CZ 457 Varmint MTR
- Thread starter Grimmy
- Start date
It's blued.
I was so attracted to the appearance of the new CZ457 American that I had to have one, even though the 457 Varmint MTR was the model that I found most intriguing. No problem finding an American, but it took a couple of months before I was able to catch a MTR in stock at one of the wholesale distributors I have an account with. Both are 22LR versions. I've had no issue getting the triggers adjusted down into the 1lb range, with crisp, clean breaks, and no safety issues. Put BScar 25 MOA scope rails on both, with an old Nikon Buckmaster 6-18x44 on the American, and an Athlon Cronus 4.5-29x56 on the MTR. Though the grain figure in the MTR's stock doesn't hold a candle to some of the very nice ones I've seen posted online, it's far from disappointing when viewed in the right light. The American has been disappointing when it comes to groups fired on paper, even after I cut a new 11* crown to replace the rather uneven one from the factory. I need to bed it to see if that helps, but will probably wind up replacing the OEM bbl with a Shilen or Mullerworks custom. The MTR on the other hand, has been impressive from the start, and has printed some nice, small, round 10-shot groups on steel at 210yds. I'm not terribly anxious to do anything except to keep shooting it, but a good bedding job is probably going to get done sooner or later.
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Kapt - where did you find the SS CZ barrel, what's the price range for one, and did it fit the bbl channel of the 457 American stock? Much as I like the idea of using a Shilen Ratchet Rifled blank, if you're getting results like that, why bother to spend the extra $$$?
Nice looking rifles.
Question though, is there an advantage shooting with the bipod instead of a rifle rest? I never have used a bipod, I do have and use "The Rock" rifle rest by Caldwell and a bag.
Thanks for the link DukeDuke. Wow, only $133 for one of those SS bbls - only thing is, it's probably a crap shoot as to whether you get a really good one like Kapt did, or another turd like the original bbl on my 457 American. They're out of stock right now anyway, so I'll just have to bide my time and see what else comes available... I can get a Shilen Ratchet Rifled .850" straight blank and turn it to match the OEM bbl, but if I went that route, I'd either have to do some serious set-up work to mill the screw facets in the shank, or figure out how to hold the action in the 4-jaw & thread it.
Well, we had a nice day to go shooting for a few hours yesterday.
After I sighted in my CZ 457 MTR I started to break in the barrel. So far I've ran about 100 rounds of Eley SV through it.
This is one of targets of 5 rounds at 50 yards.
I wonder what it will do once the barrel gets broke in and shooting Match Grade ammo
muddy dog , Do you like that scope ? I just ordered 2 of them from natchez on sale. You like the trigger on that gun? Hope to buy as soon as I can find one.
I think that scope is great!!! I got mine from Natchez too, I kept eyeballing it and one day it popped up on sale. So, I took it as a sign that it was meant for me. LOL
The trigger is is really nice, I have it adjusted down, but I don't own a gage so I couldn't tell you the poundage on it now. But, it suits me and I guess that's all it matters.
I good my rifle over the internet at one of those gun auction sites. I don't know if we're allowed to mention the actual site or not, but it's G.B. if that's a hint.
Any progress with your cz 457 ? Find a good brand of ammo the gun likes ? Did u shoot it at 100 -200 yards yet ?
In all honesty I haven't been to the range the last few weeks due to some personal stuff. But, am looking forward to getting there soon.
I went ahead with using a Shilen select match ratchet rifled #5 blank for my 457 American. I parted-off the 1.2" dia shank, and turned the radius transition section of the blank down to .921", which created a 3" long straight shank and transitioned nicely into the straight taper to the muzzle. I cut the shank that fits into the bbl socket of the action to .7085" dia, which was a nice, snug fit. Chambered it with a PTG EPS reamer that I've been using on Benchmark, Krieger, and Lilja .22RF bbls for my 40X & XB repeaters, as well as a V-22. Instead of threading the CZ's bbl socket, I used Loctite #609 to glue the bbl in after cutting the extractor grooves. I used a mix of 20ml of graphite black/10ml tungsten CeraKote to coat the bbl after degreasing & blasting, in an effort to match the action's nitride finish - it's not a perfect match, but I like the appearance more than if I'd used straight black. I also threaded the muzzle to the specs that SWR publishes for their Spectre II suppressor. Finished the Shilen at 23.5", one inch shorter than the OEM bbl, and it's just over 1/2lb heavier than the CZ bbl, which makes the rifle very slightly muzzle heavy. It took a bit of sanding (Turkish walnut is HARD) to get the Shilen free floated, but after shooting groups at 50yds with various grades of SK (Std+, Rifle Match, Pistol Match, Flatnose Basic, Long Range Match), I'm very pleased with the results. Where I was getting typical groups of 2 MOA+ with the factory bbl, the Shilen is a big improvement. Someone online suggested that I wouldn't be happy with the Shilen's accuracy at longer distances yesterday morning, so I took it out to 210yds with a very good lot of Std+ & a lot of SK LR Match that's shot very good 10-shot groups at 50yds, and was very pleased with the group the Shilen put on steel at that distance.
While I'm not shooting what most would consider BR-quality groups with this sporter, it's a huge improvement over the OEM bbl, and it's very consistent. Where before, I had a very attractive rifle that wasn't accurate enough to keep, I now have a good-looking rifle that shoots at least as good as it looks.
While I'm not shooting what most would consider BR-quality groups with this sporter, it's a huge improvement over the OEM bbl, and it's very consistent. Where before, I had a very attractive rifle that wasn't accurate enough to keep, I now have a good-looking rifle that shoots at least as good as it looks.
My 457 American 22WMR has been capable of shooting 1/2" groups at 50 yards with Hornady 30gr VMAX.
Here's a photo of the re-barreled 457 American, with the original bbl for comparison. The target was shot at 50yds over a set of Dog-Gone-Good bags off a portable bench. I'd done a thorough bore cleaning on the Shilen prior to starting on this target, including using a bronze brush. The shooting sequence followed the arrows, and there were no fouling shots fired between switching to different ammo. Nope, these aren't BR-quality groups, but it's so much better than it was with the OEM bbl - and I've taken it out to 210yds with very respectable results several times. Got so tired of trying to keep track of my elevation with the old Nikon Buckmaster scope (1/8 MOA clicks & 6 MOA per revolution) that I swapped it out for an old Vortex Viper PST 6-24x50 a few days ago. That scope got me out to 300yds last evening with the 457 - and that scope's make-shift zero stop that uses shims under the elevation knob worked a lot better than no stop. At least the Vortex has 12 MOA per revolution & 1/4 MOA clicks. Optical quality isn't as good as the old Nikon, but it's a whole lot more practical for what I do with this rifle.
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