Bergara B14 Wilderness Terrain Review: 6.5 Creedmoor

With the success of the B14 HMR from several years ago, Bergara has continued to launch a full lineup of precision rifles that meet the needs of the backyard plinker, the hunter, and the competitive shooter.  Today, look at a rifle geared towards the hunting crowd – read Gun University’s Bergara Wilderness Terrain in 6.5 Creedmoor.

Bergara Wilderness Terrain Background

Bergara redefined the semi-custom hunting rifle niche when it introduced the B14 HMR back in 2016.  That rifle has gone on to win awards from UK’s Shooting Industry, Outdoor Life, POMA, and Field and Stream.

It was the first true crossover rifle to hit the market in a long time.  The reason I mention it is because the Bergara Wilderness Terrain is based on that rifle.  Most of the same features, build quality, and accuracy are there.

The heart and soul of these rifles is the one-piece “mini chassis” that locks the barreled action into place.  Bergara started with that when they set out to build a quality yet value priced addition to their hunting line of rifles.

They wanted the stock to blend in well in the American West, so each one is hand painted with a unique camouflage pattern.  They wanted it to withstand the harsh outdoor environment, so the barreled actions are fully cerakoted.  The Wilderness Terrain is basically the B14 HMR, but with a few key changes to benefit the backcountry hunter. I will get into all the differences as we progress in this Bergara review.

Bergara Wilderness Terrain Features

1 One Piece Chassis

One-piece aluminum mini-chassis that is molded into the stock and give repeatable bedding and accuracy.

2 Great Stock

Hand painted. Each one is unique and blends in well out west. It also has an adjustable cheek riser for help in achieving the right head and eye position with the optic.

3 Bergara Quality Barrel

Button cut and made in-house. To me that says, “we guarantee the quality control.” I have yet to see a Bergara rifle that won’t shoot. They give consumers a 1MOA guarantee, but I doubt very many people need to use it.

Bergara Wilderness Models

In the Wilderness Series of rifles you will find, the Terrain, HMR, Ridge, and the Hunter.  Each model varies in feature set, but the main differences include changes to the stock shape, barrel lengths, and muzzle threading.  All the models have hand painted stocks, are fully cerakoted, and are built on the Bergara mini chassis design.

Bergara Wilderness Terrain – Our Take

Let’s begin with reliability.  During my time with the Wilderness Terrain in 6.5 Creedmoor, I experienced zero malfunctions of any kind.  With bolt action rifles, the most prevalent errors will be seen in the way the magazines interface and feed with the action and/or stock.  In this case, the rounds fed smoothly and didn’t nose dive nor get bound up in any way.

The action cycled smoothly and I didn’t notice any binding.  Sometimes tolerances can vary and cause a slight binding issue when the bolt is in the rearward position.  As soon as you start to push it forward, any “offline” movement can cause binding.  This was not the case with the B14 action, it cycled well.  Additionally, nothing on the rifle came loose or needed adjustment.

As far as ergonomics go, I do have one complaint.  There is no length of pull (distance from butt-stock to trigger) adjustability on the Wilderness Terrain.  This can cause all kinds of fundamental errors including a finger that isn’t 90 degrees while pressing the trigger, a shooter that must cant their body off to the side of the rifle in order to get eye alignment with their optic to work, and the inability of a shorter or younger shooter to get comfortable at all behind the rifle.

The HMR in the Wilderness line has polymer plates that can be inserted between the end of the stock and the butt pad, which helps solve this problem.  My feeling is that fully adjustable stocks should be the norm, not the exception, especially if we (the gun industry) care about growing fundamentally sound riflemen and women.  I guess making different models encourages an up-sale for people willing to fork out a little more cash for the added features.  Not necessarily a criticism; I’m a fan of capitalism.

The accuracy of the Bergara Wilderness Terrain in 6.5 Creedmoor was absolutely acceptable.  I shot groups with three different types of ammo, at 100 yards, from a modified prone position on a cement bench.  See the linked video for a visual.  For the opinionated pros out there, yes I should have shot my groups from the prone.  I think the results could have been a little better, but that being said I was still able to get sub-MOA groups from two of the three that I used.

The test group from the Federal Gold Medal Match ammo was the worst and measured 2.98 MOA.  I paused before writing that because FGMM ammo has typically performed extremely well.  This is actually the first time I’ve ever seen a group that large from Federal match grade ammo through any of my rifles over the years.  It leads me to believe there may have been something wrong with that box of ammo specifically, but I didn’t have a different one to test my theory.

The other two ammo choices I had were from Hornady.  One was the ELD Match 140 grain, and the other was the 143 grain Precision Hunter.  Those groups measured .70 and .81 MOA respectively.  Absolutely sufficient for hunting any North American game the sportsman chooses to pursue.

Finally, let’s talk about shootability.  Other than the one gripe I listed above, this rifle was a joy to shoot! It functioned well, was light and maneuverable, and had enough great features to not leave me wanting more.

I was thankful for the adjustable cheek piece, the smoothness of the action, and the overall accuracy of the system.  I do think it’s a fine choice for the backcountry hunter wanting a durable and repeatable rifle system, and with a price tag hovering right around $1000.00, I don’t think you can do much better for that money anywhere else.

I should add that I didn’t care for the trigger in this rifle.  I didn’t mention it above simply because It boils down to a personal preference.  I like all my triggers to match in the way they feel and in the weight of pull. Since the Bergara is a Remington 700 compatible platform, I would swap out the trigger to something like a Trigger Tech.

Video Review of the Bergara Wilderness Terrain

Bergara Wilderness Terrain Pros and Cons

Bergara Wilderness Terrain Starter Pack

I would recommend an additional magazine.  The rifle takes the short action, single stack, AICS pattern magazines and can be found from Bergara under part number RE32844.

Other than that, be sure to snag the right storage, safety, and maintenance kit – if you haven’t already.

• Magazines: 5 Rd AICS Magazines at Bergara
• Gun Cleaning Kit: Gloryfire Universal Cleaning Kit on Amazon
• Shooting Hearing Protection: See our Best Ear Pro Review
• Storage: Check out our favorite Biometric Rifle Cabinet

Now that we’ve covered that, let’s take a look at some of the best deals you can get when shopping for a Bergara Wilderness Terrain.  The following prices are what’s present at the time of writing this article.  They are subject to change as well as stock availability.

Also, we’ll go over what we believe to be some quintessential accessories and picks for some of our favorites.

Bergara Wilderness Terrain Gun Deals

Are you looking for the best deal on your Bergara Wilderness Terrain?  We don’t blame you.  And that’s why we’ve tracked down some of the best marketplaces to find the Wilderness Terrain–so you don’t have to.

Bergara Wilderness Terrain Upgrades and Accessories

When it comes to really making the most out of your Bergara, there’s a few things that while optional…are essential.

It’s not like your just gonna trail carry this rifle for hours on end or no-scope an elk at 100 yds out.  So, here’s our recommendations for the stuff you’re bound to snag.

Best Bergara Wilderness Terrain Accessories

Best Ammo for Your Bergara Wilderness Terrain

When it comes to exactly what you’re going to be shooting, it really depends on what kind of shooting you’re doing.  You don’t want to be burning through your pricier, more quality rounds at the range.  That’s reserved for a cheaper ammo in order to maximize your shots for training. Here’s what we like for the Bergara Wilderness Terrain:

Other Long Range Rifles of its Class to Check Out

If you’re looking to get a long range rifle, there’s a bunch of options out there.  Here’s one that we absolutely love. 

When Gun University was invited by Sig to get a sneak peek at the Sig Cross, we were super stoked and weren’t disappointed.  This rifle really shoots and now that it’s out on the market…READ MORE

How to Care for Your Bergara Wilderness Terrain

It’s absolutely essential that you properly care for your precision rifles.  But what happens if you let it get too dirty?  Well, Cummings Gun Works shows you exactly what can happen.  And in his video, he shows you how to properly clean a precision rifle.  (And while this isn’t a Bergara Wilderness Terrain, it is a Bergara B14 HMR.  And the principles still remain the same.)

Important Links and Manuals for the Bergara Wilderness Terrain

Are you looking to pick up a Bergara Wilderness Terrain but need a bit more info?  Or maybe you’ve just misplaced your user’s manual?  Either way, check out the links below.

• Bergara Wilderness Terrain
• Bergara Wilderness Terrain User’s Manual