Bergara Rifles: whatcha think?

deerhunter61 said:

Guys,

I just want to know if any of you own a Bergara? Or have any of you shot one? If so what do you think?

Thanks,

Mel

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Pretty nice piece of equipment. I ordered a B-14 Hunter in 7mm Mag for a friend. On the first trip to the range he shot a couple of groups under a 1/2". Now three of us have them. I went with a 6.5 Creedmoor but had a hard time finding a load that it liked. I finally found one for the 130gr Accubond and one using the 143gr ELD-X. I can keep it in a 6" plate out to 500 yards and took a doe at 357. The action has a bolt head that is tapered which makes it smooth to operate . The trigger is easy to adjust and the bore is one of the smoothest on the market if the hype is correct. I really like the stock finish and the forearm is rigid. Definitely not tupperware. My only gripe is the weight. It is heavy.

I saw one of the Timbers at the range last trip. I was impressed with the wood and finish. It had a large palm swell that I didn't like, but that is just my own personal taste. I think that my next rifle will be a Woodsman. Now I have to pick a caliber.

IIRC, the Begara is a copy of the Remington 700. Did they copy the Walker trigger?

IMO it is what the modern 700 should be. It makes the factory remington look like a cheap rifle.

You find features only found in actions costing x3 times that much.

- perfectly blueprinted and timed action.
- integrated recoil lug
- side bolt release
- claw extractor with the perfect angle for positive extraction.
- Bergara partnered with shilen so their barrels are made with same processes and standards.
- Timmey trigger
- safety and cocking visual indicators in red.
- very nice finish and also walnut if you go with the a wood one.

What is not to like?

Spaniards wanted the best possible value so they partnered with a couple of the best trigger and barrel US manufactures in order
to produce a very nice rifle.

Edit: Not sure if the starting package includes the Timmey model but they say it can go down to 2.8 lbs. that is great for hunting and
much more. Even if it is not the same as the tactical model it feels like a timmey, light and crisp.

natman said:

IIRC, the Begara is a copy of the Remington 700. Did they copy the Walker trigger?

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No. From factory you get a Timmey trigger.

I have a Stalker in 6.5 Creedmoor. Very good rifle that's one of my favorites. I've shot 5/8" to 3/4" groups out of it but like Captcurt have found it's finicky about loads. My best are with 140 grain bullets.

Capt, if you wouldn't mind sharing your 130 grainn recipe, I'd appreciate it. I can't find anything that works with that weight bullet and have been working hard at it. You can PM me if you'd like. Thanks.

I've only ever seen them in display cases at a high end dealer's shop. It was explained to me similarly to what 1stmarine posted... it's what a modern Remington 700 should be. Honestly, I thought they would be much more money than they are. I also have never read one review where a person said they couldn't get the guaranteed 1MOA out of it.

If I wanted a new rifle and had $700 to spend, a Bergara would be on my short list.

I don't have one ... yet. I have read nothing but good things about them. On my short list, too.

Too rich for my blood. They run a grand up here. And they only use 1 in 10 rifling twist regardless of the chambering.
There's a post on a Canadian forum where the guy says he looked all over their site for info about the receivers without finding anything too.
Wouldn't believe their claim of "guaranteed to perform with sub MOA accuracy using factory ammunition." either. And a lot of their FAQ's are just stupid.

rayatphonix said:

I have a Stalker in 6.5 Creedmoor. Very good rifle that's one of my favorites. I've shot 5/8" to 3/4" groups out of it but like Captcurt have found it's finicky about loads. My best are with 140 grain bullets.
Capt, if you wouldn't mind sharing your 130 grainn recipe, I'd appreciate it. I can't find anything that works with that weight bullet and have been working hard at it. You can PM me if you'd like. Thanks.

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I shoot Hornady brass, Fed210 primers, 130gr Accubond over R 17 powder and 129gr Accubonds LR over H4350. The 2800 fps seems to be the sweet spot on mine. The R 17 load was super accurate in my Ruger Predator so I tried it in the Bergara.

Sunray said:

Too rich for my blood. They run a grand up here. And they only use 1 in 10 rifling twist regardless of the chambering.
There's a post on a Canadian forum where the guy says he looked all over their site for info about the receivers without finding anything too.
Wouldn't believe their claim of "guaranteed to perform with sub MOA accuracy using factory ammunition." either. And a lot of their FAQ's are just stupid.

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Where are you located? I think the LGS might be ripping off people because they can be found under $700 at many LG Stores and pretty much everywhere online...

https://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog...+Springfield+24+3+1+Synthetic+Green+Stk+Blued

I believe they do not claim the Sub moa and I don't think it matters buecase they are pretty well an consistently made anyway a lot of people are getting the submoa with decent commercial ammo.
I think this is a case where the customers using them claim the below MOA vs. the manufacturer doing some marketing.

I've never read anything from Bergara stating their receivers are 700 clones, maybe I missed it. They use Remington 700 two pieces bases but that doesn't mean anything, so does Howa/Vanguard. They do have an MOA guarantee.

I would love to own one.

cdb1 said:

I've never read anything from Bergara stating their receivers are 700 clones, maybe I missed it. They use Remington 700 two pieces bases but that doesn't mean anything, so does Howa/Vanguard. They do have an MOA guarantee.

I would love to own one.

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They are not really clones. They are a huge improvement over the remington 700 although they use the same basic dimensions so
stocks, bases and all aftermarket is compatible. Jjust like when one buys a Surgeon or a Stiller 700 based action, the rifle is a huge leap forward in quality
and features but w/o paying thousands.

cdb1 said:

I've never read anything from Bergara stating their receivers are 700 clones, maybe I missed it. They use Remington 700 two pieces bases but that doesn't mean anything, so does Howa/Vanguard. They do have an MOA guarantee.

I would love to own one.

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https://www.americanrifleman.org/articles/2016/2/25/bergara-storms-the-rifle-market/

Article quotes:
"The action shares the Remington 700’s footprint, so it’s compatible with Model 700 aftermarket triggers and safeties. Yet it has several features the original gun lacks. The 16-oz. (short action) body is made by Bergara in America and features an extended collar that incorporates and conceals the recoil lug. It has an 8 1⁄16" overall length in short-action and 8 15⁄16" in long-action. Flimsy it is not."

They actually mention the 700 blueprint on their website and video and also the accuracy statement...
All B-14 rifles are capable of producing sub-1.0 MOA groups or less at 100 yards using factory match grade ammunition.
Here...
http://bergarausa.com/bergara_b-14_series_hunter_rifle.php

I think the best thing is to try one and also read the reviews of folks who are using them. I have yet to find something that is not a
nice new feature or positive experience with them.

CaptCurt, thanks. RL 17 is my go to powder for Creedmoor. I'll run tests again. I have not tried H4350 though.

Sunday, twist is 1-8 for the Creedmoor unless they use a different barrel in Canada. I've checked best I can during load testing.

rayatphonix said:

CaptCurt, thanks. RL 17 is my go to powder for Creedmoor. I'll run tests again. I have not tried H4350 though.

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Win 760 and IMR-4350 worked well in my other 2 Creedmoors. The Ruger American didn't care. The Vanguard and B-14 where picky.

Capt, bullet weight seems to play a big part. With 140 gn bullets I've got a couple of decent loads. That's what I'm hunting with this year. It's lighter bullets that give me fits. Funny thing is Prime Ammo's 130 grain bullets are the exception. They shoot great. I just can't duplicate that consistentcy with 130 grain bullets I try. I'm not giving up though.

Sunray said:

Too rich for my blood. They run a grand up here. And they only use 1 in 10 rifling twist regardless of the chambering.
There's a post on a Canadian forum where the guy says he looked all over their site for info about the receivers without finding anything too.
Wouldn't believe their claim of "guaranteed to perform with sub MOA accuracy using factory ammunition." either. And a lot of their FAQ's are just stupid.

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So no actual experience at all to give the group???

Sounds really really appealing to me. If they are using the same barrel making equipment as they use on the rest of the barrels they sell they should be really nice quality. I have a couple aftermarket bergara barrels. I've picked up a few of the bergara rifles but never taken much of a close look.