r/canadaguns • u/looloopklopm • Aug 04 '26

Buy recommendations Bergara Premier HMR Pro

Talk me out of buying this rifle in 6.5 creedmoor with a 24 inch barrel. It's nearly $3k.

Looking for something 99% range use that I can take hunting maybe one or two times. I've never been hunting before but want to try it out. Main use will be as a target gun at 300 yards or less. I have another range nearby that goes out to 800, but I am not a member. I want to print holes in paper close together. My other guns are an sks, MRA renegade, shotgun, and 22s.

I want to get into reloading but have no setup yet. I will put some sort of $1k-$1.5k ffp optic on this.

My main concerns are:

- price. I wanted the regular hmr, but it's out of stock everywhere and has been for over 2 months. I know I get more for my money with the pro, but is it worth it?

- calibre. Given I want to reload, won't likely go past 300 yards, and might hunt, do I get a 308 instead? These only come in 20 inch barrels. Seems like a waste also to put a 308 into a target rifle chassis, etc like the pro provides. A regular hmr in 308 might make sense.

- What about tikka? I know their actions are smooth, but I've also heard great things about the Bergara hmr pro's. Rem 700 vs tikka systems, mag compatibility, etc. Not like the t3x CTR is in stock anywhere either.

You are me. What do you do?

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u/conanap Aug 06 '26

Tbh look up ammo price of 308 vs 6.5, that’s pretty much the biggest argument against 65.

If that doesnt bother you, id echo the others on getting a tikka instead. Their action is tremendously smooth.

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u/waitwhatnothing Aug 10 '26

What difference in ammo price? I have a 6.5 and a lot of the ammo I’ve bought has been in the $28-34 a box range. The only .308 that’s cheaper than that is surplus. Comparable quality ammo is basically the same price. 

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u/conanap Aug 10 '26

Right, 6.5 doesn’t have surplus available though. If they’re just hunting, surplus is probably enough no?

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u/waitwhatnothing Aug 10 '26

You can’t hunt with surplus, or at least you shouldn’t. Military ammunition is non-expanding and isn’t considered ethical for hunting. 

OP wants to shoot targets mainly and wants as much accuracy as possible. Surplus ammo is not great for accuracy. Decent ammo for target/long range shooting is about the same price for .308 and 6.5 creed. If the only thing you care about is the cheapest possible ammo then .308 has a slight edge. 

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u/conanap Aug 10 '26

Oh ok TIL, thanks for educating me.