Bergara highlander .308 Winchester - LOCK, STOCK & BARREL

LOCK, STOCK, BARREL

- Lee J. Hoots

Bergara bolt-action rifles are known to shoot well, and the company has been making headway with its sporting and long-range options in the last several years. Nonetheless, given the occasional letter sent to the office, it appears many hunters are not quite sure where the rifles are made. A brief history may help clear up some of this confusion.

Blackpowder Products, Inc. (BPI), located in Lawrenceville, Georgia, is the controlling agent for many hunting and shooting brands. Of significance here are Connecticut Valley Arms (CVA) and Bergara USA (barrels and rifles), to name just two. The latter was established in 2013 as an importer for Dikar S. Coop (Bergara Europe), a barrel manufacturer in Bergara, Spain. The company soon began selling barrels as original equipment (OEM), many of which went to custom rifle builders.

The firearms industry quickly took notice of Bergara barrels. When demand became strong enough, Bergara USA, or North America, began building customized rifles (Custom Series), and after some time it introduced a line of production rifles built in the U.S. using barrels made in Spain.