Bergara MgMicro Lite Rifle: The Little Chassis That Could

I have been intimately familiar with Bergara’s Premier Series rifles for the better part of a decade. In fact, two of my personal rifles are the quintessential antithesis to the “safe queen” labeling and have accounted for more downed animals than any others I own.

This new breed of rifle from Bergara, however, would be a new undertaking for me. Half science project, half surgical exploration of sorts, pitting my set-in-my-ways ergonomic preferences against a growing market’s desire for portable, chassis-style hunting rifles.

Since my metaphoric laboratory is the mountains, and down puffies are my lab coats, this rifle’s clinical trial took place at the range and in the field, yielding eye-opening results. I’m no Doogie Howser, but I paid attention in my high school science class and realized that a hypothesis needs to be present to properly conduct research. With that said, I surmise I will easily be able to disregard the foreign feel of this lightweight chassis-style rifle as long as it’s a shooter (a sentiment I believe a lot of hunters would agree with).

The Heart and Soul

The MgMicro Lite starts with Bergara’s premier action. This two-lug push-feed system incorporates a separate floating bolt head which enhances and promotes consistent contact with the lug abutments— something I appreciate while hunting where follow-up shots can occur quickly.

The action is buttery-smooth and void of any gritty feeling or binding out of the box. I have handled other rifles that took working the bolt 300-400 times until the action settled and the burrs were buffed out, such was not the case with this one. Feeding was smooth and without a glitch. Considering that shorter, fatter cartridges, like the 6.5 PRC (my test model), can be finicky up feed ramps, I was impressed.

The bolt head and shroud are fully nitride-treated which aids in lubrication and complements the already tight tolerances. And I’m a fan of the stippling at the end of the bolt knob—it’s tactile and grippy.

TriggerTech’s patented Friction Release Technology eliminates creep and heavy pull weights. My test rifle had a trigger pull of 3 lbs., 2 oz. and is fully adjustable. I left it as it came from the factory, but typically I would lighten the pull to around 2 lbs., 4 oz. in a hunting rifle.

I prefer curved triggers over flat ones, and I was happy to see its crescent shape. The trigger broke crisp and clean, like all other TriggerTech’s I have gently pressed while on target.

Atoms and Nucleus

According to the Oxford Dictionary, a nucleus is “the central and most important part of an object, movement, or group, forming the basis for its activity and growth” and an atom “is the smallest unit of matter”, or in this case—that matters.

The XLR Atom magnesium chassis is compact and ultralight, weighing in at a scant 14 ounces for short actions and 15.5 ounces for its long-action brethren (chassis frame alone). When configured with the carbon fiber buttstock and grip it tips the scales at 27 ounces.

There are several nuanced touches worth mentioning including a built-in bubble level and a machined dovetail that is Arca-Swiss compatible. This will help backcountry hunters who routinely deal with steep angles and off-kilter shooting positions maintain proper rifle cant and be able to utilize a fully supported gamut of Arca-Swiss shooting platforms like tripods and bipods.

I was pleasantly surprised by the finish of the chassis and am a big fan of the matte pewter-esque colorway as it blends in with many conditions and terrains from granite scree to dark timber.

The MgMicro Lite comes with a 3-round AICS detachable magazine (5-round for 6.5 Creedmoor and .308 Winchester) and its thumb release functioned well. Since it’s a Remington 700 clone, all R700 pattern scope bases will work, as I chose two-piece Talley Lightweights with a low height. It’s drilled and tapped for 8x40 screws.

The Cure

One of Bergara’s mottos is “our barrels make the difference.” The remedy for accuracy on the majority of rifles starts and ends with the barrel. The Cure sports a center-wrapped carbon weave designed for directional accuracy. In addition to being aesthetically pleasing to the eye, its No.6 barrel contour is rigid and certainly assists with barrel harmonics and heat dissipation. Test barrel on my 6.5 PRC was 18 inches with a 1:8 twist rate, ideal for supporting a wide range of modern 6.5 PRC loads.

One caveat to this short barrel length is that the 6.5 PRC can be a little “rip-snorty” when shooting and it might beckon for a suppressor. Thankfully, it comes threaded 5/8x24. More on this later.

Carbon Imprint

My main trepidation about the MgMicro Lite focused solely on my lack of experience with chassis style rifles—and even more specifically, the folding buttstock and vertical pistol grip.

I don’t consider myself a purist of any kind, but I like what I like and so far in my life it has been traditional sporter-style shaped stocks. I’m not so old school that only top-grade maple blows my hair back—on the contrary. I see the merits and value of carbon fiber in general as an incorporated rifle-stock material.

In reality, my apprehension stemmed from years’ worth of muscle memory and the ergonomics of the buttstock comb and sweep of the grip were foreign to me.
My ability to get a solid cheek weld was easy with the adjustable cheek rest; it donned the same Limb-Saver recoil pad that is prevalent on many rifles these days.

When folded small, then opened back up—there was a solid and audible lock-up—absent of any wiggle.

Was I preemptively whining and creating a problem that didn’t exist? Maybe so.

Did I need to get a grip? Yes, and so I did.

The smoke carbon grip was comfortable to address with or without mittens. Its design supported the skeletonized theme of this rifle without sacrificing stability or performance. Albeit, working the bolt quickly took a little time to get used to as the positioning of my right hand wasn’t in its “normal” location.

The awkwardness was akin to not having ridden a bicycle for a decade and then expecting to be able to pull off a 360° trick. With a little bit more pedaling and balance, I was poppin’ proverbial wheelies and shooting well.

Ultimately, the buttstock and grip weren’t a huge hindrance for me as I quickly acclimated to the feel of the rifle. The rifle’s ability to virtually disappear on your pack is a huge selling point and I cannot foresee a hunter running into issues getting snagged up while working through tough country.

The Pulse at the Range

At the range, I was highly impressed with the consistent accuracy of the MgMicro Lite. Hornady’s 147-grain ELD-M factory ammo averaged the smallest group size at .68 inches but was trailed closely by the 143-grain ELD-X Hornady offering and Federal’s 140-grain Fusion Tipped ammo, both of which demonstrated sub-MOA accuracy. The spring-loaded sliding plate extractor removed spent brass without a hitch.

As I alluded to previously, this rifle, chambered in 6.5 PRC, is quite snappy and I would highly recommend using a suppressor. Doing so mitigates both recoil and much of the sonic boom from the muzzle blast.

Diagnosis and Treatment

I was able to experiment with the MgMicro Lite on a backcountry hunt in Idaho this fall and was happy with its portability and weight (5.9 lbs.). I was equally confident in its ability to put the projectile where it needed to be during crunch time.

This might sound like realtor lingo, but “No deer were harvested at no fault of the rifle.” I passed up over a handful of immature bucks (per self-imposed protocol) and ultimately ate my tag.

In conclusion, what I gleaned from this rifle was it fills a nice niche for those looking to log long miles without a heavy-weight penalty, and does so with an extremely small profile.

From the ground up, it is chock-full of high-quality componentry and the sum of all its parts produces performance. I still may be a sporter-style stock guy, but my perspective on chassis rifles for hunting has been subtly enlightened, if not converted. After all, it was a shooter.

Bergara MgMicro Lite Specs

• Type: Bolt-action centerfire
• Caliber: 6.5 PRC (tested), 6.5 Creedmoor, .308 Win
• Capacity: 3-round AICS (5 for non-magnums)
• Barrel: Cure carbon, 18 inch,  1:8 twist, threaded  5/8x24
• Weight: 5.9 lbs (bare)
• Length: 38 inches, (28.5 inches folded)
• Stock: XLR Atom magnesium chassis
• Sights: Drilled and tapped for  Rem. 700-footprint bases
• Trigger: TriggerTech Adjustable,  3 lbs. 2 oz. (measured)
• MSRP: $3,149
• Manufacturer: Bergara, bergara.online/us/

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