I am looking to purchase a new 7PRC. Options I am currently looking at are the Horizon Venatic Carbon 2 with a 22inch barrel, a Sako 90 Quest 24.3 inch barrel and the Seekins Havak PH3. Any recommendations on which one I should go for? Any other suggestions also welcome.
I have the Seekins. Absolutely love the rifle, same frustrations with real velocity everyone else has. Kinda contemplating letting it go as I’m getting a 7mm bolt action pistol next week and plan to make myself become precisely proficient with it.
Not to muddy the waters, but you might also think about the Tikka Ace Game or the Sig Cross Sawtooth.
But that Sako 90 is a awesome gun Or Weatherby 307 Alpine CT
I don’t think you csn go wrong with either. I have been considering these two and the Sig Cross Sawtooth. I have pretty much decided I’ll go with Seekins when it’s time to do it. I’ve never heard anyone complain about their Seekins.
I have the Ace Game. I like it, but I don’t love it. It isn’t what I expected and it doesn’t stack rounds line I’d hoped.
I might try the Sawtooth if I were you.
I have the Seekins PH3 in 7 PRC. It’s a nice rifle. Nice enough that when selecting a rifle to go for Moose in Alaska, I got another one in 300 PRC. I put a backstop recoil pad on the 300 PRC. That pad is amazing. With it, it is very comfortable to shoot. So, now I have two. If I had to do it over again, I’d get the 6.5 prc and the 300 prc. Feels like I would have a better range of options.
My question for you is, “Are you building the rifle for you, or someone else?” Carefully select the components based on your experience and reviews, make up your mind then stick to it.
If you listen to the comments here and other blogs all it will do is confuse you, maybe make you change your mind as to what component to use. When that happens who and what are you to blame for the rifle not being up to your expectations.
As an example, I did a recent barrel replacement on my Model 70 in 308. I mentioned it on a hunting blog and got a reply from a guy that said that Bartlein barrels are junk and not to use it. He recommended other barrel makers, some of which I’ve never heard of. By the time I got his message, which I pretty much would have ignored anyway, the new barrel was installed and again chambered for the old reliable 308. I already had 52 rounds down range breaking in the barrel, sighting in the scope and the rifle is shooting 0.5 moa at 100 and 0.9 at 200 with my hand loads using Nosler and Sierra bullets. If you want a custom rifle, make it your custom, not a mish mosh of things that others recommended. Stick to known components, not something made on Sam
Schmucks lathe in his garage
I am certinly no expert. I am just in the “contemplation” phase for my first custom rifle. However, that said, I think @Tabby makes some really good points. If you find someone, like Backfire (and a few others) that have tested hundreds of rifles and often many examples from the same manufacturer, I would give their reports some validity. Many, if not most, of the posts I read are from a guy who had a bad experience with one example from a manufacturer and concludes the entire brand is junk. I bet you can find posts of people bashing every major manufacturer based on one experience. Maybe the gun just doesn’t “feel” right to them. Maybe they are just not a proficient rifle shooter. You don’t know. If you’re buying off the shelf, find a gun you like, with the features you find important and don’t worry. If you’re going custom, get good components and build the gun you want. Don’t worry about what some rando on the internet recommended or criticized.
That is nice
I have a 20" mnt reaper, I can’t shoot more than 3 shots before it overheats and opens up here in Texas. It does shoot a .3-.5" groups at 100 yards consistently. I have a Q speakeasy on it, with the fierce dirtnap ammo I am averaging 2970 over the last 20 rounds.
My shots are reloads. They are my first batch. I have not tried to tweak the loads yet. These were with once fired Hornady brass. I had been waiting till I was able to get Lapua brass to begin tweaking the load. My 6.5 PRC and 6.5 CM loads are Lapua brass and I am happy with them. Like you I am in Texas, and I reload in my garage. Been waiting for some cooler weather.