ISSC Scout~$700+ worth of goodness?

[.22LRGUY]

Hey guys~until this past weekend, I'd never seen one of these in the flesh. I'd always (wrongly?) assumed the Fortner action was the domain of Anschutz, so anyone else toying with this action type isn't likely to get a ton of attention from me. Not that I own an Anschutz one. Anyhow, I was looking to kill a little time Saturday so I headed up to Cabela's with one of my sons to poke around, and sitting in the rack was one of these rifles...so I had to have a look. Honestly, the action seemed allot tighter/more positive than expected, stock is a simple tupperware one, but pretty rigid and decent enough quality for what it was. Molded picatinny rail allowing for mounting a LER/scout scope if so desired, but the receiver also has dovetails for rimfire rings. (cast receiver) Wasn't planning on buying anything Saturday, and didn't buy this rifle...but I was surprised to see the price tag. There was a "Made in Austria" on the bolt if memory serves, but I can't say as I knew these guns were Austrian. The ISSC brand is a bit of a blind spot for me.

I would love to give this action/rifle a try, but no way at that price. If I'm being honest, I'd MAYBE feel some temptation at 1/2 that price. lol Does anyone own one of these? Accuracy? Customer service/parts/spare mag availability? (if required?) The mag is all plastic, but no reason to assume that is a negative. I'd be interested in hearing from anyone who has one of these, how they've found the accuracy, etc. Are these rifles gems, $700+ gimmicks, something in between? Are they the affordable Fortner? Is the ISSC brand synonymous with quality? That hasn't been my impression when I read about them. Just wondering if anyone took a chance on one of these.

thanks!

 

[iain.quayle]

I have one of their non scout versions, the spa, and its good. The action is much different than a fortner, its a toggle like the izhmash 7-2, the fortner is a radial ball lock. Accuracy is good, havnt put any eley match through it yet but it groups good with cci standard, very tight bore towards the muzzle. Trigger is a mixed bag for me its light enough but the first stage on mine is a very close pressure to the second. They needed to move the bolt handle further back, as it is you need to take your hand of the stock though the scout rifle looks to have that kind of fixed.

 

[.22LRGUY]

Aaahh.. So is the ISSC Scout more like a Browning T-Bolt? (speaking of guns not on my radar) Thanks for chiming in iain. I don't have any plans to buy one, but would take a chance if they were significantly less expensive. I'm not against the idea of saving for snazzier guns I really want (doing that right now ) but for $700, accuracy expectations are pretty high. At least, CZ high. I can always make room for another 452.

 

[chanman]

I'll agree with a lot of what iain.quayle said. I picked up a SPA from Durham Outdoors for $299 (it looks like they still have some at $399).

My impressions are that the fit and finish are nice, but my magazine is a sore spot. The outside is molded plastic and mine often refuses to lock in the rifle and seems to have problems feeding the second-last round in the magazine. The magazine is also quite large for a .22 (ISSC seems to use the same outer shell for their .17 HMR).

As you've observed, the action is pretty tight, enough so that working it takes it further off target than my bolt-actions and I'm not sure it's that much faster. The trigger is supposed to be adjustable.

I think the T-bolt uses a different locking system entirely as it allows bolt removal out the back of the receiver. The ISSC action is closer to the PWS/Volquartsen Summit rifle. The ISSC receiver has the closed rear and rectangular cross section you'd associate with something like a 10/22.

 

[iain.quayle]

+ what chanman said, just thought of a couple things to add. As chanman says, it likes to move off target which I have found is a result of its #### on close system in conjunction with having to remove your hand from the stock, stiff spring for a 22. Mine had occasional extraction issues as well but cant say Ive had feeding issues. Its a fun gun with a really unique action and I enjoy it, but if you want cz out of the box reliability, get cz, and if you want anschutz speed and accuracy, start eating ramen three meals a day.

 

[.22LRGUY]

+ what chanman said, just thought of a couple things to add. As chanman says, it likes to move off target which I have found is a result of its #### on close system in conjunction with having to remove your hand from the stock, stiff spring for a 22. Mine had occasional extraction issues as well but cant say Ive had feeding issues. Its a fun gun with a really unique action and I enjoy it, but if you want cz out of the box reliability, get cz, and if you want anschutz speed and accuracy, start eating ramen three meals a day.

^I assume you mean the Anschutz/Fortner? lol Yeah...that's would take a s***-ton of MSG and carbs to get me close to one of those things. I honestly can't see it happening for me, but then again..I haven't checked my lottery tickets. I do shoot an Anschutz 64 TT, a 452 Varmint, BRNO 2E...and while I DEFINITELY have room in my life for cheaper/fun guns with less accuracy potential...there needs to be something really special about them if I'm shelling out the $. I guess in my case, I don't see $700 (or even $500) worth of value in the ISSC Scout. I was wondering if anyone who owns one would rave about them. Not seeing that so far.

 

[chanman]

ISSC SPA magazine next to a Savage Mk II magazine. Both hold 10 rounds and have 2 rounds loaded in the picture.

 

[S1de8urnz]

I have one and really like it. the magazines are expensive for what they are. i think they are like 35$ each. which is nuts. I really like the straight pull bolt, it quickly became my thing. It's no where near as good as the T3 Summit, but its not nearly as much either, so not a fair comparison. $700 is too much for one in my opinion, I think I paid $400ish. I am very happy with it as a plinker.

 

[chanman]

^I assume you mean the Anschutz/Fortner? lol Yeah...that's would take a s***-ton of MSG and carbs to get me close to one of those things. I honestly can't see it happening for me, but then again..I haven't checked my lottery tickets. I do shoot an Anschutz 64 TT, a 452 Varmint, BRNO 2E...and while I DEFINITELY have room in my life for cheaper/fun guns with less accuracy potential...there needs to be something really special about them if I'm shelling out the $. I guess in my case, I don't see $700 (or even $500) worth of value in the ISSC Scout. I was wondering if anyone who owns one would rave about them. Not seeing that so far.

The SPA did get comments at the range, as does my Stevens Favorite (the modern remake). The thing is, what these more unique actions really do is really make me appreciate the elegance and simplicity of the classic turn bolt or blowback semi. Cleaning in particular can be a real chore with a tight bore and stocks that don't offer a good way to gain leverage to pull the boresnake through (the Favorite is particularly bad for that).