I'm done with Bergarbage!

[WMDM]

Posting as a warning (and vent) to anyone contemplating a Bergara Ridge rifle. I recently bought two.

Long story short, groups look like shotgun patterns. Painstakingly broke in and 4 different brands of quality factory ammo tested in both. I have the same rifle in a different caliber I bought a few years back and it's a legit 1/2" gun. Wasted a lot of time and money on these two new turds. Seems things have went south there.

Full disclosure: I am not giving them the opportunity to make it right. I don't have any desire to deal with their customer service. Been there, done that!

 

[Yukon Cornelius]

Got some pics of the damage?

 

[eaglemountainman]

Yep. I had a bad experience with one of their Woodsmans a few years ago. Never again. I bought it based on their early rep for great accuracy. It seems like once the brand took off, and they were blowing product out the door, quality control went down the toilet.

 

[MallardSX2]

I tried to help a guy sight in his Bergara 6.5 CM and I honestly thought that there was something wrong with the scope, rings, or bases, it shot so bad. Switched scopes, re-torqued the bases and then finally decided that it just sucked and eventually $100 later in ammo got it to shoot about a 2" group with cor-loks out of all things. I bet we fired that gun 100 times that day. I would never own one.

The groups with the federal fusions were 6" at 100 yards.

 

[swavescatter]

I feel your pain - I must have wasted at least $700+ in ammo trying to get my B14 Ridge Wilderness to shoot, plus gunsmithing, not to mention TIME.

 

[grfox92]

By far the most complaints of any rifle on the internet are Begaras. It's insane. All of the complaints are massive groups at 100 yards. What are they doing over there?

Sent from my SM-G990U2 using Tapatalk

 

[KenLee]

I tried to help a guy sight in his Bergara 6.5 CM and I honestly thought that there was something wrong with the scope, rings, or bases, it shot so bad. Switched scopes, re-torqued the bases and then finally decided that it just sucked and eventually $100 later in ammo got it to shoot about a 2" group with cor-loks out of all things. I bet we fired that gun 100 times that day. I would never own one.

The groups with the federal fusions were 6" at 100 yards.

I have not bought any Core-lokts in the last 2 years, but have a stash of them and cheap blue box Federal Power Shok in most common calibers. I pull them out if I'm trying to set up a rifle for me or someone else and getting bad groups. I'd say that 90% of the time, if a rifle won't group either of those, you have a major problem.

 

[TxLite]

Hate that for you. 6” is pretty bad.

Both rifles grouped this way? I’m assuming you verified the action screws and bases were torqued and didn’t come loose?

I’d like to think having one rifle shoot that bad is “uncommon”, but 2 back to back should not be happening.

If everything was torqued and free floated, I’d send those back to Bergara personally. I know you don’t intend to do that but my conscious wouldn’t allow me to sell a rifle that shot that poorly.

For what it’s worth, mine shot like 2-3 MOA. Even with handloads. Bedded the action and it instantly approved. My next entire OCW test was sub MOA and settled on a load that consistently shoots under half inch 3 shot groups at 100. It’s held true out to 525 yards each time I’ve taken it out. Yes I am aware of hornadys podcast and sample size, but it went from consistent 2-3 MOA to .5 MOA so I’m going to say it worked.

 

[WMDM]

Tx, yes all torqued to spec in Bravo chassis - so definitely free floated. Should have mentioned I installed Timneys in both and set them to 2#.

 

[WMDM]

Got some pics of the damage?

Referring to my first Bergara I mentioned that had a finish issue? Or are you asking to see the targets?

 

[DangerRanger]

By far the most complaints of any rifle on the internet are Begaras. It's insane. All of the complaints are massive groups at 100 yards. What are they doing over there?

Sent from my SM-G990U2 using Tapatalk

Mine had the bolt parts take a total crap during a prs match and fail to extract/eject every stage.

Not the first time I’ve seen that mentioned either, and from bergaras immediate shipping of a parts kit from my first email it didn’t seem like they were surprised

 

[MallardSX2]

Hate that for you. 6” is pretty bad.

Both rifles grouped this way? I’m assuming you verified the action screws and bases were torqued and didn’t come loose?

No. We didn't bother doing any of that. We just blew $100 in ammo randomly downrange and then I came on the internet, saw this posting and then spent 5 minutes typing a message about how bad their guns sucked.

Not everyone in the world is an idiot dude. Just most people. lol

 

[SloppyJ]

I was looking at one of their "Premier" series when I decided I wanted a 300PRC. I was between that and a Seekins. At the end of the day I decided to spend just a tad bit more and get exactly what I wanted in left hand and built off an Origin action. At least if something goes wrong there, it's on me because I assembled it.

I will say that I have a CVA Accura MR-X with a Bergara barrel and that thing is a tack driver. Someone mentioned above that they started having problems when they scaled up production and maybe that's it. This muzzleloader is a few years old at this point.

Hard to argue with their guns at a more entry level price point. IMO they were one of the first to jump on the PRS bandwagon and really opened up that side of it.

 

[TxLite]

No. We didn't bother doing any of that. We just blew $100 in ammo randomly downrange and then I came on the internet, saw this posting and then spent 5 minutes typing a message about how bad their guns sucked.

Not everyone in the world is an idiot dude. Just most people. lol

Look, we’ve all seen it and we all know that guy lol

Edit: that guy being the one that takes a rifle out of the box and goes straight to the range. See also- the guy that has bass pro mount his scopes

 

[PredatorSlayer]

I was looking at one of their "Premier" series when I decided I wanted a 300PRC. I was between that and a Seekins. At the end of the day I decided to spend just a tad bit more and get exactly what I wanted in left hand and built off an Origin action. At least if something goes wrong there, it's on me because I assembled it.

I will say that I have a CVA Accura MR-X with a Bergara barrel and that thing is a tack driver. Someone mentioned above that they started having problems when they scaled up production and maybe that's it. This muzzleloader is a few years old at this point.

Hard to argue with their guns at a more entry level price point. IMO they were one of the first to jump on the PRS bandwagon and really opened up that side of it.

The premier are way different than the imports and probably the best factory rifle you can buy. Hand made in georgia…

 

[SloppyJ]

The premier are way different than the imports and probably the best factory rifle you can buy. Hand made in georgia…

I understand, which is why I was considering them. I don't think they're a bad rifle. If I wanted a factory rifle, it's probably what I would have bought. They have some great choices.

 

[Maverick1]

Maybe the “guy that takes a rifle out of the box and goes straight to the range” and “has Bass Pro mounts his scopes” doesn’t need to blow $700, or even $100, in ammo. And maybe “that guy” doesn’t need to post threads about it online because his gun doesn’t shoot 6” groups, either…..

 

[PredatorSlayer]

I understand, which is why I was considering them. I don't think they're a bad rifle. If I wanted a factory rifle, it's probably what I would have bought. They have some great choices.

I have an approach in 6mm creedmoor that shoots as good or better than any custom out there. First one is at a grand, second one is at 500. Shooting factory hornady ammo…

 

[swavescatter]

Even a broken clock is right twice a day. Nobody said they NEVER put out shooters, just that their lemon rate is high and their CS sucks.

 

[swavescatter]

What a real review looks like when Bergara doesn't provide a cherry picked rifle and the reviewer buys out of pocket: