CZ 457 Varmint MTR, 20" barrel, 22LR - first shots at 25m

[cheeko]

The CZ 457 Varmint MTR, 20" barrel, 22LR came in yesterday.

One with a 16" barrel came in last week but wasn't what I ordered so they got the right one this time.
The 17HMR and 22WMR barrels are still on order.
Topped it with a Votex Venom, 5-25x56mm scope.
Using Lapua Center-X ammo at 25 meters.
3 shots to get in the black, front stock resting on sand bag.
Close enough as I'll be zeroing it at 50m this weekend.

Brain fart and rested the barrel on the sand bag.

Put the front stock on the sand bag and drilled 5 shots, pretty much same hole.
What a sweet shooter!

 

[David Canann]

Looking really good. I am sure 50m will not disappoint.

 

[cheeko]

Looking really good. I am sure 50m will not disappoint.

I hope so, in fact, kind of counting on it.
It's fun to shoot the larger calibers but that gets expensive real quick as I enjoy trap shooting as well.
Have read a lot of good about this action and the rifle, as a whole, sure is solid feeling.
The bolt is super smooth but locking it down takes a little more effort than one would expect, IMO.
Not a bad thing though.
Weather permitting this weekend, maybe stretch it to 100m.
Not looking too warm, 19*F Sat and 24*F Sun.
100m range is close to Lake Erie and the winds start howling after 11am-ish.
Trap shooting has been a real challenge past few weeks.
We'll see.

 

[cheeko]

Well the weather has really sucked so my son and I went to the indoor, 25m range last weekend.
He was floored by the performance of the CZ when compared to our Ruger 10-22 and GSG-15.
Hopefully we can get out to 50 and 100m this weekend.
Meantime...
Any recommendations for preserving the wood on the CZ-457 Varmint MTR?
Some wood oil or wax maybe?
Thanks in advance for any ideas/suggestions.

 

[Superdave001]

Well the weather has really sucked so my son and I went to the indoor, 25m range last weekend.
He was floored by the performance of the CZ when compared to our Ruger 10-22 and GSG-15.
Hopefully we can get out to 50 and 100m this weekend.
Meantime...
Any recommendations for preserving the wood on the CZ-457 Varmint MTR?
Some wood oil or wax maybe?
Thanks in advance for any ideas/suggestions.

I'm using Scott's Liquid Gold on mine and am pleased with the results. I've also used Old English (dark) and it has really brought out the figure in the wood and helps with any small dings or dents that need some 'help'. Mine had several and, after some delicate steaming/sanding, the OE helped restore the original sheen and smoothness. Many have recommended Renaissance Wax, but I have yet to try it. I got lucky with mine in that the wood has been deemed significantly above average - but not quite "lottery winning" - so I intend to keep it as nice as I can.
Glad to hear the the rifle performs well for you. Mine seems to shoot most quality ammo quite well, and even does OK on some lower/mid brands. It's an ongoing endeavor to find the combination of ammo and conditions to make the match-up. Therein lies the fun - just go shooting!

 

[cheeko]

I'm using Scott's Liquid Gold on mine and am pleased with the results. I've also used Old English (dark) and it has really brought out the figure in the wood and helps with any small dings or dents that need some 'help'. Mine had several and, after some delicate steaming/sanding, the OE helped restore the original sheen and smoothness. Many have recommended Renaissance Wax, but I have yet to try it. I got lucky with mine in that the wood has been deemed significantly above average - but not quite "lottery winning" - so I intend to keep it as nice as I can.
Glad to hear the the rifle performs well for you. Mine seems to shoot most quality ammo quite well, and even does OK on some lower/mid brands. It's an ongoing endeavor to find the combination of ammo and conditions to make the match-up. Therein lies the fun - just go shooting!

Thanks SuperDave001, appreciate the feedback!
Matter of fact, we went trap and 100 meter shooting today.
Cold and windy (15mph, gusting to 25) in SW Ontario, Canada but nice and sunny.
Trap, I got 18, 19/25 which is typical on a cold winter day for me, usually 20-23/25 in the summer.
Buddy got 14, ?/25
100m with the CZ457 22LR and RPR 300 shots attached.
20 shots each with the CZ (Lapua Center-X), 10 shots each with the RPR (190 gr Federal match).
G is myself, M is buddy.
M's flyer to the left on the 300 target is actually a 22LR, first shot, wrong target LOL.
The RPR scope (Vortex Golden Eagle, 15-60x52) is dead on at 100m.
The CZ scope (Vortex Venom, 5-24x56mm) is set for 25m so we did not adjust turrets but used hold-over for elevation and windage.
I'm confident I can get <3" groups at 100m with the CZ on a good day.

 

[HemiPowrd]

You should try some RWS 40gr Rifle Match ammo. I've found it shoots significantly better than any other ammo I've tried in my 457 to date. Some of the other ammo would shoot decently at 50 yards, but was all over the place at 100 yds.
Three of the RWS groups at 100 yds. The top group is 10 rounds.

 

[cheeko]

You should try some RWS 40gr Rifle Match ammo. I've found it shoots significantly better than any other ammo I've tried in my 457 to date. Some of the other ammo would shoot decently at 50 yards, but was all over the place at 100 yds.
Three of the RWS groups at 100 yds. The top group is 10 rounds.
View attachment 7802383

Nice groups!
Thanks for sharing, Hemi Powrd, truly appreciate it.
I will give the RWS 40gr Rifle Match ammo a try for sure.
I brought Eley 10-X and SK Standard (I think it was, can't remember) today as well, but did not try either of them yet.
The Lapua Center-X box was open so we stuck with it.

 

[HemiPowrd]

Nice groups!
Thanks for sharing, Hemi Powrd, truly appreciate it.
I will give the RWS 40gr Rifle Match ammo a try for sure.
I brought Eley 10-X and SK Standard (I think it was, can't remember) today as well, but did not try either of them yet.
The Lapua Center-X box was open so we stuck with it.

I've seen where the Eley can shoot well, but I haven't tried it yet. The 457 is my first .22 rifle so I bought some CCI std velocity and thought it would be decent, but it was pretty bad for accuracy at anything over 50 yds. I bought a bunch of different ammo and none of it was anywhere near as accurate as I was hoping for. Just trying to save you some time and money!

 

[cheeko]

I've seen where the Eley can shoot well, but I haven't tried it yet. The 457 is my first .22 rifle so I bought some CCI std velocity and thought it would be decent, but it was pretty bad for accuracy at anything over 50 yds. I bought a bunch of different ammo and none of it was anywhere near as accurate as I was hoping for. Just trying to save you some time and money!

We have a GSG-15, Ruger 10-22 and Ruger Hunter Mark 4 pistol as well but this is our first time (my son and I) really trying to shoot good groups at 100m.
We have all kinds of 22LR...Remington, Federal, Winchester, CCI, etc but, as you noted, most scatter loosely at 100m.
We realize the importance of a good shooting platform and ammo for good 22LR groups at distance.
Talking to others and reading about other's successes and setbacks helps us to reach our goals more cost effectively.
Thanks again for sharing your experience, HemiPowrd.
We will do the same as well!

 

[HemiPowrd]

We have a GSG-15, Ruger 10-22 and Ruger Hunter Mark 4 pistol as well but this is our first time (my son and I) really trying to shoot good groups at 100m.
We have all kinds of 22LR...Remington, Federal, Winchester, CCI, etc but, as you noted, most scatter loosely at 100m.
We realize the importance of a good shooting platform and ammo for good 22LR groups at distance.
Talking to others and reading about other's successes and setbacks helps us to reach our goals more cost effectively.
Thanks again for sharing your experience, HemiPowrd.
We will do the same as well!

Sounds good! I'll be interested to see the results when you shoot the Eley ammo.

 

[cheeko]

Sounds good! I'll be interested to see the results when you shoot the Eley ammo.

Finally made it out for 100m with Lapua, Eley and SK ammo.
Nice, sunny but breezy day, maybe 50F and 15-25mph winds.
Shot 50 rounds of trap first then settled in for 40-ish shots with the CZ-457 Varmint MTR in 22LR.
Highly recommend the CZ-457 Match Target Action for competitive shooting.
I would expect better groups on a calmer day.
10 shots each ammo.
First target was sight-in, zeroed scope for 100m, why not, right?
Thanks for looking.