Bergara BA13 advice, thanks to the SD owners i’m in the club.

[Pellet Pinger]

I stumbled upon a thread on here a few weeks ago about this little rifle and of course after then searching other threads the itch started! Ticks my boxes, short, nice and compact for woodland stalking, i prefer thumbhole stocks and the simple hammer action is just a little different. Thanks to everyone for their replies to my messages and little bits of advice on getting the best out of it and factory ammo recommendations.
Having a slot for a .243 i found one of our members had one for sale and kindly offered to allow a test shoot on his land, a done deal many thanks Neil!
Once home i’ve done a little work, re-fixed the rail using locktite, relieved the stock a little where it was difficult sliding a fiver in and it shoots like a dream with Sako factory ammo.
First run out in anger this morning topped with the Arken Zulus and just as the light cracked a munty made a timely appearance, a 185yard shot off the vipers to open the account, i can see the Tikka gathering dust!

 

[nun_hunter]

Nice combo, I have a Zulus on my stainless BA-13 and certainly works well when the deer are about.

 

[Neilmetters1966]

Your welcome any time hope you enjoy the little gun we hoping to be getting the new batchbof arken zuluses 3x12 in within 2 weeks I'll drop you a message when they land see if you you can collect early morning and I'll take you out for a roe

 

[Mungo]

How long are they?

I keep coming back to these and wondering if I have a reason to get one…

 

[tarponhead]

I’d like one for woodland stalking and pest control in .308 but wondering about a smaller calibre…. That was a great shot on a muntie - a good demo of how best to shoot them - without messing about!

 

[nun_hunter]

How long are they?

I keep coming back to these and wondering if I have a reason to get one…

If I remember I'll measure mine properly but as a rough guide my 20" barreled one is 2" shorter than my 18" barreled bolt action with a similar length of pull. The 16" version is a proper dinky little thing.

 

[Oh6]

How long are they?

I keep coming back to these and wondering if I have a reason to get one…

Lengths of the different options are all on the website, after that it's down to what moderator you screw on the end.

BA13 TAKE DOWN SYNTHETIC - Rifles Bergara International

The B-14 BMP rifle features our BMP Chassis Stock that is built for versatility and precision. The Bergara Match Precision rifle is built to offer a competition shooter's ideal rifle at an affordable price. The stock features a fully adjustable butt stock for comfort.

www.bergara.online

Which ever you choose they are a lot more compact than a bolt action.

 

[Pellet Pinger]

Your welcome any time hope you enjoy the little gun we hoping to be getting the new batchbof arken zuluses 3x12 in within 2 weeks I'll drop you a message when they land see if you you can collect early morning and I'll take you out for a roe

Top man, sounds like a plan

 

[ShootyBang]

Here's my wee-dinky 16" BA-13 .308 with its Arken Zulus. I have to say it is ever so handy. With lighter bullets (127gr currently) its well accurate. This fella got a round threaded through a thin window in the trees, through right ear and out left eyeball. At about 90m.

This version of the BA-13, with the A-Tec H2 mod on the end (with all 3 baffles in), is 91cm long! Slung, the barrel sits below my ear--very handy when moving through brush.

@tarponhead , how have you gone since you last wrote, above?

 

[KimE]

I am happy with mine in 300blk 82cm+10cm moderator. It has the muzzle just at ear height in my Vorn backpack.

 

[nun_hunter]

Mine is back to having a Delta 1.5-9X45 on it.

I have modded it to have slid sling mounts so it's much more comfortable and stable when carrying it. Sometimes the trigger guard break barrel release did dig in otherwise.

 

[Oh6]

Mine is back to having a Delta 1.5-9X45 on it.

Why did you decide to take the Zulus off again?

 

[EMcC]

It just goes to show how popular and competent these 'Crap' Bergara rifles are.
Some time ago when I was getting one of my rifles re- barrelled I was quoted astronomical prices by a lot of the noted gun smiths on here, then one came up with an offer just 2/3rds of the price mentioned by the others.
They all said the ones they were offering were best quality etc etc and one Smith said the reason it was so cheap was because it was inferior to any others and he wouldn't have one in his workshop.
It just goes to show how wrong they all were.

 

[ShootyBang]

Mine is back to having a Delta 1.5-9X45 on it.

I have modded it to have slid sling mounts so it's much more comfortable and stable when carrying it. Sometimes the trigger guard break barrel release did dig in otherwise.

Yeah I also run a cross-chest Harpsöe sling. Makes it super stable.

And yeah, why did the Arken Zulus come off?

 

[ShootyBang]

It just goes to show how popular and competent these 'Crap' Bergara rifles are.
Some time ago when I was getting one of my rifles re- barrelled I was quoted astronomical prices by a lot of the noted gun smiths on here, then one came up with an offer just 2/3rds of the price mentioned by the others.
They all said the ones they were offering were best quality etc etc and one Smith said the reason it was so cheap was because it was inferior to any others and he wouldn't have one in his workshop.
It just goes to show how wrong they all were.

Backfire TV on Youtube did a video recently on best value-for-money rifles, accuracy vs. cost on a graph. Two Bergara-barrelled rifles were in the top ten.

 

[EMcC]

Backfire TV on Youtube did a video recently on best value-for-money rifles, accuracy vs. cost on a graph. Two Bergara-barrelled rifles were in the top ten.

 

[nun_hunter]

I moved the Zulus to my 22lr, main reason being that the Vergara I use in the woods during the day so shots are 50m give or take and the Zulus although good in low light had a narrow FOV and I didn't need the LRF function.

If I plan to sit out in the highest and wait for dark then I use a Tikka with a Delta Stryker and Sytong HT66 for potentially longer shots.

To maximise the Zulus' features for what I do it works best on the 22lr after squirrels in the woods.

 

[Heym SR20]

How long are they?

I keep coming back to these and wondering if I have a reason to get one…

Think shotgun. So length of pull of the stock, about 14inches, plus the barrel length. The trigger is a little behind the breech face - about 1/2”. So a 20” barreled kipplauf would be a touch over 34” long.

In typical bolt action rifle, the breech face is ahead of the magazine, so you need to add to the length of pull, about 1/2” from trigger to rear of magazine, plus length of cartridge, plus a bit in front of magazine and bolt lugs - say another 1/2” - a total of 4 to 6”, then add length of barrel.

 

[tarponhead]

Here's my wee-dinky 16" BA-13 .308 with its Arken Zulus. I have to say it is ever so handy. With lighter bullets (127gr currently) its well accurate. This fella got a round threaded through a thin window in the trees, through right ear and out left eyeball. At about 90m.

This version of the BA-13, with the A-Tec H2 mod on the end (with all 3 baffles in), is 91cm long! Slung, the barrel sits below my ear--very handy when moving through brush.

@tarponhead , how have you gone since you last wrote, above?

It’s still on my list - my cert is up for renewal so I’m going to add it to the list to be acquired and hope. Getting a variation takes so long here there was little point, which is sad. I would love to support the gun trade more but we are prevented by the lack of resource and cumbersome process. Your outfit is exactly what I would go for.

 

[KimE]

It just goes to show how popular and competent these 'Crap' Bergara rifles are.
Some time ago when I was getting one of my rifles re- barrelled I was quoted astronomical prices by a lot of the noted gun smiths on here, then one came up with an offer just 2/3rds of the price mentioned by the others.
They all said the ones they were offering were best quality etc etc and one Smith said the reason it was so cheap was because it was inferior to any others and he wouldn't have one in his workshop.
It just goes to show how wrong they all were.

Gunsmiths need too make a living its not their fault new rifles are mostly machine made.


A friend has a Blaser K95 what he bought "cheap" used for about 2200£, compared to my budget style Bergara for about 750£.