Bergara makes a $1100 stainless & cerakote model of its B-14 rifle (a Remington 700 clone) that's currently sold only in Europe, New Zealand and Greenland. The B-14 Extreme Hunter is a 2.9 kg (6.4 lb) rifle with a threaded and fluted 18" barrel, and is chambered for both 6.5 Creedmoor & .308 Win. I'd buy this rifle in a New York minute if it was just available in the US. Here's two links:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dpjl0VhU7x0 (enable English captions)

https://www.bergara.online/en/rifles/extreme-series/extreme-hunter/

If you're like me and would like to see this rifle sold in the US, please add your comment below. If there's enough interest, I'll forward the thread to Bergara's executives to see if us 24CF folks can change their minds. Thanks!

I’d be in on a stainless B-14 short action!! I’d prefer a 20-22” sporter weight barrel in 7-08 though.

A light, short, threaded 308 is hard to beat for many things these days.

Pretty nice little package.

I like it and would have been cheaper than my current. 308 build running an 18" barrel.

Keep the comments coming, guys. Let the Bergara brass know if you'd seriously consider buying the Extreme Hunter if it was just sold in the US!

I’d buy a 308

Like, like it a lot. All but the dang cerakote.

Coincidence it very nearly meets Scout rifle specs in OAL & weight?

I'd be very interested in a 6mm creed version

I would be interested if they would ditch the expense adding but mostly non-functional cerakote paint job.

I'd also be interest in a non coated stainless carbine for my suppressor!

I'd probably buy one of each. I like the shorter barrel and I'm glad to see a B14 in stainless. I'd like a Creedmoor and a 308. If they did a fast twist 7-08 like an 8 twist or 8.5 I'd like one of those too.

Sign me up for a 308 or Creedmoor. Put the batlight out for Derrick at Whittakers. He can sometimes make things happen. He's Short action smoker on the fire.

Bb

I’ll add that I agree with most of the posts here saying ditch the cerakote.
I’m not sure why manufacturers are on that kick the past few years. Cerakote seems most useful as a means to give a rifle a custom appearance, ESPECIALLY ON STAINLESS. Ain’t nothing custom about a production rifle painted the same as all the rest of them in a color picked with the hope that the masses will like it.

I'd also recommend they change the threading to 5/8 24 at the muzzle. Do that and drop the cerekote if they want. I don't mind a stainless barrel that's cerekoted buy I hate it when companies do regular steel and then cerekote it and claim it's weather proof. I'm mostly concerned about the bore and chamber being weather proof and cerekote doesn't help there.

If I built rifles all barreled actions would be stainless. If you want to cut items on the production floor get rid of chromoly steel and go all stainless. Then you can nitride some of the stainless. I know stainless costs a but more but it'd be worth it to streamline.

I was disappointed a few years ago when some idiot at howa decided to drop stainless and just offer a cerekote model. They should have dropped blue steel and offered a cerekoted stainless model.

Bb

I wonder why Bergara assumes Americans only want the heavy any/or long barreled version of their 700 clones? Seems like this offering would be a good seller in the US and there isn't much else offered at this market tier similarly light, short and threaded. You'd think the 18" Barrett would have showed there is a market for light, short and threaded, but a few years later there's not much available.

Amen

I'd buy one today in .223/5.56

This looks nice! I hate long-barreled rifles in tight setups (i.e. blinds or tight stands).

Not stainless but comes out of the same factory and IS available in the US. https://cva.com/product/cascade-short-barrel-cerakote-graphite-black-veil-tac-black/

I have one in 308 Win for suppressor use but haven't got around to shooting it yet. I also had 350 Legend CVA cut down to 17 inches and it shoots and handles great with a YHM R9.

Yep id buy one chambered in .308 Win but I would prefer a 20" barrel and its got to be stainless not a chromoly cerakote joke like Howa......Hb

I talked to a guy with one of those in .300 blk at the range a few weeks ago. He was happy with the accuracy and rifle in general, seemed like a nice rig for the price.

Zero interest in an 18” anything unless I wanted to run a can, which I don’t. Cerekote is okay, over SS, but give me nitride any day, as it protects inside and out, and goes into the metal, not over it. Nitrided SS is best of all, like my Knight UL.

Have two factory Cerakoted guns. One is an O/U shotgun, and the coating is already worn off in spots like the forend latch where the metal rubs together. Might as well be paint.

Agree, re: nitride.

[/quote]
Not stainless but comes out of the same factory and IS available in the US. https://cva.com/product/cascade-short-barrel-cerakote-graphite-black-veil-tac-black/
[/quote]

Interesting. I wasn't aware that CVA had started building a bolt-action centerfire rifle. I have a Bergara B-14 Ridge Special Purpose that weighs 7.2 lbs. with an 18" barrel. According to your link, the CVA Cascade SB weighs 6.75 lbs. I wonder how its accuracy and trigger compare to the B-14...

This thread got me reading a little today. I believe a nitrided chrome-moly, such as 4140, has better corrosion resistance than bare 416R stainless. Plus, it could add a bit of barrel life and smooth up some moving parts.

I have been looking at the Bergara rifles, I like what I see. No interest in the 6.5 or 308. The 7mm-08 would be a different story. I also wish the would chamber their mountain rifles in 270, 30-06, or 280AI any one of the 3 would be fine.

I love a short barreled .308, I have right at $1100 in this one for the barreled action (M700) and stock.



I have about another $1100 in it for cutting down to 18", threading, and optics. I didn't weigh it before mounting the NF but it weighs 8 lbs without suppressor and 9 lbs with it.



Does the CVA use a 700 footprint?

My CVA 350 Legend shoots great with many bullets/loads. I actually INCREASED the trigger pull on mine as I like 2.5 on all my rifles for consistency; it was <2 lbs from the factory. I pulled the 308 out the box and it weighs 6.8 lbs with the bases and magazine installed. Here is a thread I posted earlier this year https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbt...2/350-legend-subsonic-loads#Post16346042

My only real complain is the bolt design is a bit wonky.

Yes. I don't know if it is a drop in for aftermarket 700 stocks though.

Well if it's a 700 footprint it shouldn't take too much modification to drop into an aftermarket stock. Good to know, thank you.

Anyone else, guys? The way I see it, the B-14 Extreme Hunter is in a unique position in the market as I know of no other quality stainless steel 18" barreled bolt actions offered anywhere near this price range. Keep the comments coming if you want to see this rifle imported to the US. Thanks!

The more I look at it the more I like it. Could probably shave a fair amount of weight with a different stock too.

killer set-up right there, ready to go in either chambering. near about perfect for the swamps and thickets down here ...

I think it would do well with the suppressor crowd and the carbine crowd. Like others say, make sure the threads are 5/8", and if cost is an issue, just beadblast the SS and skip the coating.

Some people might fret the18" barrel but if I was in charge I'd make it 20" but hold the flutes back enough that someone could cut and re-thread at 18". That way the guys either suppressors could go shorter if they wanted and the guys that worried about muzzle blast could run it at 20".

I don't mind loosing a few FPS for a rifle that handles well. We all have range finders now and it's nothing to dial an extra click or two.

Once you get to 18" or so the more efficient rounds like 308 only lose about 20 fps per inch. The Creedmoor looses a bit more but not much. Plus shorter barrels are stiffer with wider nodes and more forgiving.

I always wondered why anyone would want a 308 longer than 24". Anything past that and the velocity increase per inch is almost insignificant. Larger more over bore rounds are a different story but for ab308 I consider 22" long and a 6.5 Creedmoor I see no reason to go past about 24". And those are seeming long too me. Ideally in my world 308's would be 20" or less and 6.5 Creedmoors would be 22" or less along with 270, 280 , 30-06 and other standard rounds. Save 24" tunes for 7mm and 300 mag and others. And 26" should be reserved for thermally big magnums or overbore rounds. That's what I'm thinking as max.

It seems like they used to have it figured out and standard rounds came 22" and magnums came 24".
The bergara 300 prc I keep looking at has a 9 twist 24" barrel which I think is good but it has a #5 contour barrel that is just too heavy. I wish they'd make me a 24" 9 twist 300 prc with a fluted #4 in stainless with no coating.

The bergara guys need to come out and hunt elk for a week with their CrMo #5 contour. Meanwhile get us this 18" SS 308 with a 5/8x24 thread and it's twin in 6.5 Creedmoor. They can leave off the coating and maybe make the 6.5 a 20". I think they'd sell but then your average shooter doesn't think like me.

I realize that there's still a lot of Joe blow guys that think longer is better. I've just never felt a need to compensate by having a longer barrel. The only argument against shorter that holds water for me is muzzle blast. I shot 20" and 18" 308s for years and found the blast tolerable.

Some of the guys shooting long range competition have a reason for longer barrels when they are try to get every last bit out of a round and so do the large magnum over bore guys. But they're operating from a bench not out in the field. For a field gun I have a hard time with anything over 24 or a #4 contour.

Bb

That stock looks identical to the one that came on my Bergara Ridge model, which weighs 28 oz. Just an FYI.

Not bad but what about a brown pond'r???

Yep...308 20Inch, NO Cerekote paint job

Would definitely buy one in 308

Yep.

I already have several rifles in .308 with 18.5", 20", 22" and 23" barrels. It wouldn't hurt my feeling to be able to add that rifle to the list, so yes, I'd buy one. The .308 has always been a good cartridge for me.
Paul B.

I would! Tikka offers a similar option in Europe as well. Theirs is cerecoated. I’d be down with that Bergara too!

I chopped my SS Encore barrel in 308 to 18” and had it threaded. Even with my heavy-ass Specwar can it is still a pretty sweet handling piece.

I see a can in my future. If they asked me what to build, then I would have told them threaded 20" barrel in 308, Grayboe Outlander stock, and no CeraKote. But they didn't, and I could be convinced to buy the one they sell in Europe.


Okie John

I don't get the purpose for Cerakoting stainless.

3,113 views and 8 folks stating they would buy one, a few others said they would if certain things were changed. Doesn’t look too promising. 1 prospective sale for every 389 prospective customers.

Love to have one of those in 350 legend for my annual Ohio hunt. But one in 6.5 would be great for blind and stand hunting in Alabama. Like everybody I would have some changes on my wish list like chambering and I really like the black nitride on my 700 xcr2 rather than the sliver cerakote. But I would be interested.

I do, but it’s a poor substitute for nitride over SS, which is the best solution I know about. Nitride protects even SS, reduces barrel wear, and is hard to breach. The nitrided guns I’ve owned all looked like they had a smooth matte hot-blue job.