New cz 457 at one

slow is slow

slow is slow

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Thought I'd do a write up here about a new cz I picked up from @Pastprime a week ago. I've owned stacks of 452s, a few 455s, but this is my first 457. Right out of the gate I liked a few things cz has done with the 457. The bolt throw has been changed to 60 degrees from 90, and feels much smoother in its travel than my others did out of the box. The knob being threaded is also a nice touch. After swapping out the trigger spring to a reduced power, the trigger is crisp and breaks at 15 ounces. Although I like the look of the at one stock, it doesn't fit me well and feels like it was made to be able to be used by kids and will adjust up to a smaller adult. I'm 6'4" and it just feels small to me, so I'm going to swap it out with a chassis from krg. Another downfall I didn't like about it was the recoil lug. Cz 452s have a dovetailed slip in round lug that I feel has less slop than the pancake shaped plug these use. I put on an athlon argos btr 6-24x50 scope on a area 419 30 moa rail with worries the scope may not have enough travel to zero, but that wasn't the case luckily. Shot my first rounds with cci sv from a new lot made this year. Results were decent at a .7" average at 50 yards. I then shot 5 five shot groups with wolf match extra (eley made), eley match, and eley tenex. The gun didn't care for the wolf and showed signs of stringing badly. Eley match performed well and was right at .5" group average. Tenex performed the best as expected with an average of .32". I did have one crazy flyer with the tenex that was almost 2 inches off the mark and went supersonic. I didn't have anything high velocity with me, so no clue what happened there. I think I could tighten up some of the groups as I forgot my rear bag and was resting the gun on my fist and I'm hoping the chassis just fits me better. Here are some pictures of the set up and groups. 20211107_200432.jpg

Best group of the tenextarget_image.jpg

Worst tenex20211107_172026.jpg
Best wolf match extra20211107_165033.jpg
 
Beautiful rifle!! I’d love to add one to the mix soon. I plan on finishing off my 455’s with Timney triggers soon and then taking the plunge into the pricier 457 At One world!
 
Slow, glad your " At One " is performing. I had a 457 Varmint that did very well. Today I posted this elsewhere about my range day:

Spring is a bad time to shoot outside I guess...another windy day in NC. I set up with my new rest:
A Front mechanical rest with a Protektor Model lower unit.
A D.R. Greenlaw windage upper unit with adjustable stop & Protektor Model Small Owl Ear bag.
A Protektor Model tall Rabbit Ear Rear Bag with Hard Bottom & slick silver insert.
I really like this. It is much easier to shoot from than my one-piece rest. I tested ammo and action screws today. This is after replacing my barrel with a 457 MTR version. (Nothing wrong with the original Varmint barrel just wanted to see if the MTR was better.) Ammo used was TAC22 (which did better than expected), Lapua Midas +, and RWS50, and 100. Action screws at start of the session were 20/20. My best group of the day was R50 with screws set at 22/14. ( I measured .197" CC 5 rounds) I set up at 30 yards due to the wind. I will got to 50 next trip out. This is a brand new barrel from CZ so I believe with some more rounds it will get better. Potential there?

I bet both our barrels will get better with some more rounds down range. Here's my 455 Varmint with MTR barrel.



 
Really glad I went with the 457 also! Just picked one of these up and with the right ammo it is a fantastic shooter. Even your worst group with the tenex was pretty damn good. So far for me Lapua Polar Biathalon has been the best at ~.3 to ~.4. @ 50yrds. I'm happy with that as a starting point. Looking forward to getting the Timney trigger in it and figuring out what ammo it really likes. Going to have to try some tenex and R50 based on the results you guys got.
 
Sometimes it will shoot decent but will not be consistent. You just have to try and see what your barrel likes best. Very likely it will be the premium rounds that shoot best.
 
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pit said:
Do the CZs like cheap Ammo?
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That’s probably a more complicated question than it appears. My MTR is certainly picky, and generally doesn’t like some cheap ammo, but there is some expensive ammo (Eley for example) that it doesn’t like either. I have some old $2 a box ammo it shoots well, but that ammo also works well in other rifles. For the most part, the cheapest I will go is SK standard+, because I expect to shoot under MOA or I feel like I wasted my money on the MTR. Also, you need to examine what YOU think is good. Some people would be completely pleased with the groups I shot using CCI standard velocity, or Federal bulk ammo. It’s just that I wasn’t.
 
pit said:
Do the CZs like cheap Ammo?
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The problem with cheap ammo is consistency. There can be huge differences between velocities, brass, and projectiles in the same box. Some cheap ammo will be more consistent than others.

Think of it like bulk ammo compared to match ammo. The components, process, and tolerances in how it’s made is what makes or breaks the consistency. Even with consistent ammo, you will find that each gun has its preferences.

You must also define what is acceptable performance for you. Some people are happy shooting .5 inch at 50yds. While others want to ring out every bit of performance they can and think .5 at 50yds is terrible.
 
I pretty much shoot CCI Standard Velocity in my 452. I’m usually more of the problem than the ammo. But I’m not a bench rest competitor. Use will dictate your ammo needs.
 
Ok so all this CZ talk and that my wife @Bows & Bullets stole my bolt action .22 lr. I decided to pick up a 457 Pro Varmint. Got my base on the way. So I need to pick out a scope so I can order it and the rings. Going back and forth between the Vortex Venom 5x25x56 and Athlon Argos BTR 6-24x50 scope. What say ye?
 
I haven't tried the Vortex but I did buy this one:



I have been very happy with it. Side adjustment is a little bit fussy. You can focus but it doesn't take much movement to go right by the focus point. Not much else to fuss about. Good luck.

 
Have you looked at any of the Meopta scopes? I grabbed a 3-18 for my 10/22, but this one looks great in the maginfication you're looking at. The dichromatic reticles are really cool. And Great European glass in these.

www.eurooptic.com

Meopta Optika6 4.5-27x50 DichroTech 4D 30mm SFP Riflescope 653675

FREE SHIPPING on Meopta Optika6 4.5-27x50 DichroTech 4D 30mm SFP Riflescope 653675
www.eurooptic.com www.eurooptic.com

Looks like Camra Land (sponsor) has the whole Meopta line on sale too.
 
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Average Joe said:
Ok so all this CZ talk and that my wife @Bows & Bullets stole my bolt action .22 lr. I decided to pick up a 457 Pro Varmint. Got my base on the way. So I need to pick out a scope so I can order it and the rings. Going back and forth between the Vortex Venom 5x25x56 and Athlon Argos BTR 6-24x50 scope. What say ye?
Click to expand...
The best choice may depend on how you plan to use the rifle. Long range? Benchrest? Steel chickens at 100? Small groups at 50? Splitting playing cards at 25? All of these things?

If possible, my advice would be to avoid the Venom and Argos scopes, if only because of the Chinese glass. They will be fine at short distances and on good quality visibility days. But on days with lots of heat, humidity and other visibility issues, those scopes just don't have good optical glass quality and wash out a lot past about 150 yards. In Vortex, I'd at least go up to the Viper line, which gets you up into Philippine glass/construction at not much more money, if you shop around. As for Athlon, I ran a Helos on my CZ455 for a while (and really liked it) and it seemed to be about the same quality glass as the Vortex Viper line, and in the same price range as that line, but without a zero stop (which is the only reason I took it off). I then switched to a Vortex Diamondback Tactical (Chinese) which tracked fine, but the glass just wasn't nearly good enough past 100 yards on a hot, humid day - so I ditched it too. I currently run a Vortex Viper PST Gen. 2 out to 400+ yards frequently and the tracking and glass quality is fine. It will also cut staples on the target boards at 25 with no problems. YMMV.
 
Try a Meopta. Their glass is as good as that in the higher priced Vortex, compares to my Leupold MK5 and has better turrets Than my Burris XTR-III. Doug or Neil at Cameraland will take care of you if you call them up.
 
East of Here said:
The best choice may depend on how you plan to use the rifle. Long range? Benchrest? Steel chickens at 100? Small groups at 50? Splitting playing cards at 25? All of these things?

If possible, my advice would be to avoid the Venom and Argos scopes, if only because of the Chinese glass. They will be fine at short distances and on good quality visibility days. But on days with lots of heat, humidity and other visibility issues, those scopes just don't have good optical glass quality and wash out a lot past about 150 yards. In Vortex, I'd at least go up to the Viper line, which gets you up into Philippine glass/construction at not much more money, if you shop around. As for Athlon, I ran a Helos on my CZ455 for a while (and really liked it) and it seemed to be about the same quality glass as the Vortex Viper line, and in the same price range as that line, but without a zero stop (which is the only reason I took it off). I then switched to a Vortex Diamondback Tactical (Chinese) which tracked fine, but the glass just wasn't nearly good enough past 100 yards on a hot, humid day - so I ditched it too. I currently run a Vortex Viper PST Gen. 2 out to 400+ yards frequently and the tracking and glass quality is fine. It will also cut staples on the target boards at 25 with no problems. YMMV.
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Mostly target shooting from 50-150 yards. Also interested in the .22 precision match at DPRC. Not sure what their course of fire for the match. I actually have a gritstone generation Vortex PST 6x24 not currently in use. Was planning on placing it on a 6mm but that project is at least a year away. I went with a 25 MOA base. What height rings are you using with your Vortex?
 
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Love that At One. Too bad it’s small for you. I have a cz455. Beat out of the box 22 I ever had or fired.
 
Average Joe said:
Mostly target shooting from 50-150 yards. Also interested in the .22 precision match at DPRC. Not sure what their course of fire for the match. I actually have a gritstone generation Vortex PST 6x24 not currently in use. Was planning on placing it on a 6mm but that project is at least a year away. I went with a 25 MOA base. What height rings are you using with your Vortex?
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Don't remember for certain right off hand, but I am pretty sure they are medium.
 
New to the forum, checking out some older threads. I am a big fan of the CZ 457 platform. Very accurate and fun to tinker with. Many good insights here. Ammo lot testing is crucial for competitions, find the best lot of your favorite ammo and put it aside for competition. Buy as much as you can afford when you find it. I look at it this way 1 box of 6.5 Creedmoor match is equal to a brick of 22 lr. I spend more time at the range shooting small bore. Hope to here more about what you guys try out on your CZ's or other 22's. This is my latest build.

20220131_190540.jpg
 
Eric F said:
New to the forum, checking out some older threads. I am a big fan of the CZ 457 platform. Very accurate and fun to tinker with. Many good insights here. Ammo lot testing is crucial for competitions, find the best lot of your favorite ammo and put it aside for competition. Buy as much as you can afford when you find it. I look at it this way 1 box of 6.5 Creedmoor match is equal to a brick of 22 lr. I spend more time at the range shooting small bore. Hope to here more about what you guys try out on your CZ's or other 22's. This is my latest build.

View attachment 556459
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Welcome to the forum! I am also a fan of the 457. I’m sure you will find many more here who will share their experiences with it.
 
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