Bergara B-14 HMR problems

[Cheesusrice69]

Hello All,
I am new and this is my first post.

I have some frustrations and need some help. I am an experienced shooter. Not the best but certainly not the worst. I have guns of all brands.

Anyway bought a HMR three years ago and cannot get the thing to shoot within 2moa at 100 yards. Honestly even if it was consistent 2 Moa I'd be short of happy but most the time it isn't close. I have a Vortex 5-25 on it. I have shot reloads, match, and everything in between all different weights. I used a Silencerco muzzle break, with and without a suppressor, and with nothing. Nothing changes it just doesn't shoot. I cleaned the paint off the lugs, made sure the screws were to spec. I am at a lose. The question is do I send it to Bergara and deal with the back and worth or sell it and buy something more reliable.

I don't shoot out past 500 but I would like a gun that I can sit behind and enjoy hitting steal without thinking the misses are due to the gun and not me

 

[Dr. Davy Jones]

That’s bizarre. You’re sure the scope or mount is not to blame? I’d want to eliminate that variable.
I don’t have any experience with customer service at Bergara- hopefully someone can speak to that.

 

[jcmullis2]

It happens and not just with Bergara rifles. If it’s not your scope/mount I’d just sell it. This is where I tell you to buy X but there’s no sense in that bs. I’ve recommended to several other guys to buy something other than bergara because of theIr bolt problems. You might have a bolt problem but I’m not one to throw good money after bad. I say cut your losses but that’s just my $0.02.

 

[aljones_315]

Bergara customer service was great to me on my b14 bmp. At 1900 rounds the ejector went south the sent me free of charge a bolt head rebuild kit.. problem somved.

For a company that prides them selves on their spanish barrels. Im sure they would treat you right. I would first check every aspect of the scope base lock tite. Torque value etc next your ring to base torque. Then actual ring on scope tube. If your consistant in your preload and your rifle handling skills. The rifle should do its part my 6.5 was still .62 moa after 2600 rounds and consistant .62 moa on paper out to 400 and on steel beyond 1400 yards.
If you havent removed the scope base and lock tited your self i would do so ive seen several factory rifles... not bergaras but repuitable companies just the same. Come loose after a few dozen rounds and just about the time you decide youve got it zeroed. Its all over the place.

 

[stewarmy01]

Give them a shot to take care of you. Can’t knock it till you try it....if it comes back crap time to sell. Mine shoots amazing groups for a production rifle. Make sure your scope and rings are not the problem first. Maybe Vortex needs to take care of you....

 

[NamibHunter]

Sorry to hear about your troubles. I have had a similar issue with a Christmas special $450 Remington 700 ADL from Sportsmans Warehouse, just prior to one of the (many) Remington bankruptcies. Have spent more than the original cost to try and fix it, but no luck so far. My point is don’t overspend on a lemon. I will have to replace the barrel and possibly have to get the action blueprinted. Not worth it. It is now a dedicated 150 yard hog hunting rifle with night vision. Two MOA groups are adequate for that limited purpose.

The 4-5 Bergara rifles that i have encountered at the range all did well, around 0.6 MOA, but any factory will crank out a few bad ones every few days.

Best is to eliminate the scope mounting and scope tracking issues first: Swap another scope plus mount that is well proven over to this rifle and try again with good factory ammo like Berger. Also use a crony, if you see massive ES, you might have a problem with the firing pin fall (rare problem, but one of many possible causes).

I have had one second hand scope that changed zero at every shot, the scope adjustment mechanism was broken. Rare for this to happen, but not impossible.

After that call Bergara USA and mention that you are posting on this forum.

 

[aljones_315]

If you have another scope available it may be worth a shot to eliminate it as a varaible. Im not knocking vortex as i own several. But if you do rule it out as a problem its 1 less thing bergara can tell you to be the issue

 

[ChadG460]

Hello All,
I am new and this is my first post.

I have some frustrations and need some help. I am an experienced shooter. Not the best but certainly not the worst. I have guns of all brands.

Anyway bought a HMR three years ago and cannot get the thing to shoot within 2moa at 100 yards. Honestly even if it was consistent 2 Moa I'd be short of happy but most the time it isn't close. I have a Vortex 5-25 on it. I have shot reloads, match, and everything in between all different weights. I used a Silencerco muzzle break, with and without a suppressor, and with nothing. Nothing changes it just doesn't shoot. I cleaned the paint off the lugs, made sure the screws were to spec. I am at a lose. The question is do I send it to Bergara and deal with the back and worth or sell it and buy something more reliable.

I don't shoot out past 500 but I would like a gun that I can sit behind and enjoy hitting steal without thinking the misses are due to the gun and not me

Give me a call at the office at 770-449-4687 and ask for Chad. We can talk and see if we can help over the phone and if not I will send you a shipping label and RMA to get it in for inspection.

-Chad

 

[OG10]

This ^^^^^^

 

[stewarmy01]

Chad will take care of you

 

[ChadG460]

Chad will take care of you

Thank you.

 

[NamibHunter]

Now that is a result! Hope it all turns out well.

Just days ago recommended a Bergara HMR as a birthday present, and this response increases my confidence in that recommendation.

In the current scramble to buy rifles while you still can, everything online was sold out, and i mean EVERYTHING, but Bergara appeared to have increased their supply quantities to the USA, and they were in stock at Cabelas. IMO Bergara is a viable alternative to Tikka, Savage, Remington and Ruger. The few local gun stores in the area had limited stock, and at 30-50% higher prices than before.

And I bet they will run out this week.

 

[RFutch]

Good to see we have a Bergara rep on here now. I'm loving my B14R.

 

[Southern Custom]

Now that is a result! Hope it all turns out well.

Just days ago recommended a Bergara HMR as a birthday present, and this response increases my confidence in that recommendation.

In the current scramble to buy rifles while you still can, everything online was sold out, and i mean EVERYTHING, but Bergara appeared to have increased their supply quantities to the USA, and they were in stock at Cabelas. IMO Bergara is a viable alternative to Tikka, Savage, Remington and Ruger. The few local gun stores in the area had limited stock, and at 30-50% higher prices than before.

And I bet they will run out this week.

You can buy with confidence. Every rifle including custom guns will have the occasional hiccup. The hiccups get noticed on forums. But suffice to say if you are going with a factory gun versus a custom build, Bergara is as solid a choice as any. The reason, Consistency. They produce consistently great barrels for a production gun. And best of all they stand behind their products as evidenced here.

 

[DeRico]

Reviving a dead thread but looking at getting a B14 HMR in 6.5creed.


Did OP get the help from Chad?

 

[jcmullis2]

Reviving a dead thread but looking at getting a B14 HMR in 6.5creed.


Did OP get the help from Chad?

I was wondering the same thing. I hope they have resolved the issue with their bolts. I’ve heard mixed reviews about the way they treat customers. I’ve been recommending that people buy custom rigs, blueprinted Remingtons or Tikka‘s if they want a new production rifle.

 

[pell1203]

Looks like OP joined Nov 9, 2020, has one post, and has not been seen since Nov 10, 2020.

 

[NamibHunter]

Buddy of mine got one last year, and it shoots well. Seems to function reliably too.

 

[ColdBarrelZero]

I just zero'd my new HMR in 6.5 Creedmor. It was 3/4 MOA at 100 yds out of the box. Granted, that's with a Bix'n Andy Tacsport trigger upgrade. No hiccups but I only have 40 rounds through it. Overall, pretty pleased given it was a $900 rifle.

 

[Packfan]

I have had an 6.5 CM B-14 HMR since they came out with a left hand version. It has been surprisingly accurate and trouble free. For factory ammo, it shoots both Hornady American Gunner 140's and ELD-M 140's well under MOA.

I contacted Bergara customer service on several occasions with questions and their response was good. As always, YMMV.

 

[isaidme]

My 308 shot .6 MOA like someone else stated above.

 

[blues2o]

I got a b14 hmr wilderness 300 win a few months back. So far it’s a 1.5 Moa rifle I have tried 4 different powder and bullet. I’ve changed scopes and checked and rechecked all screws. I can’t find any quality factor ammo but my hand loads are putting out solid numbers. I may have got a lemon?

 

[ChadG460]

I got a b14 hmr wilderness 300 win a few months back. So far it’s a 1.5 Moa rifle I have tried 4 different powder and bullet. I’ve changed scopes and checked and rechecked all screws. I can’t find any quality factor ammo but my hand loads are putting out solid numbers. I may have got a lemon?

What grain weight bullets are you shooting? We test with all factory ammo here. We use the Berger 185gr Hunter or the Nomra 180ga Oryx. We have a 1 MOA accuracy warranty with factory quality ammo. If you cant get it to shoot I will send you a shipping label and have the gunsmiths inspect and test it.
-Chad

 

[NamibHunter]

I got a b14 hmr wilderness 300 win a few months back. So far it’s a 1.5 Moa rifle I have tried 4 different powder and bullet. I’ve changed scopes and checked and rechecked all screws. I can’t find any quality factor ammo but my hand loads are putting out solid numbers. I may have got

What grain weight bullets are you shooting? We test with all factory ammo here. We use the Berger 185gr Hunter or the Nomra 180ga Oryx. We have a 1 MOA accuracy warranty with factory quality ammo. If you cant get it to shoot I will send you a shipping label and have the gunsmiths inspect and test it.

Second example:

What grain weight bullets are you shooting? We test with all factory ammo here. We use the Berger 185gr Hunter or the Nomra 180ga Oryx. We have a 1 MOA accuracy warranty with factory quality ammo. If you cant get it to shoot I will send you a shipping label and have the gunsmiths inspect and test it.
-Chad

Chad’s reply is spot on, try the heavier 180/185 bullets, and try to replicate the same speed via your hand loads.

Just an an example (and only slightly relevant to this discussion!): My son and i got a good deal on a very nice Blaser R93 with multiple barrels some years ago, premium German-made rifle. All the barrels shot well with whatever we put in them, except the Winmag barrel. Notably all the barrels are heavy barrels, except for the Winmag barrel. Because of the ammo shortage, we could only get 165 gn bullets for our hunt in 2020. That ammo would shoot a 0.7” group plus a flier 2-3” from POI. Tried a wide range of speed and seating depths, and only saw slight improvements. Fliers were frequent, and it got very frustrating. Then a few weeks later we found some 200 gn bullets and the groups tightened up and the fliers went away!

Second example: I have a lightweight $500 Howa 1500 in 30-06, with a pencil barrel, then upgraded the stock, so maybe $1500 in the gun if you add the Vortex Viper scope. Day one i tried to shoot 150 gn Remington Corelokt factory ammo, groups were 3” plus at 100. That was so disappointing!! Almost sold the gun! Then out of desperation, went to Academy Outdoors and bought one box of each ammo type they had, probably spending $250 in total, had some explaining to do when i got home. On the same day, same wind condition and the same shooter, we saw groups between 2” and 3.5” for the light bullets, and between 0.5” and 0.2” for the 178 and 180 gn ammo at 100. The gun loves Barnes 180 TTSX ammo, and all three bullet holes would be touching in almost all 3 shot groups we tried. I was blown away that a gun can be THIS bullet picky! It has become my favorite “most accurate” hunting rifle, it weighs around 7 lbs, and it shoots bug holes. With only one particular bullet! Barrel whip can do strange things to a pencil barrel.

So try the 180s/185s - but first try to match the factory ammo speed. If that does not work, try a range of speeds from 50 below to 50 fps above the factory ammo in 0.5 gn powder increments.

Hope you get it resolved!

 

[blues2o]

Thanks for the reply chad. I have tried 180 game changer+7828ssc,200 gr matchking+4000mr and the 220gr matchking+h1000. That’s what I remember my load data is at home I’m currently at work but the velocity was at the high end.

 

[blues2o]

Second example:


Chad’s reply is spot on, try the heavier 180/185 bullets, and try to replicate the same speed via your hand loads.

Just an an example (and only slightly relevant to this discussion!): My son and i got a good deal on a very nice Blaser R93 with multiple barrels some years ago, premium German-made rifle. All the barrels shot well with whatever we put in them, except the Winmag barrel. Notably all the barrels are heavy barrels, except for the Winmag barrel. Because of the ammo shortage, we could only get 165 gn bullets for our hunt in 2020. That ammo would shoot a 0.7” group plus a flier 2-3” from POI. Tried a wide range of speed and seating depths, and only saw slight improvements. Fliers were frequent, and it got very frustrating. Then a few weeks later we found some 200 gn bullets and the groups tightened up and the fliers went away!

Second example: I have a lightweight $500 Howa 1500 in 30-06, with a pencil barrel, then upgraded the stock, so maybe $1500 in the gun if you add the Vortex Viper scope. Day one i tried to shoot 150 gn Remington Corelokt factory ammo, groups were 3” plus at 100. That was so disappointing!! Almost sold the gun! Then out of desperation, went to Academy Outdoors and bought one box of each ammo type they had, probably spending $250 in total, had some explaining to do when i got home. On the same day, same wind condition and the same shooter, we saw groups between 2” and 3.5” for the light bullets, and between 0.5” and 0.2” for the 178 and 180 gn ammo at 100. The gun loves Barnes 180 TTSX ammo, and all three bullet holes would be touching in almost all 3 shot groups we tried. I was blown away that a gun can be THIS bullet picky! It has become my favorite “most accurate” hunting rifle, it weighs around 7 lbs, and it shoots bug holes. With only one particular bullet! Barrel whip can do strange things to a pencil barrel.

So try the 180s/185s - but first try to match the factory ammo speed. If that does not work, try a range of speeds from 50 below to 50 fps above the factory ammo in 0.5 gn powder increments.

Hope you get it resolved!

I have been doing 5 5 shot groups with a .5 grain clim up to max using Hornady and Hodgdon load data. I have had many single digit sd and low es. I would like to try some factory ammo but it’s not available currently but I’m not discouraged yet so I’m willing to try anything within reason.

 

[ChadG460]

Thanks for the reply chad. I have tried 180 game changer+7828ssc,200 gr matchking+4000mr and the 220gr matchking+h1000. That’s what I remember my load data is at home I’m currently at work but the velocity was at the high end.

With the 1:10 twist I would stay away from the 220gr at this point. That is not to say that you may be able to find a load that it will shoot with the bullet but we know that they shoot the 180 gr class well. I know how hard it is to find factory ammo. We are in the same situation here for all of our testing needs. If you get to the point that you want us to take a look at it let me know. I can be reached by phone at 770-449-4687.

 

[blues2o]

With the 1:10 twist I would stay away from the 220gr at this point. That is not to say that you may be able to find a load that it will shoot with the bullet but we know that they shoot the 180 gr class well. I know how hard it is to find factory ammo. We are in the same situation here for all of our testing needs. If you get to the point that you want us to take a look at it let me know. I can be reached by phone at 770-449-4687.

Thanks for taking the time to help. I was going to try some 190 matching and 178 eldm. Do you have any powder or velocity Suggestions? Not looking for charge weights. Just an area they shoot good in I could aim for?

 

[ChadG460]

Thanks for taking the time to help. I was going to try some 190 matching and 178 eldm. Do you have any powder or velocity Suggestions? Not looking for charge weights. Just an area they shoot good in I could aim for?

Being that we suggest factory ammo I do not have any info that would be helpful. I would guess the best option would be to try and match the two factory loads that we use as close as you can.

 

[NamibHunter]

Being that we suggest factory ammo I do not have any info that would be helpful. I would guess the best option would be to try and match the two factory loads that we use as close as you can.

If you post a photo from the back of an ammo box, it should show speed at the muzzle, and drop data... at least for the barrel length they used for their test.

 

[Packfan]

Cool that Chad is on the site to represent Bergara customer service and even provided his phone number. You cant expect much better CS than that. As I said, my experience has always been positive as well.

 

[DrBoz]

Lots of good information here. Glad to see a production rifle company take an active approach to CS

 

[NamibHunter]

Second example:


Chad’s reply is spot on, try the heavier 180/185 bullets, and try to replicate the same speed via your hand loads.

Just an an example (and only slightly relevant to this discussion!): My son and i got a good deal on a very nice Blaser R93 with multiple barrels some years ago, premium German-made rifle. All the barrels shot well with whatever we put in them, except the Winmag barrel. Notably all the barrels are heavy barrels, except for the Winmag barrel. Because of the ammo shortage, we could only get 165 gn bullets for our hunt in 2020. That ammo would shoot a 0.7” group plus a flier 2-3” from POI. Tried a wide range of speed and seating depths, and only saw slight improvements. Fliers were frequent, and it got very frustrating. Then a few weeks later we found some 200 gn bullets and the groups tightened up and the fliers went away!

Second example: I have a lightweight $500 Howa 1500 in 30-06, with a pencil barrel, then upgraded the stock, so maybe $1500 in the gun if you add the Vortex Viper scope. Day one i tried to shoot 150 gn Remington Corelokt factory ammo, groups were 3” plus at 100. That was so disappointing!! Almost sold the gun! Then out of desperation, went to Academy Outdoors and bought one box of each ammo type they had, probably spending $250 in total, had some explaining to do when i got home. On the same day, same wind condition and the same shooter, we saw groups between 2” and 3.5” for the light bullets, and between 0.5” and 0.2” for the 178 and 180 gn ammo at 100. The gun loves Barnes 180 TTSX ammo, and all three bullet holes would be touching in almost all 3 shot groups we tried. I was blown away that a gun can be THIS bullet picky! It has become my favorite “most accurate” hunting rifle, it weighs around 7 lbs, and it shoots bug holes. With only one particular bullet! Barrel whip can do strange things to a pencil barrel.

So try the 180s/185s - but first try to match the factory ammo speed. If that does not work, try a range of speeds from 50 below to 50 fps above the factory ammo in 0.5 gn powder increments.

Hope you get it resolved!

It shows 2920 fps on the Norma web site for the 180 Oryx bullet from a 300 Winmag:

Norma Oryx .300 Winchester Magnum 180gr

www.norma-ammunition.com

Apparently that was from a 26” barrel.

 

[blues2o]

Thanks to all who replied I’m going to try and do a few more load work ups and try and find some factory ammo that chad suggests. If all else fails I’ll send in to have it looked at. It’s incredible to have Chad pop into a post I made and instantly want to help make it right. I do really like the feel and look of the rifle. The action is smooth,trigger is good,feeds real nice, and the stock feels right. I just want to give it every chance to perform before I send it in.

 

[Packfan]

They are great rifles, regardless of price. Mine shoots better and the action is smoother than much more expensive rifles I have. Add to that the great features such as affordable AICS mags and full Remington 700 compatability. Don't give up on it yet.

 

[NamibHunter]

Agreed: The one Bergara that i have shot was good.

Side comment, and may or not may not apply here: Many/most barrels speed up after firing anywhere from 100-200 rounds, and accuracy sometimes get better at that point.

 

[Pbaker29]

I haven't even had the privilege to shoot my Bergara Highlander before sending it back for warranty. Out of the box it wouldn't extract. Contact Bergara and they send me a bolt head rebuild kit (12 days later), and of course it still doesn't extract. Now I have to send my unfired $1800 rifle back for warranty. Im told turn time is 30 days, absolutely ridiculous. Sure, they may, or may not, fix the problem. But 30 days??? Really wish I put my money else where. I'll be almost 3 months into my Bergara adventure before I get any satisfaction out of the money I spent on it.

 

[Packfan]

I haven't even had the privilege to shoot my Bergara Highlander before sending it back for warranty. Out of the box it wouldn't extract. Contact Bergara and they send me a bolt head rebuild kit (12 days later), and of course it still doesn't extract. Now I have to send my unfired $1800 rifle back for warranty. Im told turn time is 30 days, absolutely ridiculous. Sure, they may, or may not, fix the problem. But 30 days??? Really wish I put my money else where. I'll be almost 3 months into my Bergara adventure before I get any satisfaction out of the money I spent on it.

Bummer. You would think extraction would have been tested at assembly. Definetly dropped the ball on that and the botched repair attempt. Hopefully they expedite the repair and you get it back more timely.

 

[Pbaker29]

Bummer. You would think extraction would have been tested at assembly. Definetly dropped the ball on that and the botched repair attempt. Hopefully they expedite the repair and you get it back more timely.

I've heard great things about Bergara (with a few negative feedback), and while they hopefully fix the problem, taking 30 days is outrageous. Not sure if they have that many warranty cases, or if that's just how they do business. I was also told it could take 2 weeks before they even enter into their system (once it's received). Even after reading this thread, I'm left with a glimmer of hope, but we'll see I guess.

 

[RFutch]

Lol only 30 days??? You guys realize the entire industry is behind right? Or have you been under a rock for the last year.

 

[Pbaker29]

Lol only 30 days??? You guys realize the entire industry is behind right? Or have you been under a rock for the last year.

I've been out of the ammo/gun game for a while now, lol.

Either way, a brand new unfired gun, they should just replace parts, not tell me it's going to sit for 2 weeks before they touch it, and then they'll get it back to me in 30 days. They have my money, and now my gun, and I'm getting zero benefit from it. They could give me my money back and I can go buy brand X (that actually works)

 

[spife7980]

 

[ChadG460]

I've been out of the ammo/gun game for a while now, lol.

Either way, a brand new unfired gun, they should just replace parts, not tell me it's going to sit for 2 weeks before they touch it, and then they'll get it back to me in 30 days. They have my money, and now my gun, and I'm getting zero benefit from it. They could give me my money back and I can go buy brand X (that actually works)

Please call me at 770-449-4687 regarding your rifle.

Your rifle arrived at our location on 4/26 at 3:24PM I have had it inspected by our gunsmiths this morning. It extracted fired cases perfectly. After testing it as it arrived they replaced that mag spring and follower to the newest style as a courtesy. As soon as I speak with you on the phone it will be ready to head back to you.

 

[Packfan]

Lol only 30 days??? You guys realize the entire industry is behind right? Or have you been under a rock for the last year.

Understood, but I am getting a little tired of companies pointing to the unprecedented demand as a reason for poor customer service.

Please call me at 770-449-4687 regarding your rifle.

Your rifle arrived at our location on 4/26 at 3:24PM I have had it inspected by our gunsmiths this morning. It extracted fired cases perfectly. After testing it as it arrived they replaced that mag spring and follower to the newest style as a courtesy. As soon as I speak with you on the phone it will be ready to head back to you.

Chad proves here that it is possible to deliver even under the current conditions.

 

[RFutch]

Understood, but I am getting a little tired of companies pointing to the unprecedented demand as a reason for poor customer service.

Chad proves here that it is possible to deliver even under the current conditions.

30 day back log during the worst panic buying year of all time is not poor service, it's reality. Until everyone stops buying shit its not gonna change.

Chad proves here that the squeaky wheel gets the grease. But no worries cause everyone else that sent their rifle back to Bergara before Pbaker29 did not gets pushed back even farther. Tough shit for them right?

 

[ChadG460]

30 day back log during the worst panic buying year of all time is not poor service, it's reality. Until everyone stops buying shit its not gonna change.

Chad proves here that the squeaky wheel gets the grease. But no worries cause everyone else that sent their rifle back to Bergara before Pbaker29 did not gets pushed back even farther. Tough shit for them right?

I understand your concern but the rifle was working when we tested it as it arrived. We test fired it swapped the mag spring and follower cleaned the barrel and are sending it back out the door. If it had not worked then it would have had to go through the normal RMA process and waited its turn in line. No one who was already in line was delayed by this situation. We try and take care of every customer as quickly as we can. From time to time it is as simple as this was and we are able to get it fixed almost immediately without adversely effecting our other customers that have been waiting.


-Chad

 

[Pbaker29]

Got my gun back, unaware/unannounced that it was coming btw, good thing I was home to sign for it. You tell me if there's a problem extracting... To boot, box showed up torn and completely open with the bolt bouncing all over the receiver. But hey, at least all the parts showed up. Brass in new Nosler. Since Bergara found no issue with the gun, I'm stuck with a lemon, and a beat up lemon from the trip back to me. Guess I'll cut my losses and find a more dependable brand.

New video by Phil Baker

photos.app.goo.gl

 

[Pbaker29]

Here's another video using Federal ammo, it won't even grab the round to extract.

New video by Phil Baker

photos.app.goo.gl

 

[NamibHunter]

That must be so frustrating! Clearly it is not extracting correctly.

There could be small differences in case head and groove dimensions, and one brand of anmo might work (just barely), while all other brands are not working right. Maybe Bergara tested with a specific batch of ammo that is more forgiving? Most likely not the fault of the ammo maker, as the rifle really must work correctly with a wide range of ammo.

Send it back again with several dummy rounds this time?

 

[Pbaker29]

It's very frustrating. The gun is going back, but it's going back for good this time, unfortunately. Bergara has offered me a refund, so I can't be completely disappointed. I really wanted to like this gun, and I'm sure my experience isn't the standard with the Premier line. But for me, it's on to the next rifle.