Bergara Rifles has been teasing their new “Small Batch” series of custom guns on their website and social media, and today released Small Batch No. 1, the Sidekick. Considering my involvement with Black Collar Arms, I’m particularly excited about this guy! Check it out:
BERGARA SMALL BATCH
Though perfection is longed for and sought after, it is not easily obtained. It takes craftsmanship, persistence, and refinement to create a quality unmatched.
A quality found in premium barrels forged in Spain, select materials, and American talent evolving into a premier firearm.
How does one improve upon perfection? Like a small batch whiskey assuming individual flavors through the process of hand selected barrels, we have created an exclusive series for the refined palate. A firearm that speaks to a level of perfection only achieved in small batches when an artisan’s talents combine with superior components.
Introducing Bergara Small Batch.
Refined in Spain, Barreled in Georgia
That’s Bergara’s description of the entire Small Batch series, and I gotta say, it sounds awesome. Other than the Sidekick, which is a bolt action pistol in a Bergara-specific and -tweaked version of our Black Collar Arms Pork Sword Chassis, I have no idea what else they’re going to be releasing as part of Small Batch.
But I know I’m excited to see the rest. As a fan of good whiskey, good guns, and good advertising, I love the whole “small batch” thing and am bummed that I didn’t think of it myself!
As a guy who generally dislikes the idea of tchotchkes, I admit to always giving a cold shoulder to “challenge coins.” That said, in the case of Bergara’s Small Batch series, the custom batch number challenge coins made from slices of barrel blanks are pretty darn cool.
Hit us up at Black Collar if you’re interested in a Sidekick from Batch No. 1 — we should have some in our hands soon.
Jon Wayne Taylor is at a Bergara event outside of Dallas right now and maybe I can talk him into posting some shooting impressions of the Sidekick here shortly.
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The big question this left handed, left eye dominant guy will always ask is are the batches small enough to offer a left handed version? If so I’m always interested, if not I’m not either.
With the bolt on the right side, this IS a left handed pistol. See below.
We custom build left handed ones on the reg, if you’re interested…
Question about pricing: How many digits to the left of the decimal point?
Ah. Answering my own question, the Bergara site says Sidekick MSRP $2899.
Well, it’s certainly got an interesting layout, @Scott. The bolt is on the right side but it’s the right side of a pistol. That means you’d strap that brace onto your LEFT forearm.
Hilarity ensues.
Small Batch, is it aged 12 years?
I’ve always wondered if there is a market for ‘small batches of guns’. Or perhaps guns made to order. Assuming if you had a good enough shop so that retooling wasn’t a compete nightmare. Although, from what I understand, the ATF want’s a sample of each new product you want to bring to market. And that by itself would be more of a PITA than anything else. :/
I shot the exact gun in this photo today, without the use of the brace, hammering silhouettes at 400 yards. Tons of fun.
That’s awesome! Glad to hear it was enjoying itself on the range and that y’all put it to good use. I’m bummed I wasn’t able to make it, but I’m really happy you got hands on 👍. I haven’t even seen the finished product in person myself (other than the chassis), but it’s sure photographing well! With Bergara’s fantastic actions and barrels I have no doubt it’s a heck of a shooter, too.
Always said, if you can afford it and want it, get it.
Price is subjective to most people. What one person won’t pay, another will.
Lemme know when the Savage Axis version is added to the CA Roster of Safe Handguns, because I absolutely need something like this!
A 10.5″ barrel pistol chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor?
What’s the point, other than creating huge fireballs when the unburned powder ignites outside the barrel?
Ditto for .223 and .308, but 6.5 Creedmoor in particular needs a long barrel. They’d be better off chambering it in .300 Blackout (or in a revolver caliber or pistol caliber).
“Needs” is a very strong word. I think you’d be quite surprised at the ballistics of a 6.5 CM from a short barrel. Check out our page of chronograph data for tons of loads and cartridges from various short barrel lengths: https://blackcollararms.com/short-barrel-ballistic-data/
These short, stiff barrels are extremely accurate and with a 12-inch 6.5 CM, for instance, you’re rock solid on deer and similar game out well past 500 yards. No reason to carry a longer, heavier gun if you’re hunting within whatever distance you determine still provides you with the correct velocity and/or energy level on target for your preference.
Lots of people hunt deer and hogs and such with subsonic 300 BLK, for instance. If you’re comfortable with that then you can take those animals to like 920 yards with a 10-inch .308 shooting 185 grain Bergers, because that’s when those projectiles will first go subsonic. With 6.5 CM you’re at like 1,150 yards before it first goes subsonic. Shooting .308 instead of 300 BLK in a gun like this gives you about 50% more capability from the supersonic ammo and the subsonic ammo is literally identical (exact same bullet, exact same powder charge, exact same bullet velocity). Since the gun is designed to run .308-length cartridges and the gun itself is sized for .308 regardless, you may as well shoot the .308 instead of a “conversion caliber” like 300 BLK that’s short for the magazine and action space.
…all that said, on the Black Collar side 300 BLK is our most popular chambering. I’m sure Bergara would have sold 300 BLK Sidekicks extremely well (although apparently all 200 of these sold old within a couple of minutes), but I am definitely of the belief myself that .308 and 6.5 CM are better choices for a short action gun.