The Seekins Havak PH3 is the Rifle We Want

The Havak PH3 a high-performance rifle with all of the cutting-edge innovations long-range shooters need. Here's a full review.

March 03, 2026 By Tom Beckstrand

Introduced in 2025, the Seekins Precision Havak PH3 shows just how far the rifle-shooting community has progressed in the past 20 years. Gone are the days of sending a factory action off to get blueprinted and fitted with a custom stock and premium barrels. Any advantages offered from that approach now come from the factory at a fraction of the price. This PH3 rifle provides a level of performance and flexibility that was unheard of even 10 years ago.

gaad-seekins-hav-ph3-02 — The receiver footprint is unique to Seekins Precision and it creates copious contact with the stock’s mini-chassis. Contact is secured by the action screw thread engagement and three flats seen on the receiver’s bottom. The stock integrates a machined aluminum mini-chassis that mates to the receiver. A lug protrudes from the chassis into a recess underneath the receiver. (Photo by Mark Fingar)

Balance in the Basics

When I look at Seekins Precision’s Havak PH3, I see a rifle optimization problem executed flawlessly. It might sometimes seem difficult to see what makes one bolt-action rifle different from another, but the differences between the PH3 and just about every other bolt-action rifle available are hard to miss. For starters, the PH3 does not have a Remington Model 700 footprint; for that I’m thankful.

gaad-seekins-hav-ph3-03 — The PH3 barrel features a 5/8-24 threaded muzzle to mount a muzzle device or suppressor. Seekins installs an effective radial muzzlebrake to each barrel. (Photo by Mark Fingar)

The Model 700 was first sold in 1962, and it was designed for convenient manufacture. It started life as a section of round pipe that was easy to spin on a lathe and turn into an action. Its ease of manufacture kept costs low and resulted in it becoming the most prolific bolt-action in several generations of riflemen. It also has warts that frequently get overlooked because it has such strong aftermarket support. The ugliest warts are the action screws, and how little they contact the receiver. The screws have to be watched and checked regularly to achieve the best performance. Second, the two-lug bolt has to rotate 90 degrees to open and close. This means the bolt handle can come uncomfortably close to the scope when cycling the action.

gaad-seekins-hav-ph3-04 — The stock has an adjustable comb and flush cups for sling mounting under the toe and on each side of the forend. The forend also hosts two M-Lok slots that can be used to attach a bipod. (Photo by Mark Fingar)

The PH3 fixes those issues and brings several capabilities that aren’t possible anywhere else. The PH3 has a footprint unique to Seekins rifles. There are three angled flats on the bottom of the receiver that match with flats of the mini-chassis in the stock. When combined with the three-fold increase in action screw engagement, the PH3 is more thoroughly immobilized in the stock than a Model 700 footprint. Seekins’ rifles have a reputation for exceptional accuracy, and the action’s footprint is a big reason why. The receiver is held so firmly that Seekins’ rifles will rarely — if ever — throw unexplained flyers when shooting groups.

gaad-seekins-hav-ph3-05 — The bolt design ensures toolless disassembly to make it easy to maintain. Engineers incorporated an easy bolt head replacement feature for changing between standard and magnum bolt faces. (Photo by Mark Fingar)

Havak PH3 rifles chambered in short-action cartridges come with 20- and 24-inch barrels, while those in long-action chamberings have barrels in 22- and 26-inch lengths. The most popular models are the ones with shorter barrels because they will likely be used with suppressors. Every barrel comes threaded with a 5/8-24 thread pitch. Seekins Precision also delivers each rifle with its a radial muzzlebrake.

The stock and bottom metal are Seekins’ own, which tip the scales at an even 3 pounds. The stock is made from carbon-fiber composite, and it has an aluminum mini-chassis inside. There is also a section of M-Lok along the underside of the forend to keep it clutter-free while also supporting the option to attach a bipod or tripod. The stock has an adjustable comb, which allows the PH3 to comfortably fit almost any shooter/scope combination.

gaad-seekins-hav-ph3-06- — The biggest change from the Havak PH2 and PH3 was the move to a 60-degree bolt lift. This keeps the bolt handle away from the scope, so even the largest ocular housings pair well with the PH3. (Photo by Mark Fingar)

Action Deets

The real value of the PH3 comes when considering its many relevant capabilities. It has a three-lug bolt, so only 60 degrees of lift is required to open the action. Normally, a three-lug action is harder to open than a two-lug; three-lug bolts have to do the same amount of work in 60 degrees as a two-lug bolt with a 90-degree. However, Seekins’ engineers made a couple of significant efforts that made its bolt assembly easier to open than even most two-lug actions. The first significant design change was to wrap the firing pin spring around a bearing instead of around the firing pin as is typical. This approach allows the spring to spin independently of the firing pin. When opening the action, the bolt body rotates, but the firing pin doesn’t. This usually means the firing pin spring drags along the inside of the bolt body, which creates felt resistance. The use of a bearing means that the spring spins freely, eliminating any resistance to the bolt body’s rotation.

gaad-seekins-hav-ph3-07 — The three-lug bolt enables the short 60-degree lift. The bolt includes dual ejectors, extractor, and small-diameter firing pin. (Photo by Mark Fingar)

The second engineering feat was the use of dual helixes where the bolt body and cocking piece meet. Lifting the bolt to open the action pulls the cocking piece and firing pin rearward. More than 90 percent of bolt-action rifles have a single angled ramp cut into the back of the bolt body, so opening the bolt drives the cocking piece up that ramp. Seekins uses dual helixes on the bolt body that match the two surfaces on the cocking piece. Using both sides of the bolt body keeps the firing pin centered in the bolt body and the helixes spread the load across the entire angle instead of just loading it all on a single point. The result is less resistance when opening the bolt. I called Glen Seekins when evaluating this rifle to ask him about the light bolt lift, and to discuss its features.

gaad-seekins-hav-ph3-08 — Seekins Precision makes the three-round, center-fed, carbon-fiber magazine that ships with each rifle. Common-use AICS-pattern magazines also work in the Havak PH3. (Photo by Mark Fingar)

“I actually increased firing pin spring weight by 1 pound on the PH3,” Seekins said, “and it still has a lighter lift than most two-lug custom actions on the market. We tested a bunch of actions on a machine to see where we fell on how much weight it took to lift the bolt handle to cock the rifle. Only a well-used Impact action beat us.”

Some riflemen obsess about light bolt lift. While I don’t obsess over it, I do pay attention. Light bolt lift makes a rifle — especially a light rifle — more enjoyable to shoot because it takes less effort to cycle the action. Effortless is always desirable when trying to have fun.

gaad-seekins-hav-ph3-09 — Within the triggerguard is the TriggerTech Primary, which adjusts between 1 pounds, 8 ounces, and 4 pounds with a crisp let-off. Integral to the triggerguard front is the magazine release. (Photo by Mark Fingar)

The bolt also offers toolless disassembly, so getting the bolt apart for maintenance is a snap. The bolt head is removable, so it’s also possible to chamber the same short-action receiver in everything from .22 Creedmoor to 6.5 PRC. (I wouldn’t be surprised to see .223 Remington pop onto the menu at some point.)

Realizing that caliber interchangeability is a good thing, Seekins also made it possible to quickly change barrels. Barrels only need to be threaded into the receiver and tightened to about 10 foot-pounds (ft.-lbs.). There is a small clamping mechanism built into the bottom of the receiver where the barrel threads into it. That clamp only requires 20 inch-pounds (in.-lbs.) to firmly hold the barrel in place. The Havak PH3 — thanks to the removable bolt heads and the quick-change barrel system — can be re-barreled or caliber-changed with basic tools. While no one is likely to change barrels on a regular basis, it is likely that many of us will benefit from the ease to replace a shot-out barrel or set up a PH3 to experiment with a new cartridge. No gunsmith services required!

In addition to the unique features the Havak PH3 introduces, it also includes tried-and-true innovations such as the TriggerTech (triggertech.com) Primary trigger and integral scope-mounting rails. New for the PH3 is the adjustable comb that ensures shooter comfort, making spotting impacts easier, even with large-objective scopes that sit a little higher on the rifle.

Based on the response to the PH3 — during a slow time for the firearms industry — Seekins Precision has discovered unprecedented success with this rifle. The Havak PH2 was a popular seller in 2024, setting internal sales records. Still, Seekins told me that it had sold as many PH3 models between January and early May 2025 as it did in all of ’24.

gaad-seekins-hav-ph3-11 — Flush cups support quick mounting sling points without studs that can protrude and get in the way of support bags and pods. It is also convenient to quickly remove a sling. (Photo by Mark Fingar)

As big of a leap in riflery as is found in the Havak PH3, one of the features I love the most is the absence of a price increase when compared to the Havak PH2. The PH3 retails for $1,895. When Guns & Ammo sent me to Lewiston, Idaho, to visit Seekins Precision and learn about the PH3 ahead of its announment, we talked through different model configurations. I looked at every aspect of the PH3 in close detail. I asked what the price increase would be given the new features. Seekins grinned and said, “What price increase?” I thought I was going to faint. “You’re going to take over the world,” I replied. It was all I could think to say.

gaad-seekins-hav-ph3-12 — When the bolt is open, a lug is at the 6-o’clock position ready to press against a cartridge base. This gives the action positive engagement with the cartridge case head when feeding. (Photo by Mark Fingar)

While the good folks at Seekins Precision have no interest in taking on the world, they’ve made a splash with the Havak PH3. It’s a high-performance rifle with all of the cutting-edge innovations packed into any rifle at any price. I believe it’s being sold for a song.