Several months ago, L3i released their new Bottom Metal for the CZ 457. One of the key features of this bottom metal is a magazine well funnel design that is intended to help with smoother and easier magazine insertion. Those who don't compete in shooting events that require magazine changes might not have experienced this, but anyone who has can tell you that finding the mag well under stress isn't as easy as you might think.
While we haven’t used this in an actual competition, my brother and I did a full NRL practice session this past weekend after installing the new bottom metal and it was a significant improvement. We timed it and on average magazine changes were about 1 second faster with the new bottom metal. They would probably be closer to 1.5 seconds faster if the Bag/Barricade stop didn’t make the lever so hard to get to.
![Image]()
![Image]()
Overall, the quality of the piece is very nice. Finish is top notch and I love that they styled it to look like the Badger M5 R700 bottom metal. The trigger guard is very spacious and should work great for those with larger fingers or those who shoot with gloves sometimes. Fitment is spot on, slipped right into place and was easy to bolt down.
![Image]()
Is it worth it? That really depends on your budget. If $130 is in your budget and you shoot competitively in NRL22 or PRS Rimfire I would say, "Yes, 10/10 would recommend". Saving 1-2 seconds per mag change can make a big difference in completing stages and taking a little extra time on your next shot. On top of that, it just looks sweet.
![Image]()
![Image]()
![Image]()
While we haven’t used this in an actual competition, my brother and I did a full NRL practice session this past weekend after installing the new bottom metal and it was a significant improvement. We timed it and on average magazine changes were about 1 second faster with the new bottom metal. They would probably be closer to 1.5 seconds faster if the Bag/Barricade stop didn’t make the lever so hard to get to.
Overall, the quality of the piece is very nice. Finish is top notch and I love that they styled it to look like the Badger M5 R700 bottom metal. The trigger guard is very spacious and should work great for those with larger fingers or those who shoot with gloves sometimes. Fitment is spot on, slipped right into place and was easy to bolt down.
Is it worth it? That really depends on your budget. If $130 is in your budget and you shoot competitively in NRL22 or PRS Rimfire I would say, "Yes, 10/10 would recommend". Saving 1-2 seconds per mag change can make a big difference in completing stages and taking a little extra time on your next shot. On top of that, it just looks sweet.
