When I met Josh Cluff of H-S Precision at the Dallas Safari Club convention, I already had heard quite a bit about the company’s rifles. Top-of-the-line components, excellent manufacturing and superb accuracy. You never really know if second-hand information is correct, so I was looking forward to evaluating the glowing reports.
The rifle Josh showed us during our interview for TTAG was a redesigned PLR Long Range Hunting Rifle. Unlike the previous PLR models, thir brand new PLC Long Range Carbon Fiber rifle rifle has a carbon fiber-wrapped, H-S Precision proprietary cut-rifled barrel.
H-S Precision’s recently-released Pro-Series bolt action:
An adjustable cheekpiece is standard.
The carbon-wrapped barrel makes for a much lighter firearm and more comfort for the hunter tracking game over difficult terrain. At 7.5 pounds, this new model is 1 to 1.5 pounds lighter than the standard PLR. The addition of an adjustable cheekpiece allows the shooter to mount smaller or larger objective riflescopes, depending on the shooting or hunting application.
Though H-S Precision builds muzzle brakes in-house, the review rifle was equipped with an Area 419 brake.
H-S Precision is well-respected for the quality of their stocks which are used by lots of other rifle makers. The PLC wears one of their Kevlar + carbon fiber + fiberglass constructs with a full-length aluminum bedding block and a 1″ Decelerator pad. Combine that with the smooth H-S Pro Series action and you have the basis for excellent accuracy.
Four, five and 10-round capacities are available for the PLC model, with the magazine release lever located at the front of the trigger guard.
As this is a custom-built firearm, the customer can request a specific barrel length, twist rate, caliber, etc. The calibers most frequently requested have been the .300 PRC, 6.5 PRC and 6.5 Creedmoor. The rifle provided for my review was chambered to 6.5 Creedmoor, with 1:8″ RH rifling.
While H-S Precision builds triggers in-house, the review rifle had a Timney trigger (a custom option). It was incredibly crisp, and facilitated precise shooting at long ranges.
The H-S Precision folks provided a 2-16x50mm Swarovski Z8i riflescope with an illuminated reticle.
We didn’t need the illuminated reticle (the day we were on the range was full-sun), but that would be very useful when hunting at dawn or dusk.
Accuracy Testing
Government Training Institute hosted Frances and me for our range work with the H-S Precision PLC on their ‘level range’ with targets at 100 yards out to 700 yards.
We used Hornady ammunition for our accuracy tests. This included both their 140 grain ELD Match and 140 grain BTHP American Gunner cartridges.
To estimate muzzle velocities, we brought along our LabRadar unit.
How accurate is the new H-S Precision PLC?
Our first step for our analysis was to record the muzzle velocity and accuracy of the ammunition, while zeroing the PLC at 100 yards. Both types of ammunition showed muzzle velocities right at 2750 f.p.s. Also, both the ELD and American Gunner cartridges produced sub-MOA groups. However, the American Gunner with BTHP bullets produced the smallest groups.
So, we zeroed this load at 100 yards and used it exclusively for the remainder of our testing.
H-S Precision guarantees sub-1/2 MOA accuracy and the PLC more than achieved that.
First we shot at the 400-yard target This was the smallest of the targets (< 12″x12″). Even so, I was able to hit this target ~80% of the time, eventually shooting off the top-right edge (apologies to our GTI hosts).
The next target we engaged was an ~12″ x 18″ bottle-shaped form at just over 450 yards. The following video shows Frances firing at this particular target, with me calling her shots. She never missed this target even though, as you can tell from the instructions I am giving, she was a relative newbie to shooting longer distances. This suggests that the PLC is an inherently accurate rifle. It also points to the off-the-rack fit of this custom rifle, and the advantage of having the adjustable cheekpiece.
We tallied our shots at the various metal forms and found that we had ~95% impacts for all target-distances combined. However, there was variation. As I mentioned, one of our toughest (actually our toughest) targets was at the relatively short range of 400 yards.
This was the smallest sized target, but I think what we were actually struggling with more was a change in the wind speed and direction at 400 yards. This conclusion came from observing the movement of vegetation and heat waves. Regardless, when we reached out and touched the furthest targets at 600 and just over 700 yards, neither one of us missed more than 1% of our shots.
Regardless of the distances, the PLC demonstrated just how accurate, smooth and easy-shooting a rifle it is, whether on the GTI ranges or in the hunting field.
Specifications: H-S Precision Long Range Carbon Fiber PLC Rifle
Weight: 7.5 pounds
Length: 46″
Action: H-S Precision Pro-Series Bolt action
Caliber: 6.5 Creedmoor
Twist Rate: 1/8″ RH
Muzzle Break: H-S Precision
Barrel: 26″ H-S Precision cut rifled barrel with a standard 13 ½ lop stock (barrel length and lop will vary based on end-user’s specifications)
Stock: H-S Precision (Kevlar, Carbon Fiber, and Fiberglass with a full length aluminum bedding block)
Trigger: H-S Precision
Buttpad: 1″ Decelerator
Capacity: 4, 5 or 10 rounds
MSRP: $4750
Ratings (out of five stars):
Style and appearance * * * *
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and I prefer wooden stocks. However, as I’ve also stated before, most of my ‘trophy’ photographs show me holding a synthetic-stocked Model 700, so I’m a hypocrite. The PLC rifle’s all-over camo finish looks good (there are more than two dozen finish options) and its lines are eye-pleasing. Now, if it had just sported a top-grade piece of walnut….
Reliability * * * * *
H-S’s Pro Series bolt action is buttery-smooth was perfectly reliable throughout our testing.
Accuracy * * * * *
The 100-yard target above reflects the accuracy of this new model. Sub 1/2 MOA at 100 yards and well over 90% impacts on metal targets ranging from 400-700+ yards. We could not ask for better. performance.
Overall * * * * 1/2
I loved shooting this new H-S Precision Carbon Fiber model and it proved amazingly accurate. The adjustability of the cheekpiece and the contour of the stock fitted both of us perfectly. Since this was an ‘off-the-rack’ rifle that will normally be customized for the end-user, the design is likely well-suited to most shooters. This is not an inexpensive hunting rifle, but the reduced weight and smooth action make it a very tempting product for those of us who need to climb mountains (even these tiny Appalachians) or crawl through brushy areas for our hunts.
Mike Arnold writes for a number of outlets; links to other articles can be found here.
[Video and photos courtesy of Frances and Mike Arnold.]