I was brought up rather "Old School". I am 52 right now, there are certainly people older obviously, but I was exposed to an older generation's shooting standards. You had to know my dad and the people we shot with to understand. I was fortunate to be around many very high-quality rimfire guns during my youth. Shooting with my dad and his friends continuously exposed me to rimfire guns as Winchester 52's, Remington 40x's, High Standard Target Pistols, Smith & Wesson 41's, Smith & Wesson Model 17 or K22 Masterpiece's, and the Colt Officers Models. Those were the days.

By the time I was 16 I was actually quite handy with firearms repair and even some customizing, plus I had become a "gun snob" of sorts. Not about brand or cost, but rather what a specific gun could do. I became obsessed with accuracy. Grouping capability more specifically. I wanted to know why the above-mentioned guns performed better. They simply grouped better. Why did a Winchester 52 made in 1935 absolutely kick the living hell out of a new Ruger 77/22 and as far as that goes, why did it slap around the Almighty Kimber of Oregon Model 82?

Remington still makes the 40x in rimfire calibers if you have around $4000 and up. The 52 Winchester has been gone since 1980. It had a good run. It was introduced in 1919; that's 61 years. Among others, I have a Winchester 52 made in 1920. When I go to the range with this 100-year-old relic it makes those with Savages, Marlins, Rugers, and CZs all scratch their heads. For some time now, unless we can spend thousands on a Remington 40x, Vudoo V22, certain Anschutz 54 action-based rifles, a Cooper, or an exotic custom from a hole in the wall shop, we have been relegated to the more petite actions of the Savage/Marlin/New CZ/Ruger rimfire bolt action rifles (I don't think I'll ever forgive CZ for discontinuing the 452/3). Don't get me wrong, them rifles can shoot well, however, they cannot shoot like a Remington 37, 40x, or Winchester 52. Them rifles were HEAVY DUTY with twin locking lugs, massive receivers, and seriously heavy barrels with real match chambers. Much emphases was placed on the barrel.

Here is something you don't know about me. I have been in the gun business for over 30 years. I customize guns. I have had design input on a few guns on the market. I have worked as a beta-tester. I have done many types of customizing over the years. I am one of a handful of people that can competently work on Colt double-action revolvers, I have hand-fit countless 1911s, I have done action jobs and trigger jobs, and lastly, I have done a great deal of research and customization on bolt-action 22lr rifles for target use. Actually, it has been my company's most significant area of research. I have patents within that field. I have a nationwide customer base. However, consider me the Incognito Gunsmith. I am not here to rally business. I am here to share experiences and to hear your experiences.

When I read about the Bergara B14r I was quite excited. It's a Remington 700 short action-based rimfire rifle. That means it's built along the lines of a $3000 Vudoo V22 and a $4000 Remington 40x, except the R14r retails for $1150 with a current street-price in some locations of $950. What you get for your money is a very high-quality synthetic stock with butt spacers and an adjustable cheekpiece. The stock is reinforced with aluminum and the action beds on aluminum. This stock is rigid! This isn't some flimsy plastic thing by any stretch of the imagination. The receiver is massive, the bolt has 2 locking lugs, and the 18" barrel is rather fat. Bergara, a company that started out making only barrels is known for its barrel quality. Everything is tight and smooth. If I had a complaint, it would be the trigger. It's a decent trigger, I wish it could be adjusted lighter though. Its bottom figure is 2.8 lbs according to Bergara and that is what I measured. I will mention that the trigger does feel lighter than it actually is and it's crisp. It becomes even cleaner (which it was already pretty darn clean!) after around 50 shots. Bergara does offer a trigger that can be purchased for $150 that is adjustable down to 1.5 lbs plus it's supposed to be cleaner and crisper yet. I should note that any aftermarket trigger made for the Remington 700 short action will fit the Bergara B14R.

PERFORMANCE: If you miss the days when there were bolt action 22 rifles available that offered astounding accuracy and were built like brick outhouses, the Bergara B14R is for you. For me, frankly, it's a breath of fresh air! For many, many years my favorite rimfire rifle to accurize has been the CZ 452, 453, and 455. My FAVORITE was 452 and 453. I am still warming up to the 457. The 452/3 had that mass, that girth. The action featured twin locking lugs. The trigger of the 452 could be overcome, the trigger of the 453 was fantastic. I have honestly modified over 1 thousand CZ bolt action 22 rifles. They left with marvelous grouping capability and still do. My goal has always been to at least equal the performance of the Winchester 52. We have met that goal, but it takes a lot to get it done.

I will tell you this, the Bergara B14R has also met that goal. This rifle will lay down groups and keep 'em tight. No unusual flyers. This rifle is capable of holding groups that are simply unreal. I got the chance to test this rifle at 50 yds. My groups were 5 shots each measured center to center. I had been tipped off as to what ammunition shoots best in this rifle. Lapua Center + and SK LRM, so that is what I used. The smallest group I shot using the Lapua ammunition at 50 yds was .18" and the largest was .39". The majority of groups were in the .2 - .3 range. Using the SK LRM, the smallest group was .24" and the largest was .46". I was astounded to see this kind of accuracy! This is exciting. It gives me hope for the future of rimfire rifles and rimfire sports. I realize that $950 (street price) may sound like lots of money, but for what this rifle is, that amount of money is a bargain. Plus you need to buy a scope that's as good as the rifle. That will be a few hundred dollars. Of course, adjustable parallax is a must and when dialing it in, don't just look at the numbers; test and precisely dial in the parallax by moving your head side-to-side. If the crosshairs and target move away from one another at all, you have more dialing in to perform. They need to be visually solid to one another. I have a Leupold on my Bergara. I have several brands of scopes around here and the least expensive scope I have found to be acceptable is Weaver.

The Bergara B14R is a winner in every single sense of the word. It is incredibly accurate, extremely well made, it's an excellent design, and this rifle is not "tiny tunes" in the least. This is a serious rifle. It can make a Vudoo V22 break a sweat and make a Remington 40x hang its head. Personally? If you can afford it you won't go wrong. Hey; this is simply an awesome 22lr bolt action rifle that between its build quality, design, and accuracy manages to fall within that "State of the Art" circle of fine guns.

Welcome to RFC and thanks for the post The Bergara has a strong and growing fan base here on RFC. This is an impressive review for a second post, worthy of professional copywriting. What would make it more complete would be a few pictures, especially of the outstanding accuracy results you've obtained.

 

Excellent write up and pretty much mirrors the results reported in the new American Rifleman magazine.

My own Bergara shoots extremely well and with roughly 600 rounds down the tube, function has been 100%... not a single problem of any kind. Accuracy is sub-1/2 inch groups at 50 yards.

IMO these rifles are going to hurt Vudoo sales as they give comparable quality and accuracy for half the price. After adding a 20 MOA base and a $175 Timney trigger to mine, I have almost exactly $1100 invested, not counting the scope and rings.

Bergara has a winner and it's likely that they will be in short supply for months to come as the word gets around.

 

TL;DR....It's a great rifle.

I have been very impressed with mine...sold my CZ 455 and picked up the Bergara. Best decision I have made in regards to a rifle.

Added a Timney Calvin Elite and a KRG Bravo stock. Still experimenting to find out the best ammo it likes, but preliminary results say RWS Target Rifle. I haven't shot Center X yet, but it's next on my list.

My only gripe about the rifle...finding extra magazines is a headache. I'm not concerned about the price, just the availability. Haven't been able to find any extra yet.

 

Thanks guys for the kind words! I will say this: I examined the bore of the Bergara with a borescope and that barrel has an EXCELLENT internal finish. I mean excellent! It's apparent to me that this company knows what they are doing in a big way. I see various 22lr rifles reviewed and I regularly see an identical brand/model displaying very different group sizes in the reviews. With the Bergara, based on reviews and customer testimonials the groups are very consistent from rifle to rifle. That is quality speaking. It's my understanding (correct me if I'm wrong) that Bergara has to catch up on magazine production due to high demand for extra mags and those that come with the rifle. My main 22lr bolt action that I use for benchrest shooting is a 1950s era Winchester 52C with a bull barrel. That has been my go-to for a very long time. The Bergara at worst is it's equal, except for the trigger, but that's easily corrected.

 

Hy , you are a lover of traditional guns , how do you compare the Cooper 57m
To the Bergara or older 52s?
I like real wood stocks as well .
Cheers

 

This is a great post and review.
Thanks, Todd

 

Thanks for the comprehensive review of this rifle. I appreciate reading the comparisons to other well established rifles. I just sold a CZ457MTR, and looking for a replacement. Nothing wrong with the CZ; just was not for me. I have been thinking about the Bergara. I like the Vudoo too, but just a bit costly. Here the Bergara runs around C$1600. Bergara may be next on my list. It will be interesting to compare accuracy to my Annie's.

 

Bergara B14R

Have one on order, due in this week. Really looking forward to this with all of those fine accuracy results that have been posted. Will be putting a T-16 and/or a 5 x 25 on it .....

 

Have one on order, due in this week. Really looking forward to this with all of those fine accuracy results that have been posted. Will be putting a T-16 and/or a 5 x 25 on it .....

My Bergara came in yesterday and I put the Vortex 5x25 FFP on it last night. Got out to my back yard range today and after getting it zeroed, used only CCI SV and Eley Club for single 5 shot groups with each. CCI was .6 and Club was .47 and was I surprised and over joyed.....No lemon and this thing shoots Club that well so far??? I could post those two pictures but 2 single 5 shot groups won't mean much.

Tomorrow to a different range with a friend and will take it through it's paces at 50 and 100 if the wind cooperates, maybe two more ammo choices as the variety I ordered won't be in til next week. Sheepishly, I have some old Remington Target and Winchester T22 I have hoarded for years. I'll give them a spin though this. Still on bags, no bipod on it yet.

So far very impressed, the first truly "precision" .22 I have owned though I do have a variety of Sporter .22's that will and have take more than a few squirrels....but that's a different class. Will report soon.

 

Yesterday I took the Bergara out and did some 50 yd prone shooting. Still using the Leupold Vari X III 4.5-14X with adjustable parallax for a scope. Harris bipod. There was virtually no wind. It's been REALLY hot and humid in NE Iowa for a few days now. That was the big "discomfort" or challenge yesterday. This is all I shot for groups. By the time this was done I was ready to go home! BUT; if a guy is going to post a scanned image of his groups for a gazillion people to see, you couldn't ask for a better set of groups!! I have been a hardcore Winchester 52 guy for over 3 decades. I am so happy that a rifle like this is available. For the same money as a lower-priced Winchester 52. The Bergara will be brand new. Parts are available. No 52 I own betters this rifle. You won't have the scope mounting hassles that a 52 will present. The Bergara is a stout, substantial rifle. The receiver is the same size as a Remington 700 short action! I will say it again; I love this rifle. I have figured out a mod for the trigger. I don't want to discuss it until I make sure that over time it works ok, but instead of 2.8 lbs, you get 1.5-1.75 lbs. Virtually no overtravel and it's crisp as snapping a glass rod. I will advise. Included are my groups from yesterday. Y'all have a terrific and safe 4th of July!

 

Yesterday I took the Bergara out and did some 50 yd prone shooting. Still using the Leupold Vari X III 4.5-14X with adjustable parallax for a scope. Harris bipod. There was virtually no wind. It's been REALLY hot and humid in NE Iowa for a few days now. That was the big "discomfort" or challenge yesterday. This is all I shot for groups. By the time this was done I was ready to go home! BUT; if a guy is going to post a scanned image of his groups for a gazillion people to see, you couldn't ask for a better set of groups!! I have been a hardcore Winchester 52 guy for over 3 decades. I am so happy that a rifle like this is available. For the same money as a lower-priced Winchester 52. The Bergara will be brand new. Parts are available. No 52 I own betters this rifle. You won't have the scope mounting hassles that a 52 will present. The Bergara is a stout, substantial rifle. The receiver is the same size as a Remington 700 short action! I will say it again; I love this rifle. I have figured out a mod for the trigger. I don't want to discuss it until I make sure that over time it works ok, but instead of 2.8 lbs, you get 1.5-1.75 lbs. Virtually no overtravel and it's crisp as snapping a glass rod. I will advise. Included are my groups from yesterday. Y'all have a terrific and safe 4th of July!

View attachment 221531

That's some very good shooting! What are you using for a bore guide?

 

Bergara accuracy

Darn you! I had come to terms of not buying one of these and now I'm not so sure I can resist😉. Since you are a gunsmith, do you think the carbon barrel version would be as accurate. Yes I know it's hard to say- just wanted your opnion
Thanks

 

Darn you! I had come to terms of not buying one of these and now I'm not so sure I can resist😉. Since you are a gunsmith, do you think the carbon barrel version would be as accurate. Yes I know it's hard to say- just wanted your opnion
Thanks

The best way I know how to put it would be like this: A carbon fiber barrel is intended to provide better accuracy than can be provided by the typical pencil barrel while being roughly the same weight. They are not meant to provide equal or better accuracy to a heavy barrel with less weight. It depends on what you want to do with the gun. If the idea is to rest the gun and shoot tight groups at long distances, I would advise using a heavy all-steel barrel. When resting you are more steady, they still have fewer barrel harmonics than a carbon barrel. I have seen companies with big-ticket prices claim their carbon barrels were "just as accurate as" or "more accurate than" yet a quality all-steel barrel will whoop its %%%. Carbon barrels are very accurate for their weight and if you want the lighter weight go for it. I have a Ruger 10/22 based rifle I built that has a carbon barrel. It is very accurate but the only reason I bought the carbon barrel was to reduce weight. When I switch that barrel out with one of mine (all steel) the all-steel barrel holds tighter groups. I hope this helps!

 

Bergara barrels

A few years ago the Bergara company had a video of their new barrel manufacturing facility. It was state of the art and Ed Shilen was involved in setting it up. This could be a reason why Bergara rifles are accurate. I don't know if the video is still up on the net. it was well worth viewing.

 

A few years ago the Bergara company had a video of their new barrel manufacturing facility. It was state of the art and Ed Shilen was involved in setting it up. This could be a reason why Bergara rifles are accurate. I don't know if the video is still up on the net. it was well worth viewing.

That is indeed the case with Bergara. Another thing that doesn't hurt is action stability. Yes; even on a 22! The bolt is snug within the receiver. That, along with solid dual locking lugs provide a stable platform for the rear of the cartridge. I examined the barrel with a borescope. That's a %%%% nice barrel.

 

ColtCollector67, those are six VERY impressive groups. Not only is the Bergara rifle a winner but your skills do it justice. That is some great shooting.

IMO, Bergara is going to have a problem but one that every manufacturer would like to have; meeting the demand for their rifles.

 

Thank you VERY much for the kind words!! Have you ever just had an "on" day when you're shooting? I was having one. I've had a day or two where I quietly pack up and just go home too! LOL It is my understanding that production demand is getting tight. I think it's WONDERFUL that a $1000 bolt action 22lr is in demand to such a degree! I get rather tired of the guy who owns a $1000 AR-15 and an $800 bolt action chambered in some magnum cartridge that gets shot maybe 20x per year but he won't invest more than $250-$300 for a 22lr because "It's just a 22!". I think that CZ selling the volume of rimfire rifles they sell and the sales of Bergara are great. Tikka has one that's selling big. Then there are the precision platform rifles. The Ruger Precision Rimfire and now Savage has one too. Then of course we can't forget companies like Anschutz and our very own U.S. company Cooper Arms. I don't know anything about it but Christianson Arms is introducing a higher-end rimfire bolt action. Howa just came out with one.

I remember decades ago writer Bill Jordan reviewed a Kimber 82 bolt action 22lr. He said "It was the most wonderful gun to ever gladden his old eyes". THAT is how I felt when I handled the Bergara. I believe we are entering another Golden Age of firearms. For many years gun manufacturers floundered with designs requiring hand-fitting when the wages for such work were no longer inexpensive. We wound up with products from major manufacturers that were mere shadows of what they used to be. In this day and age CNC machining does an incredible job. MIM small parts have had the bugs worked out (at least with the quality makers) and offer uniformity and precision that could only be dreamt of in the past. The newer MIM parts are tough too! There are new alloy steels available that are stronger than anything from the past. 4140, 410, 416, 1045 are old-technology gun steels. The new steels are far tougher and harder than those from the past. A quality MIM part from today is as good as anything. I perform action jobs on the new series of Colt double-action revolvers (MAN I hope they bring back the Diamondback!) and the parts within their actions that are MIM chew my diamond files to pieces! We are in a new age! One thing I am certain of, the people on this forum don't look at it as "Just a 22" and that's alright with me!

 

Bergara accuracy

It does help alot. The weight difference when I researched is very small. I am going to purchase the B14 and very much appreciate your reviews👍

 

They include a picatinny one-piece scope base (any Remington 700 pattern scope base will work).

Rings and scope are up to you.

 

thanks for the info. ordered scope and rings so still need a rail.

 

Coltcollector, I'll second that about the old Winchesters. These groups were shot for the SuperStock Sawdust Challenge with a 70 year old Win 75 wearing and original Liechert 10x scope.

 

Very nice rifle! Looking at Winchester today, the younger shooters don't realize what a Premium Company they once were. I have a few Model 52s and a 75. They shoot!! One cannot assume that some new rifle will shoot better. It will take some serious $$$ to equal it! Somehow, Bergara pulled it off at a street price of $950. Outside of that it only happens by accident.

 

I was brought up rather "Old School". I am 52 right now, there are certainly people older obviously, but I was exposed to an older generation's shooting standards. You had to know my dad and the people we shot with to understand. I was fortunate to be around many very high-quality rimfire guns during my youth. Shooting with my dad and his friends continuously exposed me to rimfire guns as Winchester 52's, Remington 40x's, High Standard Target Pistols, Smith & Wesson 41's, Smith & Wesson Model 17 or K22 Masterpiece's, and the Colt Officers Models. Those were the days.

By the time I was 16 I was actually quite handy with firearms repair and even some customizing, plus I had become a "gun snob" of sorts.

Nicely composed and thoughtfully written post

Ah a man after my own heart, Nothing wrong with being a gun snob if you ask me. Enjoying quality is something to be applauded.

To many of the youthful shooters have not had the pleasure to own or shoot a high quality and super accurate rifle or air gun. They dont know their born, they are happy to buy a gun that needs "felting or tweaking" to make it function.....We all know about the Marlin and Remington atrocities of a few years back.

Somewhere along the line it became acceptable to buy a gun that doesn't quite work out of the box.

I'm sure in the next few decades someone will come up with a plastic barrel and say its to make it "lightwieght and tactical" rather than just cheapo trash.

Rant over!

I too have worked in the Gun trade over this side of the pond but more in the fine sporting gun arena. Purdey's and Holland and Holland double rifle and shotguns.

Earlier in my shooting carrier I was obsessed with quality and well engineered super high quality firearms. Blue steel and walnut.....

Then....it happened, the unthinkable

I went onto the pistol/gallery competition circuit and was "bamboozled" into buying a 10/22. you name it carbon barrels, kidd triggers and all the usual gubbins that go into making an unsupported comp rim fire.

I had a moment of clarity when my first shooting partner who i had not seen since we where teenagers said "ewww your Ruger, it looks a bit airgunny, like a crossman"

like a bolt from of high quality blued steel lightning, this sentence hit me hard and the 10/22 went to live in the back of the safe. He was of course right. I should have an Anschutz......I was a disgrace

I looked at it after some months and the synthetic stock and Volqartsen carbon barrel.Spray painted receiver and felt nauseous. What had I done!

Almost like a religious cult I had been brainwashed into accepting lower quality....

Like any rebirth or awakening I correctly and impulsively sold all my centrefire rifles and the cursed 10/22 eeeeew some stains just don't wash out!

I then made the horrible mistake of reading Bill Calfee's Art of the Accurate rim fire and was enlightened by the one simple sentence "only accurate rifles are interesting!

my path had been laid clear before me...i needed accuracy, not faux prentend accuracy, but super "its my fault, not the gun, or ammo, level of accuracy

The stars aligned, my 93 year old ex navy mate sold me his Anschutz 54 (1966) ex team GB Olympic squad rifle and fell in love with precision shooting rather than this, florescent anodized hooliganism that is a "race" 10/22.

I had a around 3 CZ452's only one shot accurately and perversely I had the barrel cut to 12 inches and threaded. That little rifle won me buckets of medals. at the time i had no idea they used a choked bore! still it shot so well!

For once in my life i had good luck with recnt purchase and got a fluke of a CZ455 that is staggeringly accurate, it will give my Anchutz a close run for its money at 50m or less, further out the Annie shows its own.

like a dumkopf, I exchanged that 452 scout for a .223 Ruger Compact which to be polite had a barrel made of future jelly that would flex if the wind changed direction.

I sent that thing to numerous gunsmiths to see if I could at least get acceptable accuracy but sadly it was not to be. again i was brainwashed by my shooting club pals...i somehow felt inadequate with a centrefire rifle....

Since childhood i have always only been interested in rim fire rifles for target shooting and small game hunting. Why on earth did I have a .357 Marlin, a Lee Enfield SMLE, .308 Remmy 700 and Ruger compact in .223?

Again the shooting club cultists brainwashing me away from my true calling RIMFIRE!

Begara are quite well known in the UK as we have a strong small bore and centrefire fraternity here and for many years some of the top competitors used Begara barrels.

I'm still kicking myself as i handled one of their break action rifles and missed out on its sale.

It was a thing of beauty and I have always had a fondness of break action rifles, they just seem sophisticated and debonair. Its actually a widely known fact that single shot break actions not only make you more manly, but also more attractive too.

The rimfire you mention the new Begara rimfire is indeed highly temping as Even a CZ seems to be a little to everyday, i mean who doesn't have a CZ, I'm half tempted to sell mine, as I've had to do quite a lot of remedial work to get it shooting well such as re crowning, because CZ felt it was an unnecessary frivolity to actually crown their 455 barrels! and trigger which I did myself. I feel a sudden patriotic urge to get a BSA Martini as these are trully stunning in the accuracy dept and can be had for pennies in the UK, well by comparison. My club are selling a large pile of BSA internationals for £70 to make space in the armory.

The only drawback with that new Begara, for me is probably the weight, I have significant back problems and as a result need to use very light rifles.

I just wish they made their break action in .22lr with a 1/20 unf thread, I have just emailed Begara with a request to see if they can construct me one in .22lr fingers crossed they say yes!

https://www.bergara.online/en/rifles/ba13-series/take-down-black-rifle/

 

Got a chance to hit the range this AM before it became 105+ degrees in AZ.

First time shooting since I installed a Timney Calvin Elite Two Stage. Much better than the stock trigger; 8oz pull. Barreled action sits in a KRG Bravo stock (very nice stock, btw).

A little breezy, 5-10 mph from my 4 o'clock most of the morning, shifted to my 6 o'clock later in the morning....caused the target frame to wobble back and forth a bit, which caused some vertical stringing of the groups. Bipod front, sand bag on rear.

All shot at 25 yards, no suppressor. Not surprisingly, Lapua Center-X shot very well. I did try a string of Midas+ I borrowed from a friend (his B14R didn't like the Midas+). Better shooting than the Center X, but not worthy the extra $$$ in my opinion.

I also tried a short string of Federal Auto Match, just because I was curious....and it shot better than I expected (about a .55" group at 25 yards). Not bad for some plinking ammo!

Lastly, my friend brought his newly delivered KYL plate rack. FUN. I cleared it the first time (40 yards)...Zero misses, 7 for 7. He said I couldn't do that again...so I did. 7 for 7. There is no way I would have been able to do that with my CZ 455 Tacticool.

Has anyone been able to find/view a head-to-head review of the B14R vs a Vudoo? I haven't...and my Google-Fu is strong. I am getting a strong vibe that the Vudoo may not be worth the extra $1K over the Bergara.

Oh, and Vudoo mags work perfectly in the Bergara. I ordered a mag just to test it. I've seen 4 reviews on the B14R....2 said it works, 2 said it didn't. I can tell you that it does work (fired 200 rounds today; flawless feeding from the Vudoo mag).

 

I have had experience with both. I own a Bergara, a friend has a Vudoo barreled action with $700 worth of rifle stock screwed to it. We have tried about every ammo imaginable with his Vudoo AND we have tried numerous action/stock torque settings. I have done a sizable amount of that myself with the Bergara, but I am behind his progress in that area. After some testing head to head this is what we have found:

The Vudoo shoots a wider variety of ammo well. It does have 2 favorites.

The Bergara does a good job with a variety of ammo, but with variety, the Vudoo wins. If you use the Bergara's 2 favorites Lapua Midas + or Lapua Center X, the Bergara pulls ahead a tiny, tiny little bit.

To say the rifles are essentially equal would be a fair assessment. Even in the area of action precision the Bergara is a very nice rifle. As good as anything I have seen, which is about everything. I don't know if it's exchange rate, superlative efficiency in regards to manufacturing or a combination, but I don't know how Bergara does it. Anymore, it takes an awful lot to surprise me (just being honest) and this much 22 rifle for a street price of $950 is a big surprise. You have got to be careful or you'll invest lots more building something that won't equal it. I do have a different trigger installed. I like the lighter pull weight, but I use mine only for Precision Rimfire Competition.

Something to keep in mind when tuning triggers: I have read stuff to the affect of (especially with CZ 452, 453, 455, 457) I have the trigger down to "X" ounces. It's great! I have to be careful that I don't slam the bolt handle too hard or the firing mechanism trips. It works great though". O.K.; if you must shut the bolt carefully to avoid tripping the firing mechanism, it DOES NOT WORK GREAT. You have created a HIGHLY dangerous weapon. There are triggers already designed for this. Use them and stay within guidelines.

The Bergara B14R isn't only awesome for the money, it's just awesome.

 

I contacted Begara in Spain.

They very kindly got back to me and said that unfortunately they do not do the break action in 22 rimfire.....grrr i suppose a .222 downloaded might be acceptable...

 

Great thread!
I've been watching the info on Bergara B14R for several months now.
The recent American Rifleman article cinched it for me.
I have a major predilection for wood and steel, so I ordered a B14 barreled action and a Bergara B14 Timber stock.
Can't wait to put them together.

 

What bottom metal are you going to use for the detachable magazine?

 

Is there any point in buying one of these if I'm not going to use expensive ammo (Eley)? Is CCI standard velocity not going to produce good results? One of those caviar tastes on a champagne budget questions.

 

I shot about 30 round of Federal Auto Match through my B14R...it did pretty well...better than my CZ 455 shot it. I didn't take a pic of the group, but it was under .75" @ 50m.

I've been trying to find some more of the CZ Clean-22...my CZ LOVED it. I'm hoping the Bergara will as well, but I haven't been able to track any down.

If you aren't shooting for groups or competition, and just want to plink, I'd say a less expensive ammo would be a fine choice.

Kinda like putting 86 octane in a Ferrari, but oh well.

 

I agree with colt on the quality and out of the box accuracy of the Bergara. To say that I have been pleased with this rifle purchase would be a huge understatement. These were using everyday ammo in the first 200 Rounds through the rifle using a cheap Harris knockoff and rear bag off my tailgate at 50 yards.

 

Looks like some great shooting rifles !

going to say goodbye to some czs and anshoots

What type of Anschutz are you shooting that won't compete?

 

I sold my CZ 455 so I could justify the B14R. Best gun decision I have ever made. I wrung every ounce of accuracy I could out the 455, but it just isn't as good as the Bergara. A friend of mine has the new 457 Trainer...it can't compete with the Bergara.

 

Time to sell that SKS that I've had since the Clinton years and never shot. I really want this to be my show it off firearm!

 

I would be interested hearing more about modding the factory trigger also. I am very pleased with how my B14r shoots but I do wish the factory trigger was a bit lighter.