Newby looking for opinions

[JCBR1]

Hi guys I'm new to the rimfire game and am wanting to get started with a nicer .22. With that being said I'm not really familiar with custom builds and their used prices so of you can give me your options on what you think this would be worth. Was said to have about 1500 rd through it.

Cz 457 action with a costume 1.20 straight 21.5in long bartline r5 1-12twist barrel
Ec v2 tunner
Area 419 30moa scope base
Timney curved trigger
Mdt acc chassis with internal weights and the elite grip

 

[jetjock07]

2200-2500

 

[chevy_man]

I personally would buy a rim-x before I put all those pieces together.

That said, it's about what you're willing to pay and he's willing to part with it for.

Google the MSRP prices of it all, and see where you're comfortable. 50-70% is where most custom guns end up as there's not a lot of people that wouldn't immediately change something.

 

[jetjock07]

I’ll second a RimX build. May cost slightly more in the beginning but in the end you’ll have a great setup that will last. I just put together a RimX minus scope for around 2600. Depending on what the guy wants for the 457 it maybe a good deal. If your set on a 457 I’d look hard at the 2024 457 in the adjustable manners stock which is around 1800. Ive got a 447 that shoots great but ended up going to a RimX to get a 22 similar to my comp gun setup.

 

[JCBR1]

I’ll second a RimX build. May cost slightly more in the beginning but in the end you’ll have a great setup that will last. I just put together a RimX minus scope for around 2600. Depending on what the guy wants for the 457 it maybe a good deal. If your set on a 457 I’d look hard at the 2024 457 in the adjustable manners stock which is around 1800. Ive got a 447 that shoots great but ended up going to a RimX to get a 22 similar to my comp gun setup.

He's asking 2k for that setup.

 

[jetjock07]

He's asking 2k for that setup.

Not a bad deal at all.

 

[JCBR1]

Looks to be a decent deal fornthe rifle

 

[Big Phish]

Not bad but it still won't be near as good as Rimx IMHO. Not sure about barrel twist being 1:12 unless strictly for longer range.

 

[usafa77]

Love the title. You’ve come to the right place!

 

[Dead Eye Dick]

Problem with CZ or Tikka. Once you spend the money on the chassis, you’re stuck with that action. RimX or Vudoo or Curtis Conversion and even Bergara B14r, all have Remington footprints. Want to upgrade or change, your custom trigger, (Bix & Andy or Trigger Tech) and chassis will transfer right over.

CZ makes good rifles, but once a CZ always a CZ.

 

[Mark_Dorman]

He's asking 2k for that setup.

That's a pretty solid setup right there. At 1500 rounds it's really just starting to get broken in.

Original approximate value with good deals on this would be as follows (my experience and opinion):

• CZ 457 action - $400
• Custom 1.20 straight 21.5in long Bartlein R5 1-12twist barrel - $600-$800
• Ec v2 tunner - $155-$170
• Area 419 30moa scope base - $100
• Timney curved trigger - $180
• Mdt acc chassis - $1300
• Internal weights - $170
• Elite grip - $100

So he probably spent a little over $3k on that whole setup. That being said, $2k for everything is a pretty decent deal. You could potentially build a RimX with a cheaper stock/chassis for $2k, but it would be tough.


What do you plan to use the rifle for? That type of setup feels like it was setup for PRS, but would work fine for Bench Rest shooting as well.

 

[obx22]

Hi guys I'm new to the rimfire game and am wanting to get started with a nicer .22. With that being said I'm not really familiar with custom builds and their used prices so of you can give me your options on what you think this would be worth. Was said to have about 1500 rd through it.

Cz 457 action with a costume 1.20 straight 21.5in long bartline r5 1-12twist barrel
Ec v2 tunner
Area 419 30moa scope base
Timney curved trigger
Mdt acc chassis with internal weights and the elite grip

https://cz-usa.com/product/cz-457-chassis/

Just offered recently by CZ.
Your deal sounds nice, but if the barrel is junk you can still replace it yourself over and over. Properly set-up the custom CZ can hang with any gun made, and in the ACC chassis the fit and feel can be anything you want.

 

[DownhillFromHere]

I started "precision rimfire" in 2018 with a CZ-455, put it in an MDT LSS-22 chassis, mounted a rail, dinked with the trigger... It was ok. Purchased a first-gen Vudoo in MPA BA Comp chassis in 2019. Have been competing with it since. I built a Rim-X late in 2022... it's in an MDT ACC Premier chassis.

I compete in a dozen or so rimfire matches each year.

With that said, a few thoughts to you as a newbie:

• It's pretty easy to find MDT and MPA chassis on the used market well below the everyday street price. A "good deal" would be 30-40% UNDER the everyday street price.
• The CZ-457 is a very capable platform. If you buy a CZ-457, you buy a well-respected, very capable factory rifle. You may well be very happy with it. But it is not and never will be a Vudoo or RimX. As was written above, if you buy an expensive chassis for the 457, the 457 is most likely the only thing that will ever fit it.
• Conversely, Vudoo and RimX (and Bergara) are R700-footprint actions that can drop into any R700-footprint stock or chassis, and you have a plethora of R700-footprint triggers to choose from. Far easier to sell (or buy) R700-compatible bits on the used market (Full disclosure - I had no trouble selling my MDT-chassis'ed CZ-455 when I upgraded to Vudoo).
• If you go with Rim-X, you buy an action to which you attach a barrel (prefits abound for RimX), trigger and stock. Should be easy peasy. But if it doesn't shoot, you'll have to lead the troubleshooting. Zermatt will help... but they sold you an action, not a complete rifle.
• If you go with Vudoo, they'll sell you a complete rifle. If it doesn't shoot, they'll be right there to troubleshoot and correct.

Having owned both Vudoo and RImX, I will probably sell my RimX barreled action when convenient and repurpose the trigger, chassis, and optic to another build to play with. I competed with both rifles last year... each has its pros and cons... [shrug] I just like the Vudoo a wee bit better, and I've had a long and very positive relationship with Vudoo as a company. Conversely, I have two buddies who owned both and ended up keeping their RimXs and selling their Vudoos. PERSONAL PREFERENCE.

Bottom line: You might want to find a local rimfire match or other opportunity to put your hands on a Vudoo or RimX before committing, if you have the luxury of time (and budget). The CZ-457 build you're looking at appears to be fairly priced, based solely on what you presented here.

Good luck.

 

[Mr. Wolf]

I started "precision rimfire" in 2018 with a CZ-455, put it in an MDT LSS-22 chassis, mounted a rail, dinked with the trigger... It was ok. Purchased a first-gen Vudoo in MPA BA Comp chassis in 2019. Have been competing with it since. I built a Rim-X late in 2022... it's in an MDT ACC Premier chassis.

I compete in a dozen or so rimfire matches each year.

With that said, a few thoughts to you as a newbie:

• It's pretty easy to find MDT and MPA chassis on the used market well below the everyday street price. A "good deal" would be 30-40% UNDER the everyday street price.
• The CZ-457 is a very capable platform. If you buy a CZ-457, you buy a well-respected, very capable factory rifle. You may well be very happy with it. But it is not and never will be a Vudoo or RimX. As was written above, if you buy an expensive chassis for the 457, the 457 is most likely the only thing that will ever fit it.
• Conversely, Vudoo and RimX (and Bergara) are R700-footprint actions that can drop into any R700-footprint stock or chassis, and you have a plethora of R700-footprint triggers to choose from. Far easier to sell (or buy) R700-compatible bits on the used market (Full disclosure - I had no trouble selling my MDT-chassis'ed CZ-455 when I upgraded to Vudoo).
• If you go with Rim-X, you buy an action to which you attach a barrel (prefits abound for RimX), trigger and stock. Should be easy peasy. But if it doesn't shoot, you'll have to lead the troubleshooting. Zermatt will help... but they sold you an action, not a complete rifle.
• If you go with Vudoo, they'll sell you a complete rifle. If it doesn't shoot, they'll be right there to troubleshoot and correct.

Having owned both Vudoo and RImX, I will probably sell my RimX barreled action when convenient and repurpose the trigger, chassis, and optic to another build to play with. I competed with both rifles last year... each has its pros and cons... [shrug] I just like the Vudoo a wee bit better, and I've had a long and very positive relationship with Vudoo as a company. Conversely, I have two buddies who owned both and ended up keeping their RimXs and selling their Vudoos. PERSONAL PREFERENCE.

Bottom line: You might want to find a local rimfire match or other opportunity to put your hands on a Vudoo or RimX before committing, if you have the luxury of time (and budget). The CZ-457 build you're looking at appears to be fairly priced, based solely on what you presented here.

Good luck.

Sound advice above.
I'll add: what do you want to do with your rifle and how well does it shoot?

If you want to shoot NRL22 it probably is fine as long as it is balanced and shoots .3" groups at 50 yds and 1" groups at 100 yds.

Also, I love the reliability of the CZ magazine feeding system. No need to tune mag catch or inducing rimlock by loading the magazine wrong. I've heard that a mag release lever extension may help for CZ actions in MDT ACC chassis.

Lastly, if you want an all purpose switch barrel system to go on a squirrel hunt or learn other shooting disciplines like Appleseed, CZ barrels and furniture are cheap, plentiful, and easy to install.

After building a Bergara NRL22/NRL X setup, I kept my CZ 457 with the original wooden stock and KRG Bravo stock as a loaner/plinker/field gun.

YMMV, happy shooting

 

[JCBR1]

Sound advice above.
I'll add: what do you want to do with your rifle and how well does it shoot?

If you want to shoot NRL22 it probably is fine as long as it is balanced and shoots .3" groups at 50 yds and 1" groups at 100 yds.

Also, I love the reliability of the CZ magazine feeding system. No need to tune mag catch or inducing rimlock by loading the magazine wrong. I've heard that a mag release lever extension may help for CZ actions in MDT ACC chassis.

Lastly, if you want an all purpose switch barrel system to go on a squirrel hunt or learn other shooting disciplines like Appleseed, CZ barrels and furniture are cheap, plentiful, and easy to install.

After building a Bergara NRL22/NRL X setup, I kept my CZ 457 with the original wooden stock and KRG Bravo stock as a loaner/plinker/field gun.

YMMV, happy shooting

It will be mainly a pinker shooting targets but would like to check out a NRL 22 match and see how I like that. Being competitive person I keep debating about getting a built rifle over the CZ production rifle. I live by the buy once cry once theory so I'm tore which way I should go. I have several longe range rifles that I love shooting so switching over to rimfire only seems like it would be just as enjoyable or aggravating

 

[Defender32]

It will be mainly a pinker shooting targets but would like to check out a NRL 22 match and see how I like that. Being competitive person I keep debating about getting a built rifle over the CZ production rifle. I live by the buy once cry once theory so I'm tore which way I should go. I have several longe range rifles that I love shooting so switching over to rimfire only seems like it would be just as enjoyable or aggravating

If you are a Buy Once & Cry Once guy. DON'T buy someone else's rifle.

Get a RimX Action, Muller Works barrel and send it to Modacam Custom Rifles @jelrod1 and have him work his magic. You will not be disappointed. or you can find an OLD US Military 40X Rem 700 and have a piece of history built the same way by the same guy. I have Both.

 

[Rob01]

@JCBR1 just buy a Vudoo rifle. Or a barreled action and drop it into whatever stock or chassis you like. You want "buy once, cry once" then that's the answer. You will be very happy with it and you won't have to deal with little CZ mags which are a pain in the ass. I used to have a 455 and after using the larger mags AICS style mags in the Vudoo would never go back. Been shooting my Vudoos for going on 7 years now and couldn't be happier.

I like to move mine around from chassis to stocks and find what fits me.

 

[lastshot12]

Not bad but it still won't be near as good as Rimx IMHO. Not sure about barrel twist being 1:12 unless strictly for longer range.

Exactly my thought. The Rimx would be the way to go.

 

[Big Phish]

The biggest issue with CZ is ejecting empty cases. It’s CZ archille enemy and is hard to pull out unlike the big bodied mags in the 700 series. I been there and finally gave up on my CZ and went to my awesome Bergara B14r. If and when I do upgrade it will be Vudoo for sure.

 

[Mark_Dorman]

Exactly my thought. The Rimx would be the way to go.

The main reason I went with a Vudoo over RimX was the 60 degree bolt throw. I just am way too hooked on that part. Though I will admit, the custom service you get from Vudoo is outstanding and I think there is a lot of value in that for many.

However, I can't say I would fault anyone for choosing one or the other. They're both fantastic actions but the RimX having prefit options which is pretty awesome and can be more cost effective.

 

[Mark_Dorman]

Oh, that's another good question for @JCBR1. Do you already shoot Centerfire bolt actions? If you do, a Vudoo, RimX, or B14R would feel a lot more comfortable to shoot as the ergonomics are much more similar. Also, if you have an R700 gun already your gear will crossover.

 

[DownhillFromHere]

The main reason I went with a Vudoo over RimX was the 60 degree bolt throw.

To be clear for OP: The Vudoo third-generation Three-60 has a 60-degree bolt. The second-generation V22 has a 90-degree throw. Both are available.

 

[1911Shootist]

Eh, spend enough time at matches and you can watch the plethora of feeding and reliability problems inherent in r700 pattern rimfires and realize CZ's just run. Some of us choose to run them over the r700 options for that reason. CZ factory barrels are good, some aftermarket barrels are great. In terms of sheer performance, they can hang with any build out there for positional matches, but more reliable. No rim lock, no broken bolts, no broken bolt stops, no stripping rounds out of mags inadvertently during fast movements between positions due to a overly large and heavy bolt, no controlled misfeed concerns. I've competed with a 455, B14R, Anschutz 64, V-360, and now back on a 457. The only rifle I'd prefer over my 457 is my Annie, but they don't make an ACC for that.

But for OP's prospective rifle, I don't think I could go 1:12.

 

[Rob01]

CZs do not "just run". Spend enough time at matches and watch the magazine issues people have. Watched two people in my squad have issues at the match I shot on Sunday. I have also seen a bolt handle come off a CZ. They are far from perfect. LOL

 

[1911Shootist]

For every CZ mag I’ve seen fail, I’ve seen ~5 Vudoo mags go into the trash can at matches

 

[Rob01]

For every CZ mag I’ve seen fail, I’ve seen ~5 Vudoo mags go into the trash can at matches

I thought CZs "just ran"? Now they can have mag issues? Hmm. LOL And not sure where all those trash can mags are but I would grab them.

Sad fact is all .22s can have issues at times. Part of the game. If you think buying a CZ will stop them then it's a lesson you will learn in use.

 

[1911Shootist]

Mags have issues from time to time. I won’t discount a platform due to one or two mag issues across hundreds of samples. But watching dozens fall is another story.

I’ve learned many lessons in ~6 years of NRL22 shooting, MD’ing, & RO’ing. I’m having a blast with my CZ.

 

[Mark_Dorman]

I'm still convinced most of the Vudoo mag issues are user error induced. Yes, it would be nice if you didn't have to be as careful loading them, but I went through 500 rounds my last range day and only had 1 malfunction. It was rimlock and definitely mine or my brothers fault because one of the rounds wasn't loaded properly.

 

[Rob01]

Not just loading though as using SK or Lapua you don't have to be careful but with Eley it can cause an issue if not loaded properly. Some people buy a barreled action and don't know how to set the DBM up to load properly. This is why you have some companies now working with adjustable mag catches.

 

[MajorD]

I have seen ALL rifles choke in matches regardless of brand or cost. There is a tendency for the higher cost guns to choke less, but they still do. My perspective if I am paying 3 grand for a rifle, it better be indestructible and as close to functionally perfect as humanity can make it. Right now I am running a Kidd semi auto, and I have had one malfunction in thousands of rounds, and it was a first stage malf when the weather was extremely cold- semi 22’s often don’t care for cold weather. There is no doubt vudoo and rim x are top tier quality rifles, but despite the price, don’t expect perfection from them either

 

[Rob01]

There is no doubt vudoo and rim x are top tier quality rifles, but despite the price, don’t expect perfection from them either

Or from anything less expensive either.

 

[MarkCZ]

Hi guys I'm new to the rimfire game and am wanting to get started with a nicer .22. With that being said I'm not really familiar with custom builds and their used prices so of you can give me your options on what you think this would be worth. Was said to have about 1500 rd through it.

Cz 457 action with a costume 1.20 straight 21.5in long bartline r5 1-12twist barrel
Ec v2 tunner
Area 419 30moa scope base
Timney curved trigger
Mdt acc chassis with internal weights and the elite grip

I would go with a 700 platform. I have 2 Bergara B14R, they run around $1000. They come with a very good stock. Add a good like Triggertech Diamond and you are good to go. I have EC V2 tuner on both. you are looking at around $1500 for everything.
The gun you listed. the parts only fit a CZ, if it were a 700 platform they would fit any 700 rimfire or centerfire.
You put a ton of money in a CZ or others, it is still a CZ and when it is said and done.
If money is not problem go with a Vudoo and RimX build.

 

[Kahrhart63]

CZ makes a fine rifle. But i wish they would step up there game! They are focused on very nice Dan Wesson 1911’s and very nice colt revolvers. If they really wanted to they could come out with something really nice. But untill then i will stick with my rimx’s and vudoos. Way more options with both.

 

[DownhillFromHere]

I'm still convinced most of the Vudoo mag issues are user error induced.

Or adjustment induced.

When I got my gen-1 V22 in an MPA BA Comp chassis (complete rifle purchased directly from Vudoo), there was maybe 1/8 - 3/16 of an inch of vertical play in the fully-inserted magazine. I would experience frequent failures to feed the last round. The solution was that MPA provided a prototype adjustable mag latch. After installation and adjustment, vertical play was eliminated and the problem disappeared. My understanding is that adjustable latch is now standard but I don't know that from direct experience. It's imperative that magazines are held firmly in the correct position for reliable feeding.

Wrt user error: yes, failure to follow Vudoo's magazine loading instructions can cause failures to feed, especially with magazine extensions. With that acknowledged - it's been over two years and several thousand rounds since I had a feed failure - and I regularly run Vudoo's now-discontinued original aluminum 15-round mags in matches. I am very careful to visually verify the loaded rounds are in a staggered column, especially in the 15-rounders (photo).

Learn the platform's idiosyncrasies and it'll reward you.

 

[Big Phish]

I have not had any issues on my Bergara or CZ mags from shooting NRL22 the 4 years. If there was problems then it's operator errors. The CZ does give me more problem because the fired cases would spin around and lodge in the action until I can clear it out to shoot again. I have determined that I just don't slap the bolt back hard enough to eject properly. I still like my CZ regardless. It all boils down that if the O.P. likes that CZ rifle set up and thinks he getting a good deal which it is, then by all means get it. You can always pick up a new rifle down the road and that is a win.....win situation.