Bergara vs the rest...

Overlander2018

Overlander2018

CGN frequent flyer
Rating - 100%
9   0   0
Location
BC
So I am closing in on my first hunting rifle purchase. Going with 20" barrel .308, and was down to either the X-bolt speed or T3X CTR and then noticed these Bergara rifles on several dealer sites for around the same prices. As far as I can tell they are Rem 700 clones made in Spain, are they worth considering or should I stick with my two original choices?

Thanks in advance for the feedback.
 
Not a 700 clone, has an external extractor so no 3 rings of steel and the best gas sealing design ever made.
Receiver is cast, not made from billet, early versions had issues with the bolt shroud blowing up in your face from a simple pierced primer.
Just from how it is made, and where it is made, I really don't understand the price of them. Very over priced IMHO.
Tikka is made cheap as possible as well, but not a bad rifle if you are ok with a long action for a short action cartridge.
Browning is the best made of the 3 you are looking at.
 
Bergara have apparently come a long way in a short time, with their claim to fame secret sauce being in the super-duper Spanish barrels which supposedly deliver stellar accuracy. Take that FWIW, as I have no actual experience with the Bergara rifles, nor do I have any personal skin in the game.

My hunting rifle is a Howa 1500 in .308, factory FDE Cerakote with a factory Multicam Stock. the bottom metal is Pacific Tool and Gauge's milled aluminum, out of Tacoma, WA (they shipped to Canada). I certainly can't complain - it has knocked down half a dozen whitetail deer, two elk and a moose so far. I have no problem smacking small steel at 400 yds with my 180gr hunting ammo and my holdovers. My cold-bore shot is within an inch of my subsequent shots at 100 yds and the rifle is virtually maintenance-free, aside from the occasional swab through the barrel. The value was excellent for the price, which was around $800 IIRC. Take it FWIW, but the Howa's are a solid, Japanese-made rifle by a weapons manufacturer that has been in business for well over a century.


20230106-211003.jpg
 
Last edited:
700 "footprint", not an exact clone. You need to be okay with 2.75 rings of steel. The extractor design is the trade-off, I would need a season with one to decide if it's worth it or not. Literally the only issue I've had with 700's so far, knock on wood, is crappy extraction/ejection.

The triggers are adjustable and pretty decent. That was my biggest complaint against the X-Bolt - I've owned three now and each has needed a replacement spring to get below 3 pounds. 3 pounds, 4 ounces was as low as my last one would go. It's a $10 part so definitely worth doing.

The barrels are excellent. You'll find a lot of people being steered towards the Bergaras for entry-level match rifles. They also make CVA rifles in the same factory and I own one - it really is great! If I could get the same in a bolt gun (CVA is a single shot) I'd be all over it.

My biggest gripe is they tend to be about a half pound heavier than I'd like in a given cartridge - no big deal in a match rifle but if I have to carry often/shoot little I want it lighter. X-Bolt and T3X (not the CTR) are both at least a half pound lighter.

They've just released a carbon-wrapped version which is in the same weight range, not sure if I'm willing to take the plunge, until reviews roll out but it's a definite maybe.
 
Between Bergara, Rem 700 and Tikka, I'd take a Rem 700. However, CZ 557 Lux or Range or Synthetic 'S' has them all beat, and I own them all to make that comparison. If Howa's didn't come in those sh!Ty stocks, I would add Howa over the the original 3, but still favour the CZ.
 
The Kurgan said:
Between Bergara, Rem 700 and Tikka, I'd take a Rem 700. However, CZ 557 Lux or Range or Synthetic 'S' has them all beat, and I own them all to make that comparison. If Howa's didn't come in those sh!Ty stocks, I would add Howa over the the original 3, but still favour the CZ.
Click to expand...

What makes you choose the CZ ranger over Tikka & Remington? I thought they were discontinued and not sold anymore but just noticed some available.
 
Ben_in_Canada said:
Have you handled any of them?
I had a similar list, shouldering each rifle helped me eliminate some making the decision easier.
Click to expand...

I have handled both the Ctr and Xbolt, not the Bergara. I like both, preferred the stock on the Browning and it fits a bit better but also like the detachable 10rd mag on the Tikka and the trigger is nicer... choices choices...
 
Overlander2018 said:
What makes you choose the CZ ranger over Tikka & Remington? I thought they were discontinued and not sold anymore but just noticed some available.
Click to expand...

I could give an exhaustive list of pros and cons, but they are, at the end of the day, based on personal preference. In short, however, I found the quality of the fit and finish on the CZ's better, no plastic, excellent triggers, super smooth actions, and usually MOA or better with most factory ammo--which is a huge factor for me. I also like the simplicity of the 557 series. I own three 557's and all are the same in overall quality and consistent in performance. I find the Tikka to be similar in performance (though I have had QC issues with them in the past) but they don't fit me as well, and while plastic has advantages and a place (eg. less parts to protect from moisture) it's not my first choice in a hunting rifle. The Turkish walnut on CZ's are a real bonus and great value, some being absolute lottery winners. Lastly, the synthetic stocks on the CZ's are also the best I've seen and used. I think if the CZ 557 were made in the US, they would be much more expensive. Yes, they're discontinued, but some dealers have some in stock. The short action carbines weigh a hair under 7 pounds, so they're not lightweights, but I have other rifles that fit that bill.

The new 600 series is a completely different rifle and I'm still trying to decide if they are right for me.
 
Last edited:
Just picked up the Bergara B-14R LH Trainer in 22LR with the 18" carbon fibre barrel. Will see how it performs.
While not quite the same as the rifle you are looking at in particular, this is the exact same as the hunting/target rifle, so should be a fair comparison in many regards.
While I do not care for the the design of the spacers in the stock for the adjustable LOP, as the fit and finish isn't as flush and clean as one might expect on a rifle in this price range, the rest of the stock feels good when I shoulder it. And it has a nice balance when shouldering off-hand. The grip fills my larger hands nicely, and with all the spacers in, it fits my longer LOP.
With wanting to shoot it for PRS 22LR, when mounting a 50mm scope on a rail, having the adjustable cheek piece on the stock does help with aligning the eye behind the scope.
The trigger was easy to adjust and breaks consistently at 2 1/2 pounds.
The action is fairly smooth; we'll see how she slicks up with time and use, and a little light lubrication.

In researching reviews prior to buying, most were favourable, and Bergara has been earning a reputation for quality barrels and good performance; so we shall see first hand.
 
You'll want to ensure a few things are done before you try prs.
Extracting and feeding tend to be it's weakness. If you have one malfunction over 100ronds and it wasn't because of you, google it!
The fixes are easy to do with a little research and a MacGyver attitude.
You'll wish you had a steel barrel for prs!

Have fun.
 
Strikes me as these days it is tougher to get a gun that won't shoot MOA or better, just comes down to what features you like. For one gun I wanted, a TAC A1 checked all the boxes, had nothing in the way of options to add to it, other than putting the vertical grip on it, for the other one, the T3x was adequate. The stock on the T3x felt cheap, but after having the butt off and drilling for swivel sockets, I wouldn't necessarily call it a cheap stock, but, maybe it is an upgrade stock from the std T3X, as it is on a western special edition, no verification on that thought, it is still what they call a superlite version gun.. Certainly like the metal mag that the TAC uses better, CTR has same mag, and yet, no issues so far with the std mags either. I don't need to change triggers, they both shoot 5/8-3/4MOA out of the box with "match grade" factory ammo, first handloads matched that no sweat, velocities are what they shud be, so, I don't have a "slow Tikka bbl" on either one.
Not sure what spooked me off Bergara altogether, that was 3 yrs ago now, barrels seem mostly good to go, probably would put a triggertech in one, if it didn't already have it, seems some models do now? B14HMR was too heavy for some apps, too light for others maybe, the Howa's needed a trigger, wasn't impressed with stock choices vs price on either of them at the time. I remember being pretty stoked on a CTR, then spotting the TAC, and even though it was another 1000.00 at the time, had the features I would have added to a T3x varmint or a CTR, and was heavy enough as a range gun, to be more practical, in my mind. And then when it came around to wanting a hunting version, the 24" bbl and being fluted, and the olive stock, sold me on the western edition version of the T3X, wasn't disappointed with it either. Only change I am contemplating to the T3x, is maybe putting the 2 stage trigger in it, I do like that trigger, also changed the grip out to the more vertical one on it.
Bergara premier series kinda turned my crank, but, they wanted too much money for it, as I remember.
 
The X Bolt has the best action, in addition of offering a short version. In my opinion, one of the rare current guns to actually be better than its predecessor.
Most novices choose the T3 because of the better trigger and the perception that if it’s made by Sako it must be as good. Good actions don’t really sell guns these days. Beretta has figured out the market very well and they’re giving people exactly what they want.
I still advise the 700 to "gun people". You can squeeze a lot of performance out of them with some effort.
 
Great North Guns said:
The X Bolt has the best action, in addition of offering a short version. In my opinion, one of the rare current guns to actually be better than its predecessor.
Most novices choose the T3 because of the better trigger and the perception that if it’s made by Sako it must be as good. Good actions don’t really sell guns these days. Beretta has figured out the market very well and they’re giving people exactly what they want.
I still advise the 700 to "gun people". You can squeeze a lot of performance out of them with some effort.
Click to expand...

Not a fan of the x bolt. Can't go wrong with a 700, but the "gun people" are choosing T3, for alot of reasons, mainly accuracy out of the box, trigger, action and fit.
 
Philthy1 said:
Not a fan of the x bolt. Can't go wrong with a 700, but the "gun people" are choosing T3, for alot of reasons, mainly accuracy out of the box, trigger, action and fit.
Click to expand...

Action? Do "gun people" really want a long action receiver for short action cartridges?
The flimsy stock and one size fits all action is why gun people I know avoid them.
 
I have only developed loads for two Bergara rifles, a 6.5CM, and a 6.5PRC. Both are extremely fussy load wise, and bother copper foul badly. One took five loads to find something that it liked, the other took bedding the action and four loads. Both still copper foul badly. I personally will avoid Bergara rifles, based on those two examples.
 
Hitzy said:
Action? Do "gun people" really want a long action receiver for short action cartridges?
The flimsy stock and one size fits all action is why gun people I know avoid them.
Click to expand...

Yes, they do. The Tikka medium action is fantastic for "short action" cartridges. The whole action length argument never held water for me. It makes alot of sense to do it the way Tikka did. I didn't even want to be Tikka fan, but they're just undeniable. Even the stock, particularly on the t3x feels nice for me. Some people don't like Toyotas too I suppose ;)
 
Tikka are probably the best choice, trigger is good, action very slick and accurate out of the box. Just about all factory stocks are lousy and should be seen as a transport protection until you receive the rifle. Put a proper stock on.... and it turns into a proper rifle. Tikka has possibly one of the best bedding arrangements. Bed one stock in the right way and any other tikka T3 or T1x will fit. Recon we have bedded over a 1000 T3's up to now with very little issues.
Had quite a few Bergara barrels fitted to rifles, recently 3 in 1/8 fitted to my 2x rem 223 and my T3 22-250 which are all extremely accurate. However quite a few gun builders in our area don't like the barrels. We have had a few Bergara rifles but not enough experience with them.
Overall the T3 is possibly the least risk to getting a good rifle.
edi
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom