Militaries around the world have relied on rimfire training rifles for more than 100 years, and the reason is very clear—providing use of inexpensive and readily available ammunition at closer ranges to hone the shooting fundamentals of the rifleman sent to battlefields both near and far. As such, firearm companies have produced full-stocked, heavy-barrel rimfire rifles for the task, and this week we are featuring a modern trainer from CZ—the 455 Varmint Precision Trainer Camo Rifle. The model 455, an enhanced version of the company’s 452, is a magazine-fed, bolt-action rimfire rifle. The Varmint Precision Trainer Camo is also a switch-barrel design like its predecessor— aftermarket barrels are available from CZ with chambering options to include: .17 HMR, .22 Long Rifle and .22 WMR. This week’s feature rifle utilizes a cold-hammer-forged, 0.866”-thick barrel and a camouflage, Manners T4 carbon and fiberglass composite stock—and both the 24” and 16.5” barrel options are suppressor-ready. To learn more about the CZ 455 Varmint Precision Trainer Camo and to see it in action, check out our NRA Gun of the Week video.
Specifications:
Manufacturer: Česká Zbrojovka a.s. Uherský Brod
Importer: CZ-USA
Chambering: .22 Long Rifle
Action Type: bolt-action, rimfire repeating rifle
Receiver: cnc-machined steel, switch-barrel capable
Barrel: 16.5”, cold-hammer-forged steel; heavy-contour, threaded 1/2x28 TPI
Stock: Manners T4, composite
Trigger: single-stage, adjustable; 2-lb., 10-oz. pull
Magazine: five-round detachable box
Sights: none; integral 11 mm dovetail rail
Weight: 7 lbs., 10 ozs.
MSRP: $940
Additional Reading:
How NRA Trained America’s Snipers To Fight “Over There”
American Rifleman Guide: Precision Rifle Series
The Genesis Of Sniping, Part 6: Soviet Sniping, 1939-1945
Sniping From Below: Periscope Rifles in World War I
