This will be a lengthy report because I want to show a few photos and explain what might be important to you, the reader. This is not organized and will be written as things comes to mind. This assessment should not be taken as an indicator of how all B-14R rifles will perform; this is how mine performs, yours may be better or worse.
Well, the wind finally stop blowing a constant 15 mph with crazy gust from time to time. Today while shooting I noticed that some rounds and different brands had a pop/crack even when using the Sparrow. They were clearly breaking the sound barrier. Everything I shot was subsonic, temps were around 50°. The temp was the only thing I could think would cause this as I have never experienced this before. Not sure if that contributed to the many "stray" rounds I had but I seemed to have had quite a few. Many of the 5 shot groups were ruined by one round and it wasn't always the 5th shot either. Didn't get any photos of the rifle but will post some showing essentially what it looked like today.
I hope and believe the rifle will shoot better than the targets show. Sample size was with nine different brands of ammo that didn't include any Eley. At some point, I will be playing with the torque settings on the action bolts. Today all targets were shot on 20 in/lbs. *EDIT* ONE PLATE WAS SHOT WITH CCI SV AT 40 IN/LBS. Eventually I will use CCI SV and see if the rifle has a "sweet spot". It took 60 in/lbs on my Wheeler FAT wrench to break the bolts loose when I removed the stock for trigger work.
Trigger is a little on the heavy side for me at 2lb 10oz. On the plus side, the pull weight is predictable and consistent with zero take up, zero creep and no noticeable overtravel. I think it would make a great hunting trigger but to much for what I want. I do have a TriggerTech Black Diamond Single Stage with flat bow coming. TriggerTech says these should go down to 4oz but I read where that may not be obtainable with the Bergara rifles. We shall see.
I would like to comment on the high bolt throw that some might be concerned with hmm ? littlepod comes to mind
. The feel and the sound of the bolt is unlike anything else I have, for that matter the entire bolt is nothing like I have had. The floating bolt face and the two huge locking lugs are the main difference. The bolt does have controlled round feeding whereas the rim of the case is fully captured in the recessed half circle on the bolt face before the bullet enters the chamber or makes any contact with anything. I made a video showing this and will try to figure out how to show it. If you are used to a low throw then it may take a few rounds to get used to this one. Best way to work it is with authority with hand and fingers, the "one finger" technique used on the Tikka will not work for this beast. Bolt manipulation on the Anschutz, Tikka and 457 is faster. I am totally happy with the bolt knob but will be first in line for a swept back design. I would also like to comment on the firing pin. When checking for weight I used an orange plastic dummy round. On the first try it just shattered the plastic rim. Every other rifle I have tested just makes a dent. This is one very strong firing pin spring.
The magazine, well it is what it is I guess. It is very easy loading and very easy seating. The mag locks in place with a very audible click and does not rock front to back but does have some side wiggle. The mag release "maybe" could be a but longer but that's personal preference I think. I don't have a problem accessing it. Overall the magazine just works without issue. *Side note*, let's not discuss the Vudoo mag in this thread as this is not the place for it. Thanks in advance on that.
Weight as shown in the photos with the Meopta Optica6, bipod and Sparrow is 12.6 lbs. It is a lot heavier than it looks but that's all that steel in the receiver and the semi-heavy barrel, which we will discuss later.
Function has been perfect with zero malfunctions of any sort. I lost track of the round count but I would guess maybe a 1000, I shot 500 today alone. The action feeds so smooth you don't notice a round is being picked up or loaded until you push the handle down. I would credit the controlled feeding to that.
Fit and finish, well it is what you would expect from a $1,000 rifle. I would say it's Anschutz quality minus the shine. I have 6 Anschutz so I can make a fair comparison. The feel of the entire setup is KRG Bravo like, and that's a good thing.
Accuracy, whoa, what we have all been waiting for. The overall results so far is a little disappointing for this rifle but I do believe it will improve especially with the TriggerTech trigger. I also have high expectations. The results today are not bad but not spectacular either, I don't want this to deter someone from buying a B-14R as the accuracy shown is only what my rifle and I are capable of and furthermore, capable of today. Besides, there's still a lot more ammo that could be tested, I just shot what I had on hand. Remember, the IBI barrel I had for the Tikka shot Center-X phenomenal averaging right at .375" for ten 5-shot groups but was just ho-hum with everything else.
I'll start posting photos now, I can only do 10 per post so I'll start with the rifle itself. Dialog above the photos will explain the photos.
This is just the basic setup as was shot today and also what it looked like while being weighed in at 12.6 lbs. Weight does include the Sparrow.
Magazine photos for anyone who is interested. Remember, no Vudoo mag comments please.
Here are bolt comparisons between the B-14R, Anschutz Match 54, Tikka T1x and CZ 457 in that order top to bottom. I chose to compare these because they are common to you, the reader but are very different when comparing them together. I would ask that you not only look at the beefyness but also how the extractor is made, the polish on the shaft, the locking lugs or lack of, how the bolt face is cut and so on. The B-14R and the CZ 457 both have controlled round feeding. The Tikka is entirely push feed. The Anschutz is half and half which means the round starts to be fully captured but is not when the bullet enters the chamber. The rim does lock in place before the bolt closes. There's still opportunity for bullet scaring. If I had cleaned the bolt face it may have worked better. The 457 surprised me by having controlled round feeding, can others check theirs and let me know if this is across the board with the 457? I made a video of this one also.
In the next post I will show and compare the bolt throw between these four rifles and the clearance between the bolt and scope on the B-14R. Also I will show the size of the barrel on each end and receiver as well as some other photos I have already posted just to consolidate them all in this thread. Please allow me to finish before making a reply, thanks.
Well, the wind finally stop blowing a constant 15 mph with crazy gust from time to time. Today while shooting I noticed that some rounds and different brands had a pop/crack even when using the Sparrow. They were clearly breaking the sound barrier. Everything I shot was subsonic, temps were around 50°. The temp was the only thing I could think would cause this as I have never experienced this before. Not sure if that contributed to the many "stray" rounds I had but I seemed to have had quite a few. Many of the 5 shot groups were ruined by one round and it wasn't always the 5th shot either. Didn't get any photos of the rifle but will post some showing essentially what it looked like today.
I hope and believe the rifle will shoot better than the targets show. Sample size was with nine different brands of ammo that didn't include any Eley. At some point, I will be playing with the torque settings on the action bolts. Today all targets were shot on 20 in/lbs. *EDIT* ONE PLATE WAS SHOT WITH CCI SV AT 40 IN/LBS. Eventually I will use CCI SV and see if the rifle has a "sweet spot". It took 60 in/lbs on my Wheeler FAT wrench to break the bolts loose when I removed the stock for trigger work.
Trigger is a little on the heavy side for me at 2lb 10oz. On the plus side, the pull weight is predictable and consistent with zero take up, zero creep and no noticeable overtravel. I think it would make a great hunting trigger but to much for what I want. I do have a TriggerTech Black Diamond Single Stage with flat bow coming. TriggerTech says these should go down to 4oz but I read where that may not be obtainable with the Bergara rifles. We shall see.
I would like to comment on the high bolt throw that some might be concerned with hmm ? littlepod comes to mind
. The feel and the sound of the bolt is unlike anything else I have, for that matter the entire bolt is nothing like I have had. The floating bolt face and the two huge locking lugs are the main difference. The bolt does have controlled round feeding whereas the rim of the case is fully captured in the recessed half circle on the bolt face before the bullet enters the chamber or makes any contact with anything. I made a video showing this and will try to figure out how to show it. If you are used to a low throw then it may take a few rounds to get used to this one. Best way to work it is with authority with hand and fingers, the "one finger" technique used on the Tikka will not work for this beast. Bolt manipulation on the Anschutz, Tikka and 457 is faster. I am totally happy with the bolt knob but will be first in line for a swept back design. I would also like to comment on the firing pin. When checking for weight I used an orange plastic dummy round. On the first try it just shattered the plastic rim. Every other rifle I have tested just makes a dent. This is one very strong firing pin spring.The magazine, well it is what it is I guess. It is very easy loading and very easy seating. The mag locks in place with a very audible click and does not rock front to back but does have some side wiggle. The mag release "maybe" could be a but longer but that's personal preference I think. I don't have a problem accessing it. Overall the magazine just works without issue. *Side note*, let's not discuss the Vudoo mag in this thread as this is not the place for it. Thanks in advance on that.
Weight as shown in the photos with the Meopta Optica6, bipod and Sparrow is 12.6 lbs. It is a lot heavier than it looks but that's all that steel in the receiver and the semi-heavy barrel, which we will discuss later.
Function has been perfect with zero malfunctions of any sort. I lost track of the round count but I would guess maybe a 1000, I shot 500 today alone. The action feeds so smooth you don't notice a round is being picked up or loaded until you push the handle down. I would credit the controlled feeding to that.
Fit and finish, well it is what you would expect from a $1,000 rifle. I would say it's Anschutz quality minus the shine. I have 6 Anschutz so I can make a fair comparison. The feel of the entire setup is KRG Bravo like, and that's a good thing.
Accuracy, whoa, what we have all been waiting for.
The overall results so far is a little disappointing for this rifle but I do believe it will improve especially with the TriggerTech trigger. I also have high expectations. The results today are not bad but not spectacular either, I don't want this to deter someone from buying a B-14R as the accuracy shown is only what my rifle and I are capable of and furthermore, capable of today. Besides, there's still a lot more ammo that could be tested, I just shot what I had on hand. Remember, the IBI barrel I had for the Tikka shot Center-X phenomenal averaging right at .375" for ten 5-shot groups but was just ho-hum with everything else.I'll start posting photos now, I can only do 10 per post so I'll start with the rifle itself. Dialog above the photos will explain the photos.
This is just the basic setup as was shot today and also what it looked like while being weighed in at 12.6 lbs. Weight does include the Sparrow.
Magazine photos for anyone who is interested. Remember, no Vudoo mag comments please.
Here are bolt comparisons between the B-14R, Anschutz Match 54, Tikka T1x and CZ 457 in that order top to bottom. I chose to compare these because they are common to you, the reader but are very different when comparing them together. I would ask that you not only look at the beefyness but also how the extractor is made, the polish on the shaft, the locking lugs or lack of, how the bolt face is cut and so on. The B-14R and the CZ 457 both have controlled round feeding. The Tikka is entirely push feed. The Anschutz is half and half which means the round starts to be fully captured but is not when the bullet enters the chamber. The rim does lock in place before the bolt closes. There's still opportunity for bullet scaring. If I had cleaned the bolt face it may have worked better. The 457 surprised me by having controlled round feeding, can others check theirs and let me know if this is across the board with the 457? I made a video of this one also.
In the next post I will show and compare the bolt throw between these four rifles and the clearance between the bolt and scope on the B-14R. Also I will show the size of the barrel on each end and receiver as well as some other photos I have already posted just to consolidate them all in this thread. Please allow me to finish before making a reply, thanks.
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