Begara quality

[ALShooter]

Ffs.

So, after 2 fucking years, Bergara as a company hasn't learned shit or attempted to fix a known issue.

Damn, It's not like we're talking about an automobile, with ten thousand parts.
I mean, how many fucking things need to be tightened on a BA rifle, 5?, and I'd argue that the barrel is the single most important part that needs to be tightened correctly.

Yeah, I incorrectly assumed a quality check had to have been in place after reading about the issues before ordering. Either that or I got old stock. It has a limbsaver pad on it which I haven’t seen in pictures, but then again there really isn’t a lot out there on this rifle.

My brain was telling me to just build a custom, but the likelihood of getting it done before hunting season was slim so I decided to go with one that checked my boxes. Learning lessons every day! Sucks because I had it all setup too.

 

[EotS]

Yeah, I made that mistake as well.
There's really no reason to waste any time on a mass producex, shelf rifle, especially over the $1,200. Imo, manufacturing, quality, reliability and QC has just gone totally to shit in the last decade in nearly every facet of mass production.

 

[ALShooter]

Yeah, I made that mistake as well.
There's really no reason to waste any time on a mass producex, shelf rifle, especially over the $1,200. Imo, manufacturing, quality, reliability and QC has just gone totally to shit in the last decade in nearly every facet of mass production.

Pretty much everything post Covid is questionable in my mind. I can’t count the number of wtf moments buying supposedly high quality stuff recently.

Looks like I get to add another cheap Plano case to my stack for shipping rifles. Had to send a Havak PH2 back twice. Cheaper to buy a whole ass gun case that comes in a box than get ups to build a simple box.

 

[Berger024]

I purchased a CVA inline muzzleloader with a Bergara barrel for a western Elk hunt. The first barrel looked as if someone put a piece of rebar inside the barrel and cranked on it. There was internal damage to the rifling and a huge chuck/dent about 1.5" into the barrel. I contacted my local gunshop I purchased it at and luckily, they provided me with a new one. I took the new one home, unpackaged it, sat on the couch and shouldered it and something was definitely off with the sights. Sure enough, when they drilled and tapped for the sights they were not centered correctly. I don't know who to blame, but it was definitely CVA or Bergara. Either way, I decided that I was done purchasing from both companies after an 0-2 record. Mind you this was 10 years ago and on a $500 inline MZ, but the QC was horrendous. Both issues could have/should have been spotted quite easily.

 

[Oddball Six]

Pretty much everything post Covid is questionable in my mind. I can’t count the number of wtf moments buying supposedly high quality stuff recently.

Feel like this isn't just guns, either.

Through and after COVID its like people stopped caring about what they do.

"They" don't care about how they treat people, they stopped taking pride in work, you have the great resignation, and even right now there are 1.77 jobs in the US right now for every job seeker the department of labor believes is looking for a job in the marketplace. I will also say that I feel like the trades are under-appreciated in our economy, they are under-rewarded, under-promoted, under-respected and as a result they are under-staffed and under-pressure.

I think in the world of guns and such, we just see it more readily because when you are connecting up some PVC or driving a Tesla, the gap in the body panels or the slop under your sink isn't being measured every time you use the thing. With precision firearms components, a hundredth of an inch can be a huge distance in certain tolerances, and the difference between 15 ft-lbs and 65 ft-lbs can be a safety issue.

 

[ALShooter]

Feel like this isn't just guns, either.

Through and after COVID its like people stopped caring about what they do.

"They" don't care about how they treat people, they stopped taking pride in work, you have the great resignation, and even right now there are 1.77 jobs in the US right now for every job seeker the department of labor believes is looking for a job in the marketplace. I will also say that I feel like the trades are under-appreciated in our economy, they are under-rewarded, under-promoted, under-respected and as a result they are under-staffed and under-pressure.

I think in the world of guns and such, we just see it more readily because when you are connecting up some PVC or driving a Tesla, the gap in the body panels or the slop under your sink isn't being measured every time you use the thing. With precision firearms components, a hundredth of an inch can be a huge distance in certain tolerances, and the difference between 15 ft-lbs and 65 ft-lbs can be a safety issue.

Exactly, I did mean everything not just firearms. The buy once cry once mantra has definitely taken a hit. Why spend more if the results are similar to a lesser alternative and you’re going to have to mess with it anyway?

 

[TonyG]

The only experience I have ever had was with a Bergara Premier HMR Pro in 308. The rifle was great. My only problem was the cheek riser didn't go high enough for my scope. I eventually put it in a MDT LSS XL Gen 2 chassis. I seriously doubt anyone could tell the difference between that barrel and a custom barrel just by looking down the bore with a scope. They are that good! The action was really smooth, also. But you have to remember, the Premier series are finished up in Georgia by ex USMC armorers. At least, that's what they used to say.

 

[Tokay444]

Premier's are made in the Georgia plant.

 

[ALShooter]

The only experience I have ever had was with a Bergara Premier HMR Pro in 308. The rifle was great. My only problem was the cheek riser didn't go high enough for my scope. I eventually put it in a MDT LSS XL Gen 2 chassis. I seriously doubt anyone could tell the difference between that barrel and a custom barrel just by looking down the bore with a scope. They are that good! The action was really smooth, also. But you have to remember, the Premier series are finished up in Georgia by ex USMC armorers. At least, that's what they used to say.

I just scoped it before boxing it up and it does look decent, not like my proof barrels, but for a factory rifle it was acceptable.

Outside of the barrel loose I checked over everything and it was good. So hopefully they turn it around in a few weeks and I’m off on my merry way.

 

[FNG1001]

The only experience I have ever had was with a Bergara Premier HMR Pro in 308. The rifle was great. My only problem was the cheek riser didn't go high enough for my scope. I eventually put it in a MDT LSS XL Gen 2 chassis. I seriously doubt anyone could tell the difference between that barrel and a custom barrel just by looking down the bore with a scope. They are that good! The action was really smooth, also. But you have to remember, the Premier series are finished up in Georgia by ex USMC armorers. At least, that's what they used to say.

I have a Bergara Premier. It's performed very well.

 

[b6graham]

an RMA for a not fully torqued barrel?

 

[Tokay444]

If 65Lbs is their spec, none of them are fully torqued.

 

[ALShooter]

an RMA for a not fully torqued barrel?

I did the mental Olympics for sure on this, and it’s my best option right now. I don’t have the tools and don’t know anyone near me with them either. Almost ordered a barrel vise and rear entry action wrench, but buying tools to fix another’s mistake wasn’t going to sit well.

 

[ALShooter]

Update: they received it on the 6th and I just got it back on the 15th. Not too bad!

 

[ALShooter]

She’s looking promising! I had a few min after bush hogging and setup a target at 100. This was with factory hornady 225g eld match. Really was just zeroing the scope to get ready for hand loads. It was 92° so I was sitting any longer than I had to!

 

[diggler1833]

I own a Bergara Premier Approach in 7mm RM. It has been a mixed bag.

On the negative: My rifle will not reliably pop CCI 250s. It has a failure rate of about 30%. I took everything apart as best I could and checked, to include ordering and cutting down a heavy firing pin spring (not 700 compatible as I quickly learned...but it turned out okay, and I still have the factory spring). No burs, and I put my borescope in the bolt body to check.

^ Best that I could find is that my firing pin protrusion only .047". My workaround was to switch to Federal 215s...bingo...works every time and I'm ~250 rounds trouble free at this point.

My barrel also sat against the channel, plus that Terrain stock moved a lot when I squeezed it. I ended up hogging out the channel to where it will just about fit an M40, and bedded the action and first 1.5" of the barrel. Now I can no longer get the barrel to touch the channel by squeezing it and the stock with my hand.

Finally, it doesn't feed for shit. I bought another Magpul PMag for it, and it hangs up at exactly the same points on rounds 2 and 3. I'll probably have to try a metal mag and tweak it a bit...no worries.

Now for the good (and why I'm still holding onto the rifle). It flat out shoots as well as I could ever hope for. I've used the 140gr Accubond, 150gr ELD-X, and 150gr Accubond LR with IMR 4955, H4831SC, and IMR 4451 (just to test). Every one of those is a mix-and-match combo that puts 5 shots into ~.6 MOA.

Plus, there is zero cold bore shift for the first shot.

^ However to caveat, and add a "meh" to that; after 3 consecutive shots, it will shift .2 mils to the 2 o'clock as the barrel heats up. That means that I have to burn a few more rounds than I'd like to get the barrel toasty before load development.

 

[mikehill85]

I have a B-14 HMR in 308. When I first got it the bolt was extremely rough (like pushing a rake over gravel). Turns out they had engraved the serial number, a QR code, and the Bergara logo on the bottom of the bolt. I was able to sort it out with 3,000 grit sandpaper but why should I have to do that in the first place?
Anyway, the best I could get the gun to shoot was around 1.1-1.2 MOA on average for 5-shot groups. It would typically have 4 shots in a tight group and then a "flyer" way outside the group or it would have 3 rounds touching, and 2 rounds touching somewhere else. I sent it into BPI and they just fired two 3-shot test groups (1 of them being 0.98 MOA) and sent the gun back to me without even telling me. I was away on vacation and it almost got returned to sender. I had to pay UPS to hold for me until I got back.
Anyway, I am pretty underwhelmed by Bergara's products and their customer service. Now I am stuck with a "match" rifle that doesn't even shoot under 1 MOA and according to Bergara that's good performance. Lol.
Since then I bought a Tikka CTR. It averages <0.5 MOA for 5-shot groups. It's really hard to get excited about my Bergara after shooting my CTR. Lol.

 

[carbonbased]

I have a B-14 HMR in 308. When I first got it the bolt was extremely rough (like pushing a rake over gravel). Turns out they had engraved the serial number, a QR code, and the Bergara logo on the bottom of the bolt. I was able to sort it out with 3,000 grit sandpaper but why should I have to do that in the first place?
Anyway, the best I could get the gun to shoot was around 1.1-1.2 MOA on average for 5-shot groups. It would typically have 4 shots in a tight group and then a "flyer" way outside the group or it would have 3 rounds touching, and 2 rounds touching somewhere else. I sent it into BPI and they just fired two 3-shot test groups (1 of them being 0.98 MOA) and sent the gun back to me without even telling me. I was away on vacation and it almost got returned to sender. I had to pay UPS to hold for me until I got back.
Anyway, I am pretty underwhelmed by Bergara's products and their customer service. Now I am stuck with a "match" rifle that doesn't even shoot under 1 MOA and according to Bergara that's good performance. Lol.
Since then I bought a Tikka CTR. It averages <0.5 MOA for 5-shot groups. It's really hard to get excited about my Bergara after shooting my CTR. Lol.

The Bergara Premier rifles are more of a competitor to Tikkas. Yeah, I know they are more money, on average, than a Tikka. They have a different action than the B-14 series.

Just letting you know (maybe you already know; if so, apologies).

 

[TEUFEL820]

I owned a B-14 HMR 6.5 Creedmoor a couple of years ago. I could never get that rifle to be consistent with factory or custom handloads. I now shoot a custom bolt action and consistently prints between 1/4 to 1/2 MOA with a prefit barrel. I sold the Bergara and never looked back.

Best decision I ever made besides getting divorced...!

 

[whatsupdoc]

What a shame it seems that Bergara quality has deteriorated, I bought a B14 HMR new in 2017 and its now on it third barrel.
Always shot excellent the only issue I had was a ejector spring failed.

 

[mikehill85]

What a shame it seems that Bergara quality has deteriorated, I bought a B14 HMR new in 2017 and its now on it third barrel.
Always shot excellent the only issue I had was a ejector spring failed.

I'm not sure if they have deteriorated. I only have my own experience to go on, but if it becomes a trend of people reporting similar experiences, then probably.

 

[Snoprokf]

I know this is the centerfire part of the forum but I recently had a firing pin break on my b14r 22lr the night before a match. Drive to the closest store and purchased an entire rifle to steal the firing pin in order to shoot the match. All good they are kinda known for that. Email them the next business day and they said yupp no problem in the mail within 7 days. While I had my original apart I see it still has an old style bolt part that is also known for breaking so I figured as long as I'm in there why don't we update that to the new style one so it doesn't break mid match or something silly and I'd like to buy a spare firing pin so when it breaks again I'll pop it in and away we go. Their response was we don't sell parts and we don't fix parts that aren't broken, email us when it breaks. Lotta good that does mid match. I didn't think I was asking a lot and probably would have even paid to have the bolt upgraded to the new version. Now both will go for sale to be replaced with a different brand. Just a bad taste in my mouth.

 

[TEUFEL820]

I know this is the centerfire part of the forum but I recently had a firing pin break on my b14r 22lr the night before a match. Drive to the closest store and purchased an entire rifle to steal the firing pin in order to shoot the match. All good they are kinda known for that. Email them the next business day and they said yupp no problem in the mail within 7 days. While I had my original apart I see it still has an old style bolt part that is also known for breaking so I figured as long as I'm in there why don't we update that to the new style one so it doesn't break mid match or something silly and I'd like to buy a spare firing pin so when it breaks again I'll pop it in and away we go. Their response was we don't sell parts and we don't fix parts that aren't broken, email us when it breaks. Lotta good that does mid match. I didn't think I was asking a lot and probably would have even paid to have the bolt upgraded to the new version. Now both will go for sale to be replaced with a different brand. Just a bad taste in my mouth.

With that kind of response I'd be looking for another company also. Springfield Armory just released a new 2020 rimfire that looks very promising for 22 matches.

 

[mikehill85]

The Bergara Premier rifles are more of a competitor to Tikkas. Yeah, I know they are more money, on average, than a Tikka. They have a different action than the B-14 series.

Just letting you know (maybe you already know; if so, apologies).

Interesting. I didn't know that. My CTR costs nearly the same as B-14 HMR so, in terms of price, I'd say the B-14 HMR and CTR are more comparable/closer to being direct competitors. I'm not sure if the Premier is better but I will never know because I won't be purchasing another Bergara based on my experience.

 

[carbonbased]

My CTR costs nearly the same as B-14 HMR so, in terms of price, I'd say the B-14 HMR and CTR are more comparable/closer to being direct competitors.

Oh yeah, you’re right on about that (price). I was talking comparable on quality. For the money, Tikkas sort of rule the roost and they feel and work great.

I'm not sure if the Premier is better

I own two and they are very nice. Extremely smooth, interchangeable bolt heads, nice stocks etc. Although I don’t own a boutique action like a Terminus Zeus, I’ve read people say that the Premier actions are pretty close to customs in overall action quality.

Problem is, I don’t think you can buy just the Premier barreled actions anymore (out of stock at Brownells for forever), and even if you find them in stock you’re spending $1100 for a Premier barreled action or ~$1800-$2000 for a full Premier rifle.

Meanwhile an ARC CDG action only (no barrel) is what, $900?

If I had known more about custom actions when I bought the Bergara Premiers, I might have gone that route. But I wouldn’t had to piece the rifle together, so I would have had to go through a bit of a learning curve.

 

[Altoonabcm157]

Not to be difficult towards anyone here but some of these comments on things like running the bolt was extremely difficult or my action feels like it was put together by morons or whatever the comment, why are you purchasing that specific example at all. Aren’t you running the bolt in the store, function checking etc before purchase? Seems as if these issues should be found prior to buying it. QC issues sometimes happen but many can be caught before a rifle is transferred to you.

I am not directing this at the OP because I can see not knowing that the barrel was torqued properly but some of the other issues seem odd if the rifle was actually handled.


I personally have had very good experiences with Bergara but it confuses me why some of these issues ever leave the store.

 

[Jnull]

I’ve been lucky I guess, the two HMR pros I have have always been 1 hole guns with any factory ammo, even cheap American gunner in the 6.5cm. The B14 ridge in 300wm I sold after building a 300prc off a defiance action was also a 1/2” gun with ELDX. All 3 were purchased 4-5 years ago.

My step dads night hunting rifle is a ridge wilderness in 6.5cm that also shoots great, it was purchased probably 2-2.5 years ago.

 

[carbonbased]

why are you purchasing that specific example at all.

I agree with you. Maybe they are mail-ordering them? And don’t think about refusing to accept them before signing the magik paperwork?

And just a PSA about @Jnull ‘s post so others know what he’s talking about: the HMR Pro is a Premier model.

 

[Altoonabcm157]

I agree with you. Maybe they are mail-ordering them? And don’t think about refusing to accept them before signing the magik paperwork?

And just a PSA about @Jnull ‘s post so others know what he’s talking about: the HMR Pro is a Premier model.

Even then I’ve had a QC issue on a shotgun once and had it sent back to the distributor prior to completing a transfer and a new one was provided. Unless it’s coming from a private seller it should be easy to resolve and if it is a private seller, who knows if it’s just the same rifle with the same QC issue being passed around and causing all the hatred.

 

[carbonbased]

Even then I’ve had a QC issue on a shotgun once and had it sent back to the distributor prior to completing a transfer and a new one was provided. Unless it’s coming from a private seller it should be easy to resolve and if it is a private seller, who knows if it’s just the same rifle with the same QC issue being passed around and causing all the hatred.

You know, that reminded me that I had the same experience with a CZ 527. Threw weird fliers and CZ gave me a new one.

Savage, on the other hand (I think my first firearm purchase)…just sent their POS back to me. But I bought it online and didn’t have a shop to back me up.

Remember that, folks! Find a good LGS. You pay more but my shop adds a forever warranty and deals with manufacturers. Way less stress.

 

[Turkeytider]

AFTER the sale customer service is an absolute key to long term company success. The American consumer, I think, generally understands that things can and do go wrong. They are amazingly forgiving IF a company deals with the problem in an efficient and timely fashion. Of course, repeated and chronic quality issues must be avoided, however. Remington, even right up to the bankruptcy, had excellent customer service, at least from my experience with them. Today, Fabarm/ Caesar Guerini has customer service second to none. It`s a good thing Tikka makes the quality firearm that they do. They are saddled with Beretta USA for their service. An examination of comments on the web can only lead one to conclude that they are one of, if not THE, worst customer service providers in the industry. A company that ignores or otherwise fails to attack customer identified problems does so at its peril. It`s the very best way to ensure non-repeat business.

 

[HMRamateur]

All 3 were purchased 4-5 years ago.

That might be the key to all of this. My HMR pro has been amazing. I've made multiple loads with different bullets in mine and it was super easy to find a good load. I have shot 4 different types of ammo in it and they were all half moa ish. The action also feels very close to my origin. It's incredibly smooth to manipulate. It's also 4 years old. Sounds like in bergaras quest to grow, they've over looked some QC steps.

 

[Jnull]

That might be the key to all of this. My HMR pro has been amazing. I've made multiple loads with different bullets in mine and it was super easy to find a good load. I have shot 4 different types of ammo in it and they were all half moa ish. The action also feels very close to my origin. It's incredibly smooth to manipulate. It's also 4 years old. Sounds like in bergaras quest to grow, they've over looked some QC steps.

That’s why I put time frames for all mine, they’re all shooters and all the actions are smooth and tight.

 

[mikehill85]

AFTER the sale customer service is an absolute key to long term company success. The American consumer, I think, generally understands that things can and do go wrong. They are amazingly forgiving IF a company deals with the problem in an efficient and timely fashion. Of course, repeated and chronic quality issues must be avoided, however. Remington, even right up to the bankruptcy, had excellent customer service, at least from my experience with them. Today, Fabarm/ Caesar Guerini has customer service second to none. It`s a good thing Tikka makes the quality firearm that they do. They are saddled with Beretta USA for their service. An examination of comments on the web can only lead one to conclude that they are one of, if not THE, worst customer service providers in the industry. A company that ignores or otherwise fails to attack customer identified problems does so at its peril. It`s the very best way to ensure non-repeat business.

True, that's what scares me about Tikka (being part of Beretta). I haven't had an issue with mine but if you ever do, you're pretty much on your own, if the BBB complaints are to be believed. They have an "F" rating. Lol.

 

[Turkeytider]

True, that's what scares me about Tikka. I haven't had an issue with mine but if you ever do, you're pretty much on your own if the BBB complaints are to be believed. They have an "F" rating. Lol.

I knew Beretta USA was bad. I didn`t know they were THAT bad.

 

[mikehill85]

I knew Beretta USA was bad. I didn`t know they were THAT bad.

Yes, I should also clarify, I am talking about Beretta USA's customer service, in particular.

 

[Turkeytider]

Yes, I should also clarify, I am talking about Beretta USA's customer service, in particular.

So was I.

 

[P&Y]

Found this while researching a fix to another B14. Long story but I've had half a dozen over the years. The newer ones are inaccurate and all are very poorly made.

Dumped all but one I'm trying to limp through coyote season. This one absolutely will not eject spent cases. New bolt kit from BPI and still a single shot.

Bergarbage!

 

[Turkeytider]

Found this while researching a fix to another B14. Long story but I've had half a dozen over the years. The newer ones are inaccurate and all are very poorly made.

Dumped all but one I'm trying to limp through coyote season. This one absolutely will not eject spent cases. New bolt kit from BPI and still a single shot.

Bergarbage!

PM sent.

 

[P&Y]

PM ya back!