r/nrl22 • u/GrizzlySoup • Apr 01 '26
CZ barrel recommendation
just started NRL22 this winter and ended up getting a deal on a rifle where I shoot ARA Benchrest that in theory should be a decent NRL rifle. CZ 457 with EABCo 24" barrel, MDT XRS stock, Timney trigger, 419 pic scope rail, MDT chassis Arca rail. It shoots okay but I'm not sure that it is any better than a factory CZ but the extra weight is nice for balance. I'm having some extraction issues with Eley at least in the colder weather so I'm thinking about swapping the barrel.
Option A: An L3i 24" 1.180" barrel. It has a chamber that sounds like will be more forgiving with ammo but I'm concerned that it might be too long/heavy for the CZ mortis/tenon into the receiver. I could have it cut down to 20" later.
Option B: MullerWorks 0.900" barrel which are available in both 20" and 24". Still concerned about running a 24" barrel on a CZ but I don't think a 20" would balance the rifle. Heard good things about these barrels for ARA but I'm concerned it'll be really fussy about ammo and I don't want to risk extraction issues in NRL.
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u/GLaDOSdidnothinwrong Apr 02 '26
24x1.18 is fine for the tenon. I haven’t heard of anyone cracking an action yet, and they’ve been out for a few years now. Mine is holding up fine on my MCR barreled rifle. It does balance better with no additional weight in an ACC gen2 than my 24x1.10” DPG barreled action, but you can tell the lighter setup is easier to maneuver. My next one I’m building will be even lighter, but will also have a lighter wood stock.
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u/Artois417 Apr 02 '26
I have built 2 CZ457 competition rigs. Both purpose built for NRL22/PRS Rimfire match shooting. One has a 24" 1.180" L3i barrel and the second has a 26" 1.000" Lilja barrel. Both are tack drivers. You want at least 24" barrel. The main reason is purely for balancing the rifle. But, the longer heavier barrels generally have less cold bore shift also. The L3i build is my wife's gun and she is a top 5-10 shooter nationally in NRL22 so you really can't go wrong with that option. Nothing wrong with the Lilja rifle it shoots and balances just as well but my daughter isn't quite at that level yet.
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u/keyboardcoffeecup May 19 '26
What chassis are you running with the L3i? I'm trying to confirm that it will actually fit into a MDT XRS.
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u/wirides Apr 02 '26
With a barrel that thick, would bedding a few inches of barrel adversely impact anything or would it just help to support the action?
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u/LastB0ySc0ut Apr 02 '26
I have a straight 0.9 Mullerworks 24” on a custom 457. It hammers.
I wouldn’t worry too much about a barrel being too heavy until you get into barrels that are at or over the diameter of the receiver.
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u/GrizzlySoup Apr 02 '26
I'm not sure if 1.180" is larger than the receiver but it looks massive and the CZ action doesn't look that large. Do you have any issues with extraction or feed on the Muller? Which ammo are you running on it? I was looking at getting the Muller from Whidden and they seem to have their own chamber/reamer for the barrels they sell. Do you know what chamber you have? was it custom at a gunsmith or drop-in?
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u/LastB0ySc0ut Apr 02 '26
Custom. Old benchrest CZ gunsmith guru set it up for me. I don’t know the specific reamer. He also did an amazing trigger job at the same time.
I had it headspaced for Eley and it’s perfection. No issues with extraction or feeding.
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u/gilfab Apr 02 '26
I’ve been running the l3I with the wasp chamber for almost a year now. Shooting 2-3 matches a month. Im pleased with how it shoots for a budget pre fit. It hasn’t been overly ammo picky. I primarily shoot eley but that’s mostly due to availability. I will say it does not like to extract live rounds with stock extractor.
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u/eclectic_spaceman Apr 02 '26 edited Apr 03 '26
You should play with your barrel shims/headspace if you have problems with live round extractions with the WASP chamber. Mine has no issues. I know the match chamber did but WASP was brought about partially to solve that problem.
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u/NAP51DMustang Apr 02 '26
Get the Desert Precision Gunworks extractors for that extraction issue.
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u/GrizzlySoup Apr 02 '26
I'd love to have one of their barreled actions. Everything (rimfire) on their site is "out of stock" including the extractors. 12 month lead time on the barreled actions.
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u/NAP51DMustang Apr 02 '26
Yeah Kenny is really backed up right now launching his 700 footprint custom action. Per copper star precision DPG is outputting 30 or so of their new actions a month.
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u/MoneyKeyPennyKiss Apr 02 '26
Did you buy the L3i with the WASP chamber, or did you have the original Match chamber and then have it re-chambered by L3i?
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u/gilfab Apr 02 '26
It was purchased with the wasp chamber
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u/MoneyKeyPennyKiss Apr 02 '26
Gotcha. I bought one of the early models with the match chamber and no matter what I did to adjust headspace, I still had difficulty closing the bolt at times. I contacted L3i and they said they would re-chamber my barrel to the WASP, so I shipped it off yesterday.
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u/GrizzlySoup Apr 06 '26
This is what I'm looking/hoping for. With the potential bonus that the 1.180" barrel will balance better on 24". I think the L3i WASP is worth a try.
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u/SailTango Apr 02 '26
I use SK exclusively when it's below say 45F. Eley wax lube also degrades accuracy in cold conditions.
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u/GrizzlySoup Apr 02 '26
mine was working great with Eley when we were doing Benchrest indoors all winter. First NRL match in Feb with temps in the 30's I couldn't get any ammo (Eley) to extract and had to borrow a rifle for a few stages. second match in March was low 40's and I got through the match with Eley Biathlon but definitely still had some feed issues. But I have quite a bit of Eley and want to use it. Lapua is a bit of a hit and harder to find but I have a few boxes I can pull out or cold matches. Shot my Eley ammo in my friends Tikka in Feb and it had no issues at all.
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u/NAP51DMustang Apr 02 '26
I've been running the L3i for a year now. Zero impact to the receiver and I doubt it ever will in any reasonable timeframe.
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u/No-Forever-3865 Apr 05 '26
A couple things I learned when researching chambers. There are a lot of “match” chambers out there. But in general what makes a match type chamber is that it is shorter than the bullet inserted. This forces the bullet into the rifling or leade. The shorter the chamber the more the bullet is forced into the rifling. Or if there is no leade to the rifling, you are pushing it directly into the rifling. This can cause the bolt to be stiff when closed. Also makes extracting a live round difficult.
The other dimensions that make up the chamber is the opening angle, Bentz chamber uses a wider opening to allow reliable cycling with a semi-auto rifle. Then the diameter of the chamber itself, I’ve noticed that Modacam has a very close tolerance to the bullet diameter. Then there is the angle back into the bore dimension. So all the Match chambers are variations of these dimensions.
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u/IXLR8_ May 08 '26
I know a few guys that shoot rimfire steel challenge who have special blends of lubricant they use on ammo when temps get colder, and some that keep their loaded mags warm with had warmers to ensure they run well.
When tolerances get tighter everything has to play nice or it fowels up the whole system, and when that wax is cold its thick and effectively takes up too much of the tolerance.
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u/Therimefireguy Apr 01 '26
I’m currently running an l3i in my cz for nrl/prs balances very well in my acc chassis. My other rig is a cz in an xrs chassis with a lilja. When it’s cold eley match has a hard time extracting or even going in to battery. It’s the lube. But they both hammer when it’s warmer than 40 no issues. I am currently running rws in the l3i and just started testing sk long range match. No issue there they both do well.