Which rifle?

cfounta1

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Looking at getting a 6.5prc. Torn between the Seekins PH2 and the Springfield Waypoint. Pros/cons?
 

grfox92

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Looking at getting a 6.5prc. Torn between the Seekins PH2 and the Springfield Waypoint. Pros/cons?
Seekins for sure. Nothing wrong with a Tikka Rouchtech Ember either. It will be slower than the Seekins. But depending on the rifles intended use, that might not matter.

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uthuntr

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Not sure your application but also not too sure when Tikka wouldn't be the answer compared to the others.
 

thinhorn_AK

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I have Seekins and tikka, both are good. Havnt the Springfield rifles in 6.5PRC (at least some of them) had some feeding issues?
 

MT_Wyatt

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If you want the seekins I would suggest holding one in hand to compare with the Springfield. I don’t care for the seekins stocks in hand, although I think it’s really the better answer compared to the Springfield.
 

Logan T

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Between those two- based off of my experience so far with Springfield, go with seekins, and it’s not even close. Tikka is a great option like others have said. the Waypoint is a sexier rifle no question but if it doesn’t function unless you feed it one cartridge at a time by hand, it’s not a hunting rifle in my book. Even then it doesn’t function properly (won’t eject).

Seekins doesn’t “feel” the same as a waypoint in hand and that’s not even debatable, but I haven’t heard of any issues with them. However, I’ve owned a waypoint in 6.5prc 8 months now, and 7.5 of those months it has been back at Springfield with absolutely no communication from Springfield.
 

grfox92

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Seekins all day. And no Tikka is not on the same level as Seekins at all.

Waypoints have had quite a bit of issues, I wouldn’t touch one.
Aside from the stock, what is so much better about the seekins than a Roughtech?

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Weldor

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Seekins, but I agree on their stock. It's alittle short for me. Not many options. As far as a shooter A+.
 

atmat

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Aside from the stock, what is so much better about the seekins than a Roughtech?

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The answer is “nothing.”

Tikkas are better trigger platforms than R700 and a fraction of the cost. A semi-custom Tikka can be had cheaper than a Seekins.
 
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Aside from the stock, what is so much better about the seekins than a Roughtech?

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It’s a custom level action vs mass produced factory action, it comes with an amazing triggertech trigger and can use any R700 trigger, you can take the bolt apart by hand vs the royal PITA that it is to take down a Tikka and get it back together, they have a higher quality barrel with proper spec threads, a much better quality stock that’s properly bedded with pillars, a much higher quality trigger guard assembly that takes AICS pattern mags, and they have the best customer service and guarantee in the industry.

Tikkas are over hyped like crazy on this forum, I promise you that they aren’t all that. I just sold my last 3 and couldn’t be happier that they’re gone.
 

thinhorn_AK

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I have a Seekins havak element and a t3x in 6.5 creedmoor and both have the same SWFA 3-9 on them. I’ve spent a good bit of time shooting them side by side over the past several weeks and I still really like both.

As has been mentioned, the Seekins has a custom level action and is nicely bedded into a good stock, I really like the built in pic rail too. I like the trigger tech trigger and I’ve used them on several other rifles over the past 5 years with no issues. I also like the shorter barrel (but I wish it was like 3” shorter) on the Seekins and that it is already threaded for 5/8x24. Off the bench and prone as well as off a vanguard shooting tripod I’ve found the Seekins to shoot really well. I have a few loads that are shooting really well (.3moa) out of it using a 140g eldm and another with the 143g eldx. In fact everything loaded worked great but I want to shoot the 140g eldm.

My tikka is pretty utilitarian and that in itself is really nice. I have the factory stock, sportsmatch rings and an SWFA 3-9 on it and other than the mountain tactical bottom
Metal and an atlas rail for my bipod it’s completely stock. The only ammo it hasn’t shot well is hornady American white tail. It looked like I was shooting a shotgun. My tikka currently dosent get shot suppressed because it isn’t threaded so hard to do an EXACT comparison as I’ve only shot the Seekins suppressed.

With that in mind, it’s amazing how fast a light rifle gains weight. That 5.5lb Seekins with scope and silencer pretty quickly got over 8lbs which is fine but it feels bulky to me. The scale dosent lie but it just dosent feel like a nice compact hunting rifle, I probably just need to get used to it though. The tikka remains around 7.5 lbs and just feels nice and slim, packs around well.

I’m lucky I don’t have to choose between them and I got the Seekins mostly because I had gotten rid of a few other rifles, I had the money and wanted to try something different (I have 4 tikkas). If I was going on a goat hunt tomorrow, I’d likely grab the tikka but who knows, that may change by hunting season.
 

thinhorn_AK

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I’d also add that if you buy the tikka, you should skip all the rough tec or other BS. Get a basic stainless one and make it the way you want. Those rough techs and alpines, embers whatever tac don’t really make sense to me since so many folks replace stocks and upgrade anyways. The basic rifle stuff is all the same.
 
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Seekins doesn’t “feel” the same as a waypoint in hand and that’s not even debatable, but I haven’t heard of any issues with them. However, I’ve owned a waypoint in 6.5prc 8 months now, and 7.5 of those months it has been back at Springfield with absolutely no communication from Springfield.

How do they "feel" different? They have similar stock shapes, m700 pattern actions, AICS bottom metal.

I know people pretend like carbon fiber vs composite stock is a big difference but they are similar in weight and stiffness so I don't see a functional difference.
 
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How do they "feel" different? They have similar stock shapes, m700 pattern actions, AICS bottom metal.

I know people pretend like carbon fiber vs composite stock is a big difference but they are similar in weight and stiffness so I don't see a functional difference.

They do feel a bit different because the Seekins has a full diameter bolt body same as the lugs and you don’t have the lugs dragging so much as with a traditional style 700 based action. As far as back and forth in the raceway it’s damn near like running an AI, but with an easier bolt lift that’s not notchy either.

My Havak PH2 NRL is one of the smoothest and quietest actions I’ve ever cycled. My impact is smooth, but this Havak is even smoother.

As soon as the 223 HIT PRO models come back in stock I’m ordering one and a few barrels and bolt heads and dumping my last impact.
 
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They do feel a bit different because the Seekins has a full diameter bolt body same as the lugs and you don’t have the lugs dragging so much as with a traditional style 700 based action. As far as back and forth in the raceway it’s damn near like running an AI, but with an easier bolt lift that’s not notchy either.

My Havak PH2 NRL is one of the smoothest and quietest actions I’ve ever cycled. My impact is smooth, but this Havak is even smoother.

As soon as the 223 HIT PRO models come back in stock I’m ordering one and a few barrels and bolt heads and dumping my last impact.

Maybe i was inferring too much from his post but I didn't think he was talking about bolt manipulation. I agree though, the new havaks are slick. Amazing how they went from pretty rough with heavy cocking effort with the initial bolt design to top notch smooth and light cocking effort.
 

Logan T

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How do they "feel" different? They have similar stock shapes, m700 pattern actions, AICS bottom metal.

I know people pretend like carbon fiber vs composite stock is a big difference but they are similar in weight and stiffness so I don't see a functional difference.
Just the balance I guess, for me specifically. Honestly, I was not a fan of the seekins stock when I was looking at it. It just felt kind of clunky, and like it was made from a cheap plastic. To be very clear, I’m not saying it is or is not, it just ”felt” that way to me.

And I’m not some high end gun guy, I’ve bought and shot only tikkas- to be specific only 4 in the last 20 years. So it could be it was just different than what I was used to. I just really liked the way the waypoint ”fit” me when I was handling them both in stores for a few months before I purchased.

If I knew more about rifles, maybe I could explain it better, and maybe I would have known better. I don’t really care what something is made out of- carbon fiber or composite makes absolutely no difference to me. I clearly don’t own a single carbon fiber stock, except the own that I own but haven’t seen from 7.5 months.

What I want is something that will work, hence the tikkas for ever. Do I have buyers remorse on the waypoint, absolutely so far. If things don’t change with my situation with my waypoint, then I will definitely be looking to try to find a Seekins, because from all accounts they do “Just work”.
 

Logan T

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Maybe i was inferring too much from his post but I didn't think he was talking about bolt manipulation. I agree though, the new havaks are slick. Amazing how they went from pretty rough with heavy cocking effort with the initial bolt design to top notch smooth and light cocking effort.
I guess, basically, the waypoint just “fit” better therefore felt better. Kind of like boots that fit just right after trying on ones that don’t. Maybe I need to go get my hands on another seekins and see what I think.
 
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