Harrell Precision Tuner on Lothar Walther Barrell
Some say (like my wife) that I am way down the rabbit hole on this project. I absolutely love the CZ brand of rimfire rifles. This 455 like many others I have shot continue to live up to my expectations. Though I got this wild hair that just maybe I could use the versatility of the CZ455 being able to swap barrels at home and make it just as accurate as a Vudoo at a much cheaper price.
I started first by pillar bedding and fully bedding the action. I have since added Anarchy Outdoors bottom metal which is thicker than the original which allows for possibly greater torque without bending your metal. The trigger has been modified with a Yo Dave Trigger Kit and Plus 10% Striker spring for great consistency in primer strikes. The firing pin has been polished and the head squared to deliver even more consistency in the ignition process. This work would have the CZ 455 consistently shooting in the range of .550in — .750in groups at 50 yards depending upon the ammunition.
I decided to amp it up a bit and got a CZ455 drop in Lothar Walther barrel. With this barrel the groups would definitely get tighter shooting .445in — .650in groups at 50 yards, again depending upon the ammunition. The only fault I found with the new Lothar Walther barrel was a thread protector was not included so I had to have one made.
I would begin the mission of finding the right ammunition for the new barrel.
It was recommended that I try Fiocchi 320. I liked what I was seeing out of this ammunition. Right about the same time, Kenny from Desert Precision Gunworks pushed me deeper into the rabbit hole by recommending a Harrell Precision Tuner. After speaking with them inquiring about the AR15 Muzzle Break Tuner being a direct fit and potential enhanced accuracy I decided this would be “potentially” my last upgrade.
There is really nothing more to do other than shoot the darn rifle. I mean, could I be that bad of a shot to need all these upgrades?
After all of these upgrades I am right at $1,020. Did I meet my goal of building a CZ455 that is lovely to look at but deadly on the range, capable of competing with the Vudoo line of rifles? After tuning the break I went on to shoot these groups.
With Fiocchi 320 these 3 groups, the last groups of the day, came in at .306in – .490inch. Other groups you see not measured were groups shot while finding the sweet spot for the tuner.
So this journey’s groups in inches look like this
.550in – .750in to .445in – .650in eventually ending up at .306in – .490in
Many have stated I should weigh and sort my 22 ammo by rim thickness. This is something I have measured before in some testing here, in my love hate relationship with sorting 22LR
Though it did seem to make some difference on the target, I am not sure it is worth my time, even now. This could change some where down this rabbit hole.
Is there light at the end of this project and rabbit hole? I still want to test Lapua X Act with the tuner and new comers to this little experiment RWS50, Midas+, SK Rifle Match, Wolf Match Extra and CCI-SV.
There are some that enjoy pushing me further down the rabbit hole, getting a kick out of the torture and donated to paypal.me/MrRevolverguy to see this ammo tested, it is coming. I am not sure this is where I am supposed to thank those who donated or grimace at them.
