Santa Came a little early...

I was seriously considering a vertical McMillan iteration for the .257 but settled on the memory/primacy of a McHunter with its conventional wrist & Socko-swell.

Fuddyduddy'd out.
 
noharleyyet said:
I was seriously considering a vertical McMillan iteration for the .257 but settled on the memory/primacy of a McHunter with its conventional wrist & Socko-swell.

Fuddyduddy'd out.
Click to expand...
Next time checkout the McMillan Game stalker! It’s an awesome stock with some slight vertical to the grip and a little swell. Very comfy. It will be my stock of choice from now on from them.
 
Nice lookin Havaks folks!

I have a Havak 300wm (Started off as a PH1) that from the start was a very disappointing experience. The first one was just not accurate at all. Seekins agreed and noted numerous issues and replaced it with another that they said shot their federal GMM 190 grain test ammo well and they sent proof targets. It didn't shoot any of the 3 bullets i wanted to shoot worth a crap. One other thing i noted is the seekins pic rail didn't fit nice and flush on the action - i needed to bed it to make sure everything was as it should be.

At that point I'd shot probably 400 rounds of 300 WM through these two rifles over a number of range trips. The ammo cost and time reloading time isn't negligible and I decided I'd rather eat the cost of a new barrel than burn more time and components on another replacement from seekins. TS Customs chambered a #4 Bartlein Carbon for me and it shoots everything i've put through it fantastic.

I was still not thrilled with stiff bolt lift but the rest of the rifle package was a good fit for me. I sent it in for the free new bolt upgrade when that came out. When I got the rifle back i noticed there was no longer a bedded pic rail on it. After looking a little closer i realized they completely replaced the action with a new one rather than just the bolt. I was a little nervous that the headspace might have moved with this new action with the barrel I had $1k into but it is the same as it was with the previous action/bolt. The pic rail fits the action well and I don't think it needs bedding. The new action/bolt is a giant upgrade from the previous version just in bolt manipulation feel. It is nice and slick now with a light bolt lift.

Some aspects of value with the Havaks (IMO) - The stock is light and rigid and grip works well for me getting a natural hand position and 90 degree trigger pull. I like the bottom metal and mag release in the trigger guard - doesn't have a big latch that can be hit and drop you mag accidentally in a hunting situation. The Carbon fiber mags have been fantastic and allow nearly 4" COAL. Timney is a good option for a factory trigger, i have a geissele trigger that will get swapped in eventually hopefully to provide better reliability.

I'm now 0 for 3 with aggressively spiral fluted sporter contour barrels shooting worth a shit. The other was a #3 bartlein on a 6.5 saum custom. I know lots of folks have had good experiences with their seekins. I do think they are better now than the early version i started with.

@Greenhorn - is that a fixed 10x? the Sinclair special?
@MinnesotaHunter - Not sure if you bought different rings but I've got a spare set or two of 30mm Seekins lows and might be local to ya based off of the name. Let me know if you're still buying.
 
Last edited:
Wind Gypsy said:
Nice lookin Havaks folks!

I have a Havak 300wm (Started off as a PH1) that from the start was a very disappointing experience. The first one was just not accurate at all. Seekins agreed and noted numerous issues and replaced it with another that they said shot their federal GMM 190 grain test ammo well and they sent proof targets. It didn't shoot any of the 3 bullets i wanted to shoot worth a crap. One other thing i noted is the seekins pic rail didn't fit nice and flush on the action - i needed to bed it to make sure everything was as it should be.

At that point I'd shot probably 400 rounds of 300 WM through these two rifles over a number of range trips. The ammo cost and time reloading time isn't negligible and I decided I'd rather eat the cost of a new barrel than burn more time and components on another replacement from seekins. TS Customs chambered a #4 Bartlein Carbon for me and it shoots everything i've put through it fantastic.

I was still not thrilled with stiff bolt lift but the rest of the rifle package was a good fit for me. I sent it in for the free new bolt upgrade when that came out. When I got the rifle back i noticed there was no longer a bedded pic rail on it. After looking a little closer i realized they completely replaced the action with a new one rather than just the bolt. I was a little nervous that the headspace might have moved with this new action but it is the same as it was with the previous action/bolt. The pic rail fits the action well and I don't think it needs bedding. The new action/bolt is a giant upgrade from the previous revisions just in bolt manipulation feel. It is nice and slick now with a light bolt lift.

Some aspects of value with the Havaks (IMO) - The stock is light and rigid and grip works well for me getting a natural hand position and 90 degree trigger pull. I like the bottom metal and mag release in the trigger guard - doesn't have a big latch that can be hit and drop you mag accidentally in a hunting situation. The Carbon fiber mags have been fantastic and allow nearly 4" COAL. Timney is a good option for a factory trigger, i have a geissele trigger that will get swapped in eventually hopefully to provide better reliability.

I'm now 0 for 3 with aggressively spiral fluted sporter contour barrels shooting worth a shit. The other was a #3 bartlein on a 6.5 saum custom. I know lots of folks have had good experiences with their seekins. I do think they are better now than the early version i started with.
Click to expand...
All this for a hunting rifle? mtmuley
 
mtmuley said:
Why? mtmuley
Click to expand...

I'll assume you're asking why i went through the trouble and money for a hunting rifle.

It's pretty straight forward. It was a $2000 rifle that is on the heavier end of the spectrum (nearly 8#) and was supposed to be more geared towards longer range shooting. Instead it turned out to be a heavier rifle that shot worse than my lighter rifles so it served no purpose. It's not easy to find someone who wants to buy heavy, inaccurate, and premium priced hunting rifles unless it's sold in a sleazy manner.

I now have a rifle that is easy to shoot well and stacks 215 bergers into tiny groups. I have confidence in it and it makes me smile rather than curse when I shoot it.
 
It's a Seekins Havak Element in 6.5prc. Seekins low rings w/ Schmidt & Bender PMii 10X42. I also put a Triggertech Diamond in it. I have reloading components, but also picked up 5 boxes of Hornady factory ammo, which it shoots under 1/2". Recoil is mild, love the stock.
 
Greenhorn said:
It's a Seekins Havak Element in 6.5prc. Seekins low rings w/ Schmidt & Bender PMii 10X42. I also put a Triggertech Diamond in it. I have reloading components, but also picked up 5 boxes of Hornady factory ammo, which it shoots under 1/2". Recoil is mild, love the stock.
Click to expand...
I've pretty well exhausted my cartridge experimentaion, and the 6.5 PRC is the only one that holds any interest. Had a feeling yours might be chambered in it! That S&B is a great scope... weight on the rig with a stout barrel contour and 20 oz scope is crazy light.
 
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