Only a fool takes a brand new rifle out of the box to a match and expects a good result. Well, I may be foolish in having high confidence in CZ's quality control; my expectations were much more realistic: I just hoped to finish the match and learn how well the rifle shot out of the box.
With the success of the Ruger RPR and Savage Precision B-22, CZ has come out with their own factory-built precision rifle based on their new 457 action. CZ paired an all-aluminum chassis of their own design, with a LUTH-AR adjustable buttstock to create a competition-ready rifle straight out of the box. I test out that claim by taking this new CZ 457 to a 100yrd competition practically right out of the box without seasoning the barrel or fine-tuning the trigger.
The course of fire had 40 scoring shots with a total maximum score of 400:
4 targets
10 shots per target
10 minutes per target
3-minute free-shot period between targets
Shooters were allowed to re-zero and test on a non-scoring sight-in target during the free-shot period.
After the CA mandated 10-day waiting period, I picked up the rifle and after filming the unboxing footage, I mounted a 6-24x50 Athlon Argos scope and bipods (which YouTube made me remove because they have issues with showing "How to assemble" or "modify" a gun on camera). Unfortunately, 22LR Match ammo has been impossible to source in any quantity in my part of the Bay Area so for this match I went with CCI Standard Velocity.
The CZ performed flawlessly. The action was smooth. The factory set 3lb trigger had a clean, crisp, break with zero over travel.
My only peev was the need to re-load halfway through each target because the CZ only came with a single 5-round magazine. For the price and for the US market, CZ should have included 2 magazines or better yet both a 5-round and a 10-round magazine.
At the end of the match, I came in 4th among the 22LR shooters.
SPECIFICATIONS
Product Name CZ 457 Varmint Precision Chassis
SKU 02361
Firearm Type Rifle
Purpose Competition
MSRP $1,039.00
Chambering 22 LR (optional 17 HMR)
Twist Rate 1:16 in
Magazine Capacity 5
Magazine Type Detachable Box
Stock Aluminum Chassis
Sights None,. Integral 11mm Dovetail
Barrel Heavy Tapered Cold Hammer Forged
Barrel Length 16.5 in or 24 in
Weight 7.65 lbs
Trigger Mech Fully Adjustable
Safety Two-Position, Push-To-Fire
::This article originally published on my blog www.moondogindustries.com ::
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