Recently purchased a Bergara Wilderness Ridge. I wanted to get any input I can about this rifle, good or bad. Any upgrades that I should do to the rifle. Hopefully scope should be in next week. Rifle will be mainly used for open land deer hunting. Thank you in advance for any info on this rifle.
- Thread starter Sage dust
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I have a Ridge SP with an 18” barrel, my brother has a Wilderness Ridge. Both in 308 and both are excellent hunting rifles. Both easily sub MOA, in my opinion they are well beyond capable right out of the box. Clean and oil and you are good to go. I also have have Bergara Premiers and other much more expensive rifles, however, at this point my Ridge SP is my primary deer rifle.
What scope do you run on your Ridge SP?
Do you reload?
I hunted growing up, then revolved into pistol shooting competition. I have reloaded for years in pistol calibers but never in rifle calibers. My knees and ankles can’t take the running around in competition anymore. So I have come back to rifle shooting.
If you end up reloading and want to run mag-length rounds, they end up being too long and the bullet tip catches on the bottom rim of the receiver. I took a Dremel and VERY carefully cut a notch in the bottom of the receiver on the front edge of the mag well cutout to accommodate longer rounds and then oxpho-blued it, but if you only run factory loads that likely won't be an issue.
The factory trigger isn't great, a TriggerTech or Bix n Andy is super easy to install and will make you happy.
Opinions vary, but I find a cheek riser to be mandatory on any scoped rifle. The Matthews Fabrication risers work great, but you have to drill through the stock to mount one. Not hard in the least, but it makes some folks queasy to cut on stuff. An alternative is one of the slip-on cheek pads that accomplish the same goal but add more weight and can slip around.
I bedded my HMR stock for a few different reasons, including that the barreled action was visibly off-center when I installed a custom barrel on it. As with any stock, to bed or not to bed is always user preference; sometimes it improves accuracy, sometimes not, but it's easy and cheap to do at home if you know the process and have a few common hand tools lying around.
The Good
- The B14 action is really smooth.
- One of my main complaints about it (it's not stainless or titanium, so it's prone to rusting when you take it out in real-world weather) is addressed in the Wilderness offering via a full Cerakote treatment.
- Very acceptable weight.
- $500 rebarrel fee at the factory with your choice of chamber and factory contour, plus a Cerakote treat, is cheaper than you'll find anywhere, although it takes time.
- On newer B14s they addressed the bolt shroud cracking and primer cratering issues, so you shouldn't have to fix either of these.
The Bad
- Trigger ain't great, as I mentioned.
- Can't run mag-length rounds without cutting, as I mentioned.
- No cheek riser, might make it difficult to get a good cheek weld with a scope mounted.
- No swapping of bolt faces on the standard bolt, but the Premier bolt can be purchased as a drop-in replacement and offers easy-swap bolt heads and tool-less takedown (standard bolt requires a tiny allen wrench or similar to take down).
- No barrel prefits without having a smith measure your action. Also, they use a stupid coned breech face on the barrel/bolt which achieves nothing but makes it unique so you can't use barrels that commonly pop up on here for cheap. Now, if you're only hunting with this rifle, you probably don't care at all about this, or the swapping of bolt faces, but it's a pain for any competition or switch-barrel setup.
That's all that comes to mind for now. Honestly I've been really impressed with my B14, but have certainly had to fix some stupid design choices/errors on my own time and dime. At this point if it wasn't for the coned breech face, I'd be all-in on the thing, because with the Premier bolt and an aftermarket trigger it offers almost all the features a custom action does, and you can run a barrel nut system or have the action measured for "prefits." I'm on the fence these days about sticking with it or switching to a true custom action that will allow prefits, but it's a really tough call, which speaks awfully highly of this factory action.
Thank
Thank you for the great response and advice. What was their reasoning for the coned breech face ?
My understanding is that "it feeds better" because the cone on the breech face is supposed to funnel a misaligned bullet into the chamber. It's basically a flat-out marketing lie, because there's a healthy amount of flat between the "cone" (which is laughably shallow in the first place, 20 degrees based on a drawing Bergara provided to another Hide member years ago) and the edge of the chamber, so even if the bullet tip rides that slope it'll just hit the flat and stall out anyway, in my non-gunsmith opinion. Hell, maybe it works, but there are an awful lot of flat breech faces out there that don't have an issue, and I've never had a bullet tip strike the breech face in mine either that I can recall. If you need the cone to act as advertised, you're gonna hate the bolt feel anyway every time a bullet tip hits the cone (likely deforming the meplat or polymer tip) and end up tuning your mags (which is the true problem if you're getting this problem).
Now, in fairness, you don't actually have to have the cone to run a different barrel. You could just set up a standard shouldered or barrel-nut barrel with a flat breech face and Remington-pattern tenon threads (1 1/16" - 16 TPI) and run it, the coned bolt face doesn't even touch the breech face so it's not like it's a sealing surface anyway. Just gotta get the headspace right, but the cone doesn't affect that measurement either if you choose to measure from the flat zone right next to the chamber.
Your handle name really misleads you, very informative stuff! With the Premier bolt as a drop in part, what about headspace? How much would the rifle benefit from blue printing the action? Rifles/scopes have revolved so much in the last twenty years.
I have a Leupold VX3i 3.5-10x40 on it. Perfect set up for where I hunt.
Headspace is good to go, that's what I meant by drop-in. Confirmed with my own, multiple other online reports, by Bergara themselves, and I've never heard/seen a report to the contrary.
I wouldn't blueprint it. That's almost always a waste of money, and certainly going to be a waste on a higher-end factory action like yours. Blueprinting is mostly for a) sloppy actions manufactured on the cheap with loose tolerances, or b) gunsmiths who need to put food on the table. If you were serious about blueprinting it, I'd sooner sell the whole barreled action and buy a custom action, because it'll work out about the same cost for you and then you end up with access to prefits and better resale value.
I wouldn't blueprint it. That's almost always a waste of money, and certainly going to be a waste on a higher-end factory action like yours. Blueprinting is mostly for a) sloppy actions manufactured on the cheap with loose tolerances, or b) gunsmiths who need to put food on the table. If you were serious about blueprinting it, I'd sooner sell the whole barreled action and buy a custom action, because it'll work out about the same cost for you and then you end up with access to prefits and better resale value.
I agree with pretty much all of this except the trigger. The trigger in my rifle and my brothers rifle is outstanding for a factory trigger. Not quite as nice as my Timneys or Triggertechs but not that far off either. Good enough that I have absolutely no desire to replace it.
What would you recommend for cleaning the barrel during break in and after?
Opinions vary widely when it comes to barrel break-in, and I don't really have one at this point, at least not for factory barrels. All the premium barrel makers tend to agree that their barrels don't really need much of a break-in, but that's a different story.
As for cleaning in general, I've used Hoppe's #9 (worked ok) and Shooter's Choice MC-7 (much better). However, around here folks seem to like Bore Tech C4 an awful lot, and they'll even use it to soak suppressor internals (over the course of several days), and apparently it works for that. I dunno if you've ever cleaned a can, but that crap is cooked in there but good, and the fact that C4 will take it off just by soaking awhile says to me that it works great. Next time I buy a bottle of carbon solvent, that's what I'm getting.
Just picked up a small bottle of Bore Tech Copper Remover too, seems to work well. Instructions call for nylon brushes, so you'd need a few of those too in addition to patches. I like that they say to do a final pass with the copper solvent because it has a rust preventer; that's much different from, say, Sweets 7.62 or any other ammonia copper solvent, all of which you gotta remove fairly quickly or they'll damage the bore. I prefer not to have to stress about it, and the Bore Tech pulled a decent amount of copper out of my 1911 barrel earlier today with no brushing, just some wet/dry/wet/dry patching. I think it's a keeper.
As for cleaning in general, I've used Hoppe's #9 (worked ok) and Shooter's Choice MC-7 (much better). However, around here folks seem to like Bore Tech C4 an awful lot, and they'll even use it to soak suppressor internals (over the course of several days), and apparently it works for that. I dunno if you've ever cleaned a can, but that crap is cooked in there but good, and the fact that C4 will take it off just by soaking awhile says to me that it works great. Next time I buy a bottle of carbon solvent, that's what I'm getting.
Just picked up a small bottle of Bore Tech Copper Remover too, seems to work well. Instructions call for nylon brushes, so you'd need a few of those too in addition to patches. I like that they say to do a final pass with the copper solvent because it has a rust preventer; that's much different from, say, Sweets 7.62 or any other ammonia copper solvent, all of which you gotta remove fairly quickly or they'll damage the bore. I prefer not to have to stress about it, and the Bore Tech pulled a decent amount of copper out of my 1911 barrel earlier today with no brushing, just some wet/dry/wet/dry patching. I think it's a keeper.
Yes Bore Tech does make good stuff. I actually use that to clean my 1911’s and revolvers. Until the recent purchase of the Bergara, the last long barrel I bought was a Ruger in a 308 when they came out with the “boat paddle “ composite stock with a stainless barrel. I have a Leupold order with the CDS, this is new to me. What are your thoughts on the CDS?
I've never run one with a load-specific CDS dial, but my hunting scope this year is one of the ones that has the CDS option. I decided to have Leupold send me a turret marked in MOA, just a standard exposed turret basically, instead of having it tied to a specific load. I think the way the CDS dial is installed by design, particularly the zero stop (which I think is optional), is pretty MacGyver but it works if you don't yard on it too hard.
The downside of tying the CDS to a particular load is that as soon as you run anything different, or take it to a location with different environmentals, the CDS starts to diverge from the true trajectory at medium and long ranges, so it definitely limits flexibility. However, I think it's fantastic for hunting, where it's one less thing to have to process/remember in the heat of the moment. So what I did this year was:
- Zero at 100yds
- Determine optimum "point-blank range" dial (I'm shooting a 6.5CM so it ended up being 250 yards, point-and-shoot out to 300 would theoretically keep me inside a deer's vitals)
- Bought a little bottle of neon yellow fingernail polish and painted lines on the turret knurling every 50 yards after 250 yards, then took a silver Sharpie and wrote "3" and "4" on top for the two lines at 300 and 400 in case I ever got super lost
I gotta say, even though I never got to shoot anything other than a coyote this year, I ALWAYS knew what to dial to shoot over to this bush or that hillside or wherever, between my rangefinder and those little lines on the turret. I think I'll be doing this every year going forward, unless I really memorize my DOPE for the load; however, I don't think that'll happen, because I'm running a Barnes LRX, and those cost twice as much as my target load with worst ballistics, so I only really shoot the load during hunting season.
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Actually, I wanna add: if you know you’re gonna be shooting the same load in the same conditions all the time, say if you hunt with your hunting load in the same area every year, then it could make a ton of sense, and the ease of use is utterly fantastic. It’s only the accuracy of the data on the CDS that is the concern.
Another way to handle this is to program your rangefinder to output the elevation you need to dial. Some systems will do this; the Sig BDX system is one, and my Leica LRF binos will do it too. I think I’ll be programming those for next year too, because that coyote I shot was at 156 yards, -22° angle; I killed it no problem with just a guess on DOPE, but then calculated what I should’ve dialed and was stunned at how much that down-angle changed (reduced) the DOPE. My binos would’ve told me that if they had been programmed with my load data when I ranged the little guy.
Another way to handle this is to program your rangefinder to output the elevation you need to dial. Some systems will do this; the Sig BDX system is one, and my Leica LRF binos will do it too. I think I’ll be programming those for next year too, because that coyote I shot was at 156 yards, -22° angle; I killed it no problem with just a guess on DOPE, but then calculated what I should’ve dialed and was stunned at how much that down-angle changed (reduced) the DOPE. My binos would’ve told me that if they had been programmed with my load data when I ranged the little guy.
That is very clever. With the 6.5 PRC, with store bought rounds, what would you shoot out of the Bergara barrel? Which mounts are you using with your hunting scope?
When you ask what would I shoot, you mean which bullet? Which ammo?
Mounts: I have a Warne Mountain Tech 20 MOA picatinny rail, and a pair of Vortex PMR rings (identical to the Seekins rings). They're either Low or Medium, I honestly can't recall, but which one you pick depends on multiple things. There's a pair of these up for sale right now (link below), although that listing is pretty old so they might be sold already. Another pair just sold this morning though, so they pop often enough.
The Seekins rings are great value, but if could justify changing over multiple scopes to myself, I'd get the ARC M10 rings. Slightly heavier (like, an ounce heavier for the pair) but they're much friendlier to the user when it comes time to mount the scope up. You can use the ARC website (link also below, scroll to the bottom to see the trick with pennies) to figure out what ring height you need if you have the rifle and scope in hand, with the pic rail already on the rifle. That ring height in inches or mm should be true for any scope manufacturer as long as they measure to the same spots, not just ARC rings.
www.snipershide.com
www.americanrifle.com
Mounts: I have a Warne Mountain Tech 20 MOA picatinny rail, and a pair of Vortex PMR rings (identical to the Seekins rings). They're either Low or Medium, I honestly can't recall, but which one you pick depends on multiple things. There's a pair of these up for sale right now (link below), although that listing is pretty old so they might be sold already. Another pair just sold this morning though, so they pop often enough.
The Seekins rings are great value, but if could justify changing over multiple scopes to myself, I'd get the ARC M10 rings. Slightly heavier (like, an ounce heavier for the pair) but they're much friendlier to the user when it comes time to mount the scope up. You can use the ARC website (link also below, scroll to the bottom to see the trick with pennies) to figure out what ring height you need if you have the rifle and scope in hand, with the pic rail already on the rifle. That ring height in inches or mm should be true for any scope manufacturer as long as they measure to the same spots, not just ARC rings.
SOLD - Seekins 30mm .87 rings
Excellent shape Seekins 30mm medium (.87) rings for sale. Used for a short period on my Vudoo. $100 shipped
www.snipershide.com M10 Scope Rings
www.americanrifle.com Yes, it will be a while before I can get set up to reload the 6.5 PRC. Any particular store bought bullet would be better in the Bergara than a other for deer hunting?
Honestly just about any bullet will kill a North American deer. With the ammo shortage still very much in effect (although it's getting better), I'd say buy what you can find. Your minimum and maximum expected distances that you expect to take a killing shot will dictate your bullet somewhat: if you expect an in-close shot, say inside 150 yards or so, then I'd recommend a somewhat tougher bullet such as a monolithic (all copper) or bonded bullet such as the Nosler Accubond, Hornady InterBond, etc. My thoughts on this are not that the deer is tougher close-in, the issue is that the "long-range hunting" bullets tend to be more fragile so that they'll expand at farther distances and lower impact velocities. This results in a compromise, where the bullet gives up toughness for expansion at low velocities; works great at 600 yards, but at 50 yards they have a tendency to basically explode rather than penetrate. Deer still ends up dead, but it's quite messy, especially if you hit the shoulder.
However, if you expect essentially all your shots to be longer than 150 yards or so, especially if you think you'll be taking 500+ yard shots (you better be a good shot and have a very stable position for this), then you should steer towards a more expansive bullet with higher BC, such as the Hornady ELD-X or Berger EOL.
If you're shooting a copper bullet, you'll want one in the 120-130gr range. If you're shooting a lead-core bullet, you likely want one in the 140-160gr range. I don't think you'll find much factory ammo with heavier copper bullets, but you might see 130gr lead-core loads out there; I'd steer to the heavier bullets since they buck the wind better and the wind is the hardest variable to control out there.
However, if you expect essentially all your shots to be longer than 150 yards or so, especially if you think you'll be taking 500+ yard shots (you better be a good shot and have a very stable position for this), then you should steer towards a more expansive bullet with higher BC, such as the Hornady ELD-X or Berger EOL.
If you're shooting a copper bullet, you'll want one in the 120-130gr range. If you're shooting a lead-core bullet, you likely want one in the 140-160gr range. I don't think you'll find much factory ammo with heavier copper bullets, but you might see 130gr lead-core loads out there; I'd steer to the heavier bullets since they buck the wind better and the wind is the hardest variable to control out there.
Here’s some for sale in the PX, no clue if it’s a good price:
www.snipershide.com
Ammo - Hornady 6.5 PRC
I have 69 boxes of Hornady 6.5 PRC 147 gr ELD Match and 15 boxes of Hornady 6.5 PRC 143 gr ELD-X. I’m looking to get $70 per box shipped (5 box minimum). If you’re interested in all of it I would sell all 84 boxes for $5500 shipped.
www.snipershide.com Thank you so much for the help, I do greatly appreciate it. I ordered a Leupold VX-3HD 4.5x14x50 from Optics Planet hopefully will be in the next day or so. What are your thoughts of this just as a all around hunting scope?Here’s some for sale in the PX, no clue if it’s a good price:
Ammo - Hornady 6.5 PRC
I have 69 boxes of Hornady 6.5 PRC 147 gr ELD Match and 15 boxes of Hornady 6.5 PRC 143 gr ELD-X. I’m looking to get $70 per box shipped (5 box minimum). If you’re interested in all of it I would sell all 84 boxes for $5500 shipped.
I like the FireDot illumination, although most folks agree that Leupold charges too much for it. I think that mag range is g2g as long as you aren’t hunting thick woods. Glass should treat you well, and the capped windage turret is a good choice for a hunting scope. You’ll really like it!
Good evening, I have been thinking about putting a new trigger in my Bergara, plus new bottom metal to incorporate a magazine. What are your thoughts on doing those upgrades?
If you want to, go right ahead. Both are simple to swap out.
Any recommendations on a new bottom metal ?
One of the first things I changed on mine was the trigger, went to a TT Primary single stage. Have since switched over to a TT Special two-stage, but I have a TT Primary Independence single stage that came with my Vudoo that I need to sell to make room for a matching 2-stage on that gun; let me know if you'd like to take it off my hands.
My gun funds are running low this month, with purchase of Leupold, I also took ownership of a new Alchemy 1911. What are you asking for the TT?
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