In my previous article on the CZ 457 Scout, I claimed that the Scout was the Perfect Plinker. I've probably used that term a little too loosely over the years but at the time, I think I was onto something. Since then, I've picked up a few more rifles such as the Chiappa LA322 and finished the build out of the Ruger 10/22. I still stand by my statement of the rifle being suppressed and manually operated. Until the LA322 build is complete, the CZ 457 Scout is probably the closest to the Perfect Plinker as I can get for now. I will say this, if you like bolt actions more than you like lever actions or semi-autos, I think the CZ 457 Scout is just for you. Let me show you some of the updates that I've made over the last 5 years.
The first big change from the September 2019 article is that I now have a .22 specific silencer to use on the 1/2x28 threads. The El Camino from Q is lightweight and user serviceable and seems good at it's job. I don't have any other .22 silencers or tools to meter and quantify my experience but so far, everything is going well. Its the only .22 suppressor I have so I gets used on many different guns. Someday, I'll own several more and will be able to dedicate a can to various rifles.
I also added a sling to the rifle as I think all long guns need a sling. Those two things by themselves are about as much as I really need but I did add one more leather product. A cartridge cuff. The leather cartridge cuff is an inexpensive unit that holds 16 rounds of .22 LR in loops. To accommodate the round count, the cuff is rather long and includes rubber shims or spacers. In this instance, I needed all 4 spacers as the short stock leaves too much play in the cuff. Ultimately, this does make the rifle fit me better but once children become apart of my life, I can take off the cuff as needed. We're a few years away before the first one reaches an appropriate age for this firearm.
Originally, I had intended to just use the original iron sights but due to an interesting situation, I was able to purchase an ADE pistol red dot from an Amazon bin store. I got the dot for $4. Additionally, I picked up a picatinny to dovetail adapter and an inexpensive mount and installed on the Scout. I zeroed for 25 yards to keep it simple and quiet using the CCI Standard Velocity.
I know that the red dot conflicts with the open sights part of the concept but when I found out the red dot was the RMSc footprint and not the Doctor/Noblex footprint, I found I wasn't going to be able to use it on anything else at the moment as all my mounts are the Doctor/Noblex pattern. So far, I haven't found a dedicated 11mm dovetail to RMSc mount to replace the current setup with. This works for now.
That rounds up all the changes I've made since the September 2019 article. All together, the rifle is still very lightweight and easy to carry. As a matter of fact, the rifle with everything is just under 6.5 pounds. What I love about it is that it isn't super long and is lots of fun to shoot. When I carry this rifle, it makes me want to put together a super lightweight hunting rifle like a Rossi R92.
Review
Over the last 5 years, I haven't found much that I am unhappy with regarding the CZ 457 Scout. In fact, I have zero complaints about this rifle. It's just simply a great rifle. I have not yet made use of the modularity of the rifle such as the easy to swap barrels or easy to replace stock. I've just been happy with it in both stock and accessorized versions.
The wood is of good quality and seems to have good fitment to the receiver. I might like a little texture on the wrist if that was an option. The iron sights are easy to use though a little chunky. They remind me more of pistol sights than rifle sights. The front sight tunnel is open on the top to let light in, which I appreciate. The chunky rear sight appears to be adjustable for windage but I haven't felt the need to correct them as it seems regulated well enough.
At first, when I got the rifle and found that it only had a single shot sled, instead of a magazine, I was a little annoyed. That said, I have found that when I'm plinking way, I don't always want to reload magazines and using the sled keeps things moving. It may be slow but that's fine for casual. If I want to hunt or crank out a few rounds, I can load the 5 or 10 round magazines I have for the rifle. One a side note, there is a very long 25 round magazine that would be fun to get ahold of. The magazines are all single stack so they tend to get long.
I have put a large but unknown number of rounds through this rifle and have had no issues. It's a bolt action so there isn't any ammunition related sensitivities that I need to worry about. The magazines feed just fine when I want to use them. The rifle has been setup for various situations before the current setup. At one point, I had a scope on it for my oldest niece to go squirrel hunting. That was short lived. The current setup just lends itself better to casual plinking a short range field use.
All in all, this rifle has turned out to be simply fantastic. The current setup is easy to understand and is very user friendly. With a good silencer and ammo, the rifle is quiet. If you are looking for a .22 LR rifle for light use or for training kids on, I would recommend considering one for your inventory.
