The ISSC MK22

By Dave Dolbee

 

I’m not exactly sure when video games such as MW3 (Call of Duty: Modern Warfare® 3) replaced a Red Ryder under the tree on Christmas morning, but if you want to trigger the shooting spirit of a new shooter, the ISSC MK22 is the ticket. In fact, whether you are an operator looking for a new, low-recoil training toy or simply shopping around for something to put in a gun virgin’s hand for his or her first pop! pop! pop!, ISSC’s MK22 is exactly what you are looking for.
The MK22 is undoubtedly the love child of full-size combat rifle, scaled down in both price and caliber. Show a MK22 to an uninitiated fan of MW3 and they’ll likely spout off that it’s an FN-SCAR. Given the classic FN-style, folding stock and receiver outline, they’d almost be right, too. Although the pipe isn’t hammer-forged like the SCAR, the German made 16-inch precision match barrel does feature a 1:28 cut on the end to attach a muzzle break or flash suppressor, and the two guns have more than that in common.
The three-position, folding stock can be adjusted for length and height thanks to the adjustability of the cheek piece. The stout stock features a metal hinge that takes the MK22 from 36 inches down to a touch over 26.5 inches. The polymer frame hook keeps it securely in place during storage, transport or tactical training drills.


The front and rear sights flip down from CQB battle sights to low-profile, three-dot pistol sights. I don’t see the three-dot as particularly useful, but it is a nice touch. More important, folding down the sights allows you to mount a scope. And while on the subject of accessories, the quad rail system on the MK22 should allow you to tac it out with just about as many accessories as you desire.

The MK22 is available with either 10- or 22-round magazines depending on the fanaticism of your local lawmakers. The MK 22 also sports ISSC’s UCAS, or Universal Charging Adaption System. For those who don’t wear boxers that are camo coordinated to the local flora and prefer a bit of plain English, this means you can move the charging handle from the right side of the gun to the left to make it easy for southpaws to chamber a round. The cool part though are the three different places on each side where it can be attached giving you six different options. This makes it as adaptable to small-framed shooters as it does knuckle draggers. Another bonus for lefties and tactical drills requiring the shooters to shoot from the weak side are the ambidextrous safety and magazine release.

Last, but not least, the MK22 comes in black or desert tan. Trust me, though — if this is for someone used to banging away with a SCAR-L on MW3, you’ll want the desert tan and a couple of bricks of .22.

Specifications
• Caliber: 22LR
• Overall Length Collapsed: 34.65 inches
• Overall Length Full: 36 inches
• Overall Width: 2.81 inches
• Barrel Length: 16 inches
• Rifling Length: 15 inches
• Number of Grooves: 6
• Sight Length Max: 15.7 inches
• Weight without Magazine: 6.5 pounds
• Magazine Weight, Empty: 3.8 ounces
• Trigger Pull, approx.: 4 pounds
• Magazine Capacity: 22 rounds

The MSRP for the ISSC MK22 is $550, but if you search the Internet you can probably find it for Cheaper Than Dirt! (Wink!-Wink! – Click Here)