Seekings Precision Havak

The Seekins Precision Havak HIT PRO is aimed at the PRS Market. It’s available in 6mmGT, 6 & 6.5mm Creedmoor, 6.5 PRC, and .308 (on test). The 416 stainless 5R barrel has a 5/8”x24 tpi thread for a moderator or the supplied brake. It’s 24” long with a 22mm diameter at the muzzle, swelling to 32mm where it threads into the action. Seekins supplies a thread protector, and I measured the twist rate at 1:10”.

Close inspection

The twin-row, 4-lug bolt requires a 90° lift to open and cock the action. There’s a single M16-type extractor claw and sprung plunger ejector on the left side. The bolt head is removable and can be swapped for different cartridge head sizes, plus the barrel is also interchangeable (threaded into the action). There is a small locking screw and wedge under the nose of the integral 20 MOA Picatinny rail, which when released, allows the barrel to be unscrewed and swapped by hand. It’s a neat and reliable system, with crisp threads and a firm stop when the tenon shoulder butts up to the receiver face. Swaps take less than two minutes from start to finish, and Seekins have been generous, providing external dimensions and chamber head-spacing details on an open source, so any aftermarket barrel maker can supply pre-fit barrels to perfect dimensions. The removal and re-fit of the barrel gave a return to zero within 0.2 MRAD.

A Timney trigger is fitted and it’s adjustable from 8 to 32 oz (225 to 900-grams). I measured the trigger on the test rifle and the breaking weight was 578-grams/20 oz. It was perfectly crisp and offered great consistency. There is a left-hand-side release catch for the bolt, which, incidentally, has a 60mm handle and a 16mm teardrop tip. The bolt shaft is fluted with tight tolerances yet remains fast in motion without binding along its 109mm stroke length. A 5-round AICS-compatible MDT magazine is supplied, and there is a dust flap that clips shut over the ejection port if the bolt is closed. It flips open automatically as soon as the handle is operated.

Metalwork

The chassis fully free-floats the barrel and it’s totally stiff, so there is no need to worry about point of impact shift. There are threaded holes on the 12.5” forend for a hand guard or accessory mount, as well as multiple M-LOK slots along the length. ‘PRO’ specifies the HIT is supplied with an ARCA rail under the forend to comply with factory rifle specifications and it allows easy fitment onto tripods or ARCA bipods. Detent positions are machined into the aluminium for repeatability, and there is a knurled barricade stop on the front face of the magazine well.

The ambidextrous magazine release catch sits on the front of the trigger guard integral to the chassis, and a vertical AR-15-type grip is fitted. It’s rubberised and stippled with an ambidextrous palm swell for a secure hold without physical exertion, but there is no specific thumb rest, although the stock folds so the hinge may well suit some right-handers in this role. The butt folds to the right, encapsulating the bolt handle. It doesn’t lock laterally, but it has a stiff hinge, so it won’t flop around unnecessarily. When locked straight, it’s secure, with no rattles when handled or fired. The release button is on the left side of the junction.

For your comfort

This specialised PRS stock allows the length of pull (12.75-14.25”) and the cheekpiece to be adjusted. Both have similar adjustment systems, using a triangular steel knob to release or lock the position. Adjustment requires minimal physical grip due to the inherently tactile shape. The recoil pad can be rotated and positioned vertically to streamline the recoil path into your shoulder pocket. The carbon fibre cheekpiece is one of the most comfortable and repeatable I have ever used, with straight edges allowing it to fit tight under the cheekbone without jaw displacement. A precise head position is easily repeatable when re-addressing the rifle from a broad range of shooting positions. A consistent head position makes it easy to get an immediate sight picture through the scope, and although a light recoiling rifle anyway, you can maintain a sight picture easily without any vibration transfer to the face. This is beneficial when trying to view the bullet in flight and the strike on target.

The rubber recoil pad is locked in place with a single Allen screw and is over 20mm thick. It has radiused edges and moulds/grips well to the shoulder without being spongy. The bag rider on the underside is fixed to the butt plate, so regardless of extension, it remains a constant distance from your shoulder, without any gaps. However, the wedge shape with a pointed tip is not particularly comfortable if used as a hand stop to pin the recoil pad into your shoulder when reloading.

Testing, testing

I shot various ammunition types on paper from the bench at 100m, with no huge surprises. Some suited better than others, but all met or surpassed the 5-round MOA capability Seekins assured. I enjoyed shooting the rifle from a few improvised positions, and I also ran some generic handloads through it too, easily beating half MOA.

The barrel remained thermally stable over longer shot strings, plus physical comfort and the chassis’ stiffness/stability while aiming, were superb! You could load the bipod, there was no play in the hinge or forend, and the stock was easy to adjust for best fit.

From the calibres on offer, .308 is the heaviest recoiling but remained incredibly modest and stable within a rifle weighing 5.8 kg/13 lbs without any accessories. With the rifle configured for competition, with a suitable scope and brake, you would be somewhere in the 7.5 kg region before you add any balance weights to the forend. With the likelihood being for 6 and 6.5mm cartridges, this .308 is somewhat of a dinosaur for felt recoil when compared to sub-7mm chamberings. The barrel kept the weight bias slightly forward, and with a brake, you get the loud, snappy concussion pulse, but I found nothing really jerked the rifle other than my own physical input.

A 90° bolt lift offers the greatest mechanical advantage of any lug system, so you can flick the gun open with the back of your fingers with minimal aimpoint disruption, before sliding the bolt back forward to smoothly chamber another round, none of which suffered any meplat damage. The bag rider, either on your hand or soft support, gave ultimate aimpoint stability, and I could spot bullet strikes and traces below 200m, which is impressive! The stock machining is intricate for weight saving, without compromising stiffness, and I think it looks great. However, I must comment that the triangular adjusters have developed a few orange spots due to corrosive fingerprint contact.

Conclusion

The HIT is an interesting rifle with a simple barrel change system, and I can’t wait to see how they catch on. I like the concept, as you can equip yourself with a spare barrel for a season of high-volume PRS competition shooting. The ‘Enhanced mag well design for AI pattern magazines’ seems to show a preference for certain mag brands. It worked perfectly with steel AI units but not the MDT, and this will no doubt be addressed for full production by Seekins to ensure that the magazine latch length or insertion stop is tweaked on the CAD program to ensure true universal compatibility.