If requested to call essentially the most exceptional rifle launched within the final 12 months, I’d need to go along with the Seekins Havak HIT. The characteristic set, efficiency, innovation, and surprisingly inexpensive value elevate it to a class of its personal. No different new rifle—and there’ve been a bunch of excellent ones trotted out within the final 12 or 13 months—is its equal.

The Seekins Havak HIT carried out very properly at Outside Life’s 2022 Gun Take a look at, incomes not solely Nice Purchase and Innovation awards in a stacked area, however the hearts of the gun check workforce, all of whom had been wowed by this switch-barrel precision rifle.

The rifle is correct, in fact, and chambered in 6.5 PRC turned in 5-shot teams that averaged .542 inches with manufacturing unit ammo. That’s the typical of twenty 5-shot teams, by the way in which.

The Seekins Havak HIT appears pretty much as good because it shoots, constructed on a beautiful folding chassis inventory of Glen Seekin’s personal design. In truth, one of many very interesting elements of the Havak HIT is that each one the parts are made in-house by Seekins, apart from the set off and grip.

Many firearms producers use parts sourced from different firms. The follow has lengthy been widespread, however in as we speak’s world of mix-and-match components it’s much more widespread. Nobody bats a watch at an organization who takes a Proof barrel, Mack Brothers motion, and a KRG inventory and slaps their brand on it. Because of this it’s refreshing to see somebody like Seekins design a rifle from the bottom up.

• Motion: 4-lug bolt (two rows of two)
• Inventory: Folding aluminum chassis     
• Caliber: 6.5 PRC/6mm GT (examined); 6mm Creed, 6.5 Creed, and .308 Win. additionally obtainable
• Capability: 5-round AICS journal
• Weight: 11 kilos 4 ounces (measured)
• Set off: 2 kilos 8 ounces, adjustable (measured)
• Barrel: 24 inches, M24 contour, threaded 5/8-24
• Size: 43.5 inches
• Extractor: M-16 type
• Ejector: Single plunger
• Worth: $2,100

Seekins Havak HIT vs. Havak HIT Professional

Because the rifle was launched a 12 months in the past, Seekins unveiled a second model name the Seekins Havak HIT Professional. The distinction between the 2 is that that Professional comes geared up with a pair additional parts and a few upgrades.

Particularly, the Professional consists of certainly one of Seekins’ full-length ARCA rails pre-mounted to the M-Lok slots on the chassis’ fore-end. It additionally comes with a muzzle break, which the usual model doesn’t. Lastly, the set off is an upgraded mannequin from Timney that may be set from 8 ounces to 2 kilos. The Professional is supposed to be competitors prepared out of the field, whereas the usual Havak HIT wants a muzzle system and a rail on the very least.

Going with the Seekins Havak HIT Professional provides about $400 to the rifle’s value. However it may be cost-effective to simply add the ARCA rail to the usual mannequin for $129 if you have already got a suppressor or break to run. You’re not giving up a lot with the usual mannequin’s set off. Mine broke at a crisp and even 2 kilos, 8 ounces, which isn’t dangerous by any means. In both trim, the rifle continues to be a great worth.

Simple Swap-Barrel System

Swap barrel designs, significantly with precision rifles, have turn into extra commonplace and customarily less complicated to make use of. The barrel-swap system on the Seekins Havak HIT couldn’t be extra intuitive.

You screw barrels into and out of the motion and tighten a single Torx T-15 fastener to carry them in place. The fastener is conveniently situated on the entrance of the integral Picatinny rail on the best facet of the rifle.

Toolless Bolt Head Change

Changing to cartridges that require a special sized bolt face is sort of as simple. The bolt doesn’t require instruments to take it aside. A twist on the bolt shroud permits the shroud and firing pin meeting to come back free.

After that you just faucet out the cylindrical pin that holds the bolt head in place and swap one bolt head for one more. The tail finish of the M-16 type extractor on the bolt head is barely raised. That indexes with a cutout within the bolt physique making it unattainable to insert the bolt head the incorrect means.

The one mildly difficult little bit of the method is appropriately orienting the pin that holds the bolt head in place. It has a gap drilled by means of it to accommodate the firing pin. After dropping the pin in place simply look by means of the again of the bolt. For those who can see daylight, you’re good. Protecting the entire barrel- and caliber-change process idiot-proof is certainly one of rifle’s many nice qualities.

Clean Motion, Dependable Feeding

The Seekins Havak HIT has a full diameter bolt physique, which means the physique is as vast because the bolt lugs. This has a pair benefits. One, actions designed this fashion are likely to run easily since there’s ample contact between the bolt physique and the raceway reduce within the receiver. This retains bolt chatter and binding to a minimal.

Secondly, this allowed Seekins to orient the lugs within the 12- and 6-o’clock place whereas the bolt is being run. This helps the rifle feed easily from the journal due to the numerous contact between the downward dealing with lug and the cartridge case head.

As an added measure to make sure dependable feeding, the peak of the journal catch might be altered. Altering the catch peak will trigger the journal to take a seat increased or decrease within the magazine properly, letting the operator tune the rifle to the magazines getting used. I didn’t want to the touch mine, which ran nice with the 5-round polymer AICS journal that the rifle shipped with.

Accuracy Enhancements

The motion is machined with an integral recoil lug and has extra threads for the barrel—which means the barrels have an extended tenon—than does a typical Remington 700-pattern motion. It’s topped with an integral Picatinny rail with 20 MOA of declination and the ejection port is enclosed, too. All these options add weight, and stiffness, to the motion. Gun nerds will debate till they’re purple within the face whether or not these qualities contribute to rifle accuracy. However nobody can argue that they damage. And the extent of precision that the Seekins Havak HIT delivered speaks for itself.

Seekins Havak HIT Folding Chassis

The chassis on the rifle is without doubt one of the extra elegant techniques on the market, each by way of appears and performance. Many aluminum rifle chassis have blocky traces that aren’t very interesting, and that clunky have an effect on is commonly made worse by the presence of the knobs and levers used to change the chassis’ dimensions.

The chassis on the Havak HIT mitigates this by incorporating numerous cuts that break up the sharp traces on the perimeters, and by eradicating numerous materials from varied locations, particularly across the butt inventory.

The folder is actuated by a spring-loaded button that causes the inventory to fold over the bolt deal with and ejection port. The hinge strikes easily, and the discharge button is straightforward to function. Within the locked place the chassis betrays solely the slightest quantity of wiggle—definitely not sufficient to have an effect on efficiency.

Chassis Changes

The chassis has two knobs on the butt inventory. One controls size of pull, the opposite is to regulate comb peak. Each size of pull and comb peak might be elevated by about 1.4 inches—which is greater than enough for any person.

The recoil pad, which is an inch thick, pleasantly soft, and efficient, attaches to an meeting that features a gently sloping bag rider. The bag rider is minimalistic however has loads of floor space to contact a assist bag.

The cheek piece is fashioned of carbon fiber. It’s slick and cozy and glides towards the shooter’s cheek beneath recoil with out hanging up. It’s additionally inflexible and robust, offering a optimistic and repeatable index level for the shooter’s head.

Different Notable Chassis Options

The chassis features a mud cowl that folds over the ejection port and is derived open when the bolt is lifted. That’s a pleasant characteristic to assist maintain grit, mud, rain, and snow out of the motion between phases at competitions. It appears and operates like mud covers on AR-type rifles.

Journal Launch

The journal launch tab is included into the set off guard and has two generously sized paddles which can be simple to govern from both facet. The set off guard has machined recesses for the tabs. So although the tabs have a good bit of floor space to push towards, they don’t stick out a lot past the perimeters of the set off guard. One other sensible design contact.

M-Lok Slots, QD Cups and Evening-Imaginative and prescient Mount

The fore-end additionally has 6 M-Lok slots on the 3-, 6-, and 9-o’clock positions, for a complete of 18 attachment factors. You can even add Seekins HIT NVM ($189) to the fore-end if desired to mount an evening imaginative and prescient system.

To mount a sling, the inventory has QD cups machined into the butt inventory and alongside the fore-end.

Barricade Block and AR-Fashion Grip

Simply in entrance of the magazine properly is a ridged barricade block, so you possibly can drive the chassis towards a assist to regular the shot and never put strain on the journal.

The grip on the rifle, made by Ergo Grip, is vertical and constructed from rubber with medium contour finger grooves. I like the way it positioned my capturing hand, however when you don’t take care of it you possibly can simply swap it for another A2 suitable pistol grip.

Although the chassis doesn’t have a devoted thumb shelf there’s a small aid reduce within the inventory the place I might relaxation the thumb of my set off hand—however wrapping my thumb across the grip didn’t appear to compromise my set off management both.

Working the Seekins Havak HIT

You don’t need to be John Browning to acknowledge that most of the options I’ve enumerated to this point assist a rifle run higher. And when added collectively they flip the Seekins Havak HIT right into a superior shooter.

When inclined, the rifle tracks easily backwards and forwards with a recoil impulse that’s simple to handle in 6.5 PRC. When dropping all the way down to the 6 GT, the Havak HIT is much more biddable.

The ARCA rail on the fore-end permits you to place a bipod wherever alongside its size. You possibly can maintain it inside attain of your non-trigger hand to make changes with out lifting your head off the inventory. You can even pull the bipod near pinch a assist bag between it and the barricade block for a stable relaxation.

Properly Balanced

The rifle’s stability level is simply ahead of the magazine properly and whenever you add on a considerable bipod and muzzle system it takes on a weight-forward perspective. Most shooters choose their rifle to be a bit heavier up entrance. It helps counter muzzle rise beneath recoil permitting the shooter to keep up a greater sight image.

That stated, I wouldn’t thoughts the choice so as to add a bit extra weight to the butt of the rifle as a result of when operating a heavier bipod and a heavy suppressor I discovered the rifle to be a bit extra nostril heavy than I favored.

Positional Professional

Whereas all of the accuracy testing was executed capturing inclined, I spent an excessive amount of time operating the Seekins Havak HIT from varied positions, as you’d encounter in a tactical area match. Utilizing it along with an Armageddon Gear Recreation Changer it labored nice off barricades and obstacles. I shot it from tree branches, stumps, boulders, off tripods, and whereas shifting out and in of cramped cages and different props. Together with the opposite gun check workforce members we ran it by means of Gunsite Academy’s famed Scrambler.

The rifle is heavy sufficient that it settles shortly into place however continues to be mild sufficient to maneuver with out struggling. It shines from any capturing place. It’s a really succesful system.

How Dependable Is The Seekins Havak HIT?

I’ve been utilizing the rifle for a 12 months now, and have put a number of hundred rounds by means of it in each 6.5 PRC and 6mm GAP GT. I’ve had zero points with it. It has fed, extracted, and ejected each spherical I’ve chambered. Although I examine the tightness of the fasteners on all my rifles frequently, I’ve by no means had one on the Havak HIT work unfastened.

The end on the bolt present indicators of damage, however is nothing out of the abnormal.

What The Seekins Havak HIT Does Properly

It is a versatile precision rifle that can be utilized in competitors or taken looking. It isn’t actually an excellent PRS rig—it’s too mild—however for matches that require numerous motion and the place an excessive amount of weight isn’t a great factor it’ll be proper at residence. Within the NRL Hunter collection it will possibly hit the 16-pound threshold for the Open Heavy division, as an illustration, and be aggressive there.

Although not a rifle you’d need to take into the backcountry, it’d work nice on predators the place the hike from the truck isn’t too far. And it could be a great match for stand looking, significantly in a beanfield situation the place longer pictures might be anticipated. For ringing metal at lengthy ranges the rifle is ideal.

The place It May Enhance

One gripe I’ve with the rifle is fairly minor and simply addressed. The bolt deal with on the motion is a tad quick and thin for my liking. As a result of it’s threaded, nevertheless, swapping it for one thing that gives a bit extra leverage and grip space isn’t an issue.

The opposite subject with it’s the similar downside I see with most aluminum chassis rifles. That’s, it’s fabricated from aluminum. And whenever you stay in a spot like Montana the place it’s incessantly chilly, that may make for some uncomfortable capturing. The grip is fabricated from rubber, which is nice, however the fore-end has nothing however cool aluminum to carry on to. Not a deal-breaker. You simply want to recollect your gloves.

Last Ideas on the Seekins Havak HIT

I’ve a really excessive opinion of this rifle—particularly in mild of its $2,100 MSRP. (Although the road value is just below two grand.) The listing of options and refinements are typical of what you’d see on rifles costing twice as a lot—and in all honesty, the Seekins Havak HIT not solely can maintain its personal with that crowd however will outperform lots of them as properly.

That sort of price financial savings can simply be rolled into getting a greater scope (all the time a good suggestion), or paying for some instruction (additionally an excellent thought).

This makes the Seekins Havak HIT a real rifleman’s rifle, which is in regards to the highest reward I can bestow on a protracted gun.