Help picking a new varmint rifle

[llbaker21]

I have been at best a mediocre rifle shot most of my life. I purchased two Seekins rifles in the last couple years and absolutely love them. I have both a PH2 and an Element and shoot them far better than any of the many rifles I have had over the years. Now I am looking for something in a 22 caliber which Seekins does not offer outside of their chassis rifles. I am sure the HIT Pro M3 is a great rifle but I prefer a stock.

A local gun shop carries Horizon rifles and it feels similar to the Seekins. Has anyone used both of these rifles who can tell me how they compare? Does anyone have thoughts on other offerings that might perform similar to the Seekins?

Thanks in advance for any input!

 

[Q_Sertorius]

I have a custom FN Mauser action .22-250 for sale on the classifieds that I am confident can hold its own with any of them if you used reloads in it.

 

[Pharmseller]

Stainless Tikka Varmint in .223 works for me.

 

[Castle Rock]

As above but in fast twist 22/250

 

[RWT]

Sell one of the Seekins then pick up the new PH3 in the same caliber. You should be able to order a barrel from any maker and install it yourself on the PH3. You will break even as you won’t need to buy another scope. 22CM is calling your name.

 

[llbaker21]

Thank you all! I have had a Tikka and found it to be accurate. I did not care for the factory stock however and don't really wish to go down the road of finding and installing a new one. I have also found the Seekins to be more accurate than the Tikka I previously had. That may be from the fit of the stock.

RWT, I have been looking at the 22 CM. I have never completed a barrel replacement on my own and have some reluctance. Is this a fairly straightforward process with the PH3? Since the 22CM is based on the 6.5CM cartridge, would it be best to purchase a Seekins in the 6CM/6.5CM so that I can use the same magazine?

Also, has anyone used a Horizon? They do have a 22CM offering in various models.

Thanks

 

[Terrapin]

Both Seekins & Horizon make very good rifles, I would not hesitate to buy either. Horizon was a very early adopter of the 22 CM, way back when it was a non-saami wildcat, so they have a very long track record making them shoot.


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[RWT]

Thank you all! I have had a Tikka and found it to be accurate. I did not care for the factory stock however and don't really wish to go down the road of finding and installing a new one. I have also found the Seekins to be more accurate than the Tikka I previously had. That may be from the fit of the stock.

RWT, I have been looking at the 22 CM. I have never completed a barrel replacement on my own and have some reluctance. Is this a fairly straightforward process with the PH3? Since the 22CM is based on the 6.5CM cartridge, would it be best to purchase a Seekins in the 6CM/6.5CM so that I can use the same magazine?

Also, has anyone used a Horizon? They do have a 22CM offering in various models.

Thanks

The PH3 was designed to have the user swap barrels. That is the reason I am adding the PH3 to the want list. Per Utibe video there are no special tools required. Seekins advertises the additional barrels on their site and they provide the thread/tenon profiles for any of the barrel makers so you could order a custom barrel of your choosing from any reputable barrel company.

The 22CM is on my list as well, however, I am waiting for it to become more commercially available with ammo. Currently only Hornady provides ammo and others that do are boutiques. I want a 22CM but do not want to be relegated to reloading in 5 years if it is not popular. I was burned by the RSAUMs in the early 2000’s. For me to pick up a 22CM barrel will require a few more mainstreams such as Ruger and Savage to make it an offering. Once they do then other ammo provides will follow suit.

I handled a Seekins PH2 and PJ3 last week at Scheels. I am getting a PH3. Just a matter of budget and time.

seekins PH3 barrel swap at DuckDuckGo

DuckDuckGo. Privacy, Simplified.

duckduckgo.com

 

[Vern400]

On a whim I bought a Savage varmint rifle with a big nasty 26 inch barrel. In 223.

I bought a bunch of frontier cheapo ammo in the little cardboard boxes that falls apart when you open it. Right before the pandemic they were like 6.50 a box at Cabela's. The 55 grain spire points shot between 0.4 and 0.6 in. Those are no longer available to me.

So I started reloading and I got 55, 65, 69 grain bullets to hold that same accuracy. I think the 65 sgk is giving me almost 2900 FPS with 23 grains of benchmark and a federal primer at book length. I punch out the 55 grain garment bullets at 3200. I just went with a heavier bullet to slow it down a little and get past 400 yards before starts dropping a lot.

Unless you're keeping pelts I'm describing a pretty darn solid varmint gun.