Help me choose

[Ronc80]

Bergara B-14 Ridge or Christensen Arms Mesa
Both 7mm-08 new rifles
Which would you choose? Why one over the other? Or neither and maybe something else? Remington 700? You can't choose Tikka I already own one.
I'm looking for a precision hunting. Rifle. Lighter wieght then my Tikka with the Boyd's stock. You ask why 7mm-08. Well first I like the caliber it works well. Main reason is if I stick with 7mm-08 I don't have to get new dies different brass and bullets. It will keep my cost of a new rifle for my birthday down a tad.
So if any of you in the know have a few minutes give me your thoughts, opinions and knowledge.
Here is a pic of my best group to-date on some testing ive been doing with my Tikka. 5 shot group.
Quick edit.... the bergara is 500 less but it's a slower twist rate. Only spec difference I can see.

 

[swampbuck]

Christensen Arms has a reputation of being hit or miss. There are some horrible stories out there. I have never owned one but based on what I have read here don't plan on owning one. The 7mm-08 is a great cartridge. I would buy a 1-9 twist or faster. I don't know what these damn companies keep producing slow twist rifles. The 9.5 is fine for 140 grain bullets but I do see it as a slight limitation. My answer is neither but I'm a rifle snob like many here on the hide. So sorry for not being helpful.

 

[Nivium]

Don't think any hunter here is going to try to talk you out of the 7-08. I'm a 308/6.5 PRC guy but 7mm-08 is fantastic all around. From what I understand, buying the Christensen is like rolling dice. You will probably roll a better gun than the Bergara, but if you get snake eyes, the gun will suck worse than any the Bergara. I say this having owned neither. But I've got buddies who've hunted with them and I've read plenty about both. Some people value their Christensens as much as their customs, and others got a dud and will never buy them again. Never heard anyone say the Bergara was the best rifle they had, but I've never heard anyone swear off the name because they got a lemon.

I will say, it seems Christensen runs their barrels tight, likely as a part of their (smart) theory on accuracy. But, with tight chambers you have to deal with more finicky'ness. Some of these lemons might be shooters with an impatient owner.

 

[Hecouldgoalltheway]

I have a handful of christensen rifles, and every one of them shot well under 1 moa out of the box. No issues ever. I have both steel and cf barrels. My buddy just bought one in 7mm prc and there was an issue with the chamber. They paid for shipping both ways, took it back, polished the chamber and the bolt face, made some minor adjustments to the bolt, and sent it back. The turnaround was less than a week.

I would and surely will continue buying their rifles. Anyone who makes thousands of rifles will inevitably have the occasional issue, but they are rare and Christensen's customer service appears to be excellent as far as I'm concerned. Not a brand I would avoid. I've seen too many of these "experts" at the range to know that most of them can't shoot anyways. When someone has an accuracy issue with a new rifle, and especially when the manufacturer tests it and sends it back telling them that there isn't an issue, it's probably the shooter. I've read a dozen of these stories on this forum where christensen takes the rifle back, tests it and sends it back, and the owner is pissed. They can't make you a better shooter.

 

[Ronc80]

Christensen Arms has a reputation of being hit or miss. There are some horrible stories out there. I have never owned one but based on what I have read here don't plan on owning one. The 7mm-08 is a great cartridge. I would buy a 1-9 twist or faster. I don't know what these damn companies keep producing slow twist rifles. The 9.5 is fine for 140 grain bullets but I do see it as a slight limitation. My answer is neither but I'm a rifle snob like many here on the hide. So sorry for not being helpful.

So what manufacturer would you choose?

 

[Ronc80]

I have a handful of christensen rifles, and every one of them shot well under 1 moa out of the box. No issues ever. I have both steel and cf barrels. My buddy just bought one in 7mm prc and there was an issue with the chamber. They paid for shipping both ways, took it back, polished the chamber and the bolt face, made some minor adjustments to the bolt, and sent it back. The turnaround was less than a week.

I would and surely will continue buying their rifles. Anyone who makes thousands of rifles will inevitably have the occasional issue, but they are rare and Christensen's customer service appears to be excellent as far as I'm concerned. Not a brand I would avoid. I've seen too many of these "experts" at the range to know that most of them can't shoot anyways. When someone has an accuracy issue with a new rifle, and especially when the manufacturer tests it and sends it back telling them that there isn't an issue, it's probably the shooter. I've read a dozen of these stories on this forum where christensen takes the rifle back, tests it and sends it back, and the owner is pissed. They can't make you a better shooter.

I am by far a competition shooter. I can some of the time drop a deer in its tracks at 200 and under off hand. Done it once. Tried it a few times. But if I can cook up a recipe and get a rifle moa and under consistently off the bench then that gives me more confidence in the field. Up until 3 years ago it was a 20 round box of factory ammo. Check zero shoot a few save 8 to 10 for hunting season. Not a whole lot of practice. Now that I've made a commitment to better myself and my gear I practice/test way too much. According to my better half.
Thank you all for giving me your input and sharing your knowledge

 

[Matt Moxness]

My vote is the Bergara. Then, use the extra savings to upgrade your first optic choice. Good Luck!

 

[swampbuck]

So what manufacturer would you choose?

Honestly I've been into custom rifles for over 20 years now and I'm not well researched on the current production offerings. So sorry I'm of no help.

 

[Nivium]

So what manufacturer would you choose?

Either will be great, and both very lightweight. Tough to even build a custom rifle that lightweight without spending an unreasonable amount of money needlessly. I would get the Christensen. If you get a lemon Christensen, just call them and they will do you right. People love their Bargera's as well. You might also look at the Kimber hunting lines, like the Montana. I'm not a kimber fan generally, but I've handled a few montanas and they haven't let me down.