CZ 457
- Thread starter A-Rob
- Start date
I checked gun.deals and everywhere is showing out of stock. Same with the VMTR. Only thing I can find that's similar to the pro-varmint is the AT-ONE but from sites I'm not familiar with:
CZ 457 At-One Varmint .22 LR – Adjustable Stock, Bolt Action
Own a versatile rimfire with the CZ 457 At-One Varmint. A .22 LR chamber, adjustable laminate stock, and heavy barrel define precision plinking.
www.unitedpatriotsupply.com
Yea, looks like another low in the typical CZ availability cycle. For the last month or so, nearly everything but Acouts, Americans and Jaguars have dried up in any quantity. Even the big players like Battlehawk and Dahlonega are picked pretty clean. That said, there are still a few Varmints and even one Varmint MTR on gunbroker to be had if your wanting to pay a little extra now rather than wait for the next influx of CZ inventory. Personally, I'd buy the 20" Varmint over the 16" Pro varmint anyway.
Thanks for checking. I don't want the AT-ONE though since I'm not super confident I'd be able to sell that stock. I'm going MDT with this. I think I'll wait and find the one I want.I checked gun.deals and everywhere is showing out of stock. Same with the VMTR. Only thing I can find that's similar to the pro-varmint is the AT-ONE but from sites I'm not familiar with:
CZ 457 At-One Varmint .22 LR – Adjustable Stock, Bolt Action
Own a versatile rimfire with the CZ 457 At-One Varmint. A .22 LR chamber, adjustable laminate stock, and heavy barrel define precision plinking.www.unitedpatriotsupply.com
Those aren't threaded are they? I have my 455, so I'm ok waiting, but you know how it is....I have the itch, so I at least had to see if I could find what I wanted.
Are you set on the 16 inch threaded barrel? If not you could pick up any CZ 457 you can find and pick up an aftermarket barrel to go with the MDT Chassis of your choice. There are a good amount of quality barrels out there from Lilja, EABCO, LW, etc, and some really nice custom ones from the likes of Modacam. Are you planning on getting the LSS Gen2? A 16 inch barrel will look really stubby in the Oryx or XRS. I don't think it'll even extend past the forend of the ACC.
The Varmint Pro stock isn't exactly in demand so if your concern is selling the stock, I'd stick with one of the Walnut variety (VMTR Stock is probably the most in demand after the Manners stocks). If you want a factory barrel and don't care about the threading, Lost Nation sells the MTR Barrel Actions. They're out of stock currently but I've seen them in stock regularly (https://lostnationrd.com/product/cz-457-mtr-barreled-action/).
This. If your looking to customize right out of the box, why pay $600-$700+ for what will be a parts gun. It's not hard to find CZ 457 synthetic Americans or Jaguars for at/under $450. From there you can resell the takeoff barrel and stock for $200-$250 ish and put the savings towards the stock and barrel you really want.
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I actually prefer 20", but you can't get a 20" threaded bull/varmint barrelI, so I was settling on the 16". Also, CZ factory barrels shoot so well, I really didn't wanna replace whatever I bought. You're definitely right about it looking stubby, but I'm fine with that. A suppressor gives it some more length. I haven't actually picked a chassis yet, I just assume MDT. I love my KRG and Manners stuff too, so I can't say I wouldn't buy one of those if something popped up in the BST.
I had no idea you could buy a barreled action 457. Thanks for that. If one of these other models doesn't come in stock and this does, I just might ahve to jump on it.
I only want to ditch the stock. I don't see a need to ditch a factory CZ barrel. But, considering CZ doesn't make exactly what I want, maybe I do need to look at aftermarket barrels and just grab an American....
Based on my somewhat limited experience with CZ's hammer forged bbls (2 out of 3 didn't shoot good at all), and from all the posts I've read here & on other forums where guys are replacing OEMs with custom barrels, it's kinda surprising to hear someone talking about "how good CZ barrels shoot". I always wondered if I was just unlucky with the lemons I had on my 457 American & VPT rifles, while the Match-marked one that came on the Varmint MTR was a pretty fair shooter right out of the box? I liked the 457 actions enough to put the time & $$$ into re-barreling them with Shilen ratchet blanks, but after doing that, the MTR's OEM bbl was a bit of a disappointment, so I wound up selling that rifle and keeping the other two with their Shilens.
That's a very fair point. There is a bit of a "Barrel Lottery" when it comes to CZ. While I've heard very few people say they've gotten bad MTR barrels, I have heard it happen. The regular barrels are hit or miss (though the misses seem less common based on forum feedback I've seen). I think if I were to build a CZ though I'd go straight into an aftermarket barrel and just buy the cheapest action I could find.
My 457 MTR started off being pretty good but not competition level with groups around 4xx. That was out of the box. Getting the trigger down to 7 oz helped a lot but groups were still high 3’s. Then i pillar bedded it. The groups came down to 2’s with the best 5 shot group .197. That puts in where my rebarreled Anschutz 54 match shots. All these numbers are at 50 yards.
I want to keep this an ARA qualified factory class. I did this with bipod and a cheap rear sandbag. I realized in my last session that my set up was the limiting factor so i have a new set of bags coming for my Sinclair front rest.
I am really happy with its performance and it really shows how good they really are capable of performing. Maybe i am a lottery winner but…
David
I want to keep this an ARA qualified factory class. I did this with bipod and a cheap rear sandbag. I realized in my last session that my set up was the limiting factor so i have a new set of bags coming for my Sinclair front rest.
I am really happy with its performance and it really shows how good they really are capable of performing. Maybe i am a lottery winner but…
David
IDK, I don't buy into the lottery thing. I've owned nine CZ 457's to date and still keep five. Some shot better than others but every one of them would shoot MOA out to 100 with the right ammo and conditions. On days they wouldn't, it wasn't the barrel, it was me. Yes, I've changed out the factory barrels with IBI, Lilja and (most recently) EABCO barrels on a few of them but that was largely to my quest for 1/2 MOA and the ease in which my tinkering itch can be scratched. IMHO, I think people are quick to blame the barrel on a CZ because a) they are so easy to change out and b) they feel they may be missing out. I'd argue that in many cases, better ammo and more practice would be a truer path to better performance than a barrel swap. ( That goes for myself too)
I think that I’m going to pillar bed my MTR. Thanks for the inspiration. Not because mine doesn’t shoot well, because it does, but just because, why not? More consistent action torque.
Agreed.
Though admittedly, I’m not using mine for BR comps or tiny groups.
I’ve had two Varmint MTRs. Both were good enough for middle of the pack. My 457 VPC and VPT MTR both can win. My 452 American has shot 2500’s, but not won.
It’s just coincidence that both my Varmint MTR’s weren’t above average shooters. It’s a barrel lottery whatever model we’re talking. I do know of a few very good shooting Varmint MTR’s on the line.
No I don’t if you are try to isolate the action from any wood expansion and contraction. When i got my rifle the action screws were not tight. So i torqued them to 25 in-lbs. when i was doing some work i needed to pull the action and when i did i saw that the action had left an impression in those pillars. They are soft.
David
Realized I shared this on RFC but not here. I don’t know who all has seen this yet, but I stumbled across it last month and thought I’d share. Manners recently announced they’ll be offering a version of their TCS (Tunable Competition Stock) for the CZ 457 this year (2024). It's basically the CZ 457 Varmint Precision Trainer MTR stock with an adjustable butt pad but available without buying the complete rifle from CZ.
They said it’ll start at $924 + shipping but will probably have some add-ons like their other stock as well as finish options. I recently spoke with them about adding the Sikes Clutch Knob rail to mine and they offer it for $65 installed (shipping round trip is about $60) so this might be an option when ordering a new one. Price does not include the rail.
Features they mentioned in their Instagram Post:
YouTube Video on it:
They said it’ll start at $924 + shipping but will probably have some add-ons like their other stock as well as finish options. I recently spoke with them about adding the Sikes Clutch Knob rail to mine and they offer it for $65 installed (shipping round trip is about $60) so this might be an option when ordering a new one. Price does not include the rail.
Features they mentioned in their Instagram Post:
- New 2 way adjustable buttpad! This stock has rear hardware that allows adjustment in both length of pull and up/down movement letting you dial it in exactly the way you want it!
- Adjustable comb. Using the same proven design of the LRH we incorporated a lightweight yet adjustable comb to achieve a perfect comb height!
- Arca Ready. The stock comes with internal hardware to mount the popular MCS/Area419 weight tunable Arca rail!
- Molded in texture. This stock comes with palm swell texturing allowing you the perfect purchase on the stock.
- Full wrap around shell. The stock will be incredibly light, stiff, and hold up to whatever you throw at it. This feature really helps lock in the rear hardware and allows for a molded in bolt notch so that no strength is compromised.
YouTube Video on it:
So I mentioned that I had bedded my 457 MTR and it has improved my groups quite nicely. I had written this up in several emails to a friend of mine as I was going though process so he could do it. I thought I would put this out in case somebody thought they wanted to do it. I have done lots of Remington 700's over the last 10 years and I have to say they are a lot easier. Just up front, I didn't get the rear pillar long enough so it was not floating in a sheath of epoxy but it was easy to fix.
I guess from start to finish it might take a week from start to finish. I didn't have the pillars when I started (lost in the mail)so it drug out for a few weeks but it was so cold I wasn't wanting to shoot rimfire.
If I can answer any questions feel free to ask
Enjoy
I guess from start to finish it might take a week from start to finish. I didn't have the pillars when I started (lost in the mail)so it drug out for a few weeks but it was so cold I wasn't wanting to shoot rimfire.
If I can answer any questions feel free to ask
Enjoy
I thought you'll might be interested in what my MTR that I had bedded and shown you how to do it in post #2950. I shoot this competition when I can. Mar 2 was the first one I could shoot this year so instead of using my 40X or Anschutz 54 I decided to shoot my completed CZ 457 that was showing great promise at 100 yards. This competition is shot on the rimfire Palma targets. The targets are scaled for the Palma target at 800, 900 and 1000 yards and for a 22 caliber bullet rather than a 308. The 10 ring is like 1.9 for 800, 1.7 for 900 and 1.55 for 1000. I normally shoot this prone but I broke my kneecap in January so I cannot kneel for 3 months and therefore can go prone. So we have a second relay that are "old" guys that can't or won't go prone. It is shot off of a bench. My set up is a Sinclair front machine rest with a protector rear bag. I was shooting Center-X (speed 329). Right next to me was a friend who is an awesome gunsmith with his new Rim-X that he built himself.
So the competition started and I shot a 150-12X on the first bull. So did the Rim-X. The next bull I shot a 150-13X and so did the Rim-X. AT this point we were the 2 leaders so one of us was going to take first and the other second unless we really blew it. So on the third target (smallest) I shot 150-14X and the Rim-X shot 150-10X And what was really weird was that his 5 10's were on the outside of the 10 ring touching in a circle!!
So my bedded 457 with a Jard trigger and a shimmed bolt to set a tighter headspace beat out a rifle that for sure was 2X in cost. But when I went back and did a comparison of my previous targets, the 40X has never delivered a clean on all 3 targets but with the best of 36X and my Anschutz 54 has delivered a full clean but with a 30 X count and 449 with a 35 X count. I would also point out that my 40X and 54 are in full benchrest stocks.
This now is the the best rifle in my stable and the lowest cost I might add.
So here are the 3 targets thaat were shot yesterday. The X ring on target 3 is .8 inches for reference.
David
So the competition started and I shot a 150-12X on the first bull. So did the Rim-X. The next bull I shot a 150-13X and so did the Rim-X. AT this point we were the 2 leaders so one of us was going to take first and the other second unless we really blew it. So on the third target (smallest) I shot 150-14X and the Rim-X shot 150-10X And what was really weird was that his 5 10's were on the outside of the 10 ring touching in a circle!!
So my bedded 457 with a Jard trigger and a shimmed bolt to set a tighter headspace beat out a rifle that for sure was 2X in cost. But when I went back and did a comparison of my previous targets, the 40X has never delivered a clean on all 3 targets but with the best of 36X and my Anschutz 54 has delivered a full clean but with a 30 X count and 449 with a 35 X count. I would also point out that my 40X and 54 are in full benchrest stocks.
This now is the the best rifle in my stable and the lowest cost I might add.
So here are the 3 targets thaat were shot yesterday. The X ring on target 3 is .8 inches for reference.
David
Nice shooting! When you shoot a Vudoo or Rim-X, winning is somewhat expected. When you shoot a CZ, your an underdog. Consequently, there is something extra sweet about kicking but against top end rifles with a CZ. I own a really nice custom Vudoo but still enjoy my CZ's regularly. Largely for just that reason. 
Great shooting! I've been humbled quite a few times by how difficult mini palma shooting can be.
What class did you shoot in and what was your front/rear support?
Thanks for sharing.
My front rest is a Sinclair benchrest, the 750 version in today’s dollars. My rear rest is a low profile protector with 3/8 channel and the silver slick stuff on the ears. I then carry with me a 1 1/2 inch plywood platform and 2 1/2 leather spacers to adjust the protector to get the right height for everything. This time i had to add the plywood alone and i was good to go.
If i could have gone prone like i normally do i would have been Fopen because I wasn’t using a bipod. I cracked my knee in January so no kneeling for 3 months. Phooey
Edit: I am also running a 3 inch plate that I used to use in an accessory rail. Makes it very stable.
HTH
David
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With all the mandatory reloads in NRL22 lately, I fired up the 3D printer and am testing a new mag coupler I designed. Working on getting quotes from a local machine shop for an aluminum version, but I'm not sure how much demand there would be for a group run of them... Thoughts?
I like the idea, but have to ask if you think the aluminum version is necessary or wouldn’t the printed version work just fine?
Serious question.
I cannot imagine why it would not.
One still has to hit the mag latch, remove mag, then insert full mag. Exact same motions as those from guys that have mag holsters on their stock/chassis/receiver.
There's nothing in the rules, and the stages last month just said "magazine change", so this was not prohibited by MD's at my local match. It is two magazines... But that's still a good point. I'll reach out to them.
I think 3D printed is just fine, but I can just make another or carry a spare, and I understand many folks prefer aluminum/metal. It would provide a bit more reliability if the mags are mishandled.
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I love my 457. Started out as an American, then went down the hole...Got a Bartlein, Boyds Varmint, 8 oz trigger, Area 419 30 MOA base, warne rings, 5-25x Venom. 500 yard hits on a 20" gong with SK long range. It shoots 1 ragged hole at 50 with everything you put in it, and consistent 1" 5 shot groups at 100 with various SK and CCI SV. One of my favorite rifles by far. No loading and no components and cheap ammo is the best part.
Based on the success of @padom and others with straight taper green mountain barrels spun up by manzella & keystone using the eachus chamber on rim-x builds, I'm wondering if anyone has tried this combination a 457. Seems like they hammer and could provide a good "budget" option.
I did some searching and couldn't come up with much.
I did some searching and couldn't come up with much.
Did some 50 yard shooting today with the CZ457/Bartlein and 3 types of SK ammo. Standard yellow box, Rifle Match red box, and Long Range Match. Pretty typical of what this does every time. Not the greatest by any means, but decent enough for budget match ammo anyway.
Of course it does.people using 10/22’s utilize mag couplers ( those one that attach to the mag base and you flip the mag around and reinsert) all the time.
Touching your back pocket with it seems to be the accepted practice at matches I've attended.
I took my 457 MTR out last week at 50 Yards with Lapua LR. What are your thoughts on the grouping? The unmarked group is the fouling group.
I went to the range with CZ-455 SS Lux, a 457 VMTR, and Savage B22-FV. This was the first time out this year due to deep snow or windy conditions. I had set both the CZs grubs and action screws at 20-ip to test but there was 10-15 km crossing winds so precise adjustments wasn't worth thr trouble. As set up, this turned out OK but in better cond I'll test for any improvements. I only shot 2 boxes of SK, 1 of Plus and one SK-RM. Also a bit of CCI-SV. At 100 I got 1-1.5 groups but this target @ 50 is the real test, targets are numbered in sequence, by colors of numbers. Best group was 0.261" plus a flyer, with the 455. The 457 had 0.339" plus a flyer. Both had avg just over 0.5".
That target hurts my eyes...
Gee, Thanks Richard(s). Too GOOD, huh?
'Bout as good as all the pics 'sideways', too ?
Getting closer! Few more weeks and the first run will be back from hard anodizing.
Got my mtr put together in this Bravo with a vision forend today. Haven't seen this setup before but I'm loving it.
