NRA Gun Of The Week: Bergara Premier Competition

Bergara has the reputation of providing highly advanced, capable bolt-action rifles to hunters and target shooters, and its Premier Competition rifle bolsters that reputation from every angle. Watch the video above to see this top-tier rifle on the range with American Rifleman staff.

From butt to muzzle, the Premier Competition is fully featured, with its barreled action nestled snugly within a Masterpiece Arms BA Competition Chassis. The combination is adaptable and rock solid providing a machined-aluminum chassis system that consistent action placement, as well as customizable features and a durable Cerakote finish. Adjustable elements within the chassis help to perfectly fit the Bergara rifle to each shooter, ensuring comfortable, repeatable positioning.

But it’s the barreled action of the Bergara Premier that does the heavy lifting. With it, you’ll get a receiver and bolt machined from stainless steel. These receivers come modeled after Remington’s 700-pattern action with a cylindrical shape and two-lug bolt. The difference within the Premier action is that the push-feed bolt contains a floating two-lug head with a coned face to promote consistent feeding and lockup. Bergara supplies a threaded and heavy-profile stainless steel barrel built for Production-class target shooting. It is important to note that this Competition rifle weighs in at over 12 lbs. without an optic. It’s a hearty package, robust and fun to shoot.

On the range, we found the Bergara action smooth and swift. The MPA chassis came to the shoulder perfectly after a few easy adjustments, and the adjustable cheek riser helped significantly with maintaining a proper cheekweld and sight picture, which is a key component to repeatable accuracy. MPA includes a handy bubble level at the rear of the receiver tang to guide shooters into position. The supplied MPA grip design offers a vertical interface with a palm swell, trigger finger support rest and enhanced thumb notch for comfortable positioning—it is a welcome addition, as is the AICS-pattern Bergara polymer magazine.

We think shooters looking to take the Premier Competition to the winner’s podium will appreciate the ARCA Swiss rail, picatinny rail and the forward spigot mount. In addition, the user-adjustable TriggerTech trigger comes with a straight-bladed bow and an adjustable pull weight ranging from 1 to 3 lbs., with just a few turns of the set screw.

Specifications
Manufacturer: Bergara North America
Action Type: bolt-action, centerfire, repeating rifle
Chambering: 6 mm Creedmoor
Receiver: stainless steel
Barrel: 26" stainless steel
Trigger: TriggerTech
Sights: none
Stock: MPA Comp Chassis Kit B
Finish: Graphite Black Cerakote
Magazine: AICS-pattern detachable box
Length: 46"
Weight: 12 lbs., 11.2 ozs.
MSRP: $2,499