Backfire on the Seekins Havak Element

Backfire says the Seekins Havak Element was the most requested review on the channel. The host doesn’t own one, so he borrowed his friend Sebastian’s 300 PRC, a rifle Sebastian has owned for two years.

The Most Anticipated Backfire Review (Seekins Havak Element) Watch on YouTube — Backfire.

What they cover: this is the owner’s own rifle, not a loaner from Seekins, and no sponsor is stated. The host’s worry going in is that big magnums in light rifles tend to shoot poorly. The Havak Element has a carbon composite stock in a traditional shape, a steel barrel without a carbon wrap, a Remington 700 style action, and an adjustable TriggerTech Hunter trigger that Sebastian has never touched. Sebastian likes the stock’s balance and palm swell, and says it isn’t cold in winter. Both of them dislike the checkering, which the host says makes a premium stock look like a cheap plastic one. Shooting prone in the dirt and the wind at 100 yards, their three groups measure 1 inch, 0.9 inch, and 1.4 inches. The host calls that a lot better than he expected from 300 PRC in a light rifle, and he says it is not exactly a laboratory test. Recoil packs a punch, with a long push and plenty of muzzle flip. He says it is worse than a 12 gauge and wears on you after a box. The factory recoil pad makes hot spots. The host would rather have a hinged floorplate than a box magazine, though he’s fine hunting with one. On camera they run a Banish Backcountry suppressor, and he mentions a Backstop recoil pad made for the rifle. Sebastian’s change list is better checkering, a better pad, and a lighter cartridge or an extra pound or two of rifle. In their view, this platform fits standard cartridges like 6.5 Creedmoor best, with 7mm Rem Mag right at the edge. Specific claims in the video are theirs, not ours.

Here’s our take. Buy the Seekins Havak Element if you want a light, accurate hunting rifle, and pick a caliber you can carry and shoot all day. Skip the 300 PRC if recoil wears on you, or if the stock’s looks matter more than how it shoots. The owner’s own pick for this rifle would be a lighter cartridge, which is worth hearing.

The rifle on camera is Sebastian’s earlier Havak Element. We stock the current Element M3 in the same 300 PRC chambering, not the exact rifle in the video, and the finish may differ. On the shelf: the Seekins Precision Havak Element M3 in 300 PRC, Urban, 22 inch. Related: the Seekins Precision Havak Element M3 in 6.5 Creedmoor, Mountain, 20 inch, one of the standard cartridges Sebastian says suits this light rifle better. Also related: the Seekins Precision Havak Element M3 in 7mm Rem Mag, Mountain, 22 inch, which they put right at the edge of what this platform should carry. Complete firearm. Indiana FFL transfer through Wulfy’s. Ask us for current fees.