I finally couldn't stand just looking and ordered a CZ 457 American in 22lr. I've heard a lot of great things about the 457 and decided I needed to find out for myself. I've already ordered some parts to help the rifle out. Different trigger spring, although I have Wolf spring kits I normally use for triggers, an extra used trigger to play with, a steel cocking indicator, and some upgraded screws. I'm sure I'll replace the plastic pillars with aluminum ones we use in the shop, and of course a bedding job.
Next will be a Varmint stock unless I can find a 17HM2 sporter barrel.
So, who to blame for this addiction. Not me of course. bsa?, Penndog? Drover? and a host of others.

You will love your new play toy.

I was afraid of that. LOL

Just broke in a 457 MTR. Now makes tiny ragged holes at 50 yards.

Best accuracy you can buy for the money.

I like hearing that.
Thinking about buying a 17 cal. blank from Green Mountain and contouring to match the factory CZ sporter barrel. It would be one way of getting a sporter 17HM2 barrel.

Why not just buy a CZ 452 in 17HM2? Mine is very accurate, especially with the Eley 'holy grail' ammo...

K22: When I heard about the CZ 457 and it's "corrected" safety lever system - I knew I had to have one!
Mine is a heavy barrel model in 22 Magnum and I am happy as pie with it.
Its accurate, functions flawlessly, trigger is excellent and the stock is not only pleasing to look at it works well afield off of all types of improvised rests.
I hope you will be as happy with your CZ 457 as I am with mine.
Keep up the good work CZ.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Bwahahahahaha. I was happy to see this thread. Cant wait to hear how she does for you. Did you get the heavy barrel, or the sporter? Either way, I think you will have a great rifle. I've been wanting to go this route for a while, but never could do it. Started to read about bolt shims, barrel shims, this and that. I should probably just buy one because I like to tinker. I know you will give us an honest report on this one. Keep us posted buddy!!!

Thanks VarmintGuy. This is going to be fun.

I thought I could resist but I'm to weak. LOL
No, no heavy barrel for me. I find it more fun to get a sporter weight to shoot right along with a heavy barrel. I was shocked that no one offers a sporter weight in 17HM2, so I'll have to make one. Geesh! I would like to return one of my Sako's that's running a 17HM2 barrel back to a 22lr. so I'll be turning the CZ into a 17HM2 at some point, well, at least that's the plan.


MT DD FAN,
Those 452's do shoot very good but man, they have 3 strikes against them in my book. A 90degree bolt throw, a safety that goes the wrong way, and a trigger that looks very similar to the chinese SKS trigger.
I had one in 22mag. several years ago. Changed the trigger to a Timney, pillar bedded the action and a couple of other small improvements, all before I shot it. What a stupid mistake that was on my part. It wouldn't feed. Tried different magazines.....nada, adjusted the mag. follower, nada, so off to CZ it went. Now the 2 main reasons I bought it was 1. I needed a 22mag for Coyote to fill in for my 164M Anschutz and 2. the stock was a beautiful tiger stripe.
Got the rifle back from CZ and the first thing I noticed was it looked like they dragged the stock across a cement floor, plus they ramped the back of the barrel to get it feed. It's a rimfire. Hell I could have ramped it with a dremel myself. Anyway, they would not take care of the stock nor replace the barrel. I traded it even up for an old Browning A Bolt 22 mag. that was rusted from one end to the other and the stock was scratched up. Swore off of CZ's from that point on.

Here's a picture of it before I even shot it. LOL

If your CZ shoots really good, you could always sell your 541 to me. ha ha..

K22: That WAS a lovely stock on your old 452!
To bad it went haywire.
I have relayed this before on this site.
My good friend and Gopher Hunting buddy Don Griffis (who sadly passed on last week at age 85) owns/owned a CZ 452 heavy barrel Rifle in caliber 17 Mach2.
It has a Leupold 6x18 variable scope on it. Anyway he and I were out to our local range one spring day sighting in (double checking) our Gopher Rifles.
Using the above mentioned "Eley" 17 Mach2 ammunition I saw Don shoot a 5 shot group at 100 yards (in dead calm air) that measured just a "hair" over .250"!
We were both super impressed with that accuracy by the CZ 452.
Don't give up on the quest for a CZ in 17 Mach2.
Man the woods look "thick" down there in western North Carolina! Never been to either of the Carolinas myself - hope to someday.
Again best to you and the CZ 457.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

There's a new CZ 457 at our house this holiday season too - a simple walnut stocked Varmint 22LR with a Nikon Tactical scope.

Was waiting to up grade the trigger spring, possibly a new heavier stock, some monster 5-25 56mm scope some day down the road when someone offered up a like new CZ 457 LRP stock with extras thrown in for a very good price.

So now my .22 457 20" heavy barrel rests in an even heavier LRP (long range precision) stock and I wait for this snow storm to pass so I can get top the gun range.

I am seriously considering getting a 457 American sporter in 22 LR, a local farm store has a new one priced at $600 and have 10% off sale going on.

I have looked at the 457's numerous times and two things have kept me from buying one yet -
#1 is the horrible mud colored finish on the stock and #2 is that I can't believe that it will group as good as my Tikka T1x MTR. I also am not a fan of the nearly 25" barrel.
But, I keep telling myself that it would give me a project for the winter. I am going to take another look at it on Monday, maybe by then I can convince myself that those things are not really important.

drover

For a .22LR, most loads begin to slow down after 20" and some at 16". That's one of the reasons why all of my .22s wear a 16" barrel and all but one are heavy/bull/target barrels.

……can’t blame me I only have a Premium, Jaguar and AT-ONE 😁. K22 you’re going to be happy in your decision - what’s not to like about a rifle that puts them all in the same hole!! Can’t wait to hear your range report!!

PennDog

Oh, but it's not checkered yet and some rounds are hard to extract because of that tight D52 chamber. I would feel like I cheated you and that would make me feel soooooo bad.

Thick? You got that right.
If I want to shoot more than 100yds. I'd have to set up on Main st. or go down to the airport.

What! You have 3 of them Penndog? Lucky you.

I looked at the Premium and the Jaguar. I'm a sucker for those European style stocks ever since buying an Anschutz 164M.

drover,
You should really take a hard look at them. The longer barrel may create velocity loss, but sure would make a round quieter and the subsonics quieter even more. What's not to like about that.

Ha ha... Post pics of the 541 after checkering. You are right though, I am used to those loose Savage chambers. ha ha..

K22 - I’d love to have a conversation with you regarding your approach to getting a 17HM2 barrel for your 457 American.

The HM2 is my favorite rimfire and while I enjoy each of my 452s it is chambered in, I think getting a 457 in the chambering would be an awesome addition to the squirrel rifle lineup. Especially when CZ releases the 457 American with the maple stock!

One benefit we’ve seen at our local matches to the longer barrels is more consistent velocity. The longer barrels may be slightly slower but the speed is more consistent and they tend to be more forgiving on ammo.

The velocity loss isn't a concern for me but handling is. I go through a few thousand rounds of 22 LR in the spring and summer shooting gophers (ground squirrels). most of it is done from the drivers seat of my pickup. The Tikka T1x with a 20" barrel is so easy handling from that position that it has spoiled me. On the other hand with the 25" barrel I wouldn't need to constantly have the awareness of the barrels proximity to the outside mirror. Most gopher shooters that shoot from the cab have had a "Whoops: moment.

drover

Someone in another thread mentioned how the longer barrel of the American adds balance to the short receiver and they weren't wrong. It's really a good feeling rifle when shouldered, not nearly as muzzle heavy as their Varmint model and the pistol grip is more hand filling. This might be a bit heretical but it feels better to me than my old Kimber of OR Model 82.

Mine isn't as accurate across multiple brands of ammo as a 20" Tikka T1x but with the stuff it likes it shoots right along with it. The Tikka will shoot most brands a tenth or two better but with the ammo it liked - Federal Automatch of all things - the American actually shaded the best group of the T1x by a few hundredths. It's not a bench rest competitor but isn't meant to be, and we're still talking 10 shots at 50 yards around a half inch for most ammo, .3's or .4's with the favorites.

The only thing I changed on mine was putting in a lighter trigger return spring but the easy change barrel offers all sorts of opportunities in that area.

We should start a thread just for this 17HM2 barrel conversation.

There's been a time or two when I almost took out my side mirror trying to get on a Coyote. LOL

Thats an interesting thought.

drover

Practically every truck I have owned has ended up with a nick or two on the edge of the mirror housing. Thank goodness I have never broken a mirror yet.
excitement of the hunt you know

Hint of the day - just a dab of black silicone blends them right in and not noticable unless you look carefully

drover

I will remember that.

Lilja makes a 17hm2 drop in barrel. Isn't cheap, but the folks on rimfirecental say that it fills out the barrel channel on the american quite nicely.

I'm a huge Lilja fan, I have several of their barrels, but wow, they want both my arms and legs plus to buy one. I think I can make my own cheaper and accuracy should be on par with Lilja. We will see.

I tire of seeing guys on youtube that brag about how accurate their CZ457's are, then later you find out they have rebarreled their rifles with a Lilja. I know I've said it before, but it's irritating. Both pursuit of accuracy, and Dan from rimfireSS tout their lilja barreled rifles. I'd just as soon shoot my factory barreled Savage MK2, if you have to pay as much for the barrel as you did the rifle. Just doesn't make any sense to me. I'm hoping your rifle shoots lights out, without having to go through that insanity..

Outfit named acculite22 has drop in 17hm2 barrels also, considerably cheaper than lilja, but have no idea as to quality

Those barrels used to called Whistle Pig and had a good reputation with the 10-22 guys. They might be drop in but they are .920 and the CZ sporter barrel isn't that large.

Well, no 457 for me. I took a look at the one at the farm store and the buttstock had so many dings on it that I did not even consider it. Some of them had been hard enough that they were through the mud color stain and was showing the unstained wood underneath. I thought of making a lesser offer on it but I don't really taking on a new rifle as a project refinish.
What really bothered me was that as the salesman was putting it back in the rack he managed to hit the buttstock on the barrels of two other rifles and likely put another couple of dings in it.

drover

Other than the mud color stock and the dings, what was your impression of the action?

It's hard to define my impression of it I have mixed feelings.

Bolt operatioin wasn't quite as smooth as my T1x but the bolt lift was slightly easier. The bolt cycle length seemed to be about the same. The slab sided look of the rear of the action isn't aesthetically pleasing to me but that is just a personal thing. Safety operation was smooth and positive.

The thing that surprised me most about it was that even with the near 25" barrel it felt lighter than the Tikka T1x even though the factory specs show the weights as near identical.

If it hadn't been so dinged up it would have come home with me, if nothing else just as an experiment to see how well it shot and handled in the real world.

drover

Thanks for your review input drover. I have yet to see one in real life and mine won't show up until today sometime if the weather doesn't get to bad.
This should be a fun project. I'll first put it thru the paces as a 22lr and see if all the hoopla about CZ accuracy is true. Then I'll start building a 17HM2 barrel for it unless aftermarket barrels come down in price which I don't see happening. I'm shocked to hear that CZ used plastic pillars............why? Why not use aluminum pillars?! Those will get changed.
All in all I think it will be a fun project.

On a side note, the 17 Aguila 20gr. arrived and I'm looking forward to seeing if my Sako likes them.

The first ones I saw when they came out were, as you say, muddy-looking, too dark, and unevenly finished. I went with an MTR, purchased online from a dealer who posted numerous clear photos of it from multiple angles, so I knew exactly what I was buying. Later, I converted it to a Premium with take-off parts I found on GB, and sold the MTR fittings locally. The MTR, Premium, and Royal have oil-finished stocks that are much nicer, if the style doesn’t put you off. I’m very pleased with my switcheroo. The stock has a grip swell, decent Turkish walnut you can actually see, and the silly logo they insist on stamping into the stock is located inside the checkering panel, so less noticeable and objectionable. Shoots very well too.

Be aware that ones with irons may require the removal of the rear sight ladder for mounting most scopes. I had a tiny Burris 6xAO that fits perfectly.

Very nice looking setup Pappy. And how I love those Burris Mini 6X AO's. I should have bought more of them when they first came out.
Do you have a photo of the whole rifle?

Got a 457 a couple years back. Shoots well with proper ammo, but it did need a little trigger tuning.

What procedure did you use to tune the trigger.

I worded that wrong. I was curious if he used the factory trigger weight spring or a lighter one. And last, what pull weight does the trigger break at.

The weight adjustment screw did not have sufficient effects, so employed a Dremel grinder repeatedly shaving a little (very technical term) off the stock spring. I think it was 6 rounds of grinding and reassembly finally getting it right at 1.5 lbs (Chatillon DFX2 Series Force Gauge). This sustains the flats on each end of one's spring as opposed to clipping curls.

I've grown extremely fond of light triggers as I've aged with a couple two-stagers (Anschutz) down in the ounce range and several other rifles with set triggers. Such are extremely nice in our Belding Ground Squirrel fields, but one should sternly warn others before handing a unit over.

I advise others to very gently approach them from the side as opposed to blindly initializing one's pull from the front.

Had it out last night. I’ve found one way to temper my lust for something new is to fondle something I already have (and like!) a bit until the urge goes away.

BTW, though the trigger isn’t super light, maybe 2.5 lbs, it’s really crisp with perhaps the least after-travel of any I have.

Thanks for the write up 1minute, that was what I was wondering. Seems like a lot of factory triggers that are advertised adjustable won't make much difference when adjusted. Generally it takes modifying the adjustment spring or replacing it.

Wow Pappy, that is outstanding.
My first 22mag. I bought for Fox hunting way back when, was a Savage Anschutz 164M. My love affair with that rifle continues to this day. The stock on it looks very similar to the stock on Pappy's and is my favorite stock design. Thanks for posting that Pappy.

Do you fellas in the US & Canada get the 457 Beech Wood? maybe just an Aussie & N.Z. offering I have one in 22 magnum and its a fine little rifle 20" threaded barrel very traditional stock design, I think they were about $100.00 cheaper than the American . Here is a link at Winchester Australia you can get a look at it

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwjbyMnzi-aDAxWfXGwGHbwPD4UQFnoECB0QAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.winchesteraustralia.com.au%2Fproducts%2FCZ45722BW&usg=AOvVaw0EO9PIv1oZEupBWGlFbbGK&opi=89978449

well link didn't work, sorry

Johno

Yes to your question Johno. There are 2 offerings that I know of.......
https://grabagun.com/firearms/rifle...jaguar-beechwood-22-lr-28-6-5-round.html


https://grabagun.com/firearms/rifles/bolt-action-rifles/cz-457-scout-22lr-bl-wd-5rd-tb.html

The beechwood paints up just fine.....

That is a sweet setup Don and yes, you are right that the beechwood paints up just fine.

Picked mine up today and you are right about the mud colored finish. Appears Dad's and I will be spending some time together soon.

K22, can you post some pics of your rifle, please? The ones I saw, and almost bought, were very nice rifles. The finish was pretty nice. Damn near as nice as my 52 sporter. Thanks..

Yes I can. Mine would certainly not fit into the catagory of "finish was pretty nice". It is somewhat hard to see the wood grain for all the varnish stain. And I agree with 1minute on the trigger. From the factory mine broke at 4.25lbs. Take up was not bad, overtravel will need attention. After adjusting the pull weight screw all the way out with only 2 threads holding it in, the trigger broke at 3.5lbs. The trigger will require spring changes, that is for sure.
The stock feels very nice, so that is a big plus, the bluing is nicely done. The bolt is a bit gritty in the action, but no more than say the Ruger American is. Thankfully the safety operates correctly, LOL, and the bolt throw doesn't end up on the other side of the action. Overall I like it.
The plastic pillars had to be a bean counter idea. Why even bother to put in pillars especially if you are not going to add bedding. In opinion, pillars do not necessarily add to the accuracy of a rifle if that is what mainly supports the action. And plastic pillars do and will crush if action screws are torqued down in the plus 35 in.lb. settings. When I reassembled the 457 it was quite noticeable that the action was not sitting on the wood but mainly on the pillars. I had to use a .25 shim on both sides of the barrel to keep it straight in the forearm. Not a biggy, but would not be a necessary step if bedding compound had been used. So I'll drill out the plastic pillars and install aluminum ones then bed the action, something I would normally do to any rifle. Exceptions to that were with my Kimber K22's, Mauser 201, and KDF K22.
Now to find out if this rifle will feed and shoot.

Looking forward to your range report….FWIW I have done nothing to the 457s that I have and they all shoot extremely well. The only thing I have to do when I get the time is adjust the triggers some - they are serviceable but I like my off-hand rifles around 2lbs. The bedding hasn’t been messed with and I don’t really see the need - at this point? Anyway get some pictures of that rifle and the targets😁!! Hope she shoots like she should for you!!

BTW I was at a gun shop (very small one - Riethmillers Firearms) in western PA yesterday that had a huge display of ALL things CZ457. Had many models I wasn’t even aware of. My friend that was along ended up buying a laminate thumbhole target version with a brake…..held really nice!

Penndog

Geez Penndog, you sound like my boss. He said about the same thing when I told him my plans. In my defense, the corrections I listed are the very ones he would have done if the rifle was his. LOL After all, his business is high end custom rifle stocks. And now he/we build complete rifles doing all the machining in house.
He just finished setting up a CZ457 American in 22 mag. for a customer that shot groups at 50yds. I couldn't even imagine were possible. He used nine different types of 22mag. ammo and shot 5rd. groups. of which the largest was .450, most were in the .25 area. Guess I should add that he is a very good shooter, even won the 1000yd. shoots twice at Thunder Ranch. The other competitors were teased by Clint Smith because my boss used a factory Rem. SPS heavy barrel in 308 with factory Federal Gold Match ammo, but in a walnut stock we made. All the others competing were using synthetic chassis model stocks and custom barreled actions. It was the first time he had ever competed in 1000yds. shoot. LOL

I think I like your boss K22😄! All the things you did are “good” things to do - I’m usually just too lazy to do them! Then when I go out and shoot it and it shoots little bitty groups I don’t usually take the time to do them - the trigger is the lone exception - I don’t like a “heavy” trigger with ANY movement.

The biggest thing I’ve seen (and even more so when BSA set up his informal match a couple of years ago) is the ammunition - which most of us know - but I never really realized until I startled shooting 20 shots at wee little targets. The lots within good ammunition varied much more drastically than I ever imagined all those years shooting off-hand and at squirrels where if I got a good 5-shot group where I intended I was extremely happy.

I’m hoping that CZ of yours shoots like it should!! (When do you think you’ll get a chance to shoot it?)

PennDog

Excellent info. That sounds like something I'd glass bed, just to stabilize the action in the stock. Sounds like it really needs it.

Finally got around to getting some photo's of the mud rifle.

Figures you would like my boss's comments. Geesh!
Not sure when I will get out to shoot it, we keep running in the teens and that is very usual for here. Generally hit 40's during the day. It's not that I would be to cold to shoot, but who knows if the bullet wouldn't freeze in mid air before it hit the target.
And speaking of bullets, has anyone tried the new Remington Subsonic 40gr. coated load? Is Remington making that one or contracting it out?

Looks like there could be some figure underneath all that stain. A friend of mine picked one up and refinished it - it was spectacular under all that stain - not sure why a manufacturer would do that - it’s one thing if you have straight trained beech/birch or some other type of plain wood and your trying to hide it - but it seems as though some of these CZ stocks are pretty nice?!!

PennDog

And as you can see, they didn't get the pores of the wood filled in like they should be.
In bright light you can see some figure in the grain beneath that stain.

Now I see what you mean by muddy looking. Now I'm kicking myself in the azz, for not buying the ones I saw locally...

Your talking about a lot of work to make that stock look like wood.

The odd thing about it is that on the 452/455 models they used a nice finish that let the wood grain show, why they went to the mud finish on the 457 is beyond me. The only reason that I can come up with is that they are saving manhours by not filling pores ands hoping that the mud finish will make it less noticable.

I have looked at six 457 American models and they all exhibited the same finish as yours - it's too bad that they are cutting corners on the stock finish.

drover

If I find a Premium stock before start unmuddying this one, I won't even bother making this one look normal.

Today I braved the weather just to see how well this rifle would shoot. It was 22 degrees. Not normal temp. for this area, oh and that was the high for today. I only took out two loads. RWS Subsonics, my favorite, and Sellier and Bellot subsonic. I use the Sellier's to get on paper normally when setting up a scope because I never have much luck with it shooting small groups. First thing I noticed is cold fingers don't work so well inserting the magazine and the mag. is not very forgiving like the Sako or Kimbers are. Then that trigger I will definitely have to work on it ........a lot. It was so spongy and 3.5 - 3.25lbs. is way to heavy for me.
Now for the main event, accuracy........Nada. Could have been the weather, the trigger, or me, but my oh my this one has a long way to go. Feeding and ejecting were flawless so that is a plus.
I was shooting at 50yds. and only snapped a photo of the groups, so no writing on the paper. The left group was the Sellier and Bellot and the 2 groups right of it was the RWS. I shot 5 shot groups.

Probably a combination of everything going on there. Now you have a baseline. It can only get better from here on out. A little trigger work, a little bedding, warmer weather and finding some ammo it likes, and you'll get it dialed in.

I was at a longrange shoot today, that is east of me, and I stopped by a store there. They had a 22 magnum for $579.00, but the stock looked just like yours. Next time I head west and go to some of my favorite fun shops, I'm going to be looking for the ones I saw a while back. I might snag one of them, if they are still there.

Yep a lot going on and pressing didn’t help either. Also for what’s it’s worth I took a Remington 40X sporter to the range for the first time and my first several groups looked like these ones - I was thinking I spent what for THIS rifle - then after about 20-30 shots it started putting them in the same hole😎…..since then I’ve had this same thing happen with many a “new” rifle……this rifle will shoot for you!

PennDog

p.s. forgot to mention the “settling in” seems to be a longer process in colder temps - assuming the lube is an issue when very cold?

It better or it'll become kindlin'.

Hang in there - I haven’t had one or seen one that many friends have that didn’t shoot like you’d expect👍

PennDog

…….or maybe I can get a deal on CZ with a broken stock🤔

I wonder how many guys have seen issues with accuracy due to the lube not working properly when it is very cold outside? I was shooting the other day, in 20 degree temps and was getting some weird results with a new rifle and TAC22. It seemed to slow the velocity down too because I could see the bullet in flight. Almost like a slow BB gun.

There's always that possibility. I should have shot the Rem. to see, it would have told me.

That's pathetic, I've never had a 22lr that shot that bad. But I've always used copper plated ammo of some sort trying to smooth the rifling out. Hopefully you get that gun figured out.

No, not cutting corners at all. Pore filling is a non-issue also. They are using cheaper wood because it is very light, non-uniform in color, probably has sapwood, and does not make the grade. It often has lots of figure but that is actually a defect in that grade.

The mud is simply paint to make them all look the same. Just like the red in old model 70s.

Fairly easy to improve a lot. Formby's Furniture Refinisher used with a heavy hand and lots of rags to get rid of the mud will show you what you have pretty quickly. Repeat until it looks good enough for your taste.

Let it cure after rubbing the finish off. Add some spar varnish and cut it with pure, quality oil. Apply heavily, wait 15 minutes and rub dry. In a few coats it will look good.

Most 22lr "plated" ammo is actually copper washed.
When I decided to buy a CZ my intentions were to find out just how accurate they were and to make a few minor adjustments to wring out the best accuracy it had. Never anticipated a full blown project gun. At the moment it looks to be one of those "throw everything away but the action" project.
Never was much of a fan of CZ and this one isn't winning me over either. Time will tell.
Later this afternoon it is to be around 39 degrees so I may give it another try. If the results are the same then I'll shoot one of my proven rifles and see if it really is the temp.

Certainly sounds worth trying. I was told Simple Green and water works also.

Check the torque on the barrel screws, assuming you already checked the standard list of action screws, scope mounts etc.

Then consider testing it when the weather is better.

Not a 457 American, but instead the Varmint model with a heavy 20.5" barrel.

In 2019 was assigned a review article on the then-new 457 by a magazine, and would have requested one from CZ but noticed this one for sale on the Campfire Classifieds. Bought it and mounted the only semi-appropriate scope that wasn't already on a rifle. The conditions weren't ideal except for just about perfect calm, since it was the 19th of February and I had to wade through nearly knee-deep snow to the shooting bench. The groups were fired at 50 yards with three different kinds of ammo, both hunting and target. The flier in the middle group was no doubt my fault.

Wasn't crazy about the trigger even after adjusting it to the minimum, so gave it the same sort of treatment described in 1minute's post, which got it down to a hair over 2 pounds. Sold a couple of my other .22s and started using this one instead. The short barrel makes it very handy for ground squirrel shooting from a pickup, and so far I haven't dinged a rearview mirror, as drover described (but did note his "fix," just in case). It shoots even better now that the bore's slicker. Oh, and it has a different scope....

K22 - I didn’t ask and I didn’t see in your original post how many shots were fired before you shot those groups? Did you go right to group shooting when you switched from S&B to RWS? Like I mentioned a new bore typically takes 20-30 shots for the best accuracy to show and typically 10-20 between types of ammo (including different lots). This is assuming that no other typical issues were the culprit (besides some of the common ones mentioned and I know you know what was the wind like). Don’t be to discouraged - it will shoot for you and I haven’t met too many .22s that weren’t a project of some sort!

Keep the faith!,

PennDog

Wrong application for Simple Green... soap is usual corrosive and any left can do bad things to wood, structurally. Also, Formby's is nothing but gentle solvents (not harsh like full strength acetone, etc.) that slow the stripping down.

Those groups are disappointing for sure. I had shot a couple of 457 American in 22 LR before, both were unmodified except for trigger work, and the groups from them was what piqued my interest in getting one. In both cases the groups were more like the groups that M.D. posted, not benchrest great but certainly good groups for a sporter/hunting rifle.

I already have Tikka T1x 22 LR that groups better than any thing in this price range should, and I still have a 452 American 22 LR that has a decent piece of wood with a good finish and it groups almost as well as the Tikka.

Unless I run across one with exceptional wood I doubt that I will be buying one - between the poor stock finsh and your poor results with this one I am pretty well turned off. The idea of a project rifle is less appealing to me.

I had noticed but forgotten about the magazine having to be pretty much perfectly centered so that it fits into the rather narrow floorplate - not a biggie but something that could have been improved on for sure.

I know that you will have warmer temps in NC long before I do here in Idaho but here is a little hint from a cold weather 22 shooter -
keep your ammo box in an inside pocket when shooting in cold temps, even keeping them in a pants pocket is helpful. I have never been able to get as good groups from cold ammo as I have from warm ammo.

drover

I've heard that switching ammo requires several rounds to settle the barrel back in, but I rarely do that. I've noticed that it makes a difference but not as much as some claim, leastwise not in mine. Then again, none of mine are target rifles.

Whoa! That is info I needed to hear. Thanks Sitka deer.

I went out today again since it was a balmy 39 and used a new metal magazine to make sure it fed ok which it did. It seemed to insert much easier than the plastic one. I'm posting todays results below which were much better.

Thanks for posting that Mule Deer. And nice looking CZ. Stock looks much better than mine does.

Yep each rifle is different and sometimes it makes a big difference - other times not so much. Just trying to give possibilities to explain what you’re seeing. Hopefully another range session will give you some more information!

PennDog

Braved the weather again today as it was a balmy 39 out, a whole 17degrees warmer.
Made no adjustments to rifle, same horrible trigger, same ugly stock. A better scope would help these aging eyes, but I have 2 in mind to put on it when I've got it where it should be..........of course by then it will be a 17HM2.:love:
So it appears weather might have had a bit of effect on it even though I don't think it should have had that much, but what do I know.
Had several of my favorites on hand along with a metal magazine I wanted to make sure would work properly in it. As it was, the metal mag. was easier to insert than the plastic one. Who knew. o_O
It appears by the grouping I now have something to work with. Ya!

That looks better!!

PennDog

Now I have something to work with and not a "throw everything away but the action" and start over.

OK! Thought it might be of interest to some.

Owned a CZ 455 heavy-barrel at the time, which grouped well but not like the 457. So the 455 was one of the .22s I sold after getting the 457.

Might also mention that because the heavy barrel is relatively short, the rifle only weighs 7 pounds 13 ounces with its present scope, a 3-9x Burris E1. Also own a CZ 452 Sporter .17 HMR, and it weighs just about exactly the same with a similar-weight scope. The 457 does hold a little steadier when "hunting" ground squirrels....

Great - I am glad to see the better groups. Those are in line with the accuacy of the couple of 457 Sporters that I had shot.

The RWS and SK both show a lot of promise.

congrats.

drover

Thanks drover.
I'm starting to get happier with it. From a 25" barrel in the cold the subsonic ammo is really quiet and probably isn't making it much above 1000' per second. The PMC Moderators were really quiet. If they made it above 800' per second I'd be surprised. I wish they still made the Moderators. I know they claim Aguila subsonics are the same as the old Moderators but I never found that to be true.

👍

Looks much better!! Glad to see it is shooting some ammo well. The first groups were a little concerning, but I've seen some 22lr's that just did not shoot some stuff well at all. Of course, this is why we test all kinds of ammo, to find what they like. This rifle will probably continue to shoot better and better, the more rounds through the bore too. Thanks K22, for starting this thread. Earlier, I was in a couple gunshops and saw some older CZ's. Now, I'm kicking myself in the azz for not buying the little iron sight trainer rifle (CZ455), that I saw here locally for $360.00, or the other Brno model 2, for about the same price!!! The CZ's I saw today were $700-$800.00!!

You should have bought a 457 when you first seen them bsa.
With a spring change mine is down to a 12oz. trigger pull. I have another spring to take it down to 8oz. if I'm so inclined.
Most of my rimfires run around that 12 to 16oz. pull weight. My old Squirrel rifle is at 6oz. and the Rem. 541/581 is at 9oz.

Sounds good. Does the trigger feel good on the CZ457, after the spring upgrade? Just wondering. I don't like mine to be that light, but I do like a trigger that breaks with little to no creep. That's one thing I like about my new model 52. That trigger is very sweet. Just wondering how the American compares.. As for buying the CZ457 Americans that I saw, I am pretty sure the one small town gunshop still has one. It is 70 miles away, but she gets very little business. I may sneak over there, and see if she still has it. ha ha.. and that one was $600.00, but it was a beautiful rifle.

This is one of the video's I watched a while back. He is talking about accuracy on his 457. Got bored when he started talking torquing the action screws, then he starts talking about bolt shims etc. etc. But check out the wood on this rifle. That's why I was surprised when you guys were talking about the "muddy" ones:

Nice groups. JB is that a pic of your 457. On my cell the bolt body looks a bit different and the mag looks flush. Is that OEM? Thanks.

Been curious how the varmint WMR shoots.

Ahh…… I might be missing something but this looks like a 557 to me?

……and K22 you must be a super calm/well disciplined squirrel hunter - when ever I take a rifle out with a trigger pull less than 1/2 ponds I often get premature ignition (at least on the first one or two)😄. Just heard yesterday that CZ is going to be bringing out a 457 with a high grade maple stock in the American this year - I know maple isn’t for everyone but if they are truly high grade may just have to add an American to the 457 stable?

PennDog

That's a centerfire rifle, not a 457. JB probably got confused, when posting the pic.

In trutn PennDog, I am. I learned early on using a KDF double set trigger which they had set for me at 6oz. I would get on target, or on Squirrel, set the trigger then leave my finger out of the trigger guard until I was absolutely ready. Cross were on exactly where I wanted them and then I would just barely touch the trigger. I never used a the safety. With a trigger that light I could stay focused on the crosshairs and use muscle reflex to touch the trigger.
I did take a little bit to get used to it, but a lot of bench shooting was the answer. In all honesty, I never squeezed the trigger. Now when I use a 12oz trigger I feel like I'm squeezing it forever before it breaks.

Yes, it feels real good. Has a nice break to it. I had to adjust the take up and the overtravel to get it where I like them.
I would go buy it. It may give your 52 a run for the money and like the 52's, the CZ is not an UL. Mine with the scope is a shade over 7lbs.

Sounds great..

That’s sweet K22 - that is a place that many never see - I know what you say but have yet to achieve!

PennDog

I just picked up my CZ 457 American on the 15th, 6 lbs naked with the mud stock. It came with a factory trigger pull set at 4lbs 6oz that I adjusted down to 2lbs 2oz without charging any springs in it, the factory trigger does have a nice clean break and it’s for hunting so for now it’s set the same as the Timney in my deer rifle. You said you had a gritty bolt in yours, check the bolt bottom where the serial number is engraved into it, mine was very rough and I had to polish it to remove that grittiness out of the bolt, the engraving is so deep you can’t hurt it. I’ve put about a hundred rounds through it with my grandson and the bolt’s very smooth now. One thing that I just noticed today is that the plating on the end and sides of the firing pin is pealing off, if you’re having any light strikes or misfires you might want to take a look at it.

Great info there.

Yes it is. Thanks Namuh.

I think mine may have a refinish in it’s future after I shoot it some more and make sure it’s worth the trouble. I can’t seem to attach a larger image….. but it is muddy color.

We have the same mud!

I got a CZ457 American for my birthday recently. It was a cold day at the range barely 5F when I shot it. So far so good, but it was cold and I packed up early and went home. I will be testing out about 8 different types of 22LR ammo I bought for it. I will also look into getting a little lighter trigger pull as well.

The trigger is easy to adjust, I didn’t try to take it any lower once I reached the 2lb 2oz mark but it might go a little lower, pretty common to change the trigger spring out if you want it lighter. I was using the CCI 40grain, 1070fps standard velocity outta mine, one thing I noticed when I wasn’t wearing my earmuffs was how quiet it was with that 24” barrel. I’d like to here what your results are of the ammo you’re using once you have a chance to test them.

Got dang, you guys finding these things down in Louisiana or something. They are much nicer in my area (out west).. Just sayin.

Swamp creatures.

Someone say Louisiana?!? Lol.

PD - I ran a Kepplinger set trigger on a #1 I had barreled in 6BR, set it accounted for alot of things, WT Deer at 400 yds, a 3-shot group - at 330 yds UNDER 1/2", various other game, and a head shot yote near 200 yds facing me. It was 8 oz when set, all using a good rest of course.

That said, I think 1.5 - 2# is a good 'floor' for a field trigger In a 22, I can live with 2-3 # just fine and my SA_22 OEM has not let me down yet.

Gun and Trigger weight matters, as does trigger surface area (wide triggers/shoe gives a lighter 'feel' ). Safety is my first priority on a field piece so I do use safeties and typically UL triggers. Just me.

I’m about as far west as you can go without falling into the Pacific Ocean.

After reading another tread on a different forum I would like to correct what I posted above “ check the bolt bottom where the serial number is engraved into it, mine was very rough and I had to polish it to remove that grittiness out of the bolt” When I got the gun after playing with it for awhile, I stripped it, cleaned, and lightly oiled it, the bolt was gritty. Looking at a post on line it told about the roughness of the serial number and that it drug on the bolt carrier. I polished the bottom of the bolt and the top of the bolt carrier to smooth them out. I also noticed the bolt had some lines and marks around it so I polished it with some 2000 grit and finished it off with a red crocus cloth, still had the marks and lines but the whole bolt felt slick. Today after posting this I’ve gone back and taking a black sharpie to the bolt, I blacken the front of it all the way back to the bolt handle and then reinstalled it, cocking and un-cocking it about 20 times. What I found is the front of the bolt body touches the action in multiple places around its circumference…. I couldn’t find the bolt touching the bottom where the serial number is engraved but I’ve already polished mine, so maybe it might drag but I didn’t see any evidence of it. I still would advise polishing this area of the bolt as it’s rough enough to catch any cleaning rags you’d use to wipe it down with, but I think I probably got more of the grittiness out by lightly polishing the rest of the bolt. I used to use a small oil lamp to blacken the metal but the Sharpie test works good and is easier to clean up with a little rubbing alcohol, try it for yourself and see what you think, as always YMMV.

Well, at least you can use that sob as a boat paddle, when you go out fishing..

I know I have to do the same thing to my Savage Mk2's to smooth them out. Otherwise they seem sticky, when you run them back and forth. Good info anyway, and definitely something to be mindful of.

Might help me get through the next tidal wave.

Yep--because I have way too many photos on my computer. That's a 557 .308.

Will try to post the correct photo--if I can find it....

Here it is:



During the Great Obama Rimfire Shortage I found some of this Armscor hollow-point LR ammo, and decided to try a couple boxes. It shot so well I then bought a few bricks of the same lot. Dunno if other lots group as well, but this batch has sent a lot of ground squirrels to another world....

Nice shooting Mule Deer. How muddy was your stock?

Came across another issue with the CZ457. Yesterday I was playing with the trigger again......... I know, I know, but I just can't help it Anyway, I set the pull weight to 1lb. even thinking I might like that. Put it all back in the stock and as I was tightening the action screws I lightly snugged up the front and rear screws, set my torque driver to 20in.lbs. rear and 25 for the front. When tightening the front I noticed action movement. Well that's always a sign of poor bedding, but then I checked the trigger pull and now it breaks at 11oz., so either the trigger housing is touching somewhere or the bedding sucks. I'll check both but I'm betting on the bedding.
Oh well, I was going to replace the pillars and bed the action anyway. No biggy.

Funny how that poor bedding has an effect on a lot of things, isn't it? If it's torquing the receiver, at all, I've seen this with other rifles as well. Doesn't seem possible, but one of the reasons I always say to glass bed them. Especially if you see action or stock movement, when you tighten your action screws. You really don't need a torque wrench when you have a properly bedded rifle. I've told that to Josh at pursuit of accuracy a few times too, but he's not very mechanically inclined. He will always be in pursuit of accuracy. He doesn't understand why he gets filers, first shot fliers, poor groups either. Poor bedding is the culprit for almost all of that.

Hard to beat that. That is the varmint version, isn't it? Nice rifle.

Glass bedding is always the answer as you know. Pillars are great for keeping the torque from compressing the stock, but it's the glass bedding the accounts for the accuracy and allows for removal of the barrel action and then reinstalling it without loosing your poi.
Next up is going to be drilling out the plastic pillars ( why did they use plastic), installing aluminum pillars, (I've used brass pillars at times), then glass bedding the action. Then I'll tackle the mud.

Nice. Sounds like a good plan of attack..

Thanks! The stock's actually not bad, with some decent figure visible on one side of the butt, and around the action area.

Yeah, it's the varmint version with the 20.5" barrel. And as mentioned earlier, I bought it next-to-new new off the Campfire Classifieds, at a very good price!

Nice - shoots like the 308! Well, perhaps the 22 was at 50yds, but great shooting. And with value priced ammo.

Nice, that is a keeper!!

BSA
There's a 457 for sale right here in classifieds. Very decent price.


https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbt.../gonew/1/fs-cz-457-american-22-lr#UNREAD

Nice, looks like drover jumped on that deal. I may just buy one locally.

That even tempted me, but glad drover picked it up. Hope he'll give us a report on it.

NAH, they don't light up my happy board.

Won't find one in my place.

I want one like Don’s, and a 22” American barrel in .22 mag for my Premium.

It will be a couple of weeks before I have it in my hands but I am anxious to see if it will shoot as well as my friends does.

I will also be curious to see your experience with a refinish of the stock. I am always reluctant to try something like that, my skills as a wood worker / refinisher are at a zero level. Maybe just not enough patience but I have never had much luck at it so I may just live with the mud stock.

drover

My mud hen is kind of growing on me….

I shot 20 5 shot groups today, mostly at 25yds, I reset my trigger down from 2lbs 2oz to 1lb 14oz, it was as low as I could safely get it without it slam firing. Here’s a pic of one group I shot at 50yds, surprised the heck out of me. The next group opened up to about four inches and I said, “yah, that’s more like my shooting” then I notice the scope had moved about a quarter inch in the rings. I’m going to pony up and get a new scope and rings for it and I do think a change in the stock finish is in it’s future.

I know the feeling.

Nice shooting. It sure looks to have promise.
Did you check the trigger pull weight out of the stock and then torqued down in the stock?
Many, including mine, are showing a lighter pull weight after reinstalling the barreled action in the stock. I haven't dug into mine yet to see if it's the trigger housing hitting somewhere or if the action is binding.

Thank you but it really was all luck on that one. It’s not a target rifle but it should have plenty of accuracy for hunting and I’d like to keep the gun as light as possible, hopefully under 7 1/2 pounds all in.

Yes, I originally set the trigger pull with the barreled action out of the stock and then remeasured it again after I put it back together, I safety checked for slam fires and then hitting the butt stock on the floor, I couldn’t dislodge the sear. I currently have both my action screws torque down to 20lbs and I know that changing the torque can effect accuracy but I didn’t try torquing them down any further. I believe the manual says 31lbs for the action screws if the conversion calculator I used was correct. When I reset the trigger pull the second time down to 1lb 14oz, I left the action in the stock and only adjusted the screw that can reach from inside the trigger guide, screw C in the manual. I may be able to get the pull down a little further if I take the action back out and try adjusting all three screws again, but for hunting it’s pretty light and I’ll probably increase it back up when I actually take it out. Also torquing down the action will definitely be a possibility if it improves accuracy once I decide what scope and rings I’ll be putting on it. Right now I just wanted to see inherently how accurate it was and not a lemon right out of the box.

Gotta hate those dang fliers. That group looks promising, but with the scope moving a "1/4" in the rings, as you say, it should be off more than that. And groups would go to hell, like you said (4 times bigger), if not even more. Loose or improper scope rings do nothing to assure consistent precision. Hopefully you get that sorted out, and post some one holers.

One thing about this thread, is it's been an eye opener and filled with good info!! Kind of prepares a guy, before taking the plunge into getting one of these rifles. Nothing too major, but things that may need to be checked and addressed when buying one.

After making some more adjustments and retorquing the action screws to my original 20"lbs. I had the opportunity to try some more shots. Groups had improved slightly, but my, now it likes 10rds to settle in between different ammo. First rimfire I've had that was that way. Maybe I'll clean the barrel before my next session and see if that makes a difference.
Hoping to soon have another Burris 6X Mini AO scope and I'll mount it on the CZ for a while before I move it over to the Kimber. Those scopes are by far my favorite scope for Squirrel hunting, plus they do quite well for me off the bench. Sure wish Burris still made them.

With cleaning or ammo shifts all three of my 22LR units (CZ, Ruger, Anschutz) need about 15 to 20 rounds to settle down. Don't go chasing a zero until one has put quite a few down the pipe. With my early experiences, I found one usually ends up back at the original setting.

my local Farm store in NE Wi. has a 457 American on the rack... stock is a bit better looking IMO than most pics here, still "Muddy", but i could live with it... $569.99 +tax, so $601.34 all in... 1 time $75 savings if i sign up for an in store rewards credit card... so then $526.34 all in... after 8 pages i'm on the fence....

I don’t blame you…. It’s a bit of a commitment to love a mud hen… I’d wait until at least the bottom of page 9 to make a final decision 🤣😂🤣.

"Mud Hen" is already taken... what would i call it?... "Muddy Waters", "The Big Muddy", no... wait?... "Stuck in The Mud"...

Brown Sugar?

lol, Perfect!... if it shoots...

Not a bad deal, from what I've seen. Most of the ones I'm seeing are right at $600.00. I called the lady that has a gunshop about 70 miles away, and asked if she still had the one I was looking at and she said she just sold it. She said she was going to order another one, and when it comes in, I can come and look at it. Dang...

And if it don't, Mudshark.......

I'm Off the Fence!... maybe?... 457 American .22 WMR inbound... firearm manager at my local Farm store ordered 1 up for me... sealed the deal for me when he volunteered, "no money down, and i didn't have to take it if i don't like the stock"... could see it by end of this week maybe... fingers crossed, too soon to shop for glass ?... prolly Jinx me lol...

Good luck man. I hope the stock is real nice!!

I have the 457 American in .22 mag.
Wood finish is dark, dunno what grain is or isn't there LOL.
Trigger is heavy but usable.
Took it out and it shot well right off the bat w WW 40gr HP.

24" bbl is a bit long, maybe better if 22".
But it seems "polite" when shooting afield.

Is my close range chuck popper.

I like the 455s quite a bit. A couple of years ago, when I was pondering what to do with a "surplus" 455 American, I decided to buy a WMR barrel to put on it. Alas, CZ was switching over to the 457s and they didn't have any blued 455 WMR barrels left in stock. 455s and 457s share the same dimensions in barrels, so I bought a 457 WMR barrel and plugged it in. It's a shooter, sure enough. Yes, the finishes are different, but "close enough" if you don't look too critically.
Since the barrels are using exactly the same systems, dimensions, etc. I'm pretty sure you'll have a good shooting rifle when it comes in.

With a bit of luck with the post office being on time I should have my 457 American on Friday. It's going to be a little cool here (28) but I have a shooting bench on my deck so I can step out and take some shots to at least see if it has promise. If it shoots as well as I hope then I will decide what to do about the stock finish.

drover

Shot down in Flames!... got a call about 11 AM, 457 American 22 WMR showed up today. i popped in about 2 PM to take a look... the guy behind the counter opened the box and slowly slid off the bag as he showed me the right side first... wood was real decent with nice grain, a little figure and even some tiger stripe at the top of the butt going up over the comb, fore end and bottom looked nice as well ... i was starting to get a bit of a Woody lol... he seemed a bit reluctant to show me the left side, and when he finally did, my heart sank!... a large hideous multi layered bullseye covered the entire butt, with a couple smaller ones on the fore end, it looked even worse under a bright light... no amount of Refinish gonna' fix that... I declined, he was not surprised... could'a named this one "Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde"... when my pissy mood improves, i will continue my quest for a 22 WMR... maybe buy a "Royal" or a "Premium" and do a factory barrel swap?... : as a side note, that 457 American 22 lr that was priced @ $569.99 is now sale priced @ $519.99 as of today... Hmm?

If you want a barrel, go to their online store and sign up for a notification on the one you want. They go fast, so don’t dawdle. Occasionally they appear on GB, but again they go fast.

What do you mean by "...large hideous bullseye..."?

when the stock was cut, it exposed the wood grain (layers) in an irregular "bullseye" like circle, and created some ugly wide areas that didn't take stain properly...

Too bad. Sorry to hear that..

I bought another American stock at a decent price with plans on using a barrel with a different contour that may require opening up the barrel channel some. I installed my barreled action in it thinking I would start de-mudding my original stock. Torqueing the action screws to the 20"lbs. like my original stock had my favorite RWS Subs shooting 1" groups at 50yds. instead of the less than 1/2" groups it was doing. But, the Norma subsonics were under 1/2" and so were the Selliot and Bellier subs. Hhmmmm! There was no action movement in the 2nd stock using 20"lbs. so I started experimenting. At 35"lbs. there was action movement so I backed off to 30"lbs on both screws. That was the answer. Now the RWS subs are back to itty bitty groups and the Norma subs grouping has expanded. So interesting how different torque settings can make such a difference. Next I'll get it pillared with aluminum pillars then bedded. That should help out all of the different rounds I like to use.

Funny how the little things affect accuracy. In another thread, I'm asking about glass bedding a rifle and you say you'd bed it, and then I read your thread and I say, I'd definitely glass bed that one!! ha ha.. I was out shooting my 10/22 yesterday, testing a new trigger. Had that rifle out of the stock multiple times, checking the trigger. That means hammering out the retainer pins, polishing a little, and making sure it was perfect. After doing all this, the rifle never skips a beat: No POI shift at all. I like that, and it does not take much bedding to ensure that. Don't have to worry about torque on the action screws either. Just tighten and go.


Shot the staple out on that target^^^

Excellent shooting. Very impressive.

I'm hoping your CZ shoots better!!!! I'm still wanting to get myself a CZ457, but I'm waiting to see how yours does. I think the lady about 70 miles from me, ordered a CZ457, so I can look at it the next time I come in.. I'm thinking I'll eventually buy one.

I'll be checking out one tomorrow.. Called my lady 70 miles away, who runs a small gunshop, about some 87gr v-max bullets. She's selling those to me for $26/box. I said I'd take all she has at that price. Then she tells me she has a rifle that I need to come and check out. The CZ457 American she ordered a few weeks ago, when I was asking if she had one in the shop. She's a nice lady and says this one is beautiful. I guess I'll be the judge of that tomorrow!!!

i hope this works out for you!... as for me, i ordered another 457 American 22 WMR yesterday... found an online seller that was willing to send pics... not lottery wood, but pleasantly handsome from the few pics IMO... best part is, the all in price will be a good deal cheaper than if purchased locally (even with the transfer fee)... money is on the way, and barring shipping problems, i should see it by the end of next week knock on Wood... kinda' feel like Ralphie waitin' for Christmas...

I keep thinking about picking up one of the little Scout models and dolling it up a bit like Don did. A slip-on pad will lengthen the stock and a Romeo 5 will keep it light, but still useably accurate.

No need to put a pad on it to lengthen the stock. Just adapt to the shorter lop, kinda like shooting an AR with the stock collapsed in carbine config..... Some guys are just frigging 'blocks' tho.

Thanks buddy. I checked it out today. It looks good, but not quite as good as the other ones I've looked at over the last 2 years. Some things I don't really like about it, is the matte finish, gritty feeling bolt, and the recoil pad looks cheap or poorly done. I bought the rifle, so I may end up putting a red pad on it. We'll see though. The bolt will be easy to smooth out, and other things will be easy to correct.

I traded my awesome shooting Savage MKII FVT target rifle for it though!!! Now I'll have nothing to do a side by side comparison with. I always like pulling the Savage out, and comparing every new rifle I get, to it. Most don't shoot as well. But nonetheless, I think I got a good deal on the CZ. I liked the Savage because it was the perfect sleeper. We'll see how the new CZ does, hopefully it impresses me!!!

Hopefully K22 doesn't mind me posting my findings and fixes on this thread. If not, I'll start my own thread on the rifle. We'll see what it's going to take to glass bed it. I am not going to be installing pillars or anything like that, but may do my cheap and quick bedding trick that I do on my 10/22's. But that depends on what it looks like when I tear it apart. Will keep you guys posted..

Post away BSA.
I like reading more than I do posting.LOL
I think you'll be happy you pulled the plug and bought one.
I know you said you weren't changing the pillars, but I would.
Adjusting the overtravel and takeup, then changing out the trigger spring will show a huge improvement.
Have fun.

Thanks buddy. Yeah, I forgot you said they have plastic pillars. Seems weird, they would do that. I’ll check them out when I get the rifle in hand. I’ll probably shoot it before any bedding work is done. I like to have a baseline, for before and after.

As for the stock finish, it’s a little “muddy” as well. It’s not horrible though, as I like the dark finish. I plan on treating it with something that my gunsmith friend told me about a long time ago. Something simple that I’ll show in another post when I have the rifle.

Ok K22, since you gave the go ahead. I picked up the rifle yesterday (2-23-24). Didn't get a chance to work on it until 10:45 P.M. Worked on it for 2 hours. Checked everything and corrected a few small things. Here are some pics:

The first thing I adjusted was the trigger. This thing was breaking around 3.5 pounds, and there was a little creep from the factory. I don't think they had it adjusted properly:


I managed to adjust it down to a very nice 2 3/8 pounds:


Loctite when done:



Like I said the other day, the bolt was a little gritty feeling. You can see wear on the bolt body:

I polished those scuffs out, and lightly oiled it, and now it runs very smooth. Didn't take any pics of the finished work, but you can picture it. It's nice and polished. I hit the whole bolt body (the part that is in the white).

Next thing I did was I wiped the stock down with old english, for dark furniture. It helps to touch up spots, and brings a shine to the wood and finish.






A while back (when I made up my mind that I'd be buying a CZ), I bought some medium height rings. I'm glad they fit the scope perfectly. This is one of my favorite rifle scopes to use. I run them on my 10/22's, bolt action centerfires, AR's. You name it, I use this scope on everything:


We are going to see how it shoots in about 10 hours or so. I'm looking forward to shooting it. I like a lot of things about the rifle, don't mind the "muddy" finish, really like the trigger, like the checkering, and have high hopes that it's going to shoot well. I also don't mind the plastic pillars. You are not really putting a lot of torque on the action screws, so the plastic pillars should hold up well. We will see though. Thanks to K22 for letting me post my opinions on this rifle. I'll get some target pics up later today. Good or bad, we'll be seeing some targets!!!!!

I should probably just shoot 5 shots per group, but am so dang used to shooting targets where we have to shoot 10 for score. My first impressions of this rifle is great. No malfunctions at all. It fed wonderfully. Very smooth, no hangups or anything unusual. Reminded me of my Winchester 52's.

However, the plastic magazine is weird/different. It may take a while for me to get used to it. I'm used to steel mags. I don't know if there is a break in period for these barrels, but wouldn't think so. I cleaned the bore before shooting it and it felt very smooth. I didn't really know what to expect for accuracy on this rifle, but have always heard CZ's shoot damn well. Some Youtube videos show otherwise, but I digress.

I left the range thinking it's a "hunting" rifle, I should only be expecting hunting rifle type accuracy. Didn't shoot anything real impressive, but I said I'd post results: Good bad and otherwise:



What surprised me the most was some of the cheap ammo, like Federal Automatch, and some of the copper plated hollowpoints shot as well as some of the match ammo I tried. That is always a huge plus in my book. One of my buddies wants to go ground squirrel hunting soon, but I don't think I'll take this one. Even though it is squirrel hunting accurate. I have other rifles that are faster and shoot better/more consistently.. A17 for example.




First target of the day, and zeroing:


It doesn't shoot as well as my new to me Winchester model 52, but it functions every bit as well. The trigger feels great at 2 3/8 pounds. But if you shoot the 2 rifles side by side, you get a sense the 52 is more of a quality piece. The CZ seems to be a great rifle, though and offers a lot of rifle for the money. This was my first day impression of the CZ 457 American. Take that for what it's worth..

BSA…….very nice - both rifle and shooting BUT I can’t believe I read it right……you TRADED the Savage?? I don’t think I would have ever parted with that one!! A couple of rifles I’ve shot recently really liked the Federal Gold Medal ammo (711b)…..may have to get some more of that?!

FWIW just lighted the trigger on my buddies 457 from 2.5 pounds (lowest I could adjust on stock trigger) to 12 ounces with a CZ457 spring kit. My friend only shoots the informal local matches with it so he was looking for a lighter pull. Very easy to do and was “safe” (i.e. passed bump test). There was a heavier spring in the “kit” but he wanted as light as possible.

PennDog

Thanks PennDog. Good info on the spring. I was thinking about those spring kits the other day, and told myself if I could not get the trigger down to a useable weight, I'd get one. Generally if I can get a trigger adjusted down to where my hunting rifles are set, I'm pretty happy. Those are generally set at 2.5 pounds, and very nice. Sometimes I'll set them to 2 pounds, on a really lightweight rifle, or a range toy.

Yes, I will miss the Savage, but she gave me $25.00 less for it than I originally paid for it brand new. When I brought it in, I brought in 4 targets, 2 from recently when I was shooting it scoped. 10 shots in the .3's, and 2 targets from shooting it with the irons on it. Those 10 shot groups were from .3-.6". I still have my MK 1 FVT single shot in the laminate stock. It's set up just like the MK II FVT was, but a little nicer. The MK II was worth more money though, since it was clip fed.

She had her husband look the rifle over, and he told her it looked like brand new. They were very fair people to deal with.

As for the Federal Gold Medal Match ammo I shot. That stuff shoots very well in my Kidd barreled Ruger 10/22. Generally groups are in the .3's, with that rifle and ammo. I don't like to waste it, as I'll never find anymore of that stuff. It was made in 1992, so it's older ammo. I'm actually happy the new rifle shoots the cheap stuff well, as well as the bulk pack hollow point ammo. That's one criteria I look for, when I look for a good 22lr rifle. However, generally those are the ones that are said to have sloppy tolerances. I'm not sure if that is true or not, but I always love it when a rifle shoots Federal Automatch and American Eagle h.p's well right out of the box. As for the CCI standard velocity "target" ammo, that has really been hit and miss with everything I've tried it in. I know guys rave about how it does. The only rifle that really loved it was my Savage MK II FVT that I just traded. I might just take the few boxes I have left and give it to the nice lady that I traded my Savage to. I think her husband wanted for himself. He said he loves the aperture sights and that you don't ever see them anymore.

As for the rifle and it's precision, in the back of my mind I'm wondering how it would shoot with an epoxy pad out toward the forend. IE: non freefloated, or barrel bedded? Wondering if anyone has messed with that on a CZ? On the other hand, I'm just happy it's not throwing weird fliers. I'm looking forward to working with this rifle a little more, but don't want to shim the bolt or get crazy with it, like needlessly installing a Lilja or something like that.

I also look forward to hearing how K22's rifle shoots. Maybe he can throw in some 10 shot groups, and tell us what ammo works best for him. I'd appreciate that!!! I need to get some more SK match ammo of some sort, or even some Eley target ammo. I've also had very good luck with Norma match ammo in multiple rifles. I'm very limited on my match grade 22lr ammo at the moment.

BSA,

Understand on the trigger pull - I have my hunting rifles set around 2lbs give or take and my “target” rifles set lower (or set triggers).

That Federal ammo you have is the UM1 stuff? Man I wish I would have known anything back in those days as I would have bought as many cases of that stuff as possible - I’ve only found a few types of ammo that could equal that stuff over the years and it was MUCH more expensive!! The Federal I was talking about was the “new” 711b ammo. It is shooting better than my Norma Tac (which shoots very well) and some of my SK standard ammo. Really like the stuff so far - finding it around $80/500 which is substantially higher than Norma Tac and more in the SK Match range.

I’m looking forward to both some more range reports from you with any different ammo types you come up with and K22s reports!!

Thanks for the information and sharing the results!!

PennDog

I have three CZ 457`s .A MTR 22LR , Varmint 22 Mag and Varmint 17 HMR .I need an American in 22LR . The triggers are easily adjusted to 1 1/2 pounds using the trigger pull screw and sear engagement screw . I actually got them to 1 pound ,but that was too light for my sausage fingers .

You guys here are always very helpful. I appreciate what you guys offer as well. You guys love shooting, and that is appreciated too!!!

The Federal GMM ammo I have is unique. In that I've never seen it anywhere, until the day I bought it. That was a couple years ago, and cost $45.00 for the brick. I would have bought more if they would have had it. The shop I buy a lot of match grade 22lr from sells ammo on consignment, or they buy old ammo and resell it, so you never know what is going to come in. I've found some old hard to find match grade ammo there, so it's always fun to share those results with you guys. Here's what the Federal looks like:



I found a date on the box, that said 1992, when I first bought it. I thought it was cool, and then realized how cool it really was after shooting it.

I'll definitely keep an eye out for some of the new Federal Gold Medal Match ammo, as I would like to stay true to Federal, as I've had so much good luck with that brand of 22lr ammo.

That's pretty light. I generally have to think about the people that may be shooting with me, so I keep them very safe. Don't want to have an accidental discharge or any other accident happen with too light of a trigger. If you can adjust them down that low and keep them safe, that is great.

Recently I posted a thread on a Sako rifle that I recently bought, and one of our well known posters said you can't safely go under 3 pounds with that trigger. I told him I adjusted it down to 2 5/8 pounds, and I think some members felt that was unsafe. As with everything, it also depends on the rifle. As we know every rifle is its own entity. Some may go lighter and still be safe, while others will not be. I'm pretty diligent when adjusting a trigger. I'll adjust it down to where it is barely safe, so I know where the line is. I'll then adjust it so the sear engagement remains safe, and I'll also get rid of all the creep I can. I also don't like a lot of overtravel.

Also, keeping all of my triggers around the same pull weight ensures that when I switch from rifle to rifle, there will be no guessing or getting used to a different trigger. If that makes any sense. I like to bring multiple rifles to the range, and often duel them or pit them up against one another to see which one shoots better. I don't want a trigger to limit the mechanical accuracy or my muscle memory when going from one rifle to the next.

I know that sounds anal, but the second I have to think about my trigger, means that trigger needs some adjusting. The Sako I mentioned earlier slightly falls into that category. I wished the damn thing was more like a Tikka!!!!!!!! The guys that love the old Sako's are probably set in their ways enough that they are extremely biased. Too hard headed to want to admit that the Sako is not the rifle they think it is. Often said the Sako rivals the pre 64. They are nice, but let's not get carried away!!!!! ha ha.. Rant over.

On the triggers I could adjust two 457s a little below 2 lbs but they didn’t pass the bump test and like you BSA I was more concerned about safety. That’s, of course, only a small sample and maybe I missed something in the adjustment process that caused that - the springs were a super easy exchange and the triggers were reliable at the weight they were at.

Also BSA that ammo I believe is UM1 or UM2 (should be marked on the end label). That was the stuff that was supposedly made for the USA Olympic team (or so I was lead to believe?). I haven’t shot all the American made ammo but in the years I have shot it is at a whole other level for accuracy! I have about two boxes of that left🥴. Watched a couple of bricks of that sell a few years ago for $400/brick (out of my league!!).

PennDog

Yes, I believe you are right. I think it says US olympic team on it. It's been great ammo. I'm going to be crying when I shoot the last box!!!! Holy cow, I can't imagine paying $400/brick for it though!!!

Wasn't the Federal Gold Medal actually made by RWS? Seems I recall reading that.

RWS and Norma ammo is partnered somehow. RWS being made in Germany, but don't think they made the Federal Gold Medal Match ammo. As far as I know Lapua also used a similar priming system as this Federal GMM, with the dimple in the middle of the case. As far as the research goes, that I've done, the older Federal ammo like what I have was made in America by Federal. It was quite the operation from what I hear. I did see where the newer Federal Ultra Match is/was made by RWS on the R50 production line. It is made to Federal specifications, but from what I've heard, is not quite as good as the older stuff I have pictured. It would be fun to research it further.

Those are called knots

Yes... and damn ugly knots they were...

Good post Jim. Do you have any targets to share with the crowd? I'm really liking my new rifle. It feeds so smoothly, it surprises me. Reminds me more of my new to me Winchester 52 sporter than anything else. I'm still trying to get used to the funky plastic magazine though. I think I'll eventually buy a steel mag or 2 for mine.

A lot of good posts in this thread, but minimum targets posted. I also like how your rifle shoots the Federal Automatch ammo very well. Mine is doing the same, which is exactly what I look for in 22lr. I'd rather a rifle shoots the cheap stuff real well, than have one that doesn't. Mostly because ammo like that is much easier to find at the local Wally world. I know some guys bad mouth Automatch, but it's some of my favorite plinking ammo. It's turned in some damn impressive groups in all of my rifles. The Kidd barreled 10/22 has shot it into the .3's, the new Winchester model 52 sporter has shot it into the .5's, and the Savage's love it.

It seems like there have been many guys say they just got one of these, but with no targets posted, except for mine the other day. This CZ 457 is actually pretty well thought out. I like how you can switch barrels, and even go to 17 HMR, HM2, or 22WMR. That is pretty dang ingenious on their part, and beneficial to its customers.

Later today, I'm going to work on the barrel channel on mine, a little more. The barrel is not perfectly centered, and I want to make sure it's totally freefloated. Enough that when I put a bi-pod on it, that the stock does not slap the barrel.

CZ magazines - I have had a 452 for over 20 years and when I purchased spare mags for it I purchased the polymer mags, I prefer them over the metal mags, IMO they feed smoother than the metal mags do. Wear on them has not been an issue and neither has breakage.

Federal UM ammo - from my memory the dimple design was copied from the Russiam match ammo that they were kicking our butts with in international matches. Federal took the dimple design and incorporated into their ammo and developed the UM for the US teams., IIRC they did quite well with it.
I do recall reading an interview with a Federal manager when they quit making it and when he was asked why the reply was that the market was so small and manufacturing it was so costly that they were losing money on it - just too specialized of a market at the time.

Tightening groups with the CZ 457 American - the American has rather sharp (grabby) checkering on the bottom of the fore-end which catches on the seams or the front bag (Protektor) and on other frontbags, depending on the type of bag material it will catch on the material itself, which is bad for accuracy since the recoil is already starting to occur before the bullet leaves the barrel.
I cut group size and got rid of flyers by using a folded micro-fiber cloth laid on top of the front bag. It has been too windy the last few days to do any testing but when the wind dies down in a few days I will establish a baseline for the micro-fiber and then try a folded towel on the front bag to see hoif there is a'y improvement over the micro-fiber.

At this time it looks like it wants to shoot 1/2" ten shot groups at 50 yards but the only ammo I have tried is CCI S/V and TAC 22 (red box), that seems to be about the limit of those ammos accuracy in any of my 22's.
Once I am satisfied that I have a valid baseline with those two I will try some midgrade match ammo. Although ten shot 1/2" groups at 50 yards from a sporter is nothing to be sneezed at, the only other 22 LR sporters I have had that would do that were my Cooper 57, Tikka T1X, and Anschutz 1710.

drover

bsa1917hunter,

What was the distance you shot the targets with the CZ? My apologies if it was written and I missed it.

Thinking about buying either the Tikka T1X or the CZ457 American as they both are offered in left hand. There are things I like about each one.

I have owned both during the past two years.

After thorougly testing and examining both guns, I would take the CZ 457 without hesitation.

Mike, those were shot at 50 yards. That's generally what I shoot my rimfires at. The club I belong to always has their rimfire shoots at that distance, so that is where I do my testing at. I just finished freefloating the barrel a little better. I hate it when a barrel rides against one side of the barrel channel. Wasn't much, but enough to erk me..

Next time out I'll try shooting it off a bipod.

drover, I use a terry cloth hand towel on my front rest, same as I do with my Kimber Montana rifles. As you stated, it allows the rifles to recoil freely without hanging up on the bag. It will certainly improve the groups. I shot mine the first time without the hand towel and afterwards noticed the checkering had little pieces of some kind of debris caught up in the checking from the front leather rest.

I don't mess around with that kind of crap. Different strokes I guess.. A 22lr doesn't recoil enough to make any kind of difference in regards to that type of stuff. Maybe I'll try a terry cloth between the stock and bi-pod.

The cloth on the bag was posted as a helpful hint for those mere mortals who may not be as skilled as you.

drover

Thank you for the info. I am not crazy about the 24” barrel but I do like the looks. Thinking about shooting it in CMP Sporter matches. I have a Savage MK II that is a good shooter, but sometimes you just need another one.

bsa1917hunter, thanks for the reply. It appears to be a good shooter.

After more changes to the CZ 457, I love making changes to a rifle, especially if it improves the rifle, the weather cooperated today so after I got back from some Bluegrass jamming with some buddies I took the CZ out for another test drive. I look forward to bedding and re-pillaring it, but haven't gotten to it yet. I did change the cocking indicator from plastic to stainless steel and at the same time replaced the striker spring to a heavier one. That of course up the trigger pull slightly so I'll have to do some more trigger adjusting. I also replaced the magazine well from plastic to aluminum, other than that, it's bone stock.......LOL.
While the weather was pretty nice today, 70 degrees, the Sun was directly in my eyes which makes shooting for accuracy a real challenge. Usually I put up a barrier to block the Sun, but didn't do it today.
So far it is shooting the RWS Sub. and Sk Standard Plus real well. CCI SV not so well, Fiocchi Sub was ok, and Norma Sub not so well. I've got plenty of other types to try next time I go out. CCI Sub. usually shoot ok in most of mine, Tac 22 I save for the Rem 504, it really loves them, PMC Moderator is a huge favorite of mine with most of my rimfires liking it. There's many, many more I've acquired over the years so I'll be giving them all a try at some point.

Great shooting! Those groups with the RWS sub and SK std plus look great. It may be hard to find anything that does better but half the fun is in trying.

I'm still waiting for some decent conditions to test mine - if it gets into the 30's it is windy and if it isn't windy then it is in the teens. I have some SK std plus that I am looking forward to trying, so far the little shooting I have done has been with TAC 22 and CCI S/V and they both are around 1/2" for 5 shots @ 50 yds.

You fixed a couple of things I don't like about the 457, I was disappointed to see that the cocking indicator is plastic and also that the ejector is plastic. Neither are likely a big deal but they just seem cheap, in particular I suspect that the ejector will eventually wear.
I am not a fan of the firing pin spring being exposed like it is, most all of my ground squirrel shooting takes place in areas where there is a lot of fine dust and I can see the possibility of a lot of dust build-up in that area.

drover

That shooting reflects very well on the shooter as well as the rifle!

Good info. Looks like some 5 shot groups. Were any of them 10 shot groups?? Also, a measurement of the groups would be cool!! I was looking at a write up about the CZ 457 American, the other day, and the writer shot quite a few 10 shot groups. Those groups were averaging somewhere around .8". That RWS and SK standard look to be shooting quite well. Thanks for posting..

American Rifleman CZ 457 American review

Yes, those are very good groups that were fired in that American Rifleman review of the 457. Note: the test protocol for American Rifle rimfire rifle reviews requires firing five (5) consecutive 10-shot groups at 50 yards. That's a damn tough test! In the case of the AR 457 review, the aggregate average of all those groups for the three (3) types of ammo (15 groups of 10 shots each or 150 rounds total) averaged 0.77 inches! For anyone that poohs poohs that result, try it sometime and remember, you don't get to throw out any 'called flyers' - all shots count.

I've seen some warped cocking indicators, but I had already planned on changing it. The firing pin is on my list to see what can be improved there also.

Thanks for compliments. These days I really have to concentrate when shooting groups. I can remember when it used to come so easy.
I briefly considered shooting 10 round groups but instead opted for 2 or more 5 shot groups. At some point I'll do some 10rd. groups so I can compare it to my Kimbers and the custom 581/541 of which I've shot 10rd groups. The Kimbers and the Rem. I've shot 40rd. groups and all were under a 1/2" so that will be a challenge for the CZ.
From outside to outside of the black of the black portion of the bullseye is 1.125". I almost never measure my groups, not sure why, and I almost never take photos of critters I've shot. It's only been in the last 7 or 8yrs. that I've even taken photo's of rifles I own or owned. Guess I'm just not a picture snapper.

Overall, this 457 shoots pretty decent and that makes it easier to like it.

As best I remember we were getting out butts kicked by the Russians in the Olympic small bore competition. The Russians were picking up all their brass. One of our shooters managed to snag a couple of fired rounds and Federal analized the brass and produced the Gold Medal Match ammo. The dimple in the base was supposed to aid in the priming compound being spread equally around the rim.
It was the most accurate ammunition I ever fired in my 40x and several other rifles. Again relying on an old mans memory Federal got sued and had to stop making it. It is indeed good stuff.

Success!.. second times the charm apparently... received the new 457 American 22 WMR last Thursday... wood looks real decent, curved grain in the rear with some attractive character marks & color variations, some tiger stripe in the grip area, and straight grain on the fore end... early observations, barrel is not centered in the channel, wood grain is not filled, trigger has a bit of creep but otherwise felt good... all easy to fix/adjust... getting serious shopping for glass & mounts... too many choices!!!

Congratulations, any pictures?

i snapped a few pics with a flip phone, dont know if any are post worthy? (certainly not bsa quality)... i dont have the skills to post them, so it will require a PM with a # to text them to, i can make an attempt later this evening if anyone is interested...

Oh dang. That explains a lot. I was reading where it was cost related as well. As the brass required more steps, because it is dimpled in the middle. Seems like a great concept though, to get the priming mix more evenly around the rim of the cartridge where it's actually needed. I really wish I had more of the dang stuff. I know this is a CZ thread, but I recently bought an old Winchester model 320 bolt action, and that rifle also loves that old Federal Gold Medal match:


Now, that damn rifle really impressed me. Almost as smooth functioning as my new CZ 457 American, but cost much less, and appears to be shooting more consistently:



Weather was crap at the range, but I still went out and shot the new to me rifle.


I'll get back to messing around with the CZ 457 American, as that is the rifle I've been wanting for the last couple years. However, if it came down to getting rid of the Winchester vs. the CZ, I'd keep the Winchester. Not to muddy the CZ 457 thread, but that is my feeling when comparing the accuracy between the 2. 2 damn good rifles from different era's that offer a lot for the money. But at the moment, the new to me Winchester 320 checks more boxes for me.

As we know, every rifle is different. My 52C based silhouette rifle preferred RWS R50 by a large margin over that dimpled Gold Medal ammo when I shot both back in the 90s. Fortunately the old blue box Remington standard velocity ammo shot nearly as well as the R50 and was very usable for practice. Wish I still had that rifle. Sold it to fellow Campfire member from Arizona, Thomas Magnum, many years ago.

I’m posting the pictures for 7mm_Loco’s, here is his new CZ 457 American in 22 WMR.

Thank's Namuh, i tried to send several more pics but the phone refused to cooperate... likely caused by my ignorance with tech... there's a good reason i never post pics...

Yes, we know every rifle is different. But to find an ammo that works very well in every rifle you've tried it in, speaks very highly of that ammo. It's obvious that some guys think a certain ammo should work well in these CZ's, for example. The fact that mine hates the RWS really hits a nerve with some. As soon as I find some RWS 50, I'll try that in my rifle. That RWS that I recently found is very old. There may actually be an issue with that ammo. When I shoot it, I can hear a difference in report from shot to shot. That says a lot right there, as well. I remember trying some RWS semi auto in one of my new 10/22 clones, and that dang rifle loved it. I wish I still had some of that to try in my new CZ. You can tell when a rifle hates a certain ammo. Trying different torque settings, for example, just to get one type of ammo to shoot well, is futile at best. Sorry to say.

There's a reason I started a thread on which ammo shot the most consistently in our rifles. Keeping in mind, that it isn't always the most expensive ammo that shoots the best. That's why we test as many different kinds of ammo as we can in these rimfires.

Another ammo that shot extremely well in all of my rifles was the Eley Club Xtra.


Also, some older SK match gold was excellent. Even though the lube had all but dried up:



Wolf match target seems to be very consistent. Where some of the Wolf Match Extra seems to get a lot of fliers. A consistent ammo is a godsend. The ones that get many/any fliers should only be used for practice, and not for shooting any matches. Some rifles, I could grab a box of Federal Automatch and do well enough. Probably like you did with the old blue box Remington. I actually found a few boxes of the old blue box Remington "target" ammo last month. One brick in Reno, and another couple bricks in town. That ammo I found was made in the late 80's. After reading some reviews, I decided not to buy it.

Norma Tac22 is loved by many, but I've found that to be so damn inconsistent in some of my rifles, that it's not even used for practice!!!
Savage MK2 FVT:



New to me stainless 10/22 clone:


I almost threw a few boxes right in the trashcan, a while back. But after shooting it in my new Winchester 320 today, I'll keep it around just to shoot it in that rifle. That's the thing about these dang rimfires: You just never know what they are going to like, and nothing is written in stone. If it is, please show me where that is!!!

That one is a little "muddy" looking, like you said. I look forward to hearing how it shoots though.. As much as it sounds like I may be bashing on my new CZ, I actually really like it. I love how it functions. But I will go back to what I've said before. I will not replace the barrel, I am not going to mess with the action screw torque. A good rifle should shoot very well, with just tightening the action screws, not messing around with them. A rifle that benefits from that, is a rifle that is sick. I may glass bed mine down the road, but for right now, it seems to be sitting in the stock very solidly. I'm not an engineer, but I work on rifles a lot. Probably more than most here. The design of the pillars on these rifles is good. EVEN though they are plastic. I tend to hate anything that is plastic on a rifle, but as long as the pillars are, they are plenty strong enough. Couple that with the density of these stocks, and it's strong. If the stock felt like it was crushing under 30 inch pounds of action screw torque, something would be insanely wrong with the rifle and system. However, it's pretty strong, from what I can tell. I'd be the first one to glass bed one of these actions, if I thought it absolutely needed it.

Speaking of plastic parts on these CZ's, I still don't like the magazine. This is coming from a guy that uses the hell out of Tikka's and their plastic mags. These CZ mags just seem cheaper than hell to me. I'll eventually change mine out for a steel mag. Even though someone said the plastic ones are better. I sure the hell hope not!!

Really, if you have to start putting in bolt shims and barrel shims and ridiculous stuff like Lilja barrels to make a factory rifle shoot well, at that point it becomes a money pit. To me, the best route to take is find an ammo that the rifle shoots real well, stick with that ammo, and rock on. If mine likes cheap azzed Federal Automatch, or American Eagle/Federal hollow points better than RWS, so be it. I'll actually take that as a win!! Contrary to what some think.

You’re welcome, if you have anymore you can try again no problem.

Thank's for your patience, a woman i know says i have too many old pics stored in the phone, so it wont send pics reliably ?... i may take you up on your offer after clearing out some old pics tomorrow.. i obviously need some formal schooling with this stuff instead of just trying to wing it!... kind'a feel like Jed Clampett...

Your stock is definitely better looking than most. Very little to no mud.
Looking forward to hearing how it shoots.

I'm quite sure you would know.
Just for informational purposes, this is what I did for a living for many years of which tuning and testing was a part of it, so I've done one or two in my past. Do I consider myself the absolute expert? No. Always room to learn more. What dog I may have had in this fight I am removing so this thread can move forward. Testing ammo is always fun.

That’s a lot of nice looking wood.

Agreed

Thanks.
Here's a few more photo's. Some of those stocks are finished but still drying and some of them still need several more coats of Tru Oil.
The completed rifle is English walnut and is my personal rifle. There was a lot of Turkish and Claro walnut in there the day I took the photo's. Some Maple, Mesquite and laminated also.

All those are really beautiful stocks, I always loved the look of quilted and flame maple.

Beautiful Kimber. 2-7x ?
How does it shoot?

Yes.
The action was squared up, lugs lapped, and a Lilja barrel screwed on.
Using my hand loads, Sig brass, Rem 9 1/2 primer, 95gr. Partition with 47.5gr. of RL26 or 100gr. Interlock with 47.0gr. of RL 26 it will keep 5 shots under an 1" @ 100yds. If I'm up to it 5 shots a Quarter will cover is the norm.
The 100gr. are running at 3100 fps and the 95's are a bit over 3200 fps. The barrel is 22" long.