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ISSC SPA/Steyr RFR...about
As a long time shooter of toggle guns. (48k rds through my IZH 7-4) I consider myself a pretty good judge of character regarding the breed.
I saw the ISSC SPAs and was instantly ready to buy for our local dueling tree matches.
Time passed, I heard bad things, yada-yada-yada, I bought an Steyr RFR for under $350 figuring I could make it work for that price.
Street price on an IZH 7-2 is $900ish...ouch!
Gun arrived;
Stock is a joke....its flimsy...but a scout gun? So its a flimsy scope mount? how did they get this so wrong?
I'll fill mine with 8lb urethane foam (like a surfboard) and have it for sale cheap in the marketplace if anyone is interested.
The trigger, Out of the box is also a joke, fiddle with the screws and the pull weight is bearable but the break is vague. Fiddle with screws more and it makes a passable 3ish LB 2 stage trigger with a fair amount of take-up in the 1st stage. Its ok, I'm not upset about it.
THE ACTION Here's the real heart-breaker, the gun is make from an extrusion with a low parts count and is Really well engineered price vs quality. I was very pleased with what I saw when I went inside. The toggle and bolt move freely and SNAP open like they should.
(A good toggle link should eject an unfired round 10+ft away! Inertia baby!)
BUT ITS SOOOOO HARD TO CLOSE!!!! why? Why? WHY!????
I preformed a vivisection, THE BOLTS ARE UNGODLY TIGHT!!!! And thats bacause they set the head-space, Toggle engagement, and hold the barrel.
The problem is the firing pin spring! The ISSC action is striker fired and you have to cock the striker in the last 1/4" of bolt travel. so you feel this HUGE resistance as you push forward on the links. (No throwing this thing around like a biathlete) I measured the closing force at 10.2lbs
If you're blessed enough to have bought one of these, hold the gun upside down and cycle the action with the trigger held back. This is how IT SHOULD FEEL same force to close as it takes to open.
IF it were a hammer gun, it would cock on opening. Using the SNAP inertia of the links coming over center as they come out of battery to cock the hammer.
But as it stands, its as hard (or harder) to close than a T-BOLT.
And that's the 1-2 punch that's knocking this thing onto clearance racks. A bad plastic stock and a striker firing action that negates the advantages the toggle link.
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So here are some pointers for any manufacturer thinking of making a Toggle gun.
1> Make the grip vertical, the idea is you cycle the action with a flick of the wrist. Make a "C" with you forefinger and thumb and bounce the action open-closed while the other 3 fingers stay planted on the grip. (The action resembles going from a pointed index finger to a "thumbs up" and back again.)
The toggle plays to two crowds: Target and Tacticool Silencer types, we'll both tolerate a 0-deg grip angle
2>give us a savage mkii quality trigger. It doesn't have to be great, but give us a decent jumping off point at a moderate price
3>Stock Plenty of spare mags and keep them under $30 (10shot min) This is a speed oriented demographic. We want more bullets!
4>Spend time on the toggle interface!!!
Give us something ergonomic to hold onto! Look at the IZH 7-4 and copy it. it puts and inch of material between the Thumb and Forefinger so your "C" stays open. With just a vertical pin we have to pinch it and then the hand is frozen in place and that forces the hand off the grip. The vertical pin works on the Anschutz Fortner action because its smooth enough to "Throw" back with the trigger finger and the thumb pushes the rear of the bolt. The motion is linear....here its a radius! the pin wont work here. Neither pinching nor knuckling the links is faster than a bolt gun.
The 7-2, ISSC, and Summit all get this WRONG!
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The ISSC/RFR gets the trigger and mag right...sort of, but it flunks on basic principle and stock design.
Pity, I had high hopes.
There's money to be made in toggle guns, we're crying out for them.....but no one's listening, and the ones who are....aren't thinking.
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