Copyright 2024 – Stephen Redgwell

ISSC is the acronym for International Sports and Security Consulting. SPA stands for Straight Pull Action
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I’ll dispense with the preliminaries and remind everyone that this is a hunting rifle. It is not made for competition. Of course, everyone wants to shoot bug holes, but that didn’t happen the first couple of times out. Actually, it hasn’t happened yet. Maybe I’ll approach nirvana with some as yet untested ammunition. I will only say that because this rifle was made in Austria, it features a tighter CIP chamber. In theory at least, it should shoot better than Remington, Winchester and Savage hunting 22s. It will take some time to see if that’s true. More on accuracy later.
First, what did it cost for the rifle and accessories?
Cost Breakdown
Rifle – $310
Scope – $139
Rings – $ 18 (amended – Burris rimfire rings -$54)
Total – $467 (amended – $503)
The price does not include shipping and taxes. Add 15% for that.
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A barrel tuner might be in its future, if I take to the rifle.
Here’s most of what you need to know, gathered from its first couple of range trips.
I cleaned up the action to remove the preservative. Evidence of it was darker streaks on some rags and bore patches.

It is threaded for a moderator or tuner. 1/2-20 (1/2 UNEF). I wanted to confirm this so I contacted the company. European rifles are often made with this different thread pitch. In North America, we usually see a 1/2×28 thread pitch which is what is on my Tikka T1x.

This rifle has a Hawke Vantage 4x32AO scope. The AO (adjustable objective) might prove useful when I extend the range to 100 yards, but I haven’t shot it beyond 50 yards yet.
After the first range trip, I replaced the cheap rimfire rings purchased from amazon. Don’t buy cheap aluminum rings! The set used slot head screws made of soft aluminum. Despite having a properly sized screwdriver, the aluminum bent and deformed.
Initial Impressions
The rifle does not come with swivel attachments for a sling. I am not sure why. It seems to me that for a hunting rifle, being able to carry it on your back or shoulder would be a desirable option. They must do things differently in Europe. You will have to install a swivel for a sling or to use a bipod.
I got the scope put on and bore sighted. As mentioned earlier, I used a cheap 11mm rimfire ring set that lasted one trip. I went to the gun shop and bought some Burris rimfire rings. Better!
There are no screw holes to attach a rail, just two little grooves. This is a hunting rifle after all, so it wasn’t a big deal. Given that this rifle originally marketed for $600 CDN, things like sling swivels and being drilled and tapped for a scope rail should have been part of the rifle. This was a disappointment.
It hoisted and carried as it should. Like most rifles, it has a plastic stock. Nothing special, but nothing bad. It felt like it should work. The SPA felt better than most 22 rimfires do coming out of the box.
Before leaving the house, the rifle weighed a hair over 6 lb.
The Toggle Link
While sighting the rifle in, I realized that the action was stiff, but that was likely a combination of it being new and the shooter (me) not being used to a straight pull action. I put exactly 100 rounds through it on the first range trip. It should smooth out.

The Trigger
I thought the trigger had a lot of a take up. In one Youtube video, the reviewer said that you pull the trigger and, all of a sudden, it breaks. Well, that’s close, but no cigar. At least, not for me. Take up is what he was referring to when talking about pulling the trigger and, all of a sudden, it fires. There is a some slack until you get to the release. While the trigger is better than most out of the box 22LR rifles, the take up is considerable.
The pull measured 3 1/2 lb. Not much to say other than like any new rifle, you just have to get used to it. You can see the red dot on the trigger, indicating that the safety is off.

The Magazine
Like virtually every other 22, it’s plastic. I don’t know about the US, but I could not locate any spare magazines for sale here. I ordered a spare from the UK.

There are two things I did not like. The first was the magazine placement. Some shooters do not like the magazine directly in front of the trigger guard. It all depends on the hold you employ. As you can see in the picture, the mag is large. Because it protrudes down so far, some shooters may have difficulties getting their left hand correctly placed on the stock. This rifle has the largest stacking magazine that I have ever used in a 22LR. I prefer not to hold the mag when shooting.

The magazine release is between the trigger guard and the magazine.
My second bugbear was how the magazine locks into the mag well. I have two mags and both needed a little wiggle to get them to lock into place. The bolt will not pick up a cartridge from the magazine otherwise.
When looking at the rifle and holding it, you cannot always tell if it is correctly locked into place. A small back and forth wiggle was necessary to fully seat it. Hunters, note! You really want to make sure that the magazine is correctly and fully inserted into the rifle when walking around with it. It can be pulled away or fall when bumped. You might lose the magazine. This is definitely a personal thing, and explains why I prefer tube mags in my hunting 22s.
NOTE TO CANADIANS: if you order from the UK, they need a PDF of your PAL (that’s a Possession and Acquisition License for those reading this from outside the great white north).
So How Did It Group?
The rifle will probably shoot better. This is what happened on the first trip.
NOTE: It does not like SK Magazine ammunition! Unfortunately, it was the only rimfire ammunition I took that day.
I will have to try again with other brands. For now, this is how it shot after zeroing the rifle. The last two targets grouped 1.26″ and 0.95 inches at 50 yards, after subtracting .224 from the reading. I shot over 100 cartridges and it didn’t get any better. Yuck! 22s can be finicky, so I hope that the SK Magazine was to blame and give the rifle a second chance. I don’t want to think that the lack of accuracy reviews on the Web for the rifle are because they won’t shoot!

This was typical of SK Magazine. It does not have a good reputation for accuracy, so I will try several other brands. It would be unfair to judge the rifle’s accuracy based on trying one brand.