Tikka vs Bergara barreled action?

smokinbobf4

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Dec 26, 2018
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I have done a fair amount of research and can’t really find much about this, but I am looking at getting a ctr and throwing it in a KRG Bravo, mdt lss xl gen 2, or maybe an ess. I am trying to do this somewhat on a budget and was thinking the ctr, although I wouldn’t mind a heavier barrel, but that could be replaced later. One problem is most of the stocks on the px seem to be for the Remington action and am wondering if it would be better to go with a Bergara barreled action instead just for aftermarket support? I know tikka gets a lot of love on this site and I have seen some not great things online with Bergara. More so than tikka. Is the ctr that much better than Bergara? Would like to hear from unbiased people on both actions and barrels. Thanks
 
They're both good options. One thing to note is that the Bergara isn't compatible with Remage barrels, so it will have to go to a gunsmith when it is time for a rebarrel.

My current budget plan is a new Remington action $300, PVA Barrel and nut $530, KRG Bravo.
 
Ok, I was curious about that. Didn’t know if there was any good prefits for them. I hadn’t gotten that far yet. Thank you for pointing that out.
 
There are plenty of aftermarket tikka stocks/chassis out there and they come up for sale used. As much as remington? No, but often enough. That being said, i think the tikka is a better action. Super smooth, feeds great, extracts and ejects every time. Easy bolt knob changes. My buddy has a bergara and always comments how good my tikka feels.
 
I have been watching the classifieds and it seems like there is about 1 in 40 that is for tikka. I may just have to stick with tikka and just keep waiting for one that I am looking for
 
Both good options, but they just don't make Tikkas that shoot bad.

ETA: I've had 2 buddies who bought take-off barrels from other Tikkas, and they went right on with zero headspace adjustment. That's how good the Tikka quality is.
 
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I would go with the Tikka.

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+1 for Tikka. Everyone I've ever picked up or shot was a nice rifle right out of the box. I'm actually thinking my next project is going to be a CTR, but I'm gonna drop it into a Manners.
 
Another vote for Tikka. Unless you never plan to rebarrel then a Bergara is a good choice but realistically you can find about any stock you’d want for a Tikka if you are either patient, or okay with buying new.
 
I'm a huge Tikka fan, but if you are not going to use the factory stock you may as well go for the Bergara barreled action and use the money saved to by the chassis you are after.

One of the features of the CTR is the 10 round mag which many folk love, but by going the chassis route you will be going to AICS anyway.
Something to note is some of the AICS magazines don't work without modification in the Tikka (like the Magpul), which may give you another tick in the Bergara box.
 
I've been using a Bergara BMP for two years. The first barrel was great, but a little hard reach the lands. The action is smooth however the feed ramp was too long. Also you will pop primers on hot loads others consider safe. I've shortened the ramp and re barreled to a 25" heavy palma barrel for this year. The chassi is pretty good. There was a bit of bow when tightening the action screws that was fixed with a rear bedding job. If something breaks or a piece is lost Bergara will send you a new piece that week. Next upgrade will be a bolt bush and a MDT chassi.
 
Out of those two i dont think one has a clear advantage over the other. Tikkas feel more like they have some kinda powdery dry lube and bergaras tend to feel more buttery. Both are great and id actually say my bergara is the smothest action I own. However its a long action and can bind a lot easier then a 3 lug.

Sooo.... My vote goes to the origin.
 
I wish I could go with the origin. Just not in the cards right now. Part of the reason I am able to do this is because I have a fair amount of gift cards for scheels and they don’t sell actions. I have a Tikka T3 now for hunting and do like the smooth action. I did order the ctr and bravo today.
 
I may be wrong but the statements regarding Tikka having more aftermarket parts and stocks I think is not correct. Bergara is built of Rem 700 action? I have Tikka’s and Bergara’s and like both of them. Two favorites.
 
I have both There is no clear advantage over the other and both will serve it purpose, however I will lean towards tikka if I will be keeping only one.
 
I may be wrong but the statements regarding Tikka having more aftermarket parts and stocks I think is not correct. Bergara is built of Rem 700 action? I have Tikka’s and Bergara’s and like both of them. Two favorites.
This is correct, the Bergara action is Rem700 based and will fit into any chassis for the rem700. takes any Rem700 scope mounts and bases
 
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At this point, I see enough Tikka accessories come up for sale that I don't feel like a Tikka is at much of a disadvantage as far as aftermarket support goes. In fact, up until recently I was in the market for a stock/chassis for a 700 footprint action and a number of the stocks that popped up for sale on here that I liked ended up being for a Tikka, was bummed.
 
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At this point, I see enough Tikka accessories come up for sale that I don't feel like a Tikka is at much of a disadvantage as far as aftermarket support goes. In fact, up until recently I was in the market for a stock/chassis for a 700 footprint action and a number of the stocks that popped up for sale on here that I liked ended up being for a Tikka, was bummed.

You and I should shop together. We seem to find opposite things. Haha
 
My two cents: go with the Tikka unless you have something specific in mind that a Bergara would fit better. I recently bought a Bergara HMR Wilderness in 6.5 and it was pretty nice overall from an aesthetic and feel perspective, but the thing would only shoot Hornady match ammo well. Literally everything else I tried was awful, like 3 moa or worse. I am more of a hobbyist/hunter so having a gun that only shoots one type of ammo well and that type of ammo being the most expensive and harder to find is not something I can personally accept from a rifle. I have two Tikka's and they both will shoot pretty much anything I put through them. They obviously prefer some types of ammo over others, but even the worst is maybe 1.25 moa.
I know this is a sample size of one and maybe the specific rifle I got was off, but after that I would not trust my time or money on taking a chance over something else I have experienced that works well. It was a shame, I really did like the base features of the hmr wilderness.
 
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