CZ 457 scope mount & base selection guide

Installation of scope to CZ 457 rifle is not as simple as it may seem. If you want to avoid buying things that you dont need, make sure to check this guide. We explain in detail how to choose the right scope rings or scope mount for your CZ 457. You will not be able to make a mistake after reading!

CZ 457 scope mounting: definitions

It can be a very difficult task to get a proper mount to accomodate a scope for your CZ 457 rifle. The description of products is often misleading, unclear and for person not having too much experience, the scope mounting system can be extremely confusing. This article is here to make things easier. Lets get to it.

First lets define the terms related to scope mounting:

Scope rings or scope mount

Scope rings, or scope mount, is the device tha tholds the scope attached to the rifle. Further in the article we reffer to this device only as “scope mount” to keep things easier.

Scope mount can be made of two separate rings, or it can be designed as one connected device (such as photo below of tactical scope mount from Spuhr).

When the mount is connected into one device, it still has two rings on the ends of the mount holding the scope, only the rings are fixed together (as the photo bellow shows).

Scope base

The surface to which the scope mount is connected. Scope base is used as an interface that connects the scope mount to the rifle.

Most often you will see two types of scope bases

dovetail scope base, and
picatinny / weaver scope base.

Dovetail scope base

Unless your rifle came from factory with picatinny rail, your rifle is by default equipped with dovetail scope base. That however does not mean that you have to use scope mounts with attachment to dovetail scope base. You can, but you dont have to. We will further explain below.

If you want to use the dovetail scope base for installation of scope mount, there are few options to serve your needs.

CZ 457 Synthetic with scope — CZ 457 Synthetic with dovetail base scope base

CZ 457 uses 11mm dovetail with 60 degree angle. Therefore you will need to look for scope mount that have this 11mm dovetail mounting. Above is CZ 457 Synthetic equipped with such mount for dovetail scope base.

*Most scope mounts use picatinny / weaver scope base for mounting, so be extremely careful to choose the right mount.*

Picatinny / weaver scope base

In case you bought CZ 457 rifle with picatinny / weaver rail right from the factory, you can only go for mounts with picatinny / weaver mounting. Picatinny and weaver are two slightly different mounting mechanisms. Although you can not mount picatinny mounts to weaver base, you can do it vice versa. I.e. you can mount weaver accessories to picatinny base. Thus from here on further in this article we will only reffer to this base type as picatinny.

CZ 457 Picatinny rail for right handed shooters — CZ 457 Picatinny Rail

If your CZ 457 does not have picatinny rail, you can still install one to the rifle as the picatinny rails are available as an aftermarket upgrade. The picatinny rails get mounted to the dovetail base and creates by that picatinny base. In other words, picatinny rail will turn dovetail base into picatinny base.

*CZ 457 uses different picatinny rail for its left handed models – as described in more detail here.*

CZ 457 scope base selection

At this point you know you can turn dovetail scope base into picatinny scope base. How? By installing picatinny rail to your CZ 457 dovetail base.

The question that remains to be answered is for which base to go – dovetail scope base or picatinny scope base?

Because different mounts can be installed to dovetail base, and different mounts can be installed to picatinny base, the answer is forwarded to the actual scope mount selection in the section below.

CZ 457 scope mount selection

Which mount to select depends on the main usage of the rifle because there is not universal mount that will be great for all. What will be amazing for hunting will be not good for precision shooting. And vice versa.