I might be interested in the near future in a longer range rifle that is still fairly light weight. That Seekins Havak at $2200 looks fairly intriguing at just 7 lbs. I don't really have enough experience to spec out a custom build and something under $2500 would also be nice.

What do you guys think about the Havak? Is there anything on the market right now similar to the Havak in weight and price that just stands out as something you would prefer?

You don't really need much experience to build a custom just copy one that you like, but the Havak would work also and be a little less expensive!

I’d not hesitate to give a Havak a whirl...

The Havak specs look good and Glen’s wares are known to be of quality, if I was in the market for that type of rifle it would warrant a serious look.

Check around you can find new prices on the Havak for $1875. I plan on getting one soon.

Cannot beat this for 2k IMO, worth a look

http://patriotvalleyarms.com/john-hancock-bolt-action/

https://forum.snipershide.com/threads/new-production-rifle-from-pva-j-hancock.6868424/

Check out the videos

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=pva+john+hancock

You really can't build one cheaper. If it's in a caliber you want I'd try it.

The Seekins is a great rifle and there isn't much out there that will beat it from a value vs. custom standpoint.

I'll throw a vote out for three Fierce Fury or Fury LR. The first group out of mine with factory ELD-X was under 1/2". Very well made across all components.

I really like the Havak too.

Here's another worth a look for about $500 less:

Christensen Long Range - to a mile

I was looking at that one before I saw the Havak. One thing that interested me about the Havak was it's light weight. It's listed at 7 lbs which is 2 lbs less than that Mesa. Might or might not be a good thing though. I would like to hear some more reviews of the Havak before I decide. I suppose it's pretty new right now.

Yep. I would definitely like the 2lbs weight savings.

Covers a heavy scope and mounts.

What caliber are you thinking?

The 6.5 PRC has me interested. It will be a few months though before the gun fund is built back up.

I like where your head's at. The 6.5 Creedmoor seems to have altered some thinking on how effective a smaller bullet can be on large game. The extra velocity of the PRC should make it an even better hunting round in lightweight platforms.

Your thinking is similar to mine but I went all the way to 6.5 WSM to get a little more velocity and energy. 140’s in the 3200 fps realm is quite an impressive long range round to me and the PRC isn’t far behind. No flies on the creedmore as it’s a great round for sure but for the slightly increased recoil I will take a bit more speed.


Mine is a bit chunky weight a tad over 9# but over 2 lbs of that is the Kahles K624i on top. With the break on the barrel I am quite sure the recoil is about like my old light weight 243 was.

I recently picked up a Christensen Ridgeline in 26 Nosler from Cabelas and it may be something to look at. The short actions weigh 6.3 lbs and the long action are 6.8 lbs. They also had the seekins Havak there and it was a nice rifle but they only had it in 308 which I wasn't nterested in. Here is a link to the ridgeline.

https://christensenarms.com/ridgeline/

How is the accuracy and your overall impression of the Ridgeline? It was one of the rifles I had considered but I was also turned off by some reports of bad attitude with CS that a dealer friend of mine told me about. Not saying it would be a deal breaker but just something I considered.

I got it 2 weeks ago and haven't shot it yet so I can't comment on accuracy at this time. What drew me to the rifle,was the size / weight ratio, Sendero size with sporter weight. I have a vortex razor amg coming for it this week and hope to get it to the range by the end of the month.

Good luck with it. I would love to hear your range report when you get a chance.

What do you think about the grip area. It seemed a lot thicker than what I am accustomed to. Maybe not a bad thing,just different than what I have ever used before.

A little heavier, but still a nice package.

http://bergarausa.com/bergara_premier_series_approach_rifle.php

A handled one at a show and was impressed. They’ll start shipping this month.

At that price range, I would build one. Start a thread "spec out my custom" and lots of guys will show off their wares and you'll find one you love.

But, going semi-custom and buying one off the rack is easier and quicker and probably will shoot very well.

Hope whichever route you choose goes well for you.

Can’t really see that Bergara Premier gaining much traction when the well vetted Tikka CTR can be had at half the price with better mags.

Grice has new Remington 700 short actions for 299...

I can get the PH1 for $1600-$1800. Do you think a similar quality custom could be built for that?

I am not the guy to ask as I am venturing down the custom road for the first time myself right now. Honestly I would think not but since customs were brought up I figured I would throw that out there because it does seem like a deal.

I don't think you could go wrong with the Seekins stocked PH1, though I will bring Fierce up again as one to take a hard look at.

I bet a Kimber MT in WSM could be rebarreled and come in under that price. I had one to do that with, but sold it to partially fund a couple of tags I drew unexpectedly in ID. I was planning on doing just that, but going with the modified contour Lilja has so as to not have to alter the stock. I still think this would be a slick route to take.

I have twice rebarreled Montana’s. Very good option for a lightweight.


I am very much considering a 6mm Havak as a light recoiling mid-weight play/coyote/mid-range deer rifle. Can’t build one for the price they are selling....

Daveh
Who did your Kimber rebarrels? I would love to hear details. I am currently considering having one done.

Only thing I don't like about the PH1 is the flutes. I'm not convinced that a fluted barrel is as stable as an unfluted barrel, with regard to heating, but I understand that you're concerned with weight. The HP1 is unfluted, but comes with a different stock.

I also think you're going down the wrong road with a lightweight 6.5 PRC. If you're just getting started in medium to longrange, having lower recoil and/or more mass would be a good thing. Unless you plan to be braked and rely on a spotter calling for you. Just my 2 cents.

As mentioned earlier, the PVA seems like a killer deal.

I'm considering a 700 Remage. NSS has Criterion barrels, and there are people who will thread and chamber any blank that you supply.

Jason

Jason,I've actually been thinking along those lines lately. Yes, the John Hancock rifle seems like more rifle than I could get for the money anywhere else. I guess it's hard to curb a lifetime of lighter weight rifle use and start thinking about shooting a 13 lb rifle. I can see it as a fun range toy and that may be enough. I might also use it on some stands over big fields and cut overs but that's just not how I do most of my hunting. Then again I do have several rifles already to fit any of those needs.