SHOT Show takes place annually in January to kick off the year for those interesting in shooting, hunting, and outdoor activities. As with my usual routine, I took part in the event and headed out to Las Vegas for the 2025 SHOT Show. Just like last year, I went to attend the NRL Hunter match in Arizona prior to SHOT, and headed to Las Vegas direct from Arizona.
Last year I was not all that excited about SHOT Show and it took me several weeks to write up any recap content regarding SHOT 2024. This year I had a similar attitude about my enthusiasm level as I was going in not expecting much. However, I made a personal commitment to myself to write and publish sooner than later.
With that said, I had no real focus at the 2025 SHOT Show and went to see manufacturers who I knew had some new things that I personally wanted to check out. Outside of that, I did stumble across new and interesting products I wasn’t intending to check out.
Geissele Automatics is always one of the first stops because they give out free badge holders that are exactly sized for the SHOT Show badges.
While at Geissele, I checked out their foray into the bolt action rifle segment in the form of the King Hunter.
The Geissele King Hunter is a 700-pattern long action with a 2-lug, 90-degree bolt throw and a tool-less bolt disassembly design. It is configured with the Geissele Super 700 trigger the Manners Long Range Hunter stock and some form of detachable magazine capable bottom metal for AICS magazines. The bottom metal happens to include a forward section milled for Arca dovetail.
The King Hunter is built using what Geissele has dubbed a “High Pressure Model” action. This coincides with the fact that the King Hunter is being released in the new 7mm Backcountry cartridge which is designed for a steel alloy case to hit pressures of 80,000 PSI.
Geissele is cutting the rifling in-house (cut, not button or hammer forged) and includes a Geissele muzzle brake.
I am mildly interested in the Geissele King Hunter. I actually have a long action project in the works (I am sitting on a new Defiance Machine anTi-X receiver) so I have been spending quite a bit of time as of late looking at long action receivers, rifles, and cartridges. Geissele Automatics engineers stout product and I feel like the Geissele “High Pressure Model” action is going to be a high quality action.
However, I feel Geissele Automatics is going to make revisions to their bolt rifle actions very quickly after the first rifles start to get to consumer hands. Consumers have a tendency to find issues and call for design changes, especially on a first generation of a specific product. Note that the Geissele Super 700 trigger was discontinued shortly after it was released (2018) and has been in redesign for the past several years and appears to have only resurfaced with the King Hunter.
Also, Geissele is very popular when it comes to the AR platform and I predict there will be higher than usual demand for the King Hunter simply because of the existing consumer base that gravitates towards Geisele products.
Time will tell after the King Hunter makes it to consumers and Geissele starts to branch out into other cartridges, including short action cartridges.
Speaking of new bolt actions, I made sure to stop over at the Seekins Precision booth to check out the new PH3 and M3 rifles/actions.
The Seekins PH3 and M3 rifles are the latest generation of their bolt actions replacing the former Havak PH2 and Element line or rifle actions with a new design that supports quick change barrels through a new proprietary system that doesn’t require barrel vises. The M3 and PH3 are now 3-lug, 60-degree bolt throw actions which is in line with current generation actions in the industry.
The bolt can be disassembled without tools and this characteristic is becoming a trend with modern bolt action receiver designs.
The M3 is the new receiver used in the new Element Hunter which replaces the HIT Slam. This is the folding stock rifle system.
Seekins Precision also created an NRL Hunter specific rifle dubbed the Havak PH3 NRL. This rifle configuration comes with a 24″ barrel in either 6mm Creedmoor, 6.5mm Creedmoor, or 6.5 PRC , and with a Triggertech Diamond trigger. The stock is built specifically for Seekins with a mini-chassis that supports AICS magazines.
The Havak PH3 NRL is meant to be a rifle used for NRL Hunter Factory Division.
Note that if you get a PH3 short action in a 6.5 PRC, it will come with a proprietary Seekins magazine that allows for longer COL cartridges because the 6.5 PRC really should be loaded longer than AICS internal dimensions. A short action PH3 in a Creedmoor cartridge will have a spacer in the front of the magazine well so that it can run AICS-style magazines. Furthermore, if you get a PH3 in 6.5 PRC and want to swap barrels to a Creedmoor, you can install the magazine well spacer to run AICS magazines.
Seekins Precision also kept the price point on the new PH3 and M3 rifles the same as the previous generation of rifles that they replaced, which makes them more attractive to consumers considering a Seekins Precision bolt rifle.
I am seriously considering one of the Seekins M3 or PH3 rifles. I feel that if all the factory hunting/field rifles out there, this one has great features and is a more unique package than other mass produced factory rifles. The quick change barrel system and lightweight designs make this very intriguing. I thought about the HIT Slam a while ago, so I may consider the Element Hunter.
Tikka announced their Ace line of T1x and T3x rifles just prior to SHOT 2025 and had them on display.
The Ace-series of rifles utilizes their existing T1x and T3x actions, and are built using a new in-house Tikka modular chassis system.



Tikka likely took notice of what people often do with Tikka rifles: Buy a factory rifle and swapping out the factory stock with an aftermarket chassis system for competition use. This is very common with the Tikka T1x.
The foreend of the Ace-series chassis not only have Arca-style dovetails, they also have the RRS-Lock system milled into the bottom which is a nice touch.
The MSRP of the Tikka Ace-series is between $1600 and $1900 depending on the model, so the price does scale higher with their chassis system. Some would argue that it is still better to just get a base Tikka model and get an aftermarket chassis. However, I think the new Ace-series from Tikka is a good option for those who do not tinker much and want to get a Tikka that is tuned for competition out of the box.
The one new action that I took notice of is the Zermatt Arms TL3-LM or Lapua Magnum action.
While this new action is designed for Lapua Magnum sized cartridges, it could be viewed as the next-generation of the TL3 action because of the new features.
- NEW mechanical claw extractor for both controlled round feed and push feed situations
- NEW toroidal indexing floating bolt head
- 1.350″ diameter receiver body, fits Remington 700 long action footprint
- 0.750″ bolt diameter
- 1-1/8″ x 20 barrel tenon threads
- Increased firing pin travel for more primary ignition
- Compatible with CIP length AICS pattern long action magazines as well as Hawkins Precision Hunter system. Also available in a single shot configuration.
The claw extractor on the TLC-LM is a new design and Zermatt representatives indicated it could make it’s way into the other TL3 actions (short, long) in the future.



The price point has not been announced but I was led to believe the TL3-LM will be around the $1600 price point, which falls in line with pricing for exiting TL3 short and long actions ($1300 and $1400, respectively).
Zermatt has a subdued yet solid following in the rifle community. While other action companies like Terminus and Impact are more revered and Aero Precision gets more fanfare, Zermatt produces incredible actions at various price points for different uses (e.g., Origin for budget, RimX for high-end rimfire). The TL3-LM could be a hit in the large magnum space and the new bolt design features look very interesting. Hopefully the practical benefits of the floating head and new extractor result in those making it to their existing centerfire receiver lineup.
Zermatt Arms also debuted their new Matterhorn chassis system.
The Matterhorn has the hybrid chassis/stock design with an aluminum structure with a weight that can vary from a 6.75 lb base weight up to around 12.25 lbs with the designed weight system.
The foreend has an aluminum bottom surface with Arca dovetail milled in.
While I mention the Zermatt Arms Matterhorn, I was not all that interested in the chassis. It does bear some semblance to the J Allen Enterprises (JAE) chassis (now owned and manufactured by MDT) and some will like a traditional looking stock with a chassis subsystem. However, there is not anything compelling in the Matterhorn for me, especially when the minimum length of pull is 13.25 inches (I need a LOP of around 12.5″).
That being said, I am sure the Zermatt Arms Matterhorn will have some fans and I do think it would be better fit for a prone-only bipod rifle with the large palm-swell grip and the full length angled bottom surface of the buttstock to ride a bag.
I did want to end this portion of my 2025 SHOT Show After Action report with the already mentioned 7mm Backcountry cartridge.
The announcement / reveal of the 7mm Backcountry in the weeks prior to SHOT Show 2025 was met with lots of criticisms and they are all fair points. There are quite a bit of negative opinions such as the ‘inaccuracy’ of the cartridge observed in the YouTube influencer videos that were released. The heavy reliance on Federal for the ammunition is center-stage for others as well as myself, as it was also leaked that resizing of fired 7mm Backcountry “Peak Alloy” cartridges to reload has proven to be extremely difficult.
I for one am intrigued by this cartridge as I was also intrigued by 277 Fury when SIG announced that cartridge back at the 2020 SHOT Show. However, I would like to see Federal go all-in and really push quality 7mm Backcountry ammunition out to retailers in huge volumes.
SIG did a poor job launching the 277 Fury as ammunition was scarce and SIG Cross rifles chambered in 277 Fury were few and far between at retailers in the 12-18 months after 2020 SHOT. While you can now find 277 Fury ammunition easily, there really is only one factory rifle available chambered in it (SIG Cross).
If Federal cannot make this ammunition readily available year-round, the partnerships with the rifle manufacturers who committed to make 7mm Backcountry rifles will wane and the cartridge will fail.
That being said, I mentioned earlier that I am considering a Seekins Precision Element Hunter with the new M3 action. If I were to get one, I would lean towards one chambered in 7mm Backcountry. If for some reason 7mm Backcountry does fail, then I could easily swap barrels and bolt heads to perhaps 7 PRC and still be happy.
I still have more products to discuss from this year’s SHOT Show and that will come in a continuation post in the next several days. Thanks for reading this first part of my 2025 SHOT Show After Action Report. Stay tuned for Part 2.
Don
Thanks for your post, hard work, and photos. Excellent.