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Help outfitting my CZ 452

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Sergeant of the Hide
Full Member
Minuteman
Apr 1, 2021
117
23
Jackson, WY
I have a 4 year old CZ 452 I am trying to get into some sniperhide like shooting with. From suggestions in another part of this forum, I did the following.

Added a 25 MOA rail
Added Vortex Medium height Precision Scope Rings
Added Vortex Viper PST 5-25

I feel the next few pieces are:

An appropriate sling for shooting support.
A cheek pad.

I know very little other than what I have read in a precision shooting book so as much info as possible would be appreciated. I have all the pieces put together and may have to move the scope forward, depending on how the cheek pad moves things around. I did a practice test of cheek weld by dropping my head onto the stock and felt by placing my free hand under my cheek where my 3rd knuckles (MCP joint) are, gives me the appropriate rise from the cheek for proper eye placement. I figure roughly a 1" rise is needed. Which Cheek pad should I be looking for?

My CZ already has swivels built in what should i look for in a sling for precision shooting?

I also need a case to hold my newly scoped rifle. I was considering a soft case but the scope atop cost more than twice the rifle, should I look at a rigid case?
 
I have a 4 year old CZ 452 I am trying to get into some sniperhide like shooting with. From suggestions in another part of this forum, I did the following.

Added a 25 MOA rail
Added Vortex Medium height Precision Scope Rings
Added Vortex Viper PST 5-25

I feel the next few pieces are:

An appropriate sling for shooting support.
A cheek pad.

I know very little other than what I have read in a precision shooting book so as much info as possible would be appreciated. I have all the pieces put together and may have to move the scope forward, depending on how the cheek pad moves things around. I did a practice test of cheek weld by dropping my head onto the stock and felt by placing my free hand under my cheek where my 3rd knuckles (MCP joint) are, gives me the appropriate rise from the cheek for proper eye placement. I figure roughly a 1" rise is needed. Which Cheek pad should I be looking for?

My CZ already has swivels built in what should i look for in a sling for precision shooting?

I also need a case to hold my newly scoped rifle. I was considering a soft case but the scope atop cost more than twice the rifle, should I look at a rigid case?
I use Vortex low rings on a 30 MOA rail mounting a 50 mm objective scope. Might want to check to see if low rings would work.

OFG
 
I use Vortex low rings on a 30 MOA rail mounting a 50 mm objective scope. Might want to check to see if low rings would work.

OFG
This whole scope things is new to me but..... It seems pretty tight as is with the 25 moa. I would guess the space between bolt lever and scope is less than half an inch.
 
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Hello again!

I like the Matthews Fabrication cheek riser, but that requires putting holes in the stock, so not for everyone. If you don’t wanna do that, other folks can steer you right.

I’ll also defer to others on slings, but I can advise that you’ll want a bipod option up front pretty quickly. Harris bipod are a great budget starter, and many pros run them on their comp rifles because they’re solid and deploy/stow so quickly. To do that you need a mount, you can go Picatinny or ARCA. If you stay in the game long enough, or go deep enough down the rabbit hole, you’ll end up with ARCA, but a Pic rail is more than enough to get started. I like Atlas’s BT17 Pic rail, but others out there are also good. Henderson makes a nice light ARCA rail (10” should just fit on the forend), Area 419 and others make heavier versions which many prefer for comp guns.

Installing an ARCA will need a couple T-nuts installed in the stock, and if you only have one stud up front you’d need one T-nut to install a Pic rail.
 
Personally, if you haven't done so, I'd have to get rid of that wood stock....oh wait, I already did that.

Here's my 452 American last time I shot it. It has an old Tasco 3x9 on it mainly because it has a gloss finish like the rifle.
452 American RH MDT 12-20-20.jpg
 
Personally, if you haven't done so, I'd have to get rid of that wood stock....oh wait, I already did that.

Here's my 452 American last time I shot it. It has an old Tasco 3x9 on it mainly because it has a gloss finish like the rifle.View attachment 7602161
My goal was to keep the gun as stock as possible. But wife saw your photo and likes the color so maybe... Tell me or about the stock, who makes it and could it be used for another caliber if I decide to move my precision to a larger caliber?
Hello again!

I like the Matthews Fabrication cheek riser, but that requires putting holes in the stock, so not for everyone. If you don’t wanna do that, other folks can steer you right.

I’ll also defer to others on slings, but I can advise that you’ll want a bipod option up front pretty quickly. Harris bipod are a great budget starter, and many pros run them on their comp rifles because they’re solid and deploy/stow so quickly. To do that you need a mount, you can go Picatinny or ARCA. If you stay in the game long enough, or go deep enough down the rabbit hole, you’ll end up with ARCA, but a Pic rail is more than enough to get started. I like Atlas’s BT17 Pic rail, but others out there are also good. Henderson makes a nice light ARCA rail (10” should just fit on the forend), Area 419 and others make heavier versions which many prefer for comp guns.

Installing an ARCA will need a couple T-nuts installed in the stock, and if you only have one stud up front you’d need one T-nut to install a Pic rail.
I am hoping not to alter the gun too much. At least not drill into the wood stock if I don't have to. I have a set of shooting bags/rests. I have a cheek pad set on order that is an elastic sock with inserts. The .22lr rounds are going to look silly sticking in the cartridge pockets.
 
There are Pic adapters that connect to a sling stud, not sure which ones are quality; wasn't impressed with the ones I had, but I went cheapo on Amazon, so that's not too surprising. Anybody got a line on a solid stud-to-Pic adapter to mount up a bipod?

Alternatively, there are mounts that will attach a bipod directly to a sling stud, but it's nice to be able to quickly take a bipod off between stages if it makes sense to do so, without tools.
 
Personally, if you haven't done so, I'd have to get rid of that wood stock....oh wait, I already did that.

Here's my 452 American last time I shot it. It has an old Tasco 3x9 on it mainly because it has a gloss finish like the rifle.View attachment 7602161
How are you not curious about how that thing would perform with more magnification and a lighter trigger? I bet it would outshoot a few of your others. I think you’re underestimating it’s potential. Mine shoots 2’s all day.......well some days. 😆
 
My goal was to keep the gun as stock as possible. But wife saw your photo and likes the color so maybe... Tell me or about the stock, who makes it and could it be used for another caliber if I decide to move my precision to a larger caliber?

I am hoping not to alter the gun too much. At least not drill into the wood stock if I don't have to. I have a set of shooting bags/rests. I have a cheek pad set on order that is an elastic sock with inserts. The .22lr rounds are going to look silly sticking in the cartridge pockets.
Pillar bedded my 453 (452 with better trigger) and it shoots with the Annies, Win 52s, and Vudoos. Caldwells makes a sling stud/ pic rail adaptor that works very well.

OFG
 
OP, there’s an Atlas bipod for Pic rail and Harris bipod for ARCA rail up for grabs here, you shouldn’t have too much trouble price-checking to see how good a deal they are:

 
Please please PLEASE do not fall for the antiquated idea that your scope has to be 0.00001 millimeters above the barrel. Frank addresses the topic here. Now, if your 452 has one of the made-for-iron-sights traditional wood stocks, it won't matter how low your rings are. You'll still need to build up the comb, which you're doing. If you stay with your medium-height rings, you will more likely be able to move the scope to different rifles later. I use 1.26" Vortex PMR rings on ALL my rifles (except one with a ZCO scope that came with a "free" Spuhr 6001 mount) and adjust the comb accordingly.

Cases: I use a soft case for all my rifles. I carry my Vortex Razor-topped Vudoo in a cheap Midway case I got off a prize table, and my centerfires (including the one wearing a ZCO optic) travel in a nicer but still ~$75 soft case. Of course, this does NOT satisfy airline requirements... but I don't fly with them.

Stock: If you are going to get "serious" with your rifle, as in NRL .22 or PRS-style competition, you might look into a 3rd-party chassis or stock with a higher and hopefully adjustable comb. For inexpensive options, check out Boyd's stocks. I'm not sure what options you'll have for chassis or synthetic stocks with the old 452 footprint (and no, the also-"old" CZ-455 inlet is not the same as the 452 inlet).
(EDIT: It looks like Kiss of Death's rifle in preceding post is in the same chassis as mine, an MDT LSS-22 which has been supplanted by their LSS-RF chassis... call MDT and ask. They're awesome people.)

Trigger: Look into a YoDave trigger kit. My CZ-455 breaks crisp&clean at 24 ounces. You can often go lighter with the kit; problems can arise if a kit shim reduces sear contact to the point where the bolt easily pulls out of the receiver on rapid cycling. And don't complain at YoDave for the ridiculous shipping price - it's a Canadian customs thing. Fun fact: you can order multiple kits for the same shipping price as a single one.

Barrel: Most CZs shoot decent with the right lot of good match ammo. I've been tinkering with my CZ-455 "Tacticool" with 16" threaded barrel in an MDT chassis lately; I had thought to sell it (because I compete with my Vudoo and the 455 sat in the safe for two years) but I stuck a borrowed Harrell tuner on it and the dang thing shoots ragged-hole groups at 50 yards and sub-MOA at 100 with Center-X (it's about a 0.6" rifle otherwise) and now I think I'll keep it. Photo below.

Honestly, you might have an easier time trading or selling your 452 for a current-version 457 before you spend too much on a 452-specific stock or chassis which won't transfer to other models.

Good luck!
1C9B18CC-683B-4298-B3C8-89368C6BBCDF_1_105_c.jpeg
 
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There were no chassis being made for it (AFAIK there still isn’t) so I went with a Boyd’s Pro Varmint stock. I like it. I went with a Athlon Midas Tac with medium rings. I can get to 200 yards without using holdover. There are multiple cheek riser options available. Also you can get a Boyd’s At One that comes with a cheek riser. https://www.boydsgunstocks.com/product-configurator
F6286662-CE94-4831-A8FC-9F0FDB65A15C.jpeg
 
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This is my match rig. We joke and call it the squirrel rifle. I do well with it, pretty much always top 3 finish. The balance sucks, it’s too light, the fixed 10x scope sucks for a lot of stages, and I still need to add a little more vet wrap to the stock. But it shoots.



MDT made a chassis (LSS?)for the 452 a few years ago but is haince been discontinued. I have seen some pop up for sale here. That would be a great option.

I decided to do what downhillfromhere suggested and keep it pretty much stock and run it while saving up for a barreled action with more accessories available.
 
I decided to do what downhillfromhere suggested and keep it pretty much stock and run it while saving up for a barreled action with more accessories available.

That's the plan. I have already spent way more than twice the original cost of the gun to put a scope on it. I will go out today when it warms up and give it a try. If it turns out I really enjoy it and I get any good where competition might be a viable option. I will go out and buy the right gun for the job. I figure no reason to pour a few thousand dollars into this gun when if I want to move on I could pour a few thousand into another gun then I would have two guns, well more than two but one more gun.

So the question I have is on initial sighting. I have a laser sight to insert in the barrel and have sighted the scope so it is centered and so the laser is a little low. I believe the drop at 100 yards is roughly 5 inches. Where should I put the laser in the reticle of an MRAD scope to approximate this drop?
 
I zero at 50 because that’s the range I have available. Lots of people prefer 30-35y. With a 50 yard zero you should be ballpark 1.9 mils low @100
 
With a 50yd zero, my drop is more like 7 inches. I chose a 50-yd zero years ago because it's minute-of-rabbit-skull from about 15 yards to 60 or so, and haven't bothered changing from that strategy since. Boresighting a 22 is a little easier than centerfires, because the bore is small and zero distances are much shorter, which tend to lead to the first shot landing on paper. Still, I recommend putting up the biggest target you can for the first shot, even if it's just a piece of white paper with a dot in the middle for an aiming point. I've foolishly spent more ammo than I care to admit because I got too confident with boresighting; should've reeled the starting distance in and put up a big ol' target to start.

Not sure if that provides the info you need? I'll confess I didn't quite follow your specific question.
 
Thanks makes sense to sight at 50 yards. I do see some people posting 55 yards groupings so assume 55 yards is a thing in precision shooting. I have a 25MOA rail on the gun. Would the scope get down to 50 yards with the MOA rail?
 
Thanks makes sense to sight at 50 yards. I do see some people posting 55 yards groupings so assume 55 yards is a thing in precision shooting. I have a 25MOA rail on the gun. Would the scope get down to 50 yards with the MOA rail?
I dunno why 55 yds would be special, I've seen all kinds of distances out to 100 yds in NRL22, but that doesn't mean there isn't a reason somewhere out there. Yeah, you won't have any issue zeroing at 50 yds with a 25 MOA rail.
 
I shoot at 55 yards but it was set up at 50. I moved it to mow once and didn't realize how far I had moved it. Shot many targets before I realized what I did, then I just kept shooting the same distance. Built the new range because I needed to stop the bullets from hitting the trees in the background plus the bullet impacts were hitting another persons property.

Old
Old Range Setup.jpg


New
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Where should I put the laser in the reticle of an MRAD scope to approximate this drop?
Don't make zeroing harder than it needs to be.
  1. Set a pizza box lid or similar at 25 yards and stick or draw a 1/2" dot on it.
  2. Use your laser or simply bore sight and get bore and reticle on the dot. Don't try to be super-precise. It's a waste of time.
  3. Fire one shot. At 25 yards, it should be on the paper and hopefully within a couple inches of your target dot.
  4. Use the subtensions on your reticle to see how many tenths of a mil your hit is from the dot, then adjust. Example: Your bullet hole is 1.0 mil low and 1.0 mil right of the dot. So dial 1.0 mil up and 1.0 mil left.
  5. Shoot another round. You should be pretty darn close.
  6. Repeat steps 3-6 until you hit the dot. It usually takes me 3 shots total.
  7. Move target to 50 yards, put up a new dot, repeat steps 3-6. You shouldn't need to change much.
  8. Set your zero stop per Vortex manual.
Fifty yards is a pretty common zero for a .22. There are threads here about benefits of closer zeroes. Choose one and go.

As for "spending thousands" to upgrade your rifle: the scope doesn't count because it moves to whatever rifle you put it on. With my rifle in the image above, the retail cost of the chassis, buttstock, grip, and trigger kit was ~$625.

Gather your info, make choices, and try things out. You'll change your mind anyway....
 
I shoot at 55 yards but it was set up at 50. I moved it to mow once and didn't realize how far I had moved it. Shot many targets before I realized what I did, then I just kept shooting the same distance.


Yep it was your paper plate I saw at 55 yards. I guess I've seen more than once. I thought it was a trend in precision shooting. Kind of like 33 feet for air rifle shooting but realize 55 yards does not have a metric equivalent.

NIce range by the way. I had designed something like it in my yard for airguns but realize my town has a rule against it. I am only 5 minutes from the range but would love to practice from my own porch.
 
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Don't make zeroing harder than it needs to be.
  1. Set a pizza box lid or similar at 25 yards and stick or draw a 1/2" dot on it.
  2. Use your laser or simply bore sight and get bore and reticle on the dot. Don't try to be super-precise. It's a waste of time.

My first goal was to make sure I hit some paper with my first shot so I knew where to go from there. At 100 yards it was a potential challenge. If I go 50 yards it should be easier. It is a bit of a challenge as I don't have much space in my yard. My front yard and driveway abut a very popular bike path. I have been tempted to set up a target at the end of my driveway. But if I am out in the driveway with bore lasers and guns, sighting on the sign about 2 feet from the pathway, I might get a SWAT team visit.

I have already done a preliminary sighting inside the house. I have about 30 feet across the living room. I install the laser and sight through the scope to see how it aligns. I then raise the gun and made adjustments to the turrets till it was close enough to get near the paper.

The fun part is my girl dog is still looking at the ceiling two days later looking to see if the green dot (she has to get) is back.
 
The Vortex Vipers (and probably the Razors too, but I haven't used those) have a peculiar method for zeroing, because of the design of their zero stop. @DownhillFromHere gave good advice for general scope zeroing, but you'll find that it's a little backwards for the Viper. Here's my method (used it twice today, zeroed on my CZ 455 then my Bergara B14):

1. Dial down to your elevation zero stop. Do this before any shooting at all.
2. Dial up to your desired elevation zero stop offset. Many folks like to have about 1 MOA (or 0.3 mils) of elevation available below their zero before they hit the zero stop; this allows for close-in dialing while still having a hard elevation stop, at the expense of being slightly more confusing. To achieve this, dial 4 clicks up (MOA scope) or 3 clicks up (mil scope) from your zero stop. If you start competing in NRL22 or similar, they often have close targets where this can be useful, but for general purpose shooting you can probably skip this step.
3. Dial to zero on your windage. If you bought your scope used, this should already be close; if you bought it new, zero's as good a place as any to start. Well actually, that's not true; if you bought your scope new, you should dial one direction or the other until you hit the mechanical stop, then dial 17.5 MOA or 10 mil in the other direction. This will put you in the middle of the available windage, which should be close to zero.
4. Remove elevation cap by loosening the three 2mm hex set screws. Doesn't take a lot of screw backout to fully loosen, don't unscrew the set screws all the way out of the cap because they're tiny and hard to find when dropped. Don't move the elevation turret while you do this.
5. Loosen all three set screws on the elevation turret that was exposed when you removed the cap.
6. Shoot one shot at a clear aiming point; agreed with @DownhillFromHere that 25 yards is a good plan. Use a really big target, pizza box sounds perfect.
7. Use the reticle to measure roughly how far off you were, then adjust elevation and windage by that amount.
8. Fire another shot at the same clear aiming point. Measure and move turrets again (should be a very small move this time), then scoot back to 50 yards or whatever zero distance you chose.
9. Fire a 5-shot group at a clear aiming point. Measure the offset from center for each shot, average, convert to MOA/mil, then adjust the scope turrets for that measurement.
10. Shoot another 5-shot group at a fresh target or aiming point. If adjustment is still needed, go ahead and make it, but this should be the last time.
11. Make a note of the elevation turret value, then tighten the three elevation turret set screws. Ensure that the turret didn't move from the noted pre-tight value (if it did, loosen and reset to the noted value).
12. Reinstall the elevation cap, lined up to zero.
13. Verify your elevation zero stop offset (you should be able to dial solid clicks below zero before hitting the stop, make sure it travels as far below zero as you want).
14. Loosen the three set screws on the windage turret cap, adjust turret cap to zero, then tighten the set screws.
15. Shoot a 5-shot group on a new target or aiming point to verify a good zero. If it isn't good, repeat the process or shoot another verification group.

Basically, this is exactly the advice @DownhillFromHere gave, except the Vortex scope is most easily zeroed with the elevation cap removed and elevation turret loosened. Plus you have to account for your desired available elevation below zero, which requires that you dial that offset before loosening anything.

Let me know if that was clear or not, happy to explain more or answer questions if not. Like I said, I did this twice this afternoon, so it's fresh in my mind lol
 
So I went out and did my first scoped shooting. Dialing it in at 25 yards was fairly easy and I was happy with my performance at that distance. I had read the book on scopes and milirads but did not have it locked into my brain yet. All the examples in the book were 100 yard to larger distances. I hadn't wrapped my brain around 25 yard to 100 yard distance yet. So I was fudging it a little bit as opposed to using the very easy and predictable results available using my mrad settings. On the short drive home in the heated comfort of my car I was able to do the math much better. At 100 yards a mil=3.6" so at 25 yards a mil=.9".

Below is my best and worse grouping at 25 yards.
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Out at 100 yards things were less predictable. The lack of a cheek weld and a stable shooting bag setup made things harder. I still managed to get one grouping at 1.35 inches. I did not bring any paper to record DOPE and although I tried to set the zero stop on elevation, I don't think I got it right. I guess I have to go back out tomorrow and try again.

A few questions first. In other shooting the people talk about 'flyers'. I would guess in precision shooting you don't get to throw out flyers because we are aiming for precision?

How are groupings measured? I saw a review of the Vudoo guns and the guy appeared to be measuring from bullet hole center to center. Is this correct?

20210416_185002.jpg
 
Stock: If you are going to get "serious" with your rifle, as in NRL .22 or PRS-style competition, you might look into a 3rd-party chassis or stock with a higher and hopefully adjustable comb.

I feel the need to explain about this rifle. After growing up in a very committed gun shooting household, I lost all my inherited guns in the big Oakland Fire of 1991. So this CZ is my first gun to own as an adult and my first gun fired in close to 35 years. So lets say besides my childhood guns this is my first gun. If I start altering it by replacing parts.... well it reminds me of the line I heard a street juggler say so many years ago. "this is George Washington's axe, I have replaced the head and the handle over the years."

So I have added neoprene sock to create a comb for a cheek weld and will consider a pic rail up front as a bipod might be in order but do not want to alter the gun beyond recognition. If I get better and maybe look at competition I will consider buying a higher end .22 or another CZ that has been altered with a precision stock, the Vudoos sure look nice.
 
How are you not curious about how that thing would perform with more magnification and a lighter trigger? I bet it would outshoot a few of your others. I think you’re underestimating it’s potential. Mine shoots 2’s all day.......well some days. 😆

What are 2s?
 
I was showing the results using two different formulas. I measure the outside edge of the grease ring or hole to outside edge then subtract .222” which gives you the center to center measurement that we use in the 6x5 thread here.The bottom measurement is subtracting the actual size of a bullet hole which that day was .204”.
 
I feel the need to explain about this rifle. After growing up in a very committed gun shooting household, I lost all my inherited guns in the big Oakland Fire of 1991. So this CZ is my first gun to own as an adult and my first gun fired in close to 35 years. So lets say besides my childhood guns this is my first gun. If I start altering it by replacing parts.... well it reminds me of the line I heard a street juggler say so many years ago. "this is George Washington's axe, I have replaced the head and the handle over the years."

So I have added neoprene sock to create a comb for a cheek weld and will consider a pic rail up front as a bipod might be in order but do not want to alter the gun beyond recognition. If I get better and maybe look at competition I will consider buying a higher end .22 or another CZ that has been altered with a precision stock, the Vudoos sure look nice.
You're doing it right, then. Carry on!

I started precision rifle with a slightly-used DMR-variant AR after decades of NSSA-sanctioned skeet competition. That piqued a long-dormant interest. I had a couple of decades-old Ruger bolt-action field rifles in the safe that I tinkered with but found there was no upgrade path for them even if I wanted to. So they and that DMR AR got sold for a pair of Tikka centerfires and a CZ-455 .22.

The Tikka TAC-A1 6.5CM led me into PRS competition. I never changed anything on it other than a trigger spring - didn't need to. The Tikka Varmint .223 got a pic rail on top, MDT chassis and buttstock, new bolt handle, vertical grip, and ARCA rail under the forearm. Tikka makes as good a factory action and barrel as one will find, but their standard rubber stocks and dinky little nub bolt handles suck. The result was a fine rifle that checked off all the boxes for what I wanted in a rifle, but this is a hobby and my wife and I are blessed enough in retirement to pursue those hobbies. So it wasn't too long before the Tikkas got sold to get into customs and a Vudoo entered the scene. For whatever reason, I've held on to the CZ-455 .22 even with the Vudoo in the house.

My points are that (a) upgrades to common factory rifles can provide meaningful improvement at a ROI-effective cost if not taken too far, and (b) no matter what you acquire, there is almost always that desire to try something different.

Enjoy the ride. I'm sorry to hear of your loss in the fire. I was in Oakland a few years before that on business, stayed in a grand old hotel that I think was also lost in that fire. I remember hearing or reading at one of the tourist attractions that fire took pretty much everything in California at one point or another.
 
You're doing it right, then. Carry on!

I started precision rifle with a slightly-used DMR-variant AR after decades of NSSA-sanctioned skeet competition. That piqued a long-dormant interest. I had a couple of decades-old Ruger bolt-action field rifles in the safe that I tinkered with but found there was no upgrade path for them even if I wanted to. So they and that DMR AR got sold for a pair of Tikka centerfires and a CZ-455 .22.

The Tikka TAC-A1 6.5CM led me into PRS competition. I never changed anything on it other than a trigger spring - didn't need to. The Tikka Varmint .

Do you compete with the Tikkas? This same gun sits on the top shelf at my LGS, if I get comfortable with the precision shooting at .22 I would like to get something like the Tikka down the road but can't imagine another caliber during this time of ammo shortage.

Do you still shoot skeet competitions? I shot as much clay as a kid as anything else. I was hoping to get into clay shooting but shotgun shells are also nearly impossible to get locally.
 
Do you compete with the Tikkas? This same gun sits on the top shelf at my LGS, if I get comfortable with the precision shooting at .22 I would like to get something like the Tikka down the road but can't imagine another caliber during this time of ammo shortage.

Do you still shoot skeet competitions? I shot as much clay as a kid as anything else. I was hoping to get into clay shooting but shotgun shells are also nearly impossible to get locally.
I did compete with the TAC A1 for the first year. Then I had the opportunity to shoot a custom rifle in an MPA chassis and immediately learned that a friend of mine was trying to sell a nearly-identical rifle. I sold the TAC A1 in a day to fund the custom. Same thing with the Varmint in .223 - I sold it to fund a custom in the same caliber. Both the Tikkas were accurate, smooth, fully satisfactory rifles - but this is a hobby in which I'm blessed to be financially able to chase, and there's always something new with which to tinker.

I don't compete in skeet anymore. I burned out on it after quite a few years of shooting 10k shells a year in competition and practice. I haven't even shot skeet for fun in a couple of years now. I've thought about selling my skeet gun, but my wife points out that, over the years, I've wandered down a number of rabbit holes in the shooting world but always come back to skeet. I've been in this rifle realm going on four years now. But the Kolar stays in the safe, ready when I am.
 
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