.17 HMR GROUPINGS: CZ 455 Varmint, Heavy Barrel
I bought a CZ 455 Varmint, heavy barrel in .17 hmr a few months ago. The first day I brought it out to the range, I got these results, shooting the 200 round box of CCI A17, 17 grain, and Hornady V Max at 100 yards:
https://s31.postimg.cc/aigr5i7q1/Fri_April_13-2018.jpg
In more than a few instances, I was getting figure 8's, touching, or overlapping. Note the 3, 1" squares on the top left of the target paper, and the letter "O" in the word "Shooting" at the top left of the target paper. Those shots were all deliberate, and I was astounded at this rifle's accuracy.
If you really want to have some fun testing the accuracy of your .17 HMR:
• Drill small pilot holes with a 3/32 bit on an impact driver, about 1/4 inch deep on the top edge of the target board, and about 2" apart.
• Cut a handful of toothpicks in half, and insert the thicker end of the toothpick into the holes, so the pointed end is sticking up, about half an inch or so.
• Spike small 1 - 1.5" potatoes on the toothpicks. — On a standard target board, about 16" wide, I can get about 8 or 9 of them on the board
SEE:
https://postimg.cc/image/459iuq4pp/ (This is a narrower target board at a friend's farm at 100 yards) but you get the idea.
And then move up to smaller things, like red cherries, or walnuts, even cherry tomatoes, if you can actually sight them, you can hit them.
LOTS of fun. If you can hit them in succession, you've got a damn accurate rifle. I should add though, I tried a different CCI .17 last week, 20 grain, hollow points, and the accuracy wasn't the same. I got a wider spread, and not nearly as "pin-point" as the A17. But it was a clean barrel, and different ammo. I'm going back to the A17 this weekend, to see how it changes the POI again.
A note to people who own CZ 452, or 455's, — Great video on action screw tension in pounds, and the effects it has on accuracy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSIUtraui00
I had a YoDave trigger kit put in, and I asked the gunsmith to tighten the action/trigger guard screws to exactly 30 pounds. But I hadn't fired the rifle before the trigger upgrade, I have no idea how accurate the 455 would have been at 25 pounds. — CZ's factory specs for the trigger/action screws is 25 pounds.