This is pretty common with these I'd reach out to bergara and see if theyll take it back for inspection. You can try the basics such as playing with torque settings and ammos but beyond that id send it back if all thats been done.

 

Torque settings haven't changed. Grouping has. Is something else.

 

Sent back for service once. They sighted it in (warmed it up), set it aside for a few minutes then shot some groups (this from the gunsmith that worked on it but didn't see my note apparently). When I got the box back it was marked "see note" to no avail I guess. I included a detailed note and asked for a call. Don't think they read the note and didn't call. Asked if I could send back again and shoot it cold and they said no. Asked if I could pay for shipping back and they said no. Offered to send back with my optics if that helped - no. Offered to leave it there with them to sight in and then take back to the range another day - no. Everyone there was polite, just unwilling to solve the issue. They even recommended selling it used. Played with torque settings from 5 to 60. Recommended is 55 I think but one tech said some had better luck at 50. I have spent $800 or more trying different ammo. Each time it is warm I thought I found the ammo it liked, then when cold it was terrible. They said their shooting range for testing is 1.5 hours away and they travel there once a week. Anyone know someone there that might be able to help or be interested in figuring this out?

 

Cold Bore flyers are common and can be attributed to many things. I see you've tried some good ammo. Maybe try some more brands.

 

Spent $800-900 on about 12 different ammo choices and had friends donate more. Tried several of the SK match influding subsonic and regular, hollow point and round nose, Lapua center -x, Lapua Midas plus (three different lot numbers), remington, CCI, winchester, Ely, RWS, I could go on and on.

 

A few sight-in shots doesn't seem like too high a price to pay for the accuracy you'll have during the match. Unless you bought this gun to put food on the table, I wouldn't worry too much about it. And if you did buy it for hunting, a suppressor will solve the issue and add a little second level WOW and value to the gun.

 

Not with my experience. Here are my groups with a suppressor.

Not saying it's a complete turd, but I definitely need some more time with it

 

Bought it for hunting so it is of no value to me but agree for match or bench settings it is a tack driver. Meant to add that I get the same performance with or without the suppressor when the barrel is cold. Get great performance with or without the suppressor on warm barrel. I guess I could locate a squirrel, sneak away, shoot a few times, and sneak back and relocate him haha. Or hope to whittle him down piece by piece until it gets warmed up. Sorry, I have to try and find some humor in what has been a terribly frustrating situation where I don't feel like the manufacturer is willing to help as they should.

 

If you bought it for hunting and it takes 24 hours to reduce the accuracy, what about shooting a couple rounds into the dirt when you start your hunting trip before you head into the hunting area? I just got the same rifle on fathers day but have not had the opportunity to test it as much. That is an interesting conundrum. Have you checked the barrel for clearance from the stock in the barrel channel? I will say that the last gunsmith I worked under has seen that kind of behavior in carbon barrels and will not use them for anything unless a customer demands it after he tries to talk them out of it. I am sorry for your luck and the lack of customer service. That is a tough pill to swallow. If you haven't already, I would suggest you pull from the stock and check for any material that is stuck under the action or barrel. Even a small sliver of stuff can make issues. Also check the barrel channel. Then when you reassemble, make sure to seat the action well by getting it all lined up with action screws loose and force the action towards the butt of the stock. I usually hold the rifle vertical and drop it on the butt pad to get the barreled action back as far as possible, then torque the screws to a set torque. if this doesn't fix, then start adding torque on the screws to see if it improves.

 

Thanks for the info on Carbon barrels - I love the look but would rather shoot straighter

Boy so many knowledgeable people out here - super helpful.

 

Thanks so much for your suggestions. As for checking it as you describe no I haven't done that but I will. I presumed they checked that when I sent it in but perhaps not. It says "Inspected" on the paperwork but not sure what all that includes. I've tried pretty much every action screw (2) torque from 5-60 with no change in this issue although accuracy when warm seems best around 50-55 or so. I just didn't know any better when I got the carbon barrel or I wouldn't have. I really thought they would help me or exchange for a steel barrel but that was not the case. At any rate I can't really fire off several rounds before hunting since sometimes I don't know when that will happen as I keep it with me on the farm. I guess every few hours during the day I could stop and fire off a few rounds but for a gun of this quality that hardly seems acceptable.

 

You probably wont get any more satisfaction from Bergara. Their standard is 2 of 3, 3 shot groups at or under 1/2". By the time they get to group 2 you are warmed enough to start tightening up. I have seen many thin taper barrels do the same thing and I believe the carbon is just little more than a heavy liner wrapped in fiber. If its a hunting gun you can try and just put 1 round through it, then let it cool down and see if the next cold bore goes to the same place. If it can put the first shot to the same poi every time you should be ok for hunting but you will have to remember the scope setting for the first shot if you adjust to shoot groups. Not ideal but a work around given how accurate it seems to be after its warm.

 

Thanks for this reply. I think you have it pegged as to the cause - just took me a LONG time to figure it out haha. Had a little fun along the way with a lot of frustration but learned a lot about cold barrel carbon barreled 22LR guns. Expensive lesson. Ordered a Vudoo.

 

"Bought it for hunting so it is of no value to me but agree for match or bench settings it is a tack driver."
I think you have your solution.., sell it, be honest with the buyer who is looking for a bench gun. Many fantastic bench guns need a couple of rounds through em to begin each session. No big deal to a target man. Everybody wins...

 

"Bought it for hunting so it is of no value to me but agree for match or bench settings it is a tack driver."
I think you have your solution.., sell it, be honest with the buyer who is looking for a bench gun. Many fantastic bench guns need a couple of rounds through em to begin each session. No big deal to a target man. Everybody wins...

Yep this is exactly what I am doing. I have two target guys that are excited about it and understand the cold barrel issues it has.

 

tagged. I will update this thread in a few weeks with my experience with BPI / Bergara regarding a BMR Steel.

 

How did your steel barrel turn out? any issues like what was originally posted here?

 

Thanks for the information.

 

So to be fair to Begara, you don’t have, ‘terrible accuracy issues’ you have a cold bore/first round flyer issue.

Don’t you think it’s a bit more honest to detail that out vs the ‘terrible accuracy issues’?

 

Yes to be fair I think you are technically correct (kind of). It's not just a first cold bore flyer though. It is the first 2-4 cold bore shots that are flyers. Then it is awesome and extremely accurate. For a squirrel hunting rifle it is close to worthless and for a target rifle it is terrific.

 

I thought we've already had this discussion...

22LR will not shoot cold!

Have a new Bergara BMR carbon that I simply cannot get to shoot accurately when cold (which is imperative). After 6-8 rounds it is the most accurate 22LR I have ever shot. 1/3 MOA tops when warm all in one hole. But when cold the first group of the day is about 3 MOA. This has happened since...

www.rimfirecentral.com

 

Get away from the carbon barrel and go to steel

 

Yep you are correct with your guidance. Tried to work with them to swap it for a steel barrel model with me paying all the shipping, etc. but they were unwilling to help. Now I have a steel barrell Vudoo and it shoots cold as it should. I suspect a Bergara steel barrel would have done so also but I don't know for sure. Wasn't willing to chance it after the ordeal I went through.

 

Was the first shot low right?

 

Sorry I just can't remember. I found a target but can't find where I labeled where the first one went. This happened every.single.time I went to the range. Picture of target is attached. It really didn't matter what I started with or what I shot when warm. I loved almost any ammo warm and hated them all cold. To be fair I only tried about 15 different ammo types in it.

 

It looks like the low right shot was cold and clean barrel. If you move this up to 25 yards squirrel distance it would probably be ok for my use when I hunted. I always started with dirty barrel. I used a Remington 541-S back in the 70'S when I hunted a lot.

 

Looking at your target that's a lot of play in the barrel. All barrels do this but the heavy steel barrels do it much less. Even my Steel BBL B14R has cold shot flyer about 1/4" high and left from POI / Zero, it takes 3-5shots walk back into the POI warm up and shoot great again. It's groups worse when I clean the bore untill 10-15shots to be fouled in. However 1/4" at 50yards isn't bad...SKRM hammers in my rifle once warmed up.

 

All my 22lr have a cold bor shift

 

My BMR Carbon seems to have the same issue as yours with the first shots fired. However, I shoot it in benchrest and other competitions (factory classes) and when warmed up, it is dead on with several ammo brands. Mine, like yours, has a match chamber that shoots very well from 30 to 300 yards. Of course my target scope out weighs the rifle which makes it way too heavy for field hunting. With a simple light hunting scope, and maybe a suppressor (which will tighten up any 22's first shots) it would be quite a hammer. Mine does out shoot most Vudoo 'stock' rifles until you get out beyond 300 yards or above $3000. Hope you got your Vudoo on the MDT chassis (an outstanding product).
Good luck and good shooting.

 

It sounds to me that you have a barrel that just needs to be shot, the accuracy cold would still kill squirrels at avg. squirrel distance.

 

I would never carry a rifle into the squirrel woods knowing that it gives warning shots. That's a hard pill to swallow 😕

 

I had problems with my Bergara B14R with carbon fiber barrel. Had it rebarreled with a Krieger and I am completely happy with it now. Bergara addressed my issues with extraction but said my accuracy problems did not meet their criteria for barrel replacement. If Bergara tightened up their quality control they would have one of the best rifles in the market for the price.

 

I was leery about the carbon barrel but would have bought it,a guy got there faster and made my mind up,did not really regret it, mine is a real good rifle and accurate, 1 st shot.