B-14 Wilderness Sierra: Bergara’s Most Versatile Hunting Rifle?

Is the B-14 Wilderness Sierra Bergara’s most versatile, value-priced hunting rifle yet? I’ve become a true Bergara fan after testing a number of rifles and observing outstanding results. Though announced at SHOT Show 2024, we only just received the Sierra and already have a number of plans for it!

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About the Bergara B-14 Wilderness Sierra

Last year’s new .308 hunting rifle was the Bergara B-14 Squared Crest. This year, I have the B-14 Wilderness Sierra. We’ve tested rifles from Bergara’s Wilderness line before including the Ridge Carbon Wilderness and B-14 Wilderness HMR. The Sierra combines traditional Bergara features with some new ones for utmost versatility and shootability. At approximately 7 lbs., the rifle is compact. It comes with a hinged floorplate (4-round capacity) which I quickly swapped out for Hawkins Precision M5 DBM bottom metal. This made it possible to run AICS magazines. It also has a sporter stock with adjustable cheek riser, fluted and threaded barrel with muzzle brake, length of pull spacers, and sling swivels. It also has a sub-MOA guarantee and left-handed options!

From Bergara:

Introducing the Sierra, a game-changer in our Wilderness Series. Crafted to provide shooters with unparalleled customization and comfort. Designed for those who seek the traditional sporter style of the Ridge but crave more adjustability, the Sierra stands out as the ideal choice for hunters who value versatility in the field. The highlight of this rifle is its adjustable comb, offering shooters the freedom to personalize their comb height for an optimized and comfortable shooting experience.

Quick Specs:

- Barrel: 4140 CrMo Steel Fluted No. 5 Taper
- Finish: Sniper Grey Cerakote
- Stock: Bergara Sporter with Adjustable Comb
- Calibers: .308 Winchester, 6.5 Creedmoor, .22-250 Remington, 6 Creedmoor, 6.5 PRC, .30-06 Springfield, .270 Winchester, 7mm Rem Mag, 300 PRC, .300 Win Mag, 7 PRC
- Weight: Starting at 7.4 lbs.
- MSRP: Starting at $1099

What’s in the Box

The package is pretty standard: the rifle, bolt packaged separately, length of pull spacers, owners manual, warranty registration, thank you card, and decal.

Set-Up, Loading, and Shooting

I used Hawkins Precision featherweight scope rings to mount a Element Optics Nexus Gen 2 directly to the action — no rail required. Some may say the Nexus Gen 2 is a lot of scope for this lightweight rifle. I don’t like to give up any magnification at long distances and prefer to have a larger, heavier scope loaded with features than a lighter one without. Personally, it made sense for my long range plans.

I started out by bore-sighting the rifle at 100 yards and walked in the rifle with Hornady .308 168 grain TAP ammunition. I used the Longshot LR-3 so I didn’t have to head downrange after every shot which significantly expedited the process. My sight-in group measured a bit over an inch at 100 yards. I switched over to 175 grain Sierra MatchKing handloads and had better results. My smallest group measured ⅝”,

To get a better feel for the gun I took a number of offhand shots at close range steel in our industrial yard. The rifle balanced well and I had no issues making hits, especially on lower magnification. I greatly appreciated the adjustable cheekpiece and its rubberized texture. The installed omni radial brake really helped me to get back on target quicker in offhand. I had previously tested it in our .30 caliber brake shootout and confirmed it works. I got a lot more blowback from this brake shooting prone due to its omni-directional design, but it’s optimized for offhand and other positions you’ll more likely use while hunting.

Next came our traditional prone shooting on the Ridgeline. I added a SilencerCo Hybrid Omega suppressor and shot at steel at 335 and 660 yards. (I broke the torque of the radial muzzle brake with an allen key that just barely fit through the holes and added lube before making the transition.)

I had no issues getting on target but adding the suppressor made it very difficult to watch trace and see my hits and misses as I was pushed so far off target with each shot.

Conclusion

With an MSRP of $1099 and lower street price, the lightweight B-14 Wilderness Sierra is largely attainable with a host of features. The M5 cut also makes it easy to switch between the factory hinged floorplate and a detachable magazine depending on your needs and what kind of hunt you are going on. It only took about two minutes! I really enjoyed shooting this quality rifle and liked everything about it except the omni brake while shooting prone and the caliber. I have no issue with .308, but I’d rather have this rifle in 6.5 Creedmoor or 7mm PRC for my needs. This was one of the first test rifles available.