In case there is any confusion, the Seekins bolt does not hit the AICS or AIAW mag feed lips when pushed up. The AIAW mags work 110% better pushed up, which is why I want to mod the catch on the mag to hold it higher, vs hanging down like it does.
Long Range Rifle/Scope/PRS question(s)
- Thread starter Walkalong
- Start date
lol....scope mount came yesterday, will likely get everything mounted this week, not on call week after that, so should get to the range then. I've been working at the property yesterday and will some again today. Have an Armageddon sling with QD swivels ordered. Need to order a rail and a barrier stop. Oh, and a piece to mount my Atlas bipod on the rail. Next payday, I'm so broke. Just have to be ready by the 20th of July. 
Walkalong said:
My apologies if I caused any confusion. I was just throwing that out there as one more thing to consider when buying a rifle or having a custom one made. It's something that bothers me when I encounter it, or any magazine that doesn't feed well.
Walkalong said:
The rifle is just part of the cost isn't it. Once you add in a scope, scope mount/rings, sling, bipod, spare magazines etc. it can really add up. I've been running the AI one-piece scope mounts for years but plan on replacing them with Spuhr mounts which are $$$$$. This sure isn't a cheap hobby.
Varminterror
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- Jul 17, 2016
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I hope that remains true for you for all positions. I believed the same for mine until my first match. Crashed the mag on every single stage. Wasn’t a happy day. I was a couple hundred rounds of practice and load development into the rifle, and thousands of dummy “rounds” of dry fire practice into the rifle, even off of some obstacles at home, but running fast in odd positions tested my gear in a new way, and it failed.
I jumped around a bit after that to connect with other Havak shooters/owners to see what solution folks were using - it’s pretty common. As a hunting rifle, or bench rifle, nobody would ever notice the issue - other than AW mags skipping over the top of the round. But when you’re torquing the rifle, pressing the mag against a barricade bag on targets not directly perpendicular to the barricade, or trying to level your rifle in the bag between the legs of a tank trap, everyone I have chatted with shooting a Seekins with AICS and ARC mags has said the same thing - crashes like the Titanic.
I worked pretty hard on Seekins to sell me another bottom metal or another mag catch such I could adjust them to work with AICS and AIAW mags, respectively, but to no avail. Parts aren’t available (they would be for your Bravo). Instead, I modified/tweaked my mags, and the only thing that can choke my rifle now is a short stroke (bolt over = empty chamber, not a jam).
Less than half of the folks I chatted with have the Bravo, since the early editions came in McMillan or Seekins made stocks, but we all found the same “opportunity” when shooting in the odd mag pressures we find at matches.
Varminterror said:
I've noticed that the clearance cut (see arrow below) in the bottom metal for the tab at the rear of the magazine is often over sized which allows the magazine to be pushed up into the path of the bolt. I've seen .100" or more of upward movement. The front of the magazine usually makes contact with the underside of the receiver, but the rear needs something to engage the tab to limit upward movement.
taliv said:
I have no witty comeback since you make a good point. The Spuhr mounts are nice though, have an integral bubble level, four mounting screws, and seem to need no work to have them fit the scope perfectly. I'll probably buy at least one more Spuhr mount, and maybe two. I hadn't realized that they're from Sweden until this past weekend when I was looking at their website. No wonder they're expensive.
The nf mount has a titanium rail on it that lets you apply a lot more torque.
The mpa mount has some more thought put in to eliminate the movement associated with lateral impact that would cause loss of zero. 9 out of 10 gurus disagree on which holds better.
Personally I’m going back to steel rings. Prob tally. Except I need to put silencerco radius and various nv ir lasers on top of my scope so the spuhr is best option for me.
The mpa mount has some more thought put in to eliminate the movement associated with lateral impact that would cause loss of zero. 9 out of 10 gurus disagree on which holds better.
Personally I’m going back to steel rings. Prob tally. Except I need to put silencerco radius and various nv ir lasers on top of my scope so the spuhr is best option for me.
Got the scope and the brake mounted this AM, my Toyota FJ is down and out with a bad alternator it appears, will be dropping it off at the shop in the AM. Need to load some rounds. Going to be able to go shoot long range Tuesday, would like to sight in at 100 before then and save time.
Weighs in at 19 pounds with an empty mag, Bushnell XRS II, MPA mount, the short picatinny rail that came with it, Atlas bipod, and Little Bastard brake.
Weighs in at 19 pounds with an empty mag, Bushnell XRS II, MPA mount, the short picatinny rail that came with it, Atlas bipod, and Little Bastard brake.
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Thinking about going with this Area 419 setup when I get the rifle paid for (I'm close). The "locking" system looks handy. Could just go with this one and add on.
Will do.
How do you use it? Strapped on, attached to the arca rail somehow, just lay it under.....looks like the waxed doesn't have straps. I think I would prefer the waxed canvas to the more slippery nylon/synthetic/whatever it is.
How do you use it? Strapped on, attached to the arca rail somehow, just lay it under.....looks like the waxed doesn't have straps. I think I would prefer the waxed canvas to the more slippery nylon/synthetic/whatever it is.
Varminterror
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No barricade blocks. They’re rock solid, but pull the rifle perpendicular to the barricade, which means USUALLY they pull you off target.
Waxy pint sized game changer, heavy fill, loose, no straps, not rail mounted.
The Area419 Arcalock rail is a great addition though, as it lets you run your bipod anywhere you choose under your forend. Smaller boxes, spools, tires, truck boxes, culverts, etc can be a lot easier if you bring the bipod closer to the rear and use the game changer as a rear bag. Also great for shooting on tripod, but it seems we’re moving away from that now.
I do like the Weibad Fortune Cookie as well, for filling larger gaps, like the bottom of V shaped ports, or filling in tank traps, etc. Sucks carrying both, however.
I also do occasionally use the barricade block on the rail to “grab” the bag. It’s not good for smalller ports, where the block might catch the barricade upon withdrawal, but for rooftops, barricades, or larger ports, I find the block helps grab the bag nicely between the block and the magwell barricade stop.
Waxy pint sized game changer, heavy fill, loose, no straps, not rail mounted.
The Area419 Arcalock rail is a great addition though, as it lets you run your bipod anywhere you choose under your forend. Smaller boxes, spools, tires, truck boxes, culverts, etc can be a lot easier if you bring the bipod closer to the rear and use the game changer as a rear bag. Also great for shooting on tripod, but it seems we’re moving away from that now.
I do like the Weibad Fortune Cookie as well, for filling larger gaps, like the bottom of V shaped ports, or filling in tank traps, etc. Sucks carrying both, however.
I also do occasionally use the barricade block on the rail to “grab” the bag. It’s not good for smalller ports, where the block might catch the barricade upon withdrawal, but for rooftops, barricades, or larger ports, I find the block helps grab the bag nicely between the block and the magwell barricade stop.
I got ten rounds loaded up with CC-450s, 105 Gr Berger Hybrids, and 31.00 Grs RL-15. The Lapua 6BR brass is a very tight fit in the Impacts chamber, like jam it in tight, but it goes. Hopefully my FJ gets fixed tomorrow during the day (Already dropped it off) and I can take it to the range tomorrow after work. Plan is to shoot one round, lightly clean, shoot three, lightly clean, then shoot the rest, come home and clean. Should be plenty to get sighted in OK at 100.
I have a Wilson threaded bushing style FL sizer with .266 & .267 bushings, and a Wilson micrometer hand die seater. The loaded rounds measured .268 to .2685ish. Necks were 12.2 to 12.9. Sample of ten. Weighed 128.18 to 129.72 Grs. (No primers, no prep) Same sample of ten.
I have a Wilson threaded bushing style FL sizer with .266 & .267 bushings, and a Wilson micrometer hand die seater. The loaded rounds measured .268 to .2685ish. Necks were 12.2 to 12.9. Sample of ten. Weighed 128.18 to 129.72 Grs. (No primers, no prep) Same sample of ten.
Got out to the range today. Bore sighted it at 50 yards, shot one round, ran three wet patches and two dry through it (They had shot it before shipping it), dialed the scope over to the bullet hole and shot two more cutting each other at 50 yards. Then I dialed it the wrong way one click up and one click right and shot one. *Sigh*, wrong way, so I dialed it back two clicks left and two clicks down. Cleaned it again and put up a target at 100 yards. Then I forgot to chrono the last five at 100. Dang it. Wind had picked up a little, but not bad, the one hanging down left is me.
Oh, and while dry firing the TriggerTech made it obvious it was going to be nice, it is oh so sweet in actual action.
This is one sweet rifle.
This is one sweet rifle.
Walkalong said:
And that's fire forming?! You could win a bench rest match with that rifle once you're shooting "good" brass.
Could you/would you buy a "cheap" barrel to fire form cases, or use one that's been shot out?
What will become of the Seekins?
