Bergara’s MgLite is a lightweight, accurate, and reliable hunting platform that utilizes some uncommon materials to achieve this result. Thanks mainly to the carbon fiber construction of Bergara’s Cure Carbon Barrel and to the AZ61A Magnesium alloy that is used in the XLR Element Chassis, the MG Lite come in at a petite 6.6 lbs in its 308 Winchester offering. Even though this rifle weighs pounds less than its competition, Bergara managed to incorporate many features that may make this rifle, pound for pound, the best value in its class. With an MSRP of $3,299.00 this rifle lands squarely in the premium rifle bracket for drawing comparisons, but with features such as an integrated ARCA Swiss rail, bubble level in its chassis, TriggerTech Trigger, carbon fiber barrel, dual ejectors, and many other quality of life features, this rifle provides an outstanding bang for the buck.
Now that I’ve basically summed up my whole review in the very first paragraph, I’ll cover each aspect of the Bergara MgLite in detail. First, I’ll hit the noteworthy features of the rifle system, then accuracy and function, followed by my final thoughts. Check the headings and read along to learn more about Bergara’s MgLite.
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Noteworthy Features
The MGLite is one of the rifles in Bergara’s Premier Series. In short, this means that this rifle’s action is dressed up a bit when compared to their more basic offerings. This Premier Series action has a floating two-lug bolt head that is conically shaped with dual ejectors. In the lower locking lug, there is a spring-loaded sliding plate extractor. The bolt body is a fluted, one-piece design of stainless steel construction. The bolt handle is threaded, allowing possible swaps to fit your preferences. And last, but not least, the bolt lugs, bolt handle, and gas shroud are Nitrided which creates a durable and slick finish. Mated with this fantastic action is the TriggerTech Primary trigger that is adjustable from 1.5-4 lbs and breaks crisply with no takeup or overtravel.
Bergara is known for the accuracy of their barrels, which makes sense if you knew that Bergara was originally a barrel manufacturer that moved into rifle production. The CURE carbon barrel on this rifle is, at its surface, just another carbon fiber wrapped barrel that increases rigidity while dropping precious pounds from the system. When you peer deeper, the CURE carbon barrel is more than this though; Bergara claims to have eliminated cold-bore accuracy shifts and reports a decrease of 50 degrees Fahrenheit when compared to other carbon barrels due to their unique construction. This Bergara barrel is layered with a heat-dissipative stainless mesh, held fast by a thermally conductive resin, followed by a unidirectional high modulus carbon which keeps the barrel rigid along its length. A 45-degree weave anti-torsion carbon layer encases all of this. The end result is a lightweight, and accurate barrel. On the MgLite, this barrel features a 5/8×24 TPI threaded muzzle which I used to suppress this rifle system for some of my shooting.
The last feature that I want to mention is the XLR Element 4.0 chassis. This chassis, as mentioned, is constructed from AZ61A Magnesium alloy, which is lighter than aluminum while still offering desirable characteristics for a sturdy and lightweight chassis. The XLR Element 4.0 chassis allows for a left-handed or right-handed action, accepts AICS magazines, features an ARCA Swiss rail along the full length of the forend as well as M-LOK attachments down the full length of the forend on the 3, 6 and 9 o’clock positions. The chassis also has a built-in bubble level located just behind the tang of the rifle action. And to sum up the rest, this chassis features carbon-fiber accouterments, including a cheek piece, grip, and buttstock. Oh, and the buttstock folds, making this whole system compact and easy to carry in or on a backpack.
Specifications
- 5+1 capacity
- chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor
- also available in .308 Winchester, 6.5 PRC, and 300 Win Mag
- 22″ barrel
- 1:8 twist rate
- 43″ overall length
- 6.7 lbs
- Graphite Black Cerakote
- folding stock
- carbon fiber CURE barrel
- AICS-style magazine compatible
- MSRP $3,299.00
Accuracy
Just like most accuracy tests, I took the Bergara MgLite out and set it up on shooting bags. Here, I fired several 5-round groups at a target 100 yards away, using ammo with several different projectile weights and brands. On this range day, I used 6.5 Creedmoor 140 gr BTHP American Gunner, 143 gr ELD-X® Precision Hunter, 120 gr ELD® Match, Prime 130 grain HPBT, and Norma Whitetail, 140 grain ammunition offerings. I not only shot these groups with the factory muzzle brake installed, but I also repeated them with an AB Suppressor Raptor 8 with 5″ reflex installed. Unfortunately, when I shot the suppressed groups, it had begun raining and my targets got a bit messy as the ink in the paper ran. luckily, the holes in the paper can’t be washed away. The results from this range session are shown in the photographs below and the group sizes are in the picture, as well as in the picture description. Interestingly enough, the groups from the suppressed testing are consistently smaller than the groups fired with the factory muzzle brake. At the end of the day, this MgLite averaged about 1 MOA between all ammunition types that I tested.
Function
The fit and feel of the Bergara MgLite scream high quality. The bolt fits tight and operates smoothly. The bolt knob is ergonomic and the cocking indicator works as intended, plainly showing when the gun is cocked and ready to fire, or not. The dual ejector design of the bolt head aggressively flings brass out, which is not as important for bolt-action rifles as it is for semi-auto platforms, but it is a good fail-safe in the situation where one of the ejectors gets jammed with sand or dirt, or fails entirely. This kind of redundancy is very welcome in a platform that is likely going to be used out in the field, away from any kind of tools that can be used for fixing malfunctions or failures that can occur.
And of course, the Trigger Tech Primary trigger is exactly what Trigger Tech has built a reputation on; crisp and takeup free while breaking at exactly 1.5 lbs out of the box. Bergara’s CURE barrel obviously shoots fine but also drops some even more apparent pounds from the rifle due to its carbon fiber construction. The radially drilled muzzle brake leaves a bit to be desired, especially when ported brakes are plainly superior in performance and function. This is a painful or dirty observation that can be made when shooting the rifle prone, depending on the composition of the ground you are shooting on.
Finally, the chassis. The XLR Element 4.0 chassis that the Bergara MgLite sits in is literally and figuratively the foundation that this rifle is built on. Without it, this rifle would only be the “Bergara Lite.” As previously mentioned, this chassis is made from a magnesium alloy that is tough and lighter than aluminum. This functional chassis only weighs 28 ounces and has many features that I desire on a hunting rifle. Specifically, the ARCA Swiss rail that is built into the forend allows the rifle to be easily clipped into a tripod for stable sitting or standing shots when prone is not permitted by the terrain. The folding carbon fiber stock also adds to the rifle’s functionality, allowing the rifle to be carried in/on a backpack without the barrel waving around miles above your head, grabbing every tree branch that you walk near. The adjustable cheekpiece and MLOK slots on the buttstock create a very ergonomic system, with the latter accommodating for the addition of bag riders and other accessories. As you can tell, Bergara’s Premier barreled action is incredibly nice, but the XLR Element makes this rifle what it is.
Final Thoughts
I really enjoyed my time with the Bergara MgLite. I spent 6 months with this rifle, taking it out on several deer-hunting outings and banging it around in the woods. During this time, I put several hundred rounds through the rifle, about half of them with a suppressor mounted. The MgLite never once had a failure of any kind. Rounds fed reliably, every time I pulled the trigger the round fired, and even in wet conditions brass extracted reliably. Because the finish on this rifle is Cerakote and the brass gets ejected pretty violently thanks to the dual ejectors, I noticed a bit of wear after some time on the rear of the receiver where the case mouth of the brass would flip around and ding the finish. This isn’t an issue in my mind, because with use, any equipment will show signs of wear, it’s merely an observation.
The MgLite has pretty much every feature that I expect a hunting rifle to have, including a folding stock and an ARCA Swiss rail that provides incredible versatility in the field. The adjustable cheekpiece is another simple and effective feature that I was able to utilize to create the perfect interface even when I swapped optics, which I did three times. This rifle currently wears a Bushnell Elite optic, which is a poor match because of its heavy construction. But aesthetically speaking, tan really ties it all together. Another optic that I had on this gun was a Leupold Mk5 HD 5-25x which is a fantastic match, but a bit higher magnification than I desired. The Vortex Razor HD LHT 4.5-22x was the best match for the MgLite due to its feature-packed, light construction.
The most important part of a long-range hunting-oriented rifle is arguably the rifle’s accuracy. The MgLite that I have put down groups that averaged around 1 MOA, which is acceptable in my book. To be blunt, I had hoped this rifle to be consistently in the 0.5 MOA range, but that is a tall task for any gun shooting 5-round groups. Still, I feel that this rifle is capable of my expectations. Anybody who reloads their own ammunition could probably tailor a load that accomplishes this. Also, there are many, many other offerings of 6.5 Creedmoor ammo on the market and one or two of them would likely fill this expectation. Side note: the accuracy test groups were fired on front and rear sandbags while the majority of my shooting was done with a bipod and rear bag. Accuracy in both scenarios was comparable.
At the end of my testing, I have come to the conclusion that the MgLite is an extremely reliable gun that is well-built for backpack hunting and other applications where every bit of weight matters. And it can adequately fill the needs of most long-range shooters. This gun is not only ergonomic but beautiful; the latter may not matter to some, but to most consumers, this is a box that needs to be checked. My only complaint about the MgLite is Bergara’s use of a radially drilled muzzle brake instead of a ported design. This is an issue that I have which is consistent across the firearms industry as a whole (please let this design die out). regardless, after my time with the gun, I can definitely recommend the Bergara MgLite to anyone who is looking for a premium hunting rifle.
Learn more about Bergara’s MgLite HERE.
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