Range report: CZ-452 Special Military Trainer,,,

[aarondhgraham]

This Sunday the weather seemed perfect for some shooting,,,
Cloudy and overcast with hardly any breeze at all,,,
I decided to go shoot 100 rounds at 50 yards.

Since this rifle is going to be used in Rimfire Silhouette matches,,,
I decided to use the LRN military surplus Remington I have,,,
I bought 10,000 rounds of it a few years back,,,
I later acquired another 10,000 rounds,,,
That should last me for a long time.

I can't go to the range without forgetting something essential,,,
This time I forgot my target stand and spotting scope,,,
Left them sitting right beside the living room door.

I found some cardboard there and taped my paper silhouette targets to it,,,
So I'm shooting at 8 pig paper silhouette targets at 50 yards.

The CZ has an adjustable ramp rear sight that is marked at 25, 50, 75, 100, etc.
I set the ramp at fifty yards and slowly fired 5 shots from the bench,,,
I'm walking towards the target (no spotting scope) and see no holes,,,
"Dang!" I'm thinking,,, "I missed the cardboard."

Then as I got closer I saw that all five bullets were in the black pig.

WooHoo!

I almost quit shooting right there,,,
I was thinking it was time to retire the rifle forever.

I fired 95 more rounds downrange,,,
I had a few more 5 shot rounds like the first,,,
But most were 4 shot hits with one just outside the target.

I tried two ways of shooting with these iron sights,,,
With my glasses so the sights were sharp but a fuzzy target,,,
And without my glasses so the target was sharp but with fuzzy sights.

I think I did much better placing clear sights on a fuzzy target.

I was sitting on a bucket using an inexpensive MTM rifle rest,,,
You sharpshooters out there are probably chuckling at my shooting,,,
But this is the best I've shot with a rifle in several seasons of practice shooting.

Remember,,,
I'm 60 years old,,,
Half-blind and a bit shaky.

I think I've finally found a rifle that fits me,,,
Next time out I'll take my Silhouette Spinner targets,,,
I'll take a tape measure to set them out at the correct distances and score myself.

Boil it down to essence:

The 5 round magazine loads very easily,,,
The stock is the correct size for a 6' 2" adult male,,,
The sights are very solid and easy to draw a fine bead with,,,
The trigger has a teeny amount of creep but breaks light and cleanly,,,
The bolt seemed a bit stiff at first but after 100 rounds it got a bit smoother.

After a few years of trying a lot of .22's,,,
I think I've finally found the rimfire rifle I've been looking for,,,
All in all I am initially delighted with the feel and performance of this rifle

Aarond

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[kraigwy]

I'm not a bit surprised. When you posted that you ordered it I knew you would like it.

The CMP has a Master Instructor Course for not only Vintage Military Rifle shooting but it covers the Rimfire Sporter.

When I went to the course there were several people that were involved into the Rimfire Sporter or NRAs Light Rifle matches and coaching.

I inquired what would be the best light rifle for such programs, almost to the person, they recommended the CZ 452s.

I picked up a Military Trainer as son as I got home, and I too, have been pleasantly surprised.

I also found that you can set the rear sight on 25M, and use the front sight to sight it in at 25M, you can set the sight on 50, 75, 100 or what ever and its right on. Pretty dern good sights on the Military Trainer.

 

[aarondhgraham]

Hello kraigwy,,,

I did not notice that the front sight was adjustable,,,
I'll have to look at that when I get home.

I don't think my sight elevation is particularly off by any great amount,,,
But I do lay my sight picture at the bottom of a 2" circle,,,
Rather than at the center of it like some folk.

Also, there's the question of my personal accuracy level,,,
It's difficult at times to determine if an inaccuracy is me or the gun.

If my front sight is also adjustable like yours is,,,
I'll zero it in at 25 yards aiming at the bottom of a 1" circle.

Thanks for the tip.

BTW Kraig,,,
Did you ever get a set of these targets?

I'm finally going to be able to use these,,,
At the distances they were meant for.

Aarond

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[cw308]

I also have a 452 22lr it's a varment model, I'm 65 and feel the same way about my rifle. Cz makes very accurate rifles. Check out rimfirecentral sight,scroll down to CZ/bruno you will get alot of info and a great group of people to answer any questions. I found Wolf target match to be very accurate in my rifle. Enjoy the rifle and be safe Chris