CZ 455 Accuracy - Not what I expected

Went to the range, the top target rows 1 & 2 are federal Match, the 3rd in ultra match, It was raining so hard I had to stop there. I think they are better than last time, perhaps I'll measure them and repost. The last target is CCI in the pouring rain. CCI does weird things for me, I actually had a dud, another I could hardly close the bolt another made a funny sound. Then you get an awesome group, I never know.

I think I should Pillar bed the gun, leave the barrel shimmed incase I mange to get a better one.


http://imgur.com/a/86oU2
 
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CCI SV often chambers hard in CZ's. The target shown in the link shows grouping that is familiar. Sometimes some CZ rifles will shoot some groups well, while others on the same target don't look as good. It might be a case of that's as good as it gets with that set up. Perhaps pillars and bedding will help. A new(er) factory barrel might offer improvement, but you never know. And a custom barrel should definitely improve results; the cost, however, is nothing to sneeze at.

I don't recall if the observation has been made that the factory stocks can be challenging to shoot well off a rest, considering the relatively narrow fore stock, which on all but the Varmint models are rounded. A heavier stock with a wider and flatter fore stock, such as the Boyds Pro Varmint stock, would certainly improve the "shootability" of the rifle from a rest. Of course, if a custom barrel were to be used, it would make sense to throw pecuniary concerns to the wind and bed and pillar a stock that is an improvement over the factory stock.
 
This picture is better. Groups are a tad better than last time, there are some in the .3's which is new. I let the trigger get away on me a few times, I'm not used to having it set that low, but I didn't want to cherry pick. Good & ugly in the rain.

I think you guys are right, this about the most I'm going to get out of this set-up with out a match barrel, new stock etc. It has improved alot since I started, Squirrels are definitely in trouble. I'll try to looking around for a less expensive Pillar & bed job but I don't want a crappy job, especially with the Canadian issue Stock. It may be a DIY Job. Thanks guys.

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stick to one ammo and season the barrel with that lube, swapping ammo every 20 or 40 shots with cleaning in between is a unfare test, sometimes it takes 50 rounds down the barrel before the accuracy kicks in
 
Good Thinking Yodave, I've been cheaping out shooting CCI for fun and the more expensive for paper. Here's a better look at the CCI, decent ugly & uglier, ha!

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Not unusual results from a 455 Canadian, not bad at all actually.
Without rereading all the posts, how far up the ammo chain did you go?
The firing pin mod may have made some changes that aren't reflected by your current ammunition.
If you can get some Center-X, even a box or two, you might see some improvement now.
The American/Canadian/Shamrock version of the 455 is a bit "twitchy" as mentioned earlier. Not the easiest rifle to shoot really well with.
My 455 American shoots about the same, after being bedded and pillared, maybe slightly better. I'm averaging right around .600" at 50 yds with Standard Plus.
Were you using a rear bag as well? I've found that my shooting improves if I don't use my left hand to squeeze the ears of the bag as most recommend. Instead, I set up so that the crosshairs are slightly above my aiming point, then move my left hand to lightly hold the forearm of the rifle. A very slight increase in shoulder pressure will then bring the crosshairs down to where they should be. If you find the rifle is moving around too much, decrease the amount you're starting above the aiming point. My trigger is at approximately 1.5 lbs.
 
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Chilly807,
Food Chain: Laupla Midas +, RWS Special Match, RWS Rifle Match, SK HV. And lots of low end stuff. RWS and Federal Match did well, I hear they are the same. SK didn't shoot well but nothing 1100 fps or faster does for me. Yes using a rear bag, I was squeezing it with my left but now I hold the fore end and muscle it as much as I can. Funny you would ask that, I started doing that with the CCI and started to get reasonable groups. I thought it was just coincidence.

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shellbird01 said:
Chilly807,
Yes using a rear bag, I was squeezing it with my left but now I hold the fore end and muscle it as much as I can. Funny you would ask that, I started doing that with the CCI and started to get reasonable groups. I thought it was just coincidence. ]
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Not a coincidence by any means, any light rifle will be sensitive to touch, it's one of the reasons competition rifles are built heavy. With a sporter weight rifle you simply don't get away with much. Both my CZs are fairly sensitive to cheek and grip pressure, I really have to concentrate on setting up every shot.
One of the problems with shooting scoped rifles is there's a tendency to look for the shot immediately instead of following through properly. Back in the days when I shot aperture sights, it was a bit easier to follow through because you had to lean to one side to see through the spotting scope.
You mentioned "muscling".. what I try to do is use as little muscle tension on the rifle as I can. If I use muscle to hold the rifle on target, it's always trying to move back to it's natural point of aim, fighting me. I'm better off to get it settled so it's pointing almost exactly where it needs to be, then "insert" myself into that equation and try to fire the shot while disturbing the rifle as little as possible.
I shot small bore rifle for a few years a long time ago, then got away from it. I've practically had to teach myself to shoot all over again, shooting from a bench is a whole new ball game.
 
Nice to see you hit some 0.3's. With the results shown I'd say you got exactly what you paid for with this rifle, yeah it took some work to get there and that is typical, but there is certainly nothing that could be considered "defective" or "unacceptable" here. A little disappointed? Sure, if you got all starry eyed with the cherry picked amazing group hype seen plastered all over Rimfire Central. It's ok, I fell for it too. This is what an average, middle of the road CZ does. Those "good ones" are rare. This really isn't the class of rifle to be using if seriously pursuing tiny bughole groups and since it's your hunting rifle if you did put a custom barrel on it, you'd still want to use this stock and have a sporter contour barrel right?

I think the main benefit of pillar/bedding a rimfire is stability and repeatability of torque settings and action fit into stock. Getting things to sit and vibrate the same way every time is key to accuracy.

If it makes you feel any better my 455 with a Lilja barrel and the works in bedding/tuning shoots about the same.
 
Chilly807 said:
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You mentioned "muscling".. what I try to do is use as little muscle tension on the rifle as I can. If I use muscle to hold the rifle on target, it's always trying to move back to it's natural point of aim, fighting me. I'm better off to get it settled so it's pointing almost exactly where it needs to be, then "insert" myself into that equation and try to fire the shot while disturbing the rifle as little as possible.
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Setting up natural point of aim is important, your body want's to "release" back to it as the shot is fired. The bench rest crew strives to just let the rifle "do it's thang" every shot, with a mechanical stop to always position back on the rest in the same spot. I find the sporter stock needs some work on your end to control, roll is the big issue. Recoil forces of sending a bullet spinning down the barrel imparts a rotational movement into the rifle. You need to actively counter this yourself in the absence of a 3" wide flat forearm to do so for you. Rest/bag setup to point the rifle in line with target, address the rifle and adjust your body until you can close your eyes, relax and breathe a few times, open your eyes and be right on target in this "relaxed" state. Now is when I add a firm tension to the forestock with my left hand to hold it on the natural aim point and counter any recoil forces. My 455 stock feels like a beefy varmint model compared to my slender Weatherby XXII, shooting in the "teens" is possible with both, just add good barrel ;)
 
Hey Rabid, I'll put down money for a barrel in the teens NP. Yes I would keep the same contour, I like this rifle for hunting. Just trying to squeeze the last possible bit of accuracy (just greedy :). Not looking for a BR rifle to carry in the woods for sure.

I'll take your and Chilly's advise and work on the "hold", I do struggle to hold this rifle well on the bench. Thanks guys!!!
 
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