Bergara vs Tikka

remington jim said:
I have 3 T3's Now - 223Rem 7-08Rem 338Fed I LIKE them ALL ! :dancingbanana: RJ
Click to expand...

Tikka did a very good job with that T3 line. They left Remington in the dust, mostly because of the T3's predictable out-of-the-box accuracy which is ironic because Remington used to use that as a sales pitch.
 
For anyone here that has a Bergara from the B-14 line. Have you had your bolt hole bushed? If so did you find any impact on primers? Bolt shroud? Why go the bushing route and not just a new bolt from the premier line?
 
If you don't like the tikka plastic stocks they also sell the Hunter with a nice wood stock.
I only have 3 Tikkas, T3 Hunter Stainless 300WSM, T3 Varmint Stainless 300 WSM and T3X Lite SS 308 win.
All are accurate right out of the box, only complaint is the triggers are a bit on the heavy side and the T3 recoil pads aren't soft enough.
 
Last edited:
There are good reasons Tikkas are so popular. I don't like the out of place plastic bits, but they have not failed. Comparing to an Axis, 783, or American is ridiculous. Maybe all 3 shoot decent but they feel like garbage. I have 2 tikkas currently and am really tempted to try a Bergara. I was expecting the HMR stock to feel more... solid? Not impressed with how slippery/plasticy it is, but it is still a step up from Tikka stocks. The Wilderness line seems pretty interesting to me, but I have not seen one in central Ab to handle yet. If anyone has one around Red Deer and wants to do show and tell, I would be interested.
 
I have two Tikkas. One is a .338 T3 and one is actually my daughter's .243 T3x. They are light rifles that seem well made. Shoot accurately like laser guns. I really like the short bolt throw on these rifles and the actions are very smooth. The single stack mags are the only design flaw in my opinion - although they seem to work well. Double stack would make much more sense to me. The design on the Sauer 100 XT's seem to be much better thought out IMHO. I have only held a Bergara, but it was a nice feeling gun. I would not hesitate with a cast receiver as has already been mentioned, Ruger has been doing it for years and they are as tough as woodpecker lips.
 
I came here looking for opinions on the Bergara after I bought one....lol I bought it in 22-250, I like the stock, dont mind the weight. Like most I have a few Tikkas in the safe as well, I like variety, so bit the bullet. Will scope it and see what it does with factory ammo.
 
Hitzy said:
I don't see "light weight" as one of the TS requirements...
Personally, I detest mags in a hunting rifle, the only thing I detest more is a hunting rifle with a mag/hinged floor plate like Browning does on a bunch of their guns.
At the end of the day, I'm sure lots of people like Tikkas, i just don't see them as being a good bang for the buck, they are manufactured as cheaply as possible, and the $100 plastic mags are grossly overpriced.
I'm actually not sure why so many people think new rifles are the greatest thing, there are tons of excellent quality, well made old school built rifles out there that cost 1/2 or 1/3 of a new Tikka.
Click to expand...

The issue most of the time is that you don't get to shoot older guns before you buy them so there is risk in a used gun purchase, even if half the price it is still a risk that you end up with something that doesn't perform the way it should in the field. A Tikka NIB is going to perform and that confidence is worth it for many people.
 
I have owned several Tikka's over the years, and still have a T1x in my locker. All of them shot well, and the metal finishing was excellent. I don't have any experience with Bergara as every Bergara I handled just didn't appeal to me. I eventually moved to CZ to keep my vintage Brno's company. Personally, the CZ 557 Lux and Range are better built rifles than both the Tikka T3x and Bergara's equivalent. The CZ 557 is a bit heavier which I don't mind for the type of use they receive. If I want a light (sub 6lbs) stalking rifle, I carry a svelte Euro single shot.
 
Jlcossette said:
I’m in the process of purchasing a new hunting rifle. I’m looking for something decent in .308, so far I’ve been looking a lot at the the tikka T3x. Then came across the Bergara B-14 HMR. I know the tikkas are excellent rifles but I don’t know much about the Bergara. From my understanding the Bergara is basically a rem 700 so plenty of aftermarket parts where as the tikka not so much but not a huge concern. I’m just trying to compare and see which would be the best for performance and durability for the price. If anybody has any input it would be much appreciated. Also if anybody has any recommendations of rifles that would be as good. My price range is about $2500 for rifle+optics.
Click to expand...

I have both in 308... Tikka Battue in a compact stock, a T3x Compact and the Bergara B14 HMR Premiere (For Sale on EE).

All three rifles are amazing and all shoot sub MOA with the right ammo. However I have to say the Bergara's bolt action is way smoother and slicker than the Tikka or my M700 SPS. I believe the Tikka's bolt action feels smoother is because of the slack. The Bergara has a tighter tolerance yet is slick like butter hands down. The stock on the HMR is amazing and built well. However, the simplicity and lightness of the Tikka T3x stock is very appealing for carrying around in the woods on extended hunts. The Battue not scoped is 6lbs, T3x Compact with 2-7x scope is 7lbs and the HMR with a Vortex LHT scope is 10.5lbs The Tikka triggers are very nice and both of mine set at it's lightest setting break at just a tad over 2lbs. The HMR Premiere comes from the factory a Trigger Tech Primary trigger.

You can't go wrong with either but if a light weight rifle for carrying around is your goal the Tikka T3x Lite series is hard to beat.
 
I have both and I love both. Actually, I may prefer the Bergara a little bit more as the rifle is more balanced and have a less barrel lift when shooting. Also, having the action blue print on Remington 700, the aftermarket options are infinite

I have the Woodsman 300wm and the piece of wood is just gorgeous

img_0811.jpg
 
The ROC said:
I have both in 308... Tikka Battue in a compact stock, a T3x Compact and the Bergara B14 HMR Premiere (For Sale on EE).

All three rifles are amazing and all shoot sub MOA with the right ammo. However I have to say the Bergara's bolt action is way smoother and slicker than the Tikka or my M700 SPS. I believe the Tikka's bolt action feels smoother is because of the slack. The Bergara has a tighter tolerance yet is slick like butter hands down. The stock on the HMR is amazing and built well. However, the simplicity and lightness of the Tikka T3x stock is very appealing for carrying around in the woods on extended hunts. The Battue not scoped is 6lbs, T3x Compact with 2-7x scope is 7lbs and the HMR with a Vortex LHT scope is 10.5lbs The Tikka triggers are very nice and both of mine set at it's lightest setting break at just a tad over 2lbs. The HMR Premiere comes from the factory a Trigger Tech Primary trigger.

You can't go wrong with either but if a light weight rifle for carrying around is your goal the Tikka T3x Lite series is hard to beat.
Click to expand...

The Bergara seems very heavy at 10.5 lbs with a Vortex LHT scope. I have a Tikka T3x CTR 308 with a Vortex pst gen 1 4-16x50mm ffp scope on it and it weighs 9.6 lbs with an en empty mag
 
rhino62 said:
The Bergara seems very heavy at 10.5 lbs with a Vortex LHT scope. I have a Tikka T3x CTR 308 with a Vortex pst gen 1 4-16x50mm ffp scope on it and it weighs 9.6 lbs with an en empty mag
Click to expand...

It is the the HMR stock is unique as well, similar to the MDT XRS stock. One reason I'm selling it is it's heavy and more than I need for hunting on our property.

My wife just got her PAL and Hunters License and the HMR is heavy and long LOP for her. The T3x Compact or the Battue in a Compact stock realistically fits our hunting needs. Our hunting plot is no more than 50 yards max and this year tagged a buck with my crossbow at 35 yards before gun season.
 
We had a few Bergara's come through the workshop and bedded a few. I cannot pinpoint it but I really prefer a rem 700. I have several T3's and a few rem 700's. T3's are the sensible choice but still I prefer shooting a 700. The 700 must have at least a Triggertech trigger... T3 has a good trigger from the box, most rem 700 I had shot almost as well as T3's, all useable.
We have had 9 Bergara barrels fitted to Howa's, Remmies and my new T3 in 22-250. All good except one in 308 on a Howa action which was with 1MOA by far the worst. These 9 barrels all started as stainless blanks. My T3 22-250 with 22" Bergara stainless 1/8 twist will be my foxing rifle for nest season with 75 eldm, waiting 10 years until I finally got this one built.

vWZIkn8.jpg


edi
 
When at the range I like to load single shots and find yhe Tikka a pain because it will only feed from the clip. Just my opinion
 
i have tikkas and rem 700's. plastic stocks on both suck. my tikkas are in laminate and rems in B&C, basner and other composite stocks. either is good but the tikkas are straight from the box and compare well with my rems that all have had barrels and action work done. tikkas seem to shoot better than stock rems and for the dollar the tikkas are a bargain.
 
Tikka rifles are fine. I've had a number of them to date, and the only thing that irks me is the one-size-fits-all action. I just have a thing against short action cartridges in long actions. My favorite so far was a 6.5x55mm T3 Lite Stainless. I bought it to take the place of an M70 Featherweight I quite stupidly sold, it came close to filling the hole in my soul but even though I liked it and it was accurate, I didn't love it.

Bergara rifles are also fine. Being built on a 700-pattern means more aftermarket support but honestly, Tikka isn't lacking much there anymore. The barrels are outstanding. The trigger is also nicer. But the guns are usually heavier, like-for-like, and a few bucks more as well for the Wilderness series. I really want a Wilderness Ridge in .308, specifically with the 20" #5 contour, 10-twist barrel.

You're really not going to make a bad choice with either of them, it just depends on if you prefer one of the specific configurations on one more than the other.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom