Mine was stiff out of the box... But after about 4-500 rounds it's way smoother now. Without ammo I can open and close the bolt with one finger(*). The bolt moves very easy through the action. In fact, it will open & close just by tilting the rifle.

Generally the bolt is a bit "clunky", there's a "clunk" when you move the bolt handle up and down,

(*): with ammo it depends... CCI it's veery hard to close, Lapua or SK it's still easy to close. The chamber is very tight, you can actually feel a difference with various ammo brands!!

My scope's eye piece is about 1.9" in diameter, mounted 1.9" high (center of barrel to center of scope). The bolt handle still has about 1/4" of clearance, little less maybe.

 

My bolt was also very stiff out of the box but seems to be breaking in a bit now. I keep it well greased and run it hard. The handle for me was definitely a hindrance with my large scope (Strike Eagle 5-25x56). I opted for installing the adjustable handle and different knob from Anarchy Outdoors. Great upgrade that improved the feel of the gun. It's now swept down and a back a bit for better leverage and clearance.

 

I was also interested in the Anarchy outdoors adjustable handle and bolt but i was wondering if you had any issues with it coming loose or does the lock nut do its job well?

 

Is it difficult to replace the bolt handle?

 

No mine came loose with just using my hand . No tools no heat.

 

I picked up a B14R a week ago. I am going to finishing mounting the scope today. It will wear an Athlon Argos 6-24 50mm in low rings on a 20 MOA rail.

In dry fitting the parts, the bolt handle clears the illumination knob on my left handed action. It is close, but it clears. I may or may not change the bolt handle knob later down the line. I will shoot the rifle a bit before I decide.

Most centerfire bolt actions are a little stiffer in cocking than rimfires I have handled. That is the case here. I am not surprised. The 14R is marketed as a "trainer".

New out of the box the action feels a lot like the action on a straight from the factory Remington 700 BDL or SPS centerfire hunting rifle. That makes sense. The Bergara is a R700 clone.

Back in the day polishing the bolt or jeweling the action of factory 700s for a smoother operation was considered an upgrade. It was standard fair for gunsmiths who worked on those rifles. Most owners felt the action was good enough as is.