Thread: CZ 455

Looking at ammo prices 100 rounds of 223 is about $200 for 100 give or take, and 17 is 270 for 500. I don't think that a 223 is right for me right now just due to ammo cost, i think ill just buy a CZ 455 22lr and a 17 barrel and do pest control on the farm. I feel like a .17 would tip a little piglet over in an instant with a heart/lung shot but correct me if i'm wrong. Thanks for the help/suggestions.

Originally Posted by MatiriHunter

Looking at ammo prices 100 rounds of 223 is about $200 for 100 give or take, and 17 is 270 for 500. I don't think that a 223 is right for me right now just due to ammo cost, i think ill just buy a CZ 455 22lr and a 17 barrel and do pest control on the farm. I feel like a .17 would tip a little piglet over in an instant with a heart/lung shot but correct me if i'm wrong. Thanks for the help/suggestions.

With a perfect shot, sure, however you need to keep in mind that with a .17 you are shooting an extremely light weight projectile, that is made to fragment in small lightly built animals (varmints) as opposed to penetrate deep into the vitals of an animal that is more solidly built.
This means there is a strong potential that the small little fragile .17 projectile will not penetrate deep enough into a comparatively large and tough animal (pig or goat). If the wind blows your little tiny projectile into the shoulder of a pig or a goat, the projectile will probably explode near the surface creating a shallow crater, no penetration into the vitals, and probably a less than clean kill or a lost/severely wounded animal.

Its possible, but it only allows a very small margin for error.
If you are sure you cant go any bigger than a rimfire, then a .22magnum would be MUCH more appropriate for the larger animals (pigs / goats). It'll shoot a projectile that is up to 3 times the weight of the .17, that wont explode on impact, and will have the necessary qualities needed to hit bone and still make it to the vitals.

Ill buy a 22 magnum barrel then if you think it could kill pigs and goats, sounds perfect.

Originally Posted by MatiriHunter

Looking at ammo prices 100 rounds of 223 is about $200 for 100 give or take, and 17 is 270 for 500. I don't think that a 223 is right for me right now just due to ammo cost, i think ill just buy a CZ 455 22lr and a 17 barrel and do pest control on the farm. I feel like a .17 would tip a little piglet over in an instant with a heart/lung shot but correct me if i'm wrong. Thanks for the help/suggestions.

Might suit, might not.

Originally Posted by Max Headroom

Attachment 141699

Might suit, might not.

It's so cheap it makes me nervous

Originally Posted by MatiriHunter

It's so cheap it makes me nervous

You could buy the hunting and fishing branded 223 ammo for $1 per round of it makes you feel better. Comes from the same place but different packaging.

Originally Posted by MatiriHunter

It's so cheap it makes me nervous

No need to be nervous. I bought 3,000 rounds in Wanganui last week for the farms where I shoot. More of this stuff gets used for pest control in NZ than all the other ammunition sold put together.

I use hand loads in my rifle, but I went out with my mate’s very battered Sako .223 last week and smashed goats with Belmont ammo, with very precise shots out to 300m without a hint of a problem. Sometimes we tend to overthink things I reckon!

I’ll be straight up about your choices.

It would be a lie to say that a .22LR is completely ineffective, it’s not. But a .22LR will only cleanly kill small to medium pigs and goats if you (a) head shoot them properly, (b) use the correct ammunition, (c) are stalking in really close.

The minute you make even the slightest fuck up, you’ve got a wounded animal running away very fast, and you stand next to no chance of doing anything about it with a rimfire, because they’re out of range in the blink of an eye. Mistakes with this rimfire round are measured by the half centimetre, like very small margins of error.

So is it a sensible choice? Not in a million years. .22LR is a small game / vermin round, end of story.

This past few weeks I’ve reminded myself that the .223 Remington is incredibly versatile. If I were you, I’d be getting a Howa mini action with the 1:8” twist barrel with a package deal scope, shoot cheap and deadly Belmont softpoints, and get out there and get into it. Your primary requirement is to practice shooting cans and so on at different ranges from different positions - learning your drops is the key.