Every barrel is going to shoot differently. Like any other rifle, testing with good ammunition will allow you to find the best choice for your needs.

Bergara Barrels are made with an extractor not an ejector. The extractor pulls the cartridge out far enough to allow the shooter to remove it with fingertips.

The full contour barrels are nearly the same diameter as the muzzleloading barrels and therefore the full contour center-fire barrels should be used with the muzzleloading fore end. If you have a T/C full contour you will need different screws to secure the muzzleloading fore end to the full contour center-fire barrel. The screws are available from the Bergara Barrels Customer Support Team.

As long as the barrel fits snugly into the frame when closed there will be no problem. TC frames have a wide tolerance range so you may actually need to call the Bergara Barrel Customer Support team if the pivot pin for a particular barrel is loose or the barrel feels loose on the frame.

Like most rifle or shotgun actions, for proper fit and alignment of the internal working parts, the action should be closed vigorously. A soft or gentle closing may not “snap” the locking mechanism and trigger group into proper positioning for firing. Open and then close the action with a good firm snap and the rifle should work properly. If this action does not solve the issue, please contact our Customer Support team.

All Bergara barrels are all checked for headspace before they are sold. Because of allowed tolerances you may see a small gap between the barrel and frame.

Contact the Bergara Barrels Customer Support team to arrange for the return and repair of your Bergara Barrel: http://bergarabarrels.com/contact.html

First the solid bars of steel are straightened. Many barrel companies skip this step, but we have found that this is critical to the drilling of a straight hole. The steel bar is then deep-hole drilled (often called “gun-drilling”, even outside of our industry) from end to end with a slightly undersized drill. A honing machine smoothes and hones the hole to the required size to receive the rifling button. The barrel is then cleaned, inspected and lubricated and a carbide rifling button is pulled through the hole to impress the rifling into the steel. The barrel is cleaned and inspected again before it goes on to final heat treating.
Click HERE to watch the process

The honing system designed specifically for Bergara Barrels increases the diameter of the drilled hole to the required size through the use of diamond-tipped honing heads in a computer-monitored machine. This machine provides an ultra-smooth bore with no tool marks and results in tolerances much tighter than a process using reamers. Thus, even before the rifling button is pulled through the barrel you have a bore surface that is equal to the finest hand-lapped custom barrels.

The purpose of the break-in procedure is to smooth away tiny burrs and imperfections from the surface of the bore. Because of the honing system used in place of bore reamers , the Bergara Barrel has a mirror-like bore surface prior to and after button rifling, little or no break-in is needed.

If you still prefer to follow a break-in procedure, and many people do, we recommend the following:

Clean the barrel thoroughly after each shot for 5 to 10 shots. Then clean thoroughly after each 5 shot group until you reach 50 shots. Don’t waste time and ammo, use this break-in time to improve your shooting skills and select the factory ammo that gives you the best performance. Make every shot count.

Ask a dozen, well-qualified gunsmiths this question and you will get a dozen, well-qualified, but different answers. The correct method is the one that works best for you. But here are some guidelines:

Use the best quality cleaning rods, patches and brushes you can afford. All the cleaning tools you could buy will not cost a fraction of the cost of replacing a ruined barrel. Buy a good quality rod with a ball bearing, rotating handle. This type of handle allows the brush and patch to accurately follow the twist in the barrel. This action allows for efficient cleaning of the bottom of the groove, especially in the corner where the groove meets the land.
Buy brushes with brass wire cores. Steel cores can damage your barrel should one bend or otherwise go awry while in the bore. Buy a good quality brass jag for each caliber rifle you own. Whether you “wrap” or “pierce” the patch is up to you. But keep your jag clean. Grit that gets embedded in a soft brass jag acts like a file if it contacts the delicate inside of your bore.
Most all of the solvents currently on the market will do a great job. Follow the directions on the chemical’s container carefully. NEVER mix types of solvents as undesirable chemical reactions can occur. Patches should be cotton or cotton flannel only. Cheap synthetic patches do not absorb solvents and carry away the fouling you are trying to clean out of your barrel.

PROCEEDURE- Wet a patch thoroughly and pass it through the bore. Always clean from the breech if possible. The use of a bore guide, if available, is highly recommended. Allow this solvent to sit in the bore a minute or two. Using a proper sized brush wet with solvent, take several full-length strokes through the barrel. It is always best to push the brush completely out of the barrel before reversing it. Push one wet and several dry patches through the bore and inspect. Repeat as necessary until clean. Finish the job with a patch wet with common rubbing alcohol to remove any residual solvent and a light coating of good quality gun oil. HOW CLEAN? This is where many shooters get carried away. You can clean and clean for hours and still get traces of fouling or other material on the patch. Do a good job, don’t expect miracles, then get out and shoot some more. You will likely find that your barrel shoots as good after a thorough 20 minute cleaning job as it does after a 3 hour marathon. Rule of thumb- if your barrel is shooting accurately, you are doing a good job cleaning.

Generally speaking no. Each material has the same potential for accuracy. However, in cartridges that are hard on the chamber throat, such as the .22-250 and the Short Magnums, you may have a longer throat life, and therefore accuracy life, with a Stainless Steel Barrel.

Yes. It can and it will if it is neglected. Stainless steel suitable for rifle barrels (and other gun parts, for that matter) is a different chemical makeup than the stainless steel used for other purposes such as handling corrosive materials or medical use.

Clean your gun regularly inside and out. Wipe it down during and after handling with an oily rag. If you live or hunt in heavy humidity or salt laden air you must go even farther to protect your gun’s finish. A simple, but very effective, remedy to the rust problem is to give your gun a good wax job with any good quality, non-abrasive car wax at the beginning of the season. Maintain this protective film as needed. It sounds silly, but it works. This applies to both stainless steel and blued guns alike.

Sorry, but no. There are too many things that are out of our control.

No, we do not offer custom services at this time.

Ed Shilen is a primary consultant to Bergara Barrels. We appreciate his endorsement of our product.

This warranty covers defects in materials or workmanship from the factory.

Twist rate is the rate at which a bullet spins as it travels out of the barrel. For example: a barrel with a 1:10 twist such as a .223 means that the bullet will complete one revolution every ten inches of travel down the bore.

That depends on which barrel you purchase. Twist rates start at 1:28 for the muzzleloading barrel, the .45-70 barrel has a 1:20 twist and 7mm-08 has a 1:9. All the others have a 1:10 twist. All Bergara Barrels are right hand twist.

Bergara offers both Matte Blue and Bead Blasted Stainless Steel finishes.

We focus on bringing you the best product that we can, while at the same time keeping the price affordable, so that everyone can afford such a great product and a great experience.

Yes, all of the barrels are drilled and tapped for scope mounting. Only the Muzzlelaoding and .45-70 barrels are drilled and tapped for iron sights.

We recommend one-piece Durasight brand http://www.durasight.com bases. These are made out of a material called Z2 Alloy, which is very strong. These bases are also backed by a lifetime warranty. Part numbers are:

• DS102B- black one-piece to fit all Elite barrels
• DS102S- silver one-piece to fit all Elite barrels
• DS103B- black one-piece to fit all Encore/Pro-hunter barrels
• DS103S- silver one-piece to fit all Encore/Pro-hunter barrels

Durasight’s rings are a better design to match Weaver style bases, and we strongly recommend their use with any optics mounted on a Bergara Premium Barrel.

Yes, it will fit just fine. Keep in mind that we do not sell T/C ramrods and our ramrods are not the same as T/C's.

Yes, but we only have the extra full turkey choke that come with the barrels. You can use any Browning Invector (not Invector-plus) or Winchester Win-choke.

No, due to federal laws the center fire barrels will only fit the Optima Elite. Any attempt to alter a barrel to fit to any gun frame not specifically designed to take it will void any and all warranties.

Please ask them to special order one for you. If this service is not available contact Bergara Barrels directly.

For the most part when you change barrels the fit should be tight and solid. In some rare cases you may need to contact Customer Support for a different hinge pin. Only in rare cases will you need to send your frame to us.

At this time we are only making barrels to fit the Encore, Pro-Hunter and Endeavour Rifles.

We use our own breech plug design. T/C branded breechplugs (including SpeedBreech) will not work in the Bergara Muzzleloading Barrels.

No, our barrels are not equipped with a primer extractor. The breechplug is designed for easy primer removal with fingers or a de-capping tool.