I think you get strong opinions among people who really obsess over stuff like that on both sides of the pond. Brit smiths, at least the few Ive met or corresponded with in the US, are very invested in workmanship and a high degree of polish. This is the tradition that put scroll engraving on the INSIDE of guns. Many mass-produced guns by design have a different set of priorities, some bad just to hit a price point or allow a more automated or streamlined manufacturing process, etc. there’s two sides to every coin. I have no doubt that is true among some people. I just think in order to understand what that means its necessary to understand what exactly the issues are that they have a problem with—maybe those things are problematic for you, maybe not. Example, lots of people wouldnt own a glock pistol if their life depended on it in part because of plastic and because there is no semblence of “workmanship” or pride in the making of it, and yet they are one of the more reliable and relied-upon platforms out there. If your reputation and your inclination both revolve around high-end product, it might just be “off brand” in a negative way to have product out in the world that is never going to match up with how you want to be viewed and what you want to produce, even if at its heart its a very functional tool within its intended purpose.
This was his reply:
"Rifle 1
Cracked bottom metal, bolt shroud very loose fitting in bolt thread (a common fault), extraction very poor, machining marks in action raceways and sharp burs on some surfaces (poor qc)
Rifle 2
Extraction issues, feed issue due to stock poor inlet leading to binding of bolt on mag
(Poor qc)
Rifle 3
Recoil lug set at angle, poor machining of feed ramp (rough), barrel loads machining marks in chamber, bolt lugs scored badly
(Poor machining, poor assembly and poor qc)
Rifle 4
Accuracy very poor, returned by customer to supplying shop, replaced with similar model but carbon wrapped barrel, exactly same - would not group, money back bought another brand and retained it (nothing wrong with end users ability to place bullets in strategic place as they worked in a professional capacity for a number of years doing just that)
Barrels x2 both supplied by clients for builds (I no longer do client supplied barrel builds)
Barrel 1 machined fine till came to chambering and then material came out in irregular chips and left scalloped marks in chamber (I chamber using high pressure chip removal pump fixture and countless barrels since 2007) the issue was soft or improperly hardened steel (the reamer has sharp, had made several accurate chambers prior to and after with other brand barrels )
Barrel 2 - machining marks in barrel and surface very coarse - refused to continue with job barrel replaced with a Lothar Walther)
These are all historic (4-5 yrs ago) but since you persistently asked there it is with warts and all
I’m sure other brands also have issues but none were as consistent in presentation as this brand all within a few months (rifles)
The barrel issues came about 9 months later Whixh is when I decided that I would no longer work on or use this brand at all
Why on earth would I risk my reputation working on or using a product I have zero faith in"
Now, this is a sample of 4. The only real issues for me would be the feeding and accuracy issues. The other stuff i don't care at all as long as it doesn't impact function.
Either he was very unlucky or i was very lucky because i have owned 2 b14, my brother other 2. I have never withessed feeding issues, parts breaking or poor accuracy. It seems like bergara qc went down a bit lately (who knows how much with the thousands of rifles sold) but as long as getting a lemon means finding bad accuracy or cycling, this means that once you test your rifle, of it works fine, now you have a good rifle in your hands. If you start questioning more structural stuff like the quality of metals or the durability of parts, that's much worse.
I even did a little home made survey with italian buggest gunshops, asking about the amounts of issues they experienced with various brands like tikka, bergara, cz and some american brands and no one said bergara had more issues than others. I have heard of a single issue with a bergara crest that wouldn't group and nothing else. They are generally regarded as well built, accurate and reliable for a 1000 dollar rifle from the 15 or so gunshop owners i asked to. So i don't know.. i even thought that that maybe some guys, who use mostly tikka actions as far as i understood, maybe have some interests to publicly bash a competitor brand.. it wouldn't be the first time I see it
