Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Ithaca LSA-55

I have not fired this rifle in at least a dozen years. It was manufactured by Tikka in Finland (with a Bofors steel barrel) and distributed in the United States by Ithaca. It is a .22-250.



I had last zeroed it with some handloads that I recorded in the die box lid. The load was 34.2 grains of IMR 4064 behind a Speer 55 grain spitzer with a Federal 210 primer. I even listed the old chrono velocity of 3,374 indicating that the load was on the mild side, but I recalled the load was accurate in the little rifle even with the old Weaver fixed 4 power Medalist scope (steel tube) that I mounted on it in Conetrol bases and rings (only ones to be found back then).

I worked up some of those loads last week in some once fired Remington brass that I still had on hand and charged them with powder from the same old can of IMR 4064.

I couldn't really recall how precise that old scope was, so I prepared a target by flipping a large multi-bull target to its back side and pasting an 8.5" X 8.5" square piece of red construction paper on it. These big diamonds have always worked well for me when using low powered scopes at 100 yards.

I went to the range this morning and put up the square at 100 yards and fired the .67" group on the big square. The old Weaver was nice and clear with a very crisp reticle, so I decided to flip the target paper over and try the smaller aiming points. The .60" group was the best of the day. It is still a shooter. I ran a dry patch through the bore last night to make sure it was clean and unobstructed. As was typical for a rifle stored with a little oil in the bore, the patch just came out a little green. That first group is even more impressive considering I fired no fouling rounds.

More proof that those pesky Finns don't know beans about making rifles.

Send it to me at once so I can give it a decent home... er I mean burial.

Yep, bless em. Oh, I better see to its internment myself.

Curses!......foiled again

Very nice rifle you have there. Looks like it will flat out SHOOT!

Parts are hard to find but I like mine

I really like my .22-250, purchased used in 1984 and still going strong.

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It also likes mild loads: Sierra 55-grain Blitz with 39.5 grains of H380, for 3550 fps. Recently shot a sub-2" group at 250 yards from a makeshift rest, right under the crosshairs.

There is an Lsa 55 308 mag for sale over on ebay if anyone is looking for one

LSA is actually an Ithaca made by Tikka. Got an Ithaca LSA65 in 30-06 from about 1976. Still shooting great.

I always wanted an LSA. They don't turn up too much...

This just popped up on GB if anyone is interested!

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=436713180

I think I had the rarest one ever, a LSA-65 Deluxe in 243...

I have a twin to this rifle. Funny thing is the original load for the rifle was 33.5 gr of 4064 @ 3350 with a 55 grain Hornady FMJ. The thing shoots 1/2 to 1 inch groups with about any load. Very close to danny's load. Purchased that rifle from the old Powder Horn in Bozeman, about 1980 for my father as a Christmas gift.