When looking at centerfire rifles this past summer, I looked at Kimber. The bolt was not as closely fitted as in a CZ and others like Sako, Winchester, Browning. Some people seem to have warranty issues with them. Kimber is good about the warranty and seems to put things straight when there is a problem, but I think they charge too much for problems to be anything but the rarest of issues.
This apparent drop in quality would probably carry over to the rimfires. These days, it is more likely a manufacturer will drop quality instead of raising prices, especially in a high labor cost market like the USA. The drop in CZ price is probably due to a Euro vs. Dollar fluctuation. If so, you need to buy before the situation reverses.
I compared CZ to Anschutz, and CZ is actually stronger built. The CZ 452 has been a military training rifle for decades, and it was designed for very heavy daily use in primary rifle training. If you get a deluxe wood stock or a composite stock on a CZ 452, 453 or 455, it will at least be the equal of Kimber. I know a salesman who owns both, and his CZ rifles slightly outshoot his Kimber and Cooper by a tiny amount. He says it's not noticeable in the field, but is from a benchrest at the rifle range.
A lot of CZ production goes to government agencies, and they are the largest small arms manufacturer in Europe, if not the entire world. That translates to economy of scale. Government agencies look at quality for cost and have usually done extensive testing before making a large purchase. Until that changes, it is reasonable to assume a CZ will deliver bang for the buck like few others can do. The other rifle I liked was the Winchester Model 70 made by FN. It is also made by a large government contractor on ultra modern robotic CNC tooling in the USA. Nobody doing hand labor can make a better rifle at a lower cost. The precision and slickness of the bolt reminds you of a Sako, and it is far above a Tikka. I would definitely buy one instead of a pre'64 at a jacked up price that is actually less precise.
Maybe Winchester will start making bolt rimfires again when Model 70 production catches up, and maybe FN will manufacture it for them in a similar way they make the Model 70. Until then, the CZ 452, 453, 455 seems to be alone in a custom accurate rimfire at a mid level price.
You can't make a rimfire in North America, and even less so in Germany or Finland (high tax socialism), that will be as good as a CZ and sell for the same price. CZ is a huge company, that builds much more than rifles, being a major supplier of automotive and aviation gearing. Their buying power and financial situation means a smaller firearms-only maker like Kimber hasn't got a chance unless they charge substantially more for their product. Business Sense 101.
Fischer, the world's largest privately held company of cross country ski manufacturing and winner of more competition medals than all other companies combined, has not been able to survive just by building their world class skis. They are a major supplier of composite components to the aviation and automotive industry in a similar fashion to CZ's business model......where the real money and technology advancements are produced. They also manufacture skis in eastern Europe where prices are lower than in Austria. You just can't get the best bang for the buck from a sporting-firearms-only manufacturer. In fact, the sporting end of it needs to be more of a sideline as it is less reliable in demand. Consider Ducati, the fabulous sport motorcycle manufacturer, who is owned by somebody else, Piaggio I think. Piaggio is the world's largest maker of scooters which are necessary utility vehicles, and they outsell sportbikes by far, and that is where the real money is at. If Piaggio didn't own them, Ducati would have to charge far more, and they would sell far less and probably would not be around today.
Maybe that is why we do not see Remington and Winchester bolt rimfires anymore. They simply can't be made at a price that will compete against the likes of CZ due to the business model the companies have pursued.
