.308 in Bergara b-14 HMR or Remington 700

[golfinfool]

In the market for my first real rifle, will be doing mostly deer & coyote hunting and a little longrange target. Friend is pushing me to a Remington 700 but Ive seen alot of talk about the Bergara b-14 HMR. I want to go 308 just due to cheaper ammo which equates to more rounds down the range. Thanks.for any input.

 

[avboiler11]

Bergara HMR is a fantastic rifle, better built than any factory 700 I’ve ever owned. The B-14 action is a 700 clone but smoother, with a better trigger, finish and bolt lift.

Also 308 ammo is really no less expensive than 6.5 Creedmoor unless you are shooting FMJ or cheap foreign soft points.

 

[patience0830]

Bergara is making a good reputation for themselves. Especially at the price point.

I hear more a and more stories about how much work it takes to make a new 700 as good as an old one. Used might be better in this case.

Tikka T3 and the T/C bolt actions are good choices too.

 

[teddy12b]

The appeal to a Rem 700 has never been that they are the best of the best. The appeal to them is the aftermarket support so that when you get your Rem 700 and find something you don't like you can have it swapped out. For example, if you want the newest Magpul whatever gizmo for a bolt action rifle they'll make it to fit a Rem 700, but not a tikka, t/c, or a savage. Remington's aren't bad guns, and there's a reason people buy them. However, there's varying degrees of what an out of the box Remington can do. My current bolt 308 is a Rem 700 with 5r 22" 308. Timney trigger, APA LB2 brake, and with stock stippling it's getting to where I'm content with it. It's a serviceable gun, but not a 1/2" tack driving machine so many on the internet would love you to believe.

It's kinda like everyone says buy a 10-22, but they forget to mention all the mods and part swaps you'll be doing just to get it to run like it should out of the box.

I've never owned a bergara, but I've read good reviews. I can't say I've read much bad about them, and I debated on buying an HMR very highly before ultimately going with the Rem 700 I've got now. I don't think you'll go wrong with a Bergara.

Onto caliber, I get wanting the 308. I have a 308 myself, but even I as a slow to come around to change kind of guy will be buying my next rifle in 6.5 creedmoor. Ammo prices are comparable, if you reload it's a non issue. The only thing the 308 has on the creedmoor is that if you pull into a back country mom & pops shop you're probably going to have better odds of finding 308 ammo there.

 

[tjh88]

I've got the Bergara B14 HMR in 308. I picked it up used on a whim when it showed up for sale locally. I've not shot it a ton and not past 100 yards yet but pretty happy so far. I put a Vortex Viper HST on it and really like the combo. I've got access to about 800 yards, when it's not under water, so I'm anxious to stretch it out a bit. I'd definitely recommend it. Good luck.

 

[ckcollins2003]

Bergara all the way. Out of the box you just get a better rifle and since they use a 700 action most aftermarket accessories are compatible as well (not that you'll need any). I'm not saying a 700 isn't a good rifle, but you should expect to put money into a 700 and never get it back out of it. If you're looking for a long range paper shooter I would suggest saving a bit more and going the BMP route. You just get a better chassis which is fully adjustable and it's not much more than the HMR. If you're looking for a hunting rifle then the lighter weight of the HMR would be a bonus, but an HMR is still heavy compared to a Tikka and stock 700.

 

[patience0830]

https://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums/vbclassified.php?do=ad&id=231767

 

[Mustang1911]

Recent Remington IMO isn’t worth buying. I personally like and have Savage as a budget bolt action rifle. I’ve heard good things about Bergara recently, just haven’t spent the money for one yet. Just depends on how much you want to spend.

 

[racefan1331]

I've used both a stock Remington 700 and a Bergara HMR in F class competitions. Both guns were bone stock, wearing vortex glass. They both performed pretty well for being factory rifles. I'd pick the bergara if I had to choose one.

 

[Hookeye]

The appeal of the 700 was that they usually shot pretty well right out of the box.
Most hunters don't pimp their rifles w aftermarket goodies.
There was also the fact that minor tweaks could make a stock 700 shine.
Like a simple free float and proper adjustment of the walker trigger (and most Nimrods flubbed that, hence the CNBC show).
My 7 mag BDL............got nothing, and shot handloads as hot as we could make them, at 1.2" at 100, for 5 shots.
Wood stock.
I dunno what my .300 mag would have done, but I free floated the bbl and bedded the action right off the bat. 1" w factory ammo at 100.
My .243 BDL was a 2" gun in stock form and factory ammo. Unacceptable.
Free float, bedded action and handloads............got it sub .5"
Yeah, sub .5 for a sporter.
My ADL was right at .5 after stiffening synth stock and bedding the lug (free floated as well).
My POS Cerberus era ADL is .75" after free float and stock stiffening, w factory.

I have buddies w $, that have bought various M70 and other bolt rigs, spent a lot of bench time and other trying to get "better" guns to shoot.

It's always a roll of the dice..............but 20 yrs ago the safest roll was going with a 700.

I like sporters, w conventional stocks. And FWIW Remingtons fit me very well (rifle or shotgun).
Dunno if that's lucky or not, as growing up I thought Remingtons to be "cheap".
Hell, K mart used to sell em, usually with dimpled RKW stocks.

Just used an old Rem 760 to blast a buck on the run.
It felt good, but honestly think my Ruger #1 RSI might have felt better on such a shot.

Little things make a difference.
If you're at the bench clanging steel way out, what feels best there might not translate to what feels best for more fluid types of shooting.

And if going yotes.................I'd not go .308 win.
Deer and yotes.........if a fan of long action..................25-06.

Sorry, the knob clicking tactical stuff is cool.............but humping a heavy rifle around with scope knobs sticking out..............I ditched my 700 VSF w 12X Leupold pretty quickly and went back to toting an ADL w 3-9X.

The older you get, the lighter you like stuff (within reason) LOL

 

[two70]

USDS has an HMR in 6.5 CM hanging on the wall that I eye every time I go in there and I've seen them as low as $800 online. I'm certainly not a Remington fan by any stretch of imagination but even if I were I can't imagine why I would buy a Remington over a Bergara given the features the Bergara packs in for the price.

 

[sheepdog697]

New remingtons appear to be very hit or miss. While other companies can offer quality with consistency. I would lean towards the Bergara.

 

[clayshooter99]

I have a 1995 Model 700 in 308 that is a great rifle....that being said, the new Remingtons are no where close to the old ones and that goes for shotguns too. I am not sure Remington even care some of the crap they have produced in the last 10 years. Plan to purchase my first Bergara Premier Series in the next few months.