New CZ 457 24" 1.180 Match Barrel from L3i
- Thread starter Mark_Dorman
- Start date
Yeah, with a true match chamber extracting live rounds is difficult. Also the true match chamber will have a harder bolt close. A lot of people expect our match chambers to behave like an MTR chamber however, an MTR does not have a true SAAMI 22LR match chamber. The tighter chamber with more bullet engraving provides more precision but it is a trade off with the stiffer bolt close and not being able to extract live rounds reliably.
ordered a set of DPG talon extractors, will see how things go
We have shipped out somewhere around 370 of them so far. We have very few left of the initial run.
I have had 4 guys now get your barrels and replace their skinny ass CZ barrels All have improved a bunch by now going to open
Open is where it is at! The CZ is just so reliable, all it needed was a good heavy barrel to balance out a full sized chassis! Our new CZ chassis takes it the next level with a 2.4” wide fore-end for rock solid stability!
If I would have started with a CZ setup the way mine is now, I would have saved a lot of money buying (and selling) 2 vudoos. My CZ setup with this barrel is a blast to shoot. Find it the ammo it likes, and enjoy the experience.
I have a lefty Vudoo 360 and we have a 457 that I bought years ago for my son.
I got the 457 Varmint for my son and put it in chassis. It was so much fun shooting with just a $5 spring change it was very precise with just about any SV ammo. Back then, you couldn't get the 457 or the T1x in lefty. I had an order in for a B14R, but got tired of waiting, so I ordered the LH Vudoo 360 for myself.
With the stock varmint barrel, the 457 was not picky at all with ammo. It was pretty consistent not matter what brand SV ammo I was using. Groups were good with even cheap stuff.
My Vudoo was not nearly as consistent between brands of ammo and never liked SK Standard Plus. With the right ammo though it was great.
My son could keep right up with me and even better than me when I would just grab random ammo for a range day.
I have the L3i now on my son's rifle, but haven't had a chance to get it to the range yet. I actually didn't buy the barrel to improve on it's precision, but more to help with the balance. If it shoots only as good as the OEM barrel then it's still a win, but I'm expecting it to be even better with the right ammo.
All that said. The 457 is a great rifle at a great price. It's smooth and a $5 trigger spring and a good scope/pic rail is all that you need.
Is it as smooth as the Vudoo? Maybe not.
Are the mags as nice? Maybe - Maybe not. They feed flawlessly, but they are small and that makes it a little harder to reload on the clock. But it's nice that they are small and don't get in the way.
Are there as many aftermarket options? No - less trigger and chassis options
I'll also say that if the 457 was available in Lefty early on, then I would have never bought my Vudoo. I don't regret the Vudoo, but I also just sent it off to get rebarreled. So in the end it's going to cost almost 3.5x-4x what I have in the CZ.
I got the 457 Varmint for my son and put it in chassis. It was so much fun shooting with just a $5 spring change it was very precise with just about any SV ammo. Back then, you couldn't get the 457 or the T1x in lefty. I had an order in for a B14R, but got tired of waiting, so I ordered the LH Vudoo 360 for myself.
With the stock varmint barrel, the 457 was not picky at all with ammo. It was pretty consistent not matter what brand SV ammo I was using. Groups were good with even cheap stuff.
My Vudoo was not nearly as consistent between brands of ammo and never liked SK Standard Plus. With the right ammo though it was great.
My son could keep right up with me and even better than me when I would just grab random ammo for a range day.
I have the L3i now on my son's rifle, but haven't had a chance to get it to the range yet. I actually didn't buy the barrel to improve on it's precision, but more to help with the balance. If it shoots only as good as the OEM barrel then it's still a win, but I'm expecting it to be even better with the right ammo.
All that said. The 457 is a great rifle at a great price. It's smooth and a $5 trigger spring and a good scope/pic rail is all that you need.
Is it as smooth as the Vudoo? Maybe not.
Are the mags as nice? Maybe - Maybe not. They feed flawlessly, but they are small and that makes it a little harder to reload on the clock. But it's nice that they are small and don't get in the way.
Are there as many aftermarket options? No - less trigger and chassis options
I'll also say that if the 457 was available in Lefty early on, then I would have never bought my Vudoo. I don't regret the Vudoo, but I also just sent it off to get rebarreled. So in the end it's going to cost almost 3.5x-4x what I have in the CZ.
Because I over analyzed things and listened to other people and went with at 20" MTU barrel when I bought it.
I tried a lot of different things to get it to balance in various chassis, but never got it to where I wanted it and had to add so much weight that it was just not manageable. So it's finally getting a 24" straight contour barrel to make it balance better.
May I ask if you noticed a difference “Before” and “After” you used Loctite 609 in terms of shooting performance? I found mine was a pretty tight fit, so I did not use 609 with the install. Still can do it if needed or see if the accuracy falls or is not there as a next step (among the lot testing, seasoning, cleaning, etc… troubleshooting to minimize all other variables).
Out of curiosity, how difficult would it be to remove the barrel once Loctite 609 is used (properly)?
I didn’t really do much testing before gluing it. Shot ~ 200 rounds for function testing and then went for it. Set the headspace at 0.043 and found the bolt closure on rounds to be stiff but manageable. Definitely engraving a fair amount.
I’m in newengland and so have only been shooting inside so don’t have a good sense of the long range performance yet but it seems to be doing well.
With a young family I don’t have a lot of time to experiment with it
My understanding is that you need to heat it up to ~500 deg F to soften the glue.
I’m in newengland and so have only been shooting inside so don’t have a good sense of the long range performance yet but it seems to be doing well.
With a young family I don’t have a lot of time to experiment with it
My understanding is that you need to heat it up to ~500 deg F to soften the glue.
You have to heat it up pretty good but it is worth it in my opinion if you want the ultimate in accuracy
that’s my thought, by gluing it in it reduces the possibility of barrel movement due to heat and getting bumped around.
I don't know if there's anything to gain from loctite but I can tell you that we both put a CZ together and niether of us bothered with it.
Just curious but if you were really after the ultimate in accuracy why would you settle for an unknown barrel blank manufacturer that is fitted to the action with a pair of set screws, shims and possibly glue?
unknown is relative. We're pumping out match winning barrels and we didn't go into it lightly but I do understand we're the new kid on the block. I think the ultimate in accuracy is gonna be more to do with lot testing than the barrel attachment.
That was directed at the OP but appreciate your comment, why is it such secret squirrel shit about the manufacturer of the barrel blank? If both L3i and the blank manufacturer were both committed to making this work why wouldn't you be transparent to your customer base as it would more than likely boost confidence/sales of both your products?
The barrels are out there now and being used in matches. I can tell you my barrel is hammering.
I'm sure their is a reason why they can't/don't release who the barrels came from. It is probably tied to a contact.
I understand these barrels have been out in the wild for a minute now but yet to see any group sizes or matches that have been won with them. If these are as accurate as some of you say then why no Lapua test center results so the number could speak for themselves, without any names?
Ummm.... There's been PRS Rimfire, NRL22, ARA and long gong all won with them. Tons of groups posted here and rimfire central, as well a YouTubers posting groups. We haven't sent our rifles to the test center because we really haven't needed it. I didn't send my vudoo so it's just something that I don't need to chase
Not gaining anything gluing a CZ barrel, the action and grub screw attachment is proven with just a good barrel and proper tenon fit...as a bonus headspace is easily and infinitely adjustable for flawless feeding and consistent ignition. A properly fitted barrel from many makers now, in no particular order Shilen, Bartlein, Muellerworks, Lilja, and now L3i...and the 457 gives up nothing anymore to a Vudoo or RimX. Another serious contender now.
Some day when no one cares anymore the barrel manufacturer will be revealed…for now the speculation will be endless because we all want to be in on the secret
The secret to our barrel manufacture is in the consistent quality and ability to deliver. We could buy the barrels from many other manufacturers and get similar results using our specifications but they may not be able to deliver with the consistency in quality and schedule. We took a sizable risk investing a vast amount of our capital in a relatively new to market manufacturer. We are protecting our proprietary business information to remain as competitive as possible. As many know the barrel supply market is very competitive and getting blanks in hand is the stress of most custom rifle builders. We will start offer blanks in the coming weeks.
Will the blanks be offered in a 1.25 also and what length are the blanks?
I love my CZ blank consistently shoots with my Vudoo barreled muller
Are these cut rifled or button ?
These are button pulled and lead lapped. The blanks will be the same diameter as the CZ barrels 1.18-1.20” diameter and 25” long.
