Always one of the most popular Varmint models, the Pro Varmint has a heavy 16.5” barrel threaded 1/2×28 for use with a suppressor or other muzzle device. Riding in a black-painted laminate stock, it incorporates features found on much more expensive stocks without pushing the price of the rifle through the roof. The short barrel gives plenty of time for the cartridge to get a full burn while increasing the rigidity of the barrel, resulting in a rifle that drives tacks. Quietly.

If we were to pick one thing that CZ's previous rimfire platforms were lacking, it was an American-style push-to-fire safety — something Hunter’s Education instructors and 4-H shooting coaches have begged them to incorporate for years. Though that was the most obvious change, CZ also took the opportunity to tweak a load of small things at the same time. In addition to the receiver-mounted, push-to-fire safety, they chopped almost an inch of length from the action and slab-sided it to reduce its footprint and weight.

The stamped bottom metal of the 455 is gone, swapped for a classy two-piece interlocking system. To make scope fitment easier, CZ ditched the 90° bolt rotation in favor of 60°, allowing for larger ocular bell diameters with lower ring heights. To top it all off, the 457 now features a trigger adjustable for weight, creep and over-travel.