Chuck Anderson Posted July 7, 2013 Share Posted July 7, 2013 So a couple years ago I bought one of the 18" Nordic barrels when they first came out. I had really high hopes for the barrel and bought a high end receiver to build the rifle on (Not a Seekins). I figured I was going to build myself a tackdriver of a gun. I was wrong. So very, very wrong. What I ended up with was a very expensive rifle that would hold about 4" at 100 yards. Tried different ammo, different optics, nothing worked. I was pissed. I knew when I started actually putting the gun together that something was a little off. For some reason the barrel felt a bit sloppy when inserted into the upper. Long story short, it sucked and I shelved it for the last couple years. Fast forward to now. I managed to pick up one of the Seekins iRMT-3 uppers and 15" handguard. This is the one with the triangular shaped handguard. Figured I'd give it a try with my problem child. As soon as I got the barrel bolted in I knew this was going to be better. Rock solid. Easily the most substantial feeling AR I have. Went together really easily. And there are some cool features I really like. But the real test was going to be the range. I put a US Optics 3-17 on it to try to take the optics out of the variable as a concern. The results were better than I could have hoped. Worst groups were just over an inch with Black Hills 68 gr reman. But I also had a couple boxes of Fiocchi Exacta Rifle Match 77 gr. I'm hesitant to talk about the Fiocchi because I really want to buy more. The Fiocchi group came in a 9/16" Did I mention I was shooting at 200 yards? From 4" at 100 to 9/16" at 200. All just by switching the receiver. I think I'm a fan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wgj3 Posted July 7, 2013 Share Posted July 7, 2013 That's stupid impressive! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob01 Posted July 7, 2013 Share Posted July 7, 2013 Can't go wrong with Nordic and Seekins. Both solid companies with great products. Got my Seekins SP3G in and I really like the feel of the forend as well. Those 12 torx screws and snug fit hold it on very secure. I actually had my older mount mounted half on the rail and half on the receiver, usually a no no, but it still shot great. Post some pics of your rifle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ac4wordplay Posted July 8, 2013 Share Posted July 8, 2013 Chuck, Does that mean you'll give me a fantastic deal on that first (unnamed) "high end" upper receiver that had the sloppy barrel fit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Anderson Posted July 8, 2013 Author Share Posted July 8, 2013 Chuck, Does that mean you'll give me a fantastic deal on that first (unnamed) "high end" upper receiver that had the sloppy barrel fit? Nice try. I actually threw a different barrel in it and it seems nice and tight. No idea why but it seems like the combination of tolerances didn't work out for the first set. But okay on the second Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
APL-G35 Posted July 8, 2013 Share Posted July 8, 2013 Seekins is good stuff. Everything of theirs I've got to put my hands on has been beautifully machined with great fit and finish. Being a machinist myself I really look at that kind of stuff when I'm inspecting parts. I currently run their sp3g hand guard and just got his muzzle brake this last weekend. It seems to work pretty well too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDMarshall Posted July 9, 2013 Share Posted July 9, 2013 I love mine with a 20" Criterion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlouie87 Posted July 9, 2013 Share Posted July 9, 2013 So do you believe that the barrel is not an accurate barrel and it was a receiver problem? I have a nordic barrelwith a vltor receiver and I have been very satisfied with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Anderson Posted July 9, 2013 Author Share Posted July 9, 2013 So do you believe that the barrel is not an accurate barrel and it was a receiver problem? I have a nordic barrelwith a vltor receiver and I have been very satisfied with it. I'd say the first receiver I had it in was not accurate with that barrel. The barrel itself is capable of really nice accuracy as shown after mounting it in a Seekins. I've heard other people have had really good luck with the first receiver I tried which is why I don't want to body bag them. Might be the lousy gunsmith (me) who put it together. Or just tolerances that did not work well with the two in combination. Whatever it was, I'm really happy with the combination now. I'm already looking for just the right barrel to put in the other Seekins receiver I have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlouie87 Posted July 9, 2013 Share Posted July 9, 2013 So do you believe that the barrel is not an accurate barrel and it was a receiver problem? I have a nordic barrelwith a vltor receiver and I have been very satisfied with it. I'd say the first receiver I had it in was not accurate with that barrel. The barrel itself is capable of really nice accuracy as shown after mounting it in a Seekins. I've heard other people have had really good luck with the first receiver I tried which is why I don't want to body bag them. Might be the lousy gunsmith (me) who put it together. Or just tolerances that did not work well with the two in combination. Whatever it was, I'm really happy with the combination now. I'm already looking for just the right barrel to put in the other Seekins receiver I have. I've been hearing a lot of good praise about these Seekin receivers. I might have to give one a shot. Are the iRMT-3 only compatible with their handguards? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Anderson Posted July 9, 2013 Author Share Posted July 9, 2013 So do you believe that the barrel is not an accurate barrel and it was a receiver problem? I have a nordic barrelwith a vltor receiver and I have been very satisfied with it. I'd say the first receiver I had it in was not accurate with that barrel. The barrel itself is capable of really nice accuracy as shown after mounting it in a Seekins. I've heard other people have had really good luck with the first receiver I tried which is why I don't want to body bag them. Might be the lousy gunsmith (me) who put it together. Or just tolerances that did not work well with the two in combination. Whatever it was, I'm really happy with the combination now. I'm already looking for just the right barrel to put in the other Seekins receiver I have. I've been hearing a lot of good praise about these Seekin receivers. I might have to give one a shot. Are the iRMT-3 only compatible with their handguards? They have other receivers, but the iRMT-3 is only compatible with one style of their handguard. The receiver has a machined extension forward of where the receiver normally ends. The forend slides over that and screws in place. Really, really strong. But it's a lot easier to get the right torque on the barrel than with the long wrench you have to use a true monolithic rail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob01 Posted July 9, 2013 Share Posted July 9, 2013 Yes the are a solid lock up between handguard and receiver. Below is a pic before I replaced the Larue mount with an extended Warne RAMP and you can see how the front lug of the mount is on the handguard rail which most people call a no no. I wanted to shoot it anyways so i said screw it and went out and it held zero perfectly. No problems with rail movement as it's screwed tight to receiver. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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