Howdy folks. I am new to this forum as a member, though I did read thoroughly a number of posts and comments from a variety of people when deciding on my next rifle. As you no doubt noticed from the post's title, I settled on the Bergara B-14 HMR chambered in .300 Win Mag. Settled on does NOT mean settled for. Out of the box this beauty shot like a dream, smooth bolt operation, excellent weight distribution, very comfortable to get behind. As a shooter on a tighter-than-I-would-like budget, a rifle that retails for $950 or so is at the upper end of my reach (though having a pal who owns a local shop allowed me to shave nearly $100 off that), so I was not able to go hog wild on optics or accessories. That said, a Vortex Crossfire II 6-24 x 50 found on ebay for about 15% less than retail performed admirably, and I have zero complaints about the glass. A VG6 Lambda PRS30 muzzle break that I found through Arm or Ally for $90 instead of the $140 or so I saw everywhere else made shooting a beast of a rifle feel like I was cracking off rounds from my AR. Well, maybe not that light but you get the picture. A $40 UTG bipod did exactly what I needed it to do, and with an Atlas BT17 pic rail I was able to mount it up where the 2 front swivel studs were on the fore end of the rifle.
I guess the point of this post is 3 fold. 1- The ability to read so many opinions from folks probably WAY more experienced than I am was immensely helpful in making choices about my rifle and various components. 2- Don't be afraid to look for the best deal possible on the gear you want. You don't have to pay top-dollar to one retailer or another when there are hundreds of places to find the stuff you want. 3- Not spending thousands does NOT mean you cannot get an accurate rifle. I broke mine in yesterday with PPU 165 gr boat tails (CHEAP), zeroed at 200 in half a dozen shots, moved back to 600 and only needed 3 to get my dope right, after which I commenced to shooting roughly 3" groups. 1000 took a little longer to dope the scope and at that point I had the benefit of using a lead sled. Had to run 10 rounds through with adjustments every other round, but landed my last 8 shots within 7" or so of each other. Not world class by any means, but for a guy shooting all told about $1300 worth of rifle/gear and who hadn't shot anything further than a couple hundred yds in more than a decade I'm feeling pretty good.
Keep calm and fire for effect.
I guess the point of this post is 3 fold. 1- The ability to read so many opinions from folks probably WAY more experienced than I am was immensely helpful in making choices about my rifle and various components. 2- Don't be afraid to look for the best deal possible on the gear you want. You don't have to pay top-dollar to one retailer or another when there are hundreds of places to find the stuff you want. 3- Not spending thousands does NOT mean you cannot get an accurate rifle. I broke mine in yesterday with PPU 165 gr boat tails (CHEAP), zeroed at 200 in half a dozen shots, moved back to 600 and only needed 3 to get my dope right, after which I commenced to shooting roughly 3" groups. 1000 took a little longer to dope the scope and at that point I had the benefit of using a lead sled. Had to run 10 rounds through with adjustments every other round, but landed my last 8 shots within 7" or so of each other. Not world class by any means, but for a guy shooting all told about $1300 worth of rifle/gear and who hadn't shot anything further than a couple hundred yds in more than a decade I'm feeling pretty good.
Keep calm and fire for effect.
