THE BEST DEAL IN RIMFIRE
The CZ 457 lineup of bolt-action rimfire rifles has a dedicated cadre of fans. Spend anytime behind one on the match line or in the squirrel woods, and it’s easy to see why. For those in the know, CZ remains the unquestioned best value in rimfire shooting. Simply put: You just get more for your money with CZ. To fully understand why, it’s best to consider the history.
The earliest Czech firearms can be traced back to the 1370s, but like so much of modern European manufacturing, the most relevant threads spin out of Nazi Germany and the political fallout of World War II.
In October 1918, the Czech and Slovak people declared their independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire and established the new state of Czechoslovakia. The new government created the national›Ceskoslovenská Zbrojovka, or “Czechoslovakian Armory,” in the city of Brno.
After the Treaty of Versailles disarmed Germany, Ceskoslovenská Zbrojovka and Zbrojovka Brno, or the “Weapons Factory of Brno,” began production of Mauser and Mannlicher rifles. In the mid 1920s, a new factory in Brno brought automobile production lines under roof, as well as expanded bolt gun and machine gun production. In the 1930s, it diversified further with Remington-licensed typewriters and tractors.
In 1936, Adolf Hitler openly rejected the terms of Versailles with the remilitarization of western Germany along the French border. As the specter of war reemerged on the continent, Ceskoslovenská Zbrojovka opened a new weapons factory in Uherský Brod in eastern›Czechoslovakia—far
