The Bergara B-14 Hunter is a synthetic-stocked bolt-action .270 Winchester built for deer and antelope hunting. It has an MSRP of $949. Bergara guarantees sub-MOA accuracy from it and names a Nosler 130 grain AccuBond as the .270 load it tests with, so a buyer has a load to try before working through anything else.

Nothing is fitted to the receiver, so a base, rings and an optic are the first things to buy. The magazine is an internal box that holds four rounds, with a hinged floorplate underneath, and Bergara sells a detachable magazine as an option in this chambering. At 7.30 lbs with a 24-inch barrel the rifle sits forward in the hands, which steadies a shot off a pack and makes it slower to swing onto a moving animal.

If you're cross-shopping, the Weatherby Vanguard Outfitter has the same MSRP of $949 and weighs within an ounce of it, but it adds a muzzle brake on a threaded barrel, holds five rounds and has a two-stage trigger set at 2.5 lbs. The Ruger American Rifle is a used buy now, with a Picatinny base already on the receiver, a detachable magazine and 2 inches less barrel. All three need glass before they can be hunted with, and the Bergara also needs a base.