MPA BA22 CZ 457 Opinions

[Michael W]

I own one of these . I've had some problems from day one.Just curious if anyone else has had the same .
1 Action is very very stiff. And becomes completely frozen when you torque down action screws to MPA factory settings (65 inch pounds)
2 When you torque down action screws the barrel hits the spigot mount and the barrel stops being freefloated.

I believe the bolt is coming into contact with the bolt guide. I tried to polish this out and to make some other modifications but I have had little to no results.
The rifle is still under warranty so I understand that they can fix it but I just do not feel like waiting 2 months to get my rifle back.

 

[littlepod]

I own one of these . I've had some problems from day one.Just curious if anyone else has had the same .
1 Action is very very stiff. And becomes completely frozen when you torque down action screws to MPA factory settings (65 inch pounds)
2 When you torque down action screws the barrel hits the spigot mount and the barrel stops being freefloated.

I believe the bolt is coming into contact with the bolt guide. I tried to polish this out and to make some other modifications but I have had little to no results.
The rifle is still under warranty so I understand that they can fix it but I just do not feel like waiting 2 months to get my rifle back.

Missing the spacers that go with the action screws?

 

[Michael W]

Did not see any when i took the action out to adjust the trigger.

 

[Eoddave27]

It sounds like the rear action screw is hitting your bolt. This is a pretty common problem I have seen especially if you over torque the action screws. I put a CZ 457 into an MPA chassis so mine isn‘t a MPA built rifle but I have never put 65 in/lbs of torque on any of my rimfire rifles. I usually keep mine right around 35 in/lbs. I have found that I almost universally have issue with the action running rough when I use that much torque. The exception is my Vudoo but I still don’t use that much torque. I would check the end of the rear action screw and see if it has been rubbing the bolt. I would guess it is. Youonly need to remove a small amount to get it to fit properly.

 

[Michael W]

It sounds like the rear action screw is hitting your bolt. This is a pretty common problem I have seen especially if you over torque the action screws. I put a CZ 457 into an MPA chassis so mine isn‘t a MPA built rifle but I have never put 65 in/lbs of torque on any of my rimfire rifles. I usually keep mine right around 35 in/lbs. I have found that I almost universally have issue with the action running rough when I use that much torque. The exception is my Vudoo but I still don’t use that much torque. I would check the end of the rear action screw and see if it has been rubbing the bolt. I would guess it is. Youonly need to remove a small amount to get it to fit properly.

I agree that 65 inch pounds sounds like a lot. But I went on their website and watched an instructional video on how to attach their chassis to actions and they were pretty adamant about 65 inch pounds now I don't know if there's a difference between a full size Remington 700 action and a scaled-down version of a 22. But the problem is I have problems when I took it out of the box before I adjusted the trigger.

 

[Michael W]

It sounds like the rear action screw is hitting your bolt. This is a pretty common problem I have seen especially if you over torque the action screws. I put a CZ 457 into an MPA chassis so mine isn‘t a MPA built rifle but I have never put 65 in/lbs of torque on any of my rimfire rifles. I usually keep mine right around 35 in/lbs. I have found that I almost universally have issue with the action running rough when I use that much torque. The exception is my Vudoo but I still don’t use that much torque. I would check the end of the rear action screw and see if it has been rubbing the bolt. I would guess it is. Youonly need to remove a small amount to get it to fit properly.

I thought that also. But when I took the bolt out I saw no weird wear marks

 

[Islander]

I’ve had mine in and out of the chassis a few times. Never had the issues you’re experiencing. Are you tightening the front action screw first? I remember the factory instructions said it was important that you tighten the front lightly, then the rear lightly, then torque the front and then the rear. Also like eoddave27 I only torque to about 35-40

 

[Michael W]

I did notice if you tightened the front screw first I ran into issues.. like I said before MPA it's pretty adamant about the 65 inch pounds torque spec. It seemed to work a lot better when I brought it down to 32 35 inch pounds of torque. But even then the action was extremely stiff. I did notice when I polished the bolt I had wear marks on the bolt towards the front on the top about the 10 o clock position.

 

[Eoddave27]

I did notice if you tightened the front screw first I ran into issues.. like I said before MPA it's pretty adamant about the 65 inch pounds torque spec. It seemed to work a lot better when I brought it down to 32 35 inch pounds of torque. But even then the action was extremely stiff. I did notice when I polished the bolt I had wear marks on the bolt towards the front on the top about the 10 o clock position.

How does the bolt run with the rear action screw really loose?

 

[Michael W]

How does the bolt run with the rear action screw really loose?

Bolt is hard to run regardless of how tight the action screws are. I took the bolt out of my gun and put it in another CZ 457 and it ran perfect so it's not a bolt issue

 

[FJBPrecision]

I have one of the MPA CZ 22 rifles and mine has been great from day one. The MPA is a sweet little rifle I’m sure it’s something simple if you want PM and we can swap some photos to see if something’s missing from yours. I’ve never had mine out if the chassis but would be glad to pull it if it may help you out

 

[hudo22]

Is it seating properly on the recoil lug?, if I'm right -take your lug out and try it without it in....

 

[Michael W]

Is it seating properly on the recoil lug?, if I'm right -take your lug out and try it without it in....

That's a good idea I'll give it a whirl

 

[hudo22]

Im hanging out to see if that works for you. I think it may be getting stuck up on the lug and not seating down at the rear side correctly , this would explain how when you tension it the barrel is on the piss so hard its able to hit the front of your chassis, it May in my head at least, explain why the bolt gets stiff as its torquing the action slightly, especially if your running those 65 lbs tensions..., also can you measure your front and rear action screws from the bottom of the head to the end of the thread lengths?

 

[Michael W]

Im hanging out to see if that works for you. I think it may be getting stuck up on the lug and not seating down at the rear side correctly , this would explain how when you tension it the barrel is on the piss so hard its able to hit the front of your chassis, it May in my head at least, explain why the bolt gets stiff as its torquing the action slightly, especially if your running those 65 lbs tensions..., also can you measure your front and rear action screws from the bottom of the head to the end of the thread lengths?

I'm running the bolts at 65 inch pounds. I'm not sure what's the cause. It appears more like a bolt guide problem. If you look at parts breakdown for a CZ 457 it's part number 31

 

[hudo22]

Did you pull the lug out and try it?

 

[Michael W]

Yes. It made no difference either in or out

 

[hudo22]

can you put up an image of the inlet rear and front ? looking for any chafe or rub points so best taken looking towards the rear then towards the front

 

[hudo22]

I'm running the bolts at 65 inch pounds. I'm not sure what's the cause. It appears more like a bolt guide problem. If you look at parts breakdown for a CZ 457 it's part number 31

I would be more concerned about the barrels ability to touch the spigot as a start point cause that IMHO should not be possible if its sitting correctly , hence my thoughts its resting onto of the lug and not seating correctly which i think is still going to be the issue of something is ut of whack, also measure those bolts to double check your in spec

 

[Michael W]

I would be more concerned about the barrels ability to touch the spigot as a start point cause that IMHO should not be possible if its sitting correctly , hence my thoughts its resting onto of the lug and not seating correctly which i think is still going to be the issue of something is ut of whack, also measure those bolts to double check your in spec

the only unusual wear marks are on the snout of the bolt nothing unusual at the back side. I have polished the bolt to almost a mirror shein so any scuff marks would show up almost immediately I don't see any

 

[Islander]

I just found an old email I had sent to MPA asking if the torque rates were the same for center fire and rim fire rifles. They respond that the rim fire guns are to be torqued to 30 inch pounds.

 

[hudo22]

the only unusual wear marks are on the snout of the bolt nothing unusual at the back side. I have polished the bolt to almost a mirror shein so any scuff marks would show up almost immediately I don't see any

Pop the chassis off and take a pic of the rear and front of the chassis inlet, your looking at the end problem and not the cause imho. I recon ike other 65pou s is way too much, cz recommends half that, and i reckon uts not seated correctly in the bedding if it is touching the spigot, possibly the bolts you are using are the wrong length too.... the more you push about shaving metal off the bolt the possibility of doing unessasary damage increases

 

[hudo22]

Here us the issue with mine im cureently sorting out...

 

[hudo22]

I think I have a solution, it appears mpa use a vblock type bed, not pillar, so if yours is like mine then if you pop off the barrel and fit the action you will probably see there is a gap between the bottom of the actio and the chassis bed where the front screw passes through, the back is most likely sitting on the recoil lug behind the rear pin, then when you are ratcheting up the tension it is forcing the action to squeeze between the sides of the chassis and the barrel is is dipping down into the chassis.... sound about right?

 

[Michael W]

I think I have a solution, it appears mpa use a vblock type bed, not pillar, so if yours is like mine then if you pop off the barrel and fit the action you will probably see there is a gap between the bottom of the actio and the chassis bed where the front screw passes through, the back is most likely sitting on the recoil lug behind the rear pin, then when you are ratcheting up the tension it is forcing the action to squeeze between the sides of the chassis and the barrel is is dipping down into the chassis.... sound about right?

that's a great thought I'll try it tonight when I get home from work thanks

 

[JohnTheFisherman]

Same thing happened to me. Everything from MPA says 65in lbs. so that’s where I set it. Bolt wouldn’t cycle, bore guide wouldn’t go into the receiver, etc. I called MPA and spoke to a technician who told me 65 in lbs. is not meant for the CZ and that I should drop it 30 in lbs. works fine now.

 

[Michael W]

Same thing happened to me. Everything from MPA says 65in lbs. so that’s where I set it. Bolt wouldn’t cycle, bore guide wouldn’t go into the receiver, etc. I called MPA and spoke to a technician who told me 65 in lbs. is not meant for the CZ and that I should drop it 30 in lbs. works fine now.

I'm glad to see I'm not the only one that fell into the 65 inch pounds trap it seems to work pretty good when I get at that loose but I'm just wondering about the screws staying tight

 

[Kisssofdeath]

I use 20 in/lb on mine. Never had an issue with anything. I only say this to reinforce the others on here that use less than half the torque recommended by MPA.

 

[hudo22]

Im trying a little experiment with mine. After chatting with a local Smith we have concocted a plan. The mpa appears to use the vblock style bedding, there is no way that the pillar area is touching as they are well recessed , so it is sitting on top of the lug and the sides. My old wooden MTR shot really well so it needs to be as good if not better as that to be a viable option .... TBC

 

[hudo22]

And from mpa - tension should be 27-30 lb/inch

 

[hudo22]

Righto, I think i have a solution, im still not finished tweaking but it is definantly starting to show promise. With oit any mods if you over torque past 30lb you will start pulling the action front end into the chassis, you can see the barrel dipping down lower as you go.... so avoid this...

 

[Michael W]

Update update update... Just received my rifle back from MPA they had to mill the spigot mount to get the barrel free floating again. The fix for the action was drum roll please.... You must not torque down the action screws NO tighter than 30 inch pounds. Seems to work okay, funny thing is when I have the magazine in it it seems the action Cycles much better. It's not as smooth as I wanted it to be for this level up 22 LR. It seems if you use the bolt handle to cycle the action it binds towards the front of the Bolt. But if you put your thumb on the rear of the bolt next to the loaded chamber indicator it moves very smoothly.
For a weapon of this expense I would expect a lot smoother action than a factory CZ 457 if anything it's worse.

 

[Kisssofdeath]

I always start at 20 and most all the time it stays there.

 

[hudo22]

Update update update... Just received my rifle back from MPA they had to mill the spigot mount to get the barrel free floating again. The fix for the action was drum roll please.... You must not torque down the action screws NO tighter than 30 inch pounds. Seems to work okay, funny thing is when I have the magazine in it it seems the action Cycles much better. It's not as smooth as I wanted it to be for this level up 22 LR. It seems if you use the bolt handle to cycle the action it binds towards the front of the Bolt. But if you put your thumb on the rear of the bolt next to the loaded chamber indicator it moves very smoothly.
For a weapon of this expense I would expect a lot smoother action than a factory CZ 457 if anything it's worse.

yeah doesn't sound right, having to mill out the spigot mount....but good to hear you have it sorted
i would be interested to know what batch yours has come out at. Ive tweaked my bedding and now running approx 40 lbs with some good results- also have removed the recoil lug as IMHO it is not required with the modifications I've implemented.

 

[miscexpense]

This all does sound weird. If your still not happy reach out to Phil he is a phenomenal guy, I’m sure he would make it right.

 

[fredfish]

Update update update... Just received my rifle back from MPA they had to mill the spigot mount to get the barrel free floating again. The fix for the action was drum roll please.... You must not torque down the action screws NO tighter than 30 inch pounds. Seems to work okay, funny thing is when I have the magazine in it it seems the action Cycles much better. It's not as smooth as I wanted it to be for this level up 22 LR. It seems if you use the bolt handle to cycle the action it binds towards the front of the Bolt. But if you put your thumb on the rear of the bolt next to the loaded chamber indicator it moves very smoothly.
For a weapon of this expense I would expect a lot smoother action than a factory CZ 457 if anything it's worse.

I just found this third today as I was having problems with my Bolt Guide #31. If you take out barrel, bolt is very hard to work. If you take out bolt, barrel will not fit in. CZ doesn't want to hear about it. Loosing back magazine screw, that should solve problem. I'm still looking for Bolt guide replacement.

 

[Krumblex]

I have just found this very useful thread too, having just acquired an MPA CZ 457 chassis yesterday. No instructions in the box but there is a card referring the purchaser to manuals on the website. The online manual misleadingly specifies action screw torque at 65 in lbs. Luckily the seller, a rifle instructor friend, told me 25-31 in lbs when I picked it up and this thread confirms that. I wonder at the wisdom of MPA at deciding not to post separate instructions for their CZ 457 and 455 models, even after presumably receiving many complaints from mystified customers who obediently followed their instructions to torque to 65 in lbs and made their lovely expensive products virtually unusable. It would only take someone at MPA a few minutes to post the correct instructions and would not only save their customer services people a lot of time dealing with the consequences of this neglect but would ensure a seamless customer experience for the purchasers of their CZ rimfire chassis.

On a related issue, my trigger pin popped out when the action from freed from its former MTR varmint home. I had problems getting it out and back in again after a Yo Dave spring install and had to file it down a bit to get it back in at all. Getting frustrated I went a bit too far, as one does. I thought I had solved the problem by tapping it with a prick punch to re-peen it and make it stay in but obviously not. While the MTR varmint stock has not much room in the trigger compartment for the pin to pop out, the MPA chassis, not being designed specifically for the CZ looks like it has enough room on either side for the trigger pin to pop out completely. I will try to peen it some more with the prick punch but I am also thinking to put tape over both sides to try to keep it in. Any suggestions?

 

[vaguru]

krumblex,

a drop of epoxy on each side of the pin should do the trick

 

[fredfish]

I have just found this very useful thread too, having just acquired an MPA CZ 457 chassis yesterday. No instructions in the box but there is a card referring the purchaser to manuals on the website. The online manual misleadingly specifies action screw torque at 65 in lbs. Luckily the seller, a rifle instructor friend, told me 25-31 in lbs when I picked it up and this thread confirms that. I wonder at the wisdom of MPA at deciding not to post separate instructions for their CZ 457 and 455 models, even after presumably receiving many complaints from mystified customers who obediently followed their instructions to torque to 65 in lbs and made their lovely expensive products virtually unusable. It would only take someone at MPA a few minutes to post the correct instructions and would not only save their customer services people a lot of time dealing with the consequences of this neglect but would ensure a seamless customer experience for the purchasers of their CZ rimfire chassis.

On a related issue, my trigger pin popped out when the action from freed from its former MTR varmint home. I had problems getting it out and back in again after a Yo Dave spring install and had to file it down a bit to get it back in at all. Getting frustrated I went a bit too far, as one does. I thought I had solved the problem by tapping it with a prick punch to re-peen it and make it stay in but obviously not. While the MTR varmint stock has not much room in the trigger compartment for the pin to pop out, the MPA chassis, not being designed specifically for the CZ looks like it has enough room on either side for the trigger pin to pop out completely. I will try to peen it some more with the prick punch but I am also thinking to put tape over both sides to try to keep it in. Any suggestions

BSCAR Triggers--CZ457 Trigger Pivot pin $10 when I bought. Well worth it, C clips each end. I bought 4 just in case

 

[Krumblex]

BSCAR Triggers--CZ457 Trigger Pivot pin $10 when I bought. Well worth it, C clips each end. I bought 4 just in case

Many thanks. What a great looking product. Perfect for 457 triggers that have been Yo Daved. I have ordered 3 of them already. Much appreciated.

 

[spw11]

I own an MPA BA22 (CZ457) as well. I sent a note to MPA asking about the torque specs for the action screws. Philip Cashin responded.... 27-30 inch lbs for both the front and back.