I recently had a chance to take the Bergara Stoke out to play. I stumbled upon it on the Bergara site while looking for a rifle recommendation for a friend. I got the rifle and was immediately impressed. I had requested it chambered in 7 mm-08. This is an outstanding round for the smaller statured shooter on many levels. There are several reasons for this that I’ll discuss shortly. I want to focus on the rifle itself for the moment.
I’ve had a chance to enjoy a few Bergara rifles over the last couple of years. One thing that has stood out to me is the smoothness of the foundational B14 action. Modeled as a Remington 700-style action, it is smooth, clean and consistent to operate. The hinged floor plate is well-fit and functions as intended. As for this rifle specifically, it is a short-action configuration chambered in 7 mm-08, which means an efficient bolt throw and compact cycling. The trigger is a surprisingly crisp 2.9-pound setup that breaks clean and consistent.
The Stoke is fitted with a 20-inch-long, steel, medium-contour barrel threaded ⅝x24 tpi in this case for either a muzzle device or suppressor. I shot it both standard and with a suppressor. The difference in both recoil and noise were significant with both ammunition types tested. The rifle is finished with a soft-touch molded stock, one of my favorite features on Bergara rifles. It achieves that perfect (in my mind) balance of good grip purchase, tactile appeal and function.
Here’s where it starts to get interesting: The Stoke was designed to offer the smaller-statured shooter/hunter a high quality, performance focused rifle that would prioritize fit without sacrificing features or accuracy. Many companies have tackled this in a moderate way. They have removed an inch from a synthetic stock and deemed it “short-shooter” friendly. Bergara went at this more thoroughly (and effectively) than many industry leaders. The Stoke comes standard with a 12.25-inch length-of-pull (LOP). This dimension is not set in stone, however. Bergara included a series of spacers that can lengthen this in ¼-inch increments, creating a highly customizable fit. The company also includes longer screws to allow for proper reattachment of the recoil pad after adding spacers. My 10-year-old son was able to comfortably get behind the Stoke with the 12.25-inch LOP and enjoyed the ease of running the gun with a properly proportioned stock.
Bergara didn’t stop there, however. When designing the Stoke, it took into consideration the importance of evaluating gun fit in totality—not just the macro focus on length-of-pull. Toward that end, the company shortened the fore-end to compensate for the alterations to the butt, allowing for a much more balanced shooting and carrying experience. This was a very noticeable modification and enhanced overall gun fit significantly. Additionally, Bergara reconfigured the grip to give presumably smaller hands more comfortable purchase on key areas of the rifle. The final piece was the negative comb angle. In lieu of a traditional comb structure, Bergara incorporated a negative comb swoop theoretically directing recoil away from the face.
The Stoke is offered in short-shooter friendly calibers: .308 Win., 6.5 Creedmoor, .243 Win., .22-250 Rem., 7 mm-08, 6.5 PRC, .223 Rem., .300 BLK and 350 Legend. As mentioned, I selected the 7 mm-08 for this particular review. There are a few reasons for this. First, the caliber is incredibly versatile. With proper bullet selection, it is antelope- to elk-capable and perhaps beyond. The caliber has great energy and terminal effectiveness at a variety of distances with the right bullet construction. There are a lot of factory options available as well as significant reloading resources. This cartridge can be downloaded or beefed up as needed.
I wanted to evaluate the Stoke in the context of a round that I would hunt with as well as enjoy playing with on the range, and the 7 mm-08 definitely checks both boxes. I used two different varieties of Hornady ammunition: the 139-grain InterLock and the 139-grain SST. As there are no hunting seasons open currently in Northern Michigan, this was strictly a range exercise. I mounted a Leupold VX3-HD 2.5-8x36 in medium rings. I didn’t have any low rings in the correct tube size on hand, but would definitely use low rings if I were setting it up for hunting. I took advantage of the threaded barrel and attached a Silencer Central Backcountry .30-caliber suppressor.
The Stoke zeroed easily after bore-sighting so it was time to see how it grouped. Several range sessions later, I learned the following: First, the Stoke is reliable, accurate and fun to shoot—it is a comfortable shooting gun from both a recoil standpoint as well as a gun fit perspective. I elected to shoot it primarily at the factory configuration of 12.25 inches. While a tad short, it was functional in the heavy winter clothes needed for range time in Northern Michigan in January. This made for a great shooting experience even in the bulkiest of outdoor wear. The Stoke shot both flavors of ammunition well, but preferred the SST bullet over the Interlock. However, both were very acceptable, performance-wise. Lastly, I chronographed both varieties of ammunition both suppressed and barrel-only. The readings were extremely consistent with standard deviations in the single digits. While this is of course a partial reflection on ammunition, it is also indicative of barrel quality and performance.
The Stoke grouped well in three to 12 shot groups at 100 yards. Utilizing the Caldwell Velociradar, I calculated DOPE to 500 yards. The Stoke easily reached out and made consistent sub-MOA impacts at the longer distances. Whether a shorter person or a youth looking for a “grow with” type rifle system, the Bergara Stoke is definitely worth a second look. The Bergara Stoke is an outstanding addition to the short-shooter firearms market. It has been intentionally engineered for the smaller-statured shooter and hunter with performance, fit and adaptability in mind. Bergara set out to create a top-level package for those of us that can’t reach the top shelf… And they did it with quality, precision and excellence.
For more information on the Bergara Stoke, check out the company's website at bergara.online/us/. MSRP on the B14 Stoke starts at $929.
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