Tikka T3 TAC A1 vs Bergara Premier HMR Pro and B14 BMP

[cbakker3000]

Hi all,

(I did my best to search this forum for previous conversations but didn't see anything similar. Don't beat on me too hard if I missed SOMETHING, lol.)

I have set a personal goal of working into PRS style shooting. After tons of research I concluded that the Tikka T3 TAC A1 was the best tool for this noob... Then last night I found a good sale on both a BERGARA Premier Series HMR Pro and a B14 BMP. The price isn't going to be the deciding factor for me as a few hundred bucks isn't worth my happiness, but it did put doubts in my mind as to what I wanted to buy so I thought I'd see if anyone here has shot at least two out of the three and could offer an opinion.

They all have great reputations and guarantee sub MOA and half MOA seems highly likely with some testing. (I saw one guy whose HMR Pro came at 0.217 from the factory which may not be common but...)

My head tells me the Tikka is safest route but the heart is leaning toward the HMR Pro.

Opinions and comments?

Thanks!

 

[TXBO]

I've shot all three. If you're new to this, it will be a long time before you can shoot better than what any of these rifles are capable of. Pick the one you like the best and start shooting.

 

[cbakker3000]

Yeah, fair point. Thanks. ??

 

[Jefe's Dope]

I only own the Tikka but can very much recommend. I'd do it again today if in the same position and knowing what I know now. Not that the other brands are not good but I'm sure the Tikka will perform to your expectations.

 

[Jefe's Dope]

I'm not new to shooting and I'd like to believe I'm a fairly decent marksmen.

I AM new to PRS, bolt guns, and reloading. My Tikka makes me feel like I've been doing for a while. ?

After about 3 months of reading here and elsewhere and teaching my self to reload.

Real life:

My cherry picked picture I use to brag. ?

 

[Jefe's Dope]

Also, I like to share this when the subject comes up, my wife and I attended a 2 gun competition thinking we had the appropriate gear. Turns out that 2 gun shoots a max of 600 yards and is geared more towards a lighter, semi-auto rifle like an AR15. It was a small group and they allowed us to participate using the Tikka in lieu of a better suited rifle. We also had to shoot in separate groups as we were sharing the rifle.

At 600 and 500 shooting prone, both farther than I have shot before and never shooting prone, I was able to hit 10 of 10 at both distances. More impressive was that my wife hit 9/10 @ 600 and 10/10 @ 500. She's never shot this rifle before. Not even dry fired. She's never shot prone before. She's never shot a bolt gun before. She's never shot behind a scope before. Lots of firsts for her. And yet she was more than adequate at those distances. She's a decent marksmen, but more importantly, she's a good listener and the guy who was in charge talked her through it and the results were there. The real star here is the rifle. A good craftsmen never blames his tools. But a good tool can help an apprentice get a proper start.

 

[cbakker3000]

Also, I like to share this when the subject comes up, my wife and I attended a 2 gun competition thinking we had the appropriate gear. Turns out that 2 gun shoots a max of 600 yards and is geared more towards a lighter, semi-auto rifle like an AR15. It was a small group and they allowed us to participate using the Tikka in lieu of a better suited rifle. We also had to shoot in separate groups as we were sharing the rifle.

At 600 and 500 shooting prone, both farther than I have shot before and never shooting prone, I was able to hit 10 of 10 at both distances. More impressive was that my wife hit 9/10 @ 600 and 10/10 @ 500. She's never shot this rifle before. Not even dry fired. She's never shot prone before. She's never shot a bolt gun before. She's never shot behind a scope before. Lots of firsts for her. And yet she was more than adequate at those distances. She's a decent marksmen, but more importantly, she's a good listener and the guy who was in charge talked her through it and the results were there. The real star here is the rifle. A good craftsmen never blames his tools. But a good tool can help an apprentice get a proper start.

You've discovered my secret plan: get a gun that hides my lack of skill and knowledge until I figure out what I'm doing! ?

Great that you and your wife could do so well early on. That cold bore center shot really stood out. Points for Tikka!

 

[Boostinmarc4]

Okay so I own a tikka a1, have owned a bergara b14 hmr and have shot a premier action though not in the hmr stock. With all that said I can safely say practical accuracy is really a wash between the three, the premier action has a floating bolt head which is a plus and the trigger is awesome in the premier action. That said it's just a touch better in every way than the b-14 bergara.

Now the tikka has an awesome action that is on par in feel to the bergara premier and smoother on actual cycling of the bolt. The trigger is good but not as good as the premier, but is adjustable. Now for the biggest difference in the two brands, the stock/chassis. The bergara has a decent set of features and reasonable adjustment but feels a bit awkward in the front of the stock. The tikka has a chassis system also with good adjustment and okay feel, but is modular so if you find something you want to change many components are ar based offering limitless customization. For me this is why I have the tikka and not the bergara. All three are great. And in just accuracy of rifle there is nothing to separate them so decide based on style of stock and enjoy.

 

[patriot07]

Unless you love the TAC chassis, I’d personally get a CTR and pick a chassis you like best and you’ll probably have a rifle you like more for around the same money.

None of these guns will hold you back unless you end up with a stock that you just can’t get used to. I love my Manners T4a on my CTR.

 

[cbakker3000]

Unless you love the TAC chassis, I’d personally get a CTR and pick a chassis you like best and you’ll probably have a rifle you like more for around the same money.

None of these guns will hold you back unless you end up with a stock that you just can’t get used to. I love my Manners T4a on my CTR.

I thought about the CTR along with a GGS stock (they just look cool, lol) and, yes, it's about the same money as long as I don't make any mistakes adding the other pots and pans to the package.

Wit the TAC chassis, I'm also wondering if I'll appreciate the weight for shooting more than I'll hate carrying it around. I don't plan on using it for hunting atm so it's just the movement for day-to-day things, practice and matches.

 

[Boostinmarc4]

The tac chassis makes a fairly light prs rifle. If anything I would say it is laghter than you'd desire for higher volume shooting. That said the tac also comes with a break to help with felt recoil.

The CTR route is very doable also. You can get a spring upgrade to tidy up the trigger as well. Either way the tikka will shoot. It comes down to whether you want a setup totally good to go day one or if you want to buy and build with a bit of wait time.

As hard as it is to pick out a rifle, wait until you have to pick out your scope...

 

[cbakker3000]

The tac chassis makes a fairly light prs rifle. If anything I would say it is laghter than you'd desire for higher volume shooting. That said the tac also comes with a break to help with felt recoil.

The CTR route is very doable also. You can get a spring upgrade to tidy up the trigger as well. Either way the tikka will shoot. It comes down to whether you want a setup totally good to go day one or if you want to buy and build with a bit of wait time.

As hard as it is to pick out a rifle, wait until you have to pick out your scope...

I've settled on a scope actually: the Athlon Ares ETR... And I'm prepared for the roasting from the community, lol. (See the Rex review in the link below).

This seems like great value for money and I'll be happy to advance beyond it someday but, for now, I'm thinking that like these off-the-shelf gun options, it's better than my skill level at this point.

 

[Boostinmarc4]

Nothing wrong with the Athlon products. They track, have a usable reticle, a great warranty, answer emails swiftly, and the glass compares above average against their competition. If you call vendors that sell them you can get a better that advertised price as well which is a plus.

 

[Novak77]

Unless you love the TAC chassis, I’d personally get a CTR and pick a chassis you like best and you’ll probably have a rifle you like more for around the same money.

None of these guns will hold you back unless you end up with a stock that you just can’t get used to. I love my Manners T4a on my CTR.

This is solid advise. I own several Tikka's and all of them are shooters. I just picked up a CTR and a Manners T4A too. For the price Tikka's are hard to beat.

 

[Rocketmandb]

True story about the Bergara Premiere (6mm CM) rifle:

A friend was telling me that for his son's 16th he was taking him on a trip to the family cabin. I said, "shame you couldn't come out to California, I could take you guys out shooting in the Sierras."

He replied, "let me ask him."

A few weeks later they came out. I've got a really special spot I go in the national forest on the eastern side of the Sierras. It's a haul to get there, but you need a 4WD to get to the spot and I've never seen anyone else even pass by. It's a big valley that let's me get out to 850 easily (1200+ with work - a lot of work). We took the easy route and set up my steel at 850. The kid had never shot past 100 yards before. I got him set up, and showed him how to hold over. We fired a few at paper targets at 300 yards just to get him used to it, then had him shoot steel at 850. Ten in a row gonged back at us.

The bolt on the Premiere series is incredibly smooth and the trigger is tight. Best factory rifle I've ever shot. My only issue with it is that the stock is a little skinny for my big head. But that doesn't stop me from hitting .3 - .4 MOA at 300 yards all day long... well, all day until my eyes go buggy looking through the scope, which seems to be happening quicker and quicker.

 

[cbakker3000]

True story about the Bergara Premiere (6mm CM) rifle:

A friend was telling me that for his son's 16th he was taking him on a trip to the family cabin. I said, "shame you couldn't come out to California, I could take you guys out shooting in the Sierras."

He replied, "let me ask him."

A few weeks later they came out. I've got a really special spot I go in the national forest on the eastern side of the Sierras. It's a haul to get there, but you need a 4WD to get to the spot and I've never seen anyone else even pass by. It's a big valley that let's me get out to 850 easily (1200+ with work - a lot of work). We took the easy route and set up my steel at 850. The kid had never shot past 100 yards before. I got him set up, and showed him how to hold over. We fired a few at paper targets at 300 yards just to get him used to it, then had him shoot steel at 850. Ten in a row gonged back at us.

The bolt on the Premiere series is incredibly smooth and the trigger is tight. Best factory rifle I've ever shot. My only issue with it is that the stock is a little skinny for my big head. But that doesn't stop me from hitting .3 - .4 MOA at 300 yards all day long... well, all day until my eyes go buggy looking through the scope, which seems to be happening quicker and quicker.

That's a great story. Factory ammo for the young guy I assume? Reloads for your 0.3-0.4 targets?

 

[Rocketmandb]

That's a great story. Factory ammo for the young guy I assume? Reloads for your 0.3-0.4 targets?

Better than factory ammo. I taught him how to reload the day before and he loaded up 50 rounds. I had already done most of the brass prep, but had him resize (didn't trim after resize, tho), prime with a hand primer, weigh out the powder, funnel/drop it in the case, and seat the bullet. He was into it.

EDIT: Yes, on the reloads for .3-.4 moa groups. I use Lapua, 42gr of 4350, Berger 105, BR-4 primers.

 

[awpk03s]

I can’t comment on the Bergara.
But, I do have a Tikka Tac A1 in 6.5CM (LH actually), and an Athlon Ares ETR on top of it in an ARC M10-QDL 20 MOA mount. It’s a fabulous rifle. And the ETR is an awesome scope as well.

 

[JT1178]

Where’s this sale and how much is the HMR Pro. If you don’t mind me asking?

 

[cbakker3000]

I can’t comment on the Bergara.
But, I do have a Tikka Tac A1 in 6.5CM (LH actually), and an Athlon Ares ETR on top of it in an ARC M10-QDL 20 MOA mount. It’s a fabulous rifle. And the ETR is an awesome scope as well.

Good to hear. I'm leaning pretty hard towards this combo.

 

[cbakker3000]

Where’s this sale and how much is the HMR Pro. If you don’t mind me asking?

I'm in Alberta and a "sale" in Canada means something approaching every day US retail prices. I was on www.dantesports.com (Montreal) and their sale works out to ~US$1600 which I think is higher than your typical price. Our exchange rate is getting worse so you may do well shopping for inventory here in a few months.

 

[JT1178]

I'm in Alberta and a "sale" in Canada means something approaching every day US retail prices. I was on www.dantesports.com (Montreal) and their sale works out to ~US$1600 which I think is higher than your typical price. Our exchange rate is getting worse so you may do well shopping for inventory here in a few months.

Yes your right it is higher. I have friends that live in Alberta and they tell me about the exchange rate all the time. Well fak I was hoping there was a good deal going on here in the states!!!

 

[Billiam1211]

I currently own the Tikka Tac A1 in 6.5 Creedmoor and it's been phenomenal. I load 140gr ELD-M, 42.5gr H4350, CCI BR-2, in Hornady brass and have consistently shot 1/2 inch groups at 200 yards. For PRS, my local club only goes to 600 yards, however I have no issues hitting anything 0-600 prone or from a solid barricade.

The great thing is as of 2019 there are a ton of really good factory rifles out there for a similar price as the Tac A1 and Bergara BMP. Don't rule out Badrock's Southfork rifle (made on a Definace action), the Sniper's Hide Ashbury rifle, and Patriot Valley Arms John Hancock.

I'd pick a rifle based on the stock and extensibility. At this point, pretty much all the above mentioned rifles will shoot 1/2 MOA or better depending on shooter ability.

 

[cbakker3000]

I currently own the Tikka Tac A1 in 6.5 Creedmoor and it's been phenomenal. I load 140gr ELD-M, 42.5gr H4350, CCI BR-2, in Hornady brass and have consistently shot 1/2 inch groups at 200 yards. For PRS, my local club only goes to 600 yards, however I have no issues hitting anything 0-600 prone or from a solid barricade.

The great thing is as of 2019 there are a ton of really good factory rifles out there for a similar price as the Tac A1 and Bergara BMP. Don't rule out Badrock's Southfork rifle (made on a Definace action), the Sniper's Hide Ashbury rifle, and Patriot Valley Arms John Hancock.

I'd pick a rifle based on the stock and extensibility. At this point, pretty much all the above mentioned rifles will shoot 1/2 MOA or better depending on shooter ability.

Appreciate the additional suggestions. I wasn't aware of Badrock but that's actually an easy drive for me to pick it up. I'll give them a hard look.

 

[MarkBlue]

Currently in the same boat debating between the tikka tac a1 and the bergara premier hmr pro. I'm leaning towards the tikka b/c I would have to buy a scope rail and muzzle brake for the bergara.