaging around £7 a box.

 

Barrel

The LRP comes as standard with only one option, a 20” 1:16 twist fluted straight barrel. The barrel is threaded in ½” UNF and comes with a muzzle brake rather than a thread cap which is a nice touch.

 

Action

Like the CZ MTR, the LRP has a match chamber which as we found out two weeks ago in our ‘Match Ammo Testing’ post can sometimes really make a difference to your accuracy. CZ also include a 25MOA picatinny rail so you can use a more conventional long range optic setup – no more difficult dovetail mounts! To top it off an over-sized CZ rubber bolt knob is added so you can get a better grip of your bolt at speed. The action is very smooth to use and on testing the rifle I don’t think you will see many feeding issues.

 

Stock Features

The rifles main stock features are as follows:

  • Stippled palm and fore-end grip
  • Soft Touch coating in sniper grey
  • Elegant adjustable cheek piece feature CZ logo
  • Spacers provided to add or reduce length of pull
  • Height adjustable rubberised butt pad
  • Rear mounted picatinny rail (ideal for bag rider or monopod)
  • QD points for adding a sling
  • Rear grip points which work nicely when bench or prone shooting
  • Two front mounted sling studs

I think CZ really have designed a very well thought out stock which breaks the mould in the precision rimfire market. Having owned a CZ 455 Mini Sniper, the black McMillian style stock was lacking some adjustability, however all the new added features of the LRP allow you to get the rifle set up perfectly for your shooting style. 

 

Trigger

Being a 457, CZ has vastly improved the trigger from the previous 455 models. Breaking at 3 Ibs it’s not a bad factory trigger and it is a vast improvement on the 455. Although the trigger is adjustable aftermarket upgrade springs can just add that final touch to the rifle’s performance.

 

Accuracy

We shot a 5-round group at 50m with the LRP using SK Long Range, it put in a 0.497’ group which is pretty good for its first time on the range. I am sure after some ammo testing you could get it even tighter than that!


Verdict (Pros & Cons)

+ Looks fantastic!

+ Ergonomic stock design with good adjustability 

+ Smooth match action as standard with added features like the 25 MOA rail and bolt knob

+ With SK Long Range its certainly accurate out of the box

- Comes with a 5-round magazine, would have been nice to have a 10 considering what market this rifle is aimed at

- The pull of the trigger is a little hard but can easily be changed and is adjustable

- The rifle is expensive, coming in at just over £1000 some may be looking to spend less

 

Verdict

So, in summary the new CZ Long Range Precision is what its name makes it out to be. It looks great and can deliver on the range too, if you are looking for an ultimate factory .22 LR to shoot from 25m to 200m then it is definitely worth considering. There are other, cheaper alternatives out there, but for the money you do get a lot of rifle!

View Rifle



16th November 2021

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