I got the SSG... experience/opinions???

R

Rob Pincus

New member
Okay, Some of you will remember that I posted a few weeks ago that I was going to get a top end "tactical" rifle while at SHOT. I ended up with the Steyr SSG PIIK. I was wondering if anyone has any experience with this weapon? Perhaps there are some things I should be aware of or look out for when I start playing with it??
 
I had the SSG69 and it was horrible. I could not get the thing to group to save my life. It was very depressing, and I ended up trading for a worked Remington 700. Steyr kills you with the pricing of those rings that are exclusive to them. I wish you all the luck with yours. I found mine to be very quirky.

Be Safe
Mike
 
I had a Steyr PII for some time. I sold it to get an SR25. Big mistake that. But I digress...

The gun was a very fine shooter, but it did have quirks. Mine absolutely detested 150 to 168gr bullets. It just wouldn't shoot them. 125s and 180 displayed outstanding accuracy. 180s in particular often grouping into 1/2".

Another irritation was the double set trigger. This thing is an abomination and I'd highly recomend the single trigger. The main problem is trigger reach. It's just too damn far forward. Great letoff, just awkward. Single trigger is definately the way to go, unless you have a hand like an ape.

Another minor issue was case life. It's shorter than normal with this action as it's a rear locker. No big deal, but cases only lasted about five or six reloadings before neck turning was necessary. At this point, they were fed to the HK91. I never got too excited about this because it was an improvement over my .264 magnum. There's a nightmare cartridge if there ever was one.
 
Both items mentioned by Dave: the extreme dislike for 168gr bullets and the double triggers are what caused me to find myself away from it and in the company of a 700. I had a smith check the gun and he said that as best as he could tell I was headed for the experimenting with handloads. Lately I have had enuf probs making it to the range let alone experimenting til I can get it right. Good luck with your weapon. My next will be an M40A3 by TBA.

Be Safe
Mike
 
My friend has a PIIK. Seems to prefer 175 gr. though the 168 gr. groups are not anything to complain about.

He has his zeroed at 100 yards and on cold shot seems to go to point of aim without problems. It gets about .5 MOA with the 175 gr. if using Federal Match. It goes from about .75 to just under 1 MOA witht the 168 gr.

His is the single trigger so I can't comment on the reach of the double trigger. BTW the single trigger is very nice just a bit over 3 pounds. He has about 120 rounds through it and so far has not seen any problems including the ones described by the other posters.
 
Rob,
I currently have the PII with a standard trigger, covered with a Austrian Swarovski Optik ZfM 10x42 sniperscope. I opted for the Harris "SL" bipod ILO the VersaPod, strictly as a concession to weight & compactness. The system as described, has a strong penchant for Federal Gold Medal Match - 168grain (GM308M),lobbing a 3-shot group into the same jagged hole (each overlapping the other two) at 100 yards. I don't think there is anything wrong with that kind of performance, except that it's indicative that the inherent precision of the system is hindered by my ability to use it more accurately.

I don't understand the problems others have described with the SSG69. I've never previously heard of anyone having difficulty with them. During the latter '70s I used one in .243WIN, w/ double set trigger & a 12x Redfield to routinely vaporize prarie poodles out to 400 yards.

However, I much prefer the P-II series bolt knob to the butter-knife handle of the '69, especially when cycling the action for a fast follow-up shot.

There is a MATFLCS-III looming on the horizon, wanna come along and wring it out?
 
If a MATFLCS-III is what I think it is, yes... I do. In fact, depending on when it is, I'll bring the .223 10FP and the .308 7400 along for comparisons sake.

Seriously, I'm glad to hear your observations, Mykl, as they are more in line with eveyrthing else I have heard about the PII series.
I opted for the Double trigger, but I can always switch it out if the reach is a problem.
I ordered a Leupold 10-14x40 for it, but I may throw one of my Swarovski's on it instead.. the main reason I am considering the Leupold is the Mil-Dots.

I also ordered two cases of 168's, so I hope it likes them... In the event that it doesn't perhaps someone can point me to a source of 180's that won't cause me to take out a second mortgage ??
 
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