Gear

I already own *half* of Bergara's new rifle

Bergara's US$2,999 Premier Competition Elite pairs its action with MDT's ACC Elite. A C$3,750 Calgary listing for the old model helps frame the Canadian buying question while the Elite's local price remains unconfirmed.

Steve Coppola

Steve Coppola

— 5 min read
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A grey Bergara Competition Elite chassis and black receiver in a close oblique view, supported on a bag at a timber range barricade.

Illustrative Bergara Premier Competition Elite generated from manufacturer references. No Holdover test or specific range is depicted.

Bergara's newest factory rifle is a Premier barrelled action, a TriggerTech Special trigger and an MDT 12-round magazine, bedded in MDT's ACC Elite chassis. Bergara lists the Premier Competition Elite at US$2,999, with seven chamberings and a 26-inch No. 7 barrel.

My 7mm PRC load-development rifle is a Cadex R7 barrelled action in the same ACC Elite chassis family. The chassis is familiar territory, which gives this launch a more personal hook than another specification table. My action came from Cadex; Bergara has built its factory package around the same chassis family.

For a Canadian buyer, the launch creates three different shopping questions. Bergara lists the outgoing rifle under discontinued models. Calgary Shooting Centre still lists that 6.5 Creedmoor version at C$3,750. I found no Canadian retail listing for the new Elite in the October 1 search. Meanwhile, the chassis comes from a company with a Chilliwack, B.C. address. You can compare remaining dealer stock, wait for the Elite, or investigate a parts build. Each route has a different missing number.

What US$300 buys

The outgoing Premier Competition used an MPA BA chassis, came in 6mm Creedmoor, 6.5 Creedmoor and 6 GT, weighed 12.7 pounds with a 10-round magazine and carried a US$2,699 MSRP. The Elite keeps the 26-inch No. 7 taper stainless barrel and the TriggerTech Special. It moves to the ACC Elite, adds 22 Creedmoor, 25 Creedmoor, 6mm Dasher and .308 Winchester, ships with a 12-round magazine and starts at 13.5 pounds.

So the extra US$300 buys a chassis change, four more chamberings, two more rounds and 0.8 pounds that nobody asked for out loud. On a barricade, that weight settles the rifle. On the walk from the truck, it is a sling-width reminder of your choices.

The chassis is what most buyers will notice. Holdover looked at the ACC Elite's hold on the PRS field in Built in Chilliwack. Bergara has now built a factory rifle around the component match shooters were already choosing on their own.

A Calgary price and an unpriced arrival

Calgary Shooting Centre lists the Premier Competition in 6.5 Creedmoor at C$3,750. Its visible product page showed one unit and an enabled Add to Cart button when checked on October 1. Confirm that stock with the dealer. One listing tells us about one model at one shop; it cannot settle availability across Canada.

Some arithmetic helps, as long as nobody mistakes it for a quote. The Bank of Canada's September 29 rate was 1.4188 Canadian dollars per U.S. dollar. At that rate the old rifle's US$2,699 converts to about $3,829, close to where Calgary prices it. The Elite's US$2,999 converts to about $4,255. Those are currency conversions of U.S. list prices. A Canadian dealer quote still needs to establish the actual price, tax, delivery costs and expected arrival.

The useful comparison today is between a Canadian BPR25 listing and the Elite's published configuration. The converted MSRP gives scale to the discussion while the Canadian price remains unknown. A future dealer quote could change the value judgement, especially once the included magazine, shipping and any necessary accessories are counted.

The parts route, Canadian edition

Bergara also sells Premier actions and barrelled actions. Its No. 7 competition barrelled action lists at US$1,349 in 6mm Creedmoor, 6.5 Creedmoor, 6 GT and 25 Creedmoor, and Bergara says its Premier actions fit most Remington 700-style stocks and chassis. MDT's Canadian store lists the ACC Elite for a Remington 700 short action at $2,159.99, and a 12-round .308/6.5 Creedmoor AICS magazine at $109.99.

A precision rifle with an adjustable chassis rests on support bags on a workbench.

That is the arithmetic behind the headline: the short-action chassis alone costs about 51 per cent of the Elite's converted U.S. MSRP. It is a deliberately loose way of saying I already own a major part of this package. Separate retail parts prices cannot tell us how Bergara divides its production costs.

Two Canadian details shape this route. The barrelled action carries the receiver, and the Criminal Code defines a firearm to include any frame or receiver. A dealer still needs to address the receiver and transfer details before the chassis has a job to do. I also could not confirm a Canadian source for Bergara's barrelled actions. Ask a dealer before you buy the chassis on the assumption that the action will follow.

My R7/ACC Elite combination gives me a concrete reference for the idea of pairing an action and chassis. It supplies no firsthand verdict on Bergara's rifle. A parts plan still needs a compatible action length and inlet, a confirmed source for the action, and a complete cost. The short-action chassis price quoted here belongs to that listed version; it is no statement about what I paid for my 7mm PRC build.

Where I land

This section is opinion. For a new competitor who wants a factory 6mm or 6.5 Creedmoor rifle for next season, I would ask dealers whether a BPR25 is physically available before comparing it with the Elite. The October 1 stock indicator gives that conversation a starting point. The Elite makes sense if you want 6mm Dasher, 22 Creedmoor or 25 Creedmoor in a factory package, or if the ACC Elite is the chassis you would buy anyway. For an owner who already has a compatible action, MDT's chassis listing provides a separate route to price. Confirm the exact inlet and action length instead of treating every Remington 700-pattern combination as interchangeable.

Before you put money down on an Elite, ask the dealer for the exact model number, BPR35 plus the chambering, along with the Canadian price, what ships in the box and when stock is expected. The current retail evidence answers none of those questions. Price and timing still decide the purchase.

There is something quietly funny about waiting for an American factory package built around a chassis from a company in Chilliwack. I can recognize that part of the rifle from my own build. I would still want the Canadian quote for the whole thing.

Keep the buying questions together

Holdover's Rifle Cartridge Shortlist Card keeps intended use, fit and budget on one page. Get the shortlist card through The Dispatch for this comparison and the next Canadian gear question.

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