CZ455 Varmint thumbhole stock to replace CZ452 Walnut Stock

[easyrider604]

CZ455 Varmint thumbhole stock to replace CZ452 Walnut Stock....will it work?

It will not drop in, but what do I need to do to make it fit?

Ok, I guess I pulled the trigger too fast, but I just bought a CZ455 Varmint Thumbhole stock, hoping to use it in my 452 Varmint. It's on its way and before it arrives in 7 days, I'm hoping to be ready to do what it takes to fit it into my 452 Varmint.

Thank you.

 

[horseman2]

The 452 Varmint has a sliding dovetail on the barrel. The 455 Varmint does not.

 

[flyr]

Action screw placement is different between the 452 and 455. AFAIK
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v79/hotrod9mm/CZ/452-455/Stock-Inletting.jpg

 

[easyrider604]

Thanks much for the info, horseman and flyr!

Seems the 455 stock can be made to fit, one way or another, but it will take some work and may not come out pretty. Better get some woodworking tools and extra bits for the Dremel.

 

[grauhanen]

The picture in the link provided by Flyr shows a 452 American stock. The CZ 452 Varmint in .22LR has the front barrel lug and the rear action screw is between the trigger and the magazine well. CZ 452 magnum calibers have differently located action screws.

The CZ 455 will have the front action screw in front of the magazine and the rear in the tang.

 

[Kody]

You will also have to reshape the stock just behind the action and create that little groove that clears the bolt when it travels rearwards.
Nice little project if you have some decent woodworking skills and have access to a drill press.

 

[easyrider604]

Ok gentlemen, a little update.

Originally planned to use the above mentioned 455 varmint thumbhole laminate stock to replace the walnut original stock on my 452 varmint.

But in the meantime, I discovered the rubber butt pad on the synthetic stock my 452 Style had gone soggy over the years. It's a 2002-2003 production rifle.

So I test mounted the 452 Style action in the 455 varmint thumbhole lam stock. It basically dropped in, after I removed the Style's dovetailed, slide-out front barrel log.
I tried fitting the Style's trigger guard on the 455 stock. It fit but will have to drill the stock to match the front trigger guard hole, and the rear trigger guard hole did not have any wood material under it. Apparently, the rear trigger guard hole is also where the rear action screw of the 455 is located.

Ok, so fitting a 452 Style action onto a 455 varmint thumbhole will require some further thought.



Then I remembered couple months ago, I got a 452 Scout with a 452 Boyds thumbhole varmint stock in forest laminate, off the EE.


So, I mounted the 452 Style action onto the ex-Scout 452 Boyd's thumbhole....it was a straightforward drop-in, although with extra loose barrel to stock clearance due to the tapered pencil barrel profile of the Style.

And here's what I consider a bonus. The Scout has only one action screw, which happily matched the hole in the 455 thumbhole laminate stock.

All that needs to be done is to drill a starter hole in the 455 stock to match the front screw hole in the scout trigger guard. The action screw is in the correct place on the 455 stock...check. The rear trigger guard hole of the Scout trigger guard has no wood material under it. I assume this is the rear action screw of the 455 action. Just need to figure how to secure the rear trigger guard. Perhaps change to a bolt and blind nut arrangement.

Also the 455 stock has to be relieved at the rear of the action, or the Scout's bolt cannot be removed. Easy job with a dowel, rough sandpaper and elbow grease.

So right now, the Style has a newish Boyd's thumbhole forest laminate stock. The 452 Varmint will have to continue wearing its original walnut stock

I'll give further updates with pictures, hopefully in near future.

 

[djosselyn311]

Oh no! I just found this thread, I’m glad you found a use for it. Post some pictures when you get a chance, I’d be interested in seeing how everything turns out.

 

[easyrider604]

Oh no! I just found this thread, I’m glad you found a use for it. Post some pictures when you get a chance, I’d be interested in seeing how everything turns out.

Hey d, no worries. I can do minor woodworking. Built balsa wood RC model airplanes, from scratch, in my youth.

I'm sure your 455 thumbhole will work for the 452 Scout action with minimal work. The 452 Scout action fits in the 455 stock inletting perfectly. Good thing the 452 needs only one action screw to secure onto the stock, and the stock opening matches the action screw hole. No need to mod anything to fit the action screw.

There is no barrel stud in a Scout, so the 455 stock matches as well. Just need to:

1. Screw down front trigger guard: Simple pilot hole using a drill press for precision, then fix with screw.

2. Find a way to fill the Stock under the rear trigger guard screw hole: I don't have a 455 to verify, but this is probably the rear action bolt location. I can epoxy in a wood dowel to fill the void, drill pilot hole then screw down. This screw is just to hold the trigger guard and not subject to any recoil loads.

3. Enlarge/relieve the upper stock wrist groove to clear the bolt, refinish: Easy enough.

Will post pics to show progress and finished stock/rifle when I have time to do the job right.

Beautiful gray thumbhole laminate stock, BTW.

Thanks for your concern.

 

[easyrider604]

Instead of replacing the 452 Varmint walnut stock with the 455 gray thumbhole laminate, I ended up fitting the gray stock to my 2nd Scout, which arrived two months ago.

 

[easyrider604]

The Boyd’s 452 varmint thumbhole forest camp laminate, that originally came with 452 Scout #2, fit perfectly under my Style. Which is fortuitous because the Styles’s rubber butt pad deteriorated badly over the years.

All I need to do is find correct bolt for the Styles front lug. An M6 x 30mm should work. Plus a couple of washers and some thick epoxy under the Barrel lug.
Right now, the action is just held in the stock by the single action screw.