Bergara Premier Highlander vs Christensen Arms Mesa

[fnlights]

I am looking at getting a 300 win mag for hunting out west and I think I have it narrowed down to the Bergara Premier Highlander and Christensen Arms Mesa. Has anyone shot these 2 rifles or have experience with them? They are similar weight with similar features. BUT, the Begara retails for about $500 more. Is the Begara worth this extra premium? Both companies offer sub-moa guarantee. From what I have seen online, the Begara seems to be a tack driver and groups slightly better then the Mesa.

 

[RockyMtnUT]

Read reviews online or any forum for that matter and the choice should be simple. I won't gamble with CA

 

[fnlights]

Read reviews online or any forum for that matter and the choice should be simple. I won't gamble with CA

I have read quite a bit regarding the CA Mesa and they do seem to be a gamble. My buddy just picked one up and seems to get about a one inch group with factory ammo. I have not seen a ton regarding the Highlander. Unfortunately, nobody around me seems to carry them. So you would say Begara is 100% worth the extra money?

 

[lhp63190]

No experience with CA but my Bergara Premier Ridgeback (heavy gun) 6.5 CM consistently shoots sub .5 MOA with he best groups coming in around .2 MOA (factory eld-x ammo). Only complaint is that gun tends to short cycle rounds when shooting quickly (might just be me).

LHP

 

[fnlights]

No experience with CA but my Bergara Premier Ridgeback (heavy gun) 6.5 CM consistently shoots sub .5 MOA with he best groups coming in around .2 MOA (factory eld-x ammo). Only complaint is that gun tends to short cycle rounds when shooting quickly (might just be me).

LHP

The Ridgeback looks to be a really nice gun, but yes definitely on the heavier side. I do plan on reloading 215 grain Berger bullets with H1000. But both of those are like impossible to find right now. Those are some really great groups with factory ammo!

 

[lhp63190]

Also, while I love me Bergara creedmoor, I don't love the twist rates on the the 300 WM. Bergara uses a 10 twist on the gun you are considering and that makes it difficult to shoot the big heavy bullets (200+ grain). This is especially true if you live/shoot at sub 2000' of elevation.

If you are happy shooting the 180 gr class bullets, I have not doubt this gun would be great. If you want to run the heavier bullets in a bergara, might want to step up to the 300 PRC w/ a 9 twist.

 

[lhp63190]

Check bergers stability calculator for the 215 and your most common shooting/hunting elevation using the 10 twist before you buy. I know this bc i built a 300 WM w/ a 10 twist and it wouldn't shoot the 215's at my home range in texas due to marginal stability. Shot 180's into 1 hole.....expensive mistake.

My current 300 PRC has an 8 twist so i can shoot the 215 berger and 214 Hammers. 9 twist would be fine for the 215 bergers but the hammers like really fast twist rates.

LHP

 

[fnlights]

Check bergers stability calculator for the 215 and your most common shooting/hunting elevation using the 10 twist before you buy. I know this bc i built a 300 WM w/ a 10 twist and it wouldn't shoot the 215's at my home range in texas due to marginal stability. Shot 180's into 1 hole.....expensive mistake.

My current 300 PRC has an 8 twist so i can shoot the 215 berger and 214 Hammers. 9 twist would be fine for the 215 bergers but the hammers like really fast twist rates.

LHP

Good to know! I will make sure to look at Berger website and see. How does the 300 PRC shoot the Bergers? They do offer the Highlander with the 9 twist. I might consider that too

 

[lhp63190]

Good to know! I will make sure to look at Berger website and see. How does the 300 PRC shoot the Bergers?

Its a full custom build and honestly I've only done load development and sight in. Planning to stretch her legs in the next week or so....but....it shoots the 215 Bergers into 1 hole at 100 yards and all three bullets touch at 200....I'm extremely impressed. I'm running them at about 2875 FBS w/ H1000 and ADG brass. Could run her a quite a bit faster but accuracy seems to suffer.

Your issue w/ the 300 PRC is going to be getting premium brass (ADG). Could make Hornady brass in the short term then your repeating load development.

 

[fnlights]

I have thought about doing a custom build. The Highlander would run about $1,750. I imagine at the price point I could build a pretty nice gun. But I would have no idea where to start and Begara is one of the most accurate out of the box guns you can get.

 

[lhp63190]

Realistically you're gonna be at least 3k on a full. custom build. This last gun was 4500 w premium components. Might want to look at fierce firearms if you want a step up from CA and Bergara w/o a full custom build.

 

[Bigcountryrtr]

I was in the same boat for my current 6.5cm and chose Bergara HMR Pro. Very happy so far with the Bergara.

 

[fnlights]

The HMR Pro is a really nice gun. It is just significantly heavier then what I was looking for. But I can imagine it shoots pretty nice. From all the reviews I read, Begaras have a great reputation for accuracy

 

[fnlights]

Realistically you're gonna be at least 3k on a full. custom build. This last gun was 4500 w premium components. Might want to look at fierce firearms if you want a step up from CA and Bergara w/o a full custom build.

I did look into the Fierces, but decided that the extra money would probably be better spent on some high quality glass. I have seen groups from the Highlander on here well under .5 moa with handloads, can't ask much more than that for a hunting rifle at that price point!