Okay, I bought a barreled action and didn’t even look in the manual before slapping it into a chassis torqued to 65in/lb
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Bergara B-14R Range Report and Assessment
- Thread starter Kisssofdeath
- Start date
I did the same as @King_beardsly, I recently got a B14R torqued to 65, and went directly to the range with several different brands of moderate priced rounds and due to this thread on last 25 rounds backed off torque to 45 in lbs and groups shrunk close to 50%. I was out of ammo and time but will be pursuing this further. The ammo I was using at the time was Federal GM Match 40 gr. After change I shot one five round group and two 10 round groups.
I should note that my rifle came with action screws at 40 in/lbs from the factory. I tried 30 - 55 in/lbs in increments of 5 in/lbs and found 40 in/lbs the best for me.
ps: 45 in/lbs was a close second
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Once I can actually get to the range I’ll play around with the torque levels, I just wanted to function check the system.
Has anyone tried to put their b14r into a MPA comp ba chassis? Just tried installing mine and the magazine wont seat correctly. It isn't locking into place and just drops free. First time I have ever used any kind of chassis system so might be doing something dumb, just followed the youtube tutorial that they had. Anyone had success or trouble with this chassis?
Sounds like the mag catch is too high. If I'm not mistaken, MPAs come with an adjustable mag catch so play with that screw until it works
Here's my experience thus far:
Bought a steel barrelled action and am using it as a trainer for PRS type matches. I'm using one manners TCS and Kahles K525i between the b14r and my competition rig because I'm too poor to go buy dedicated parts for the b14r lol.
TLDR
Performance is there, price is right, action needs breaking in, may require specific tweaks if you don't order a complete rifle or you switch stocks.
The Good:
I've run about 300 rounds of SK standard plus through it and so far 5-10 shot groups are at a little over a half inch at 50 yards plus or minus an eighth inch. For shits I ran some crap blazer 22 through it and was surprised to see groups only slightly larger than SK but still under 3/4 except one flier that went like 3 inches low left (definitely not me, not that bad anyway)
I took it out to 300 yards and once my dope was confirmed on a 12" plate, I was smacking a 6" circle and a 5" square with a hit rate of roughly 75% with misses being due to slight wind shifts (its roughly .3 mils per mph at that range). Wind was hard to judge since nothing downrange moves till about 4 moh and I'm shooting through intersecting valleys, but wind was anywhere from 2-7mph that day so fairly calm. I was able to spot pretty much everything myself. The rifle does disappoint in the performance sector.
The Bad:
Now we come to the feel. In a word, meh. Its no custom action. The bolt feels as heavy as a stock Remington 700 and the bolt close is heavy. If the bolt is run fast (normal PRS speed) all that goes away. When I first got it the bolt close was nearly unbearable, but after running it a few hundred times it does smooth out. Lots of dry fire is needed to break this thing in.
I'm not a fan at all of the magazines. No latch to pull the follower is probably a way to avoid vudoo patents, but its a notable missing feature I'd really like to have. The plastic mags themselves feel like magpul AICS mags and unfortunately that means they drop like crap in my TCS. The mag catch likes to hang up on the magazine lip for some reason making dropping the mag a pain with one finger. I suspect a little filing or sanding in the right spot will take care of it, but still. I've heard mixed reports about vudoo mags in the b14r so I may try that route.
The Ugly:
*Please take into consideration that the following is happening IN MY SPECIFIC SETUP. This is in no way a condemnation as a whole, and I haven't contacted Bergara about it yet, or tried fixing it myself.
I've got some ejection issues, seemingly at random. I've had plenty of 10 round strings with no issues, and I've had some as bad as 6 out of 10 fail to properly eject, leaving brass in the action, causing a very annoying malfunction. As it stands, it is not yet reliable enough to compete with solely because of this. I'm aware it has a mechanical ejector and ejection is based on the bolt operation, and I'm very confident that I'm not short stroking the bolt causing my issues and it happens regardless of who shoots it. It seems most common in the last round of the magazine. I've had zero problems whatsoever with extraction, only with ejection.
My only ideas here are that the magazine height needs to be tuned a little bit, or the tensioner (opposite side of the main extractor) needs a heavier spring.
All in all, its a great package for the price, especially if you can score just the barrelled action for $600. I don't regret buying it at all. I've got some tweaking to do to get it to run perfectly, but I'm OK with that considering I didn't buy a complete rifle. Eventually I'll invest in a Vudoo or other custom action just for smoothness sake and maybe a slight increase in accuracy, but the b14r should do very well in the meantime.
Bought a steel barrelled action and am using it as a trainer for PRS type matches. I'm using one manners TCS and Kahles K525i between the b14r and my competition rig because I'm too poor to go buy dedicated parts for the b14r lol.
TLDR
Performance is there, price is right, action needs breaking in, may require specific tweaks if you don't order a complete rifle or you switch stocks.
The Good:
I've run about 300 rounds of SK standard plus through it and so far 5-10 shot groups are at a little over a half inch at 50 yards plus or minus an eighth inch. For shits I ran some crap blazer 22 through it and was surprised to see groups only slightly larger than SK but still under 3/4 except one flier that went like 3 inches low left (definitely not me, not that bad anyway)
I took it out to 300 yards and once my dope was confirmed on a 12" plate, I was smacking a 6" circle and a 5" square with a hit rate of roughly 75% with misses being due to slight wind shifts (its roughly .3 mils per mph at that range). Wind was hard to judge since nothing downrange moves till about 4 moh and I'm shooting through intersecting valleys, but wind was anywhere from 2-7mph that day so fairly calm. I was able to spot pretty much everything myself. The rifle does disappoint in the performance sector.
The Bad:
Now we come to the feel. In a word, meh. Its no custom action. The bolt feels as heavy as a stock Remington 700 and the bolt close is heavy. If the bolt is run fast (normal PRS speed) all that goes away. When I first got it the bolt close was nearly unbearable, but after running it a few hundred times it does smooth out. Lots of dry fire is needed to break this thing in.
I'm not a fan at all of the magazines. No latch to pull the follower is probably a way to avoid vudoo patents, but its a notable missing feature I'd really like to have. The plastic mags themselves feel like magpul AICS mags and unfortunately that means they drop like crap in my TCS. The mag catch likes to hang up on the magazine lip for some reason making dropping the mag a pain with one finger. I suspect a little filing or sanding in the right spot will take care of it, but still. I've heard mixed reports about vudoo mags in the b14r so I may try that route.
The Ugly:
*Please take into consideration that the following is happening IN MY SPECIFIC SETUP. This is in no way a condemnation as a whole, and I haven't contacted Bergara about it yet, or tried fixing it myself.
I've got some ejection issues, seemingly at random. I've had plenty of 10 round strings with no issues, and I've had some as bad as 6 out of 10 fail to properly eject, leaving brass in the action, causing a very annoying malfunction. As it stands, it is not yet reliable enough to compete with solely because of this. I'm aware it has a mechanical ejector and ejection is based on the bolt operation, and I'm very confident that I'm not short stroking the bolt causing my issues and it happens regardless of who shoots it. It seems most common in the last round of the magazine. I've had zero problems whatsoever with extraction, only with ejection.
My only ideas here are that the magazine height needs to be tuned a little bit, or the tensioner (opposite side of the main extractor) needs a heavier spring.
All in all, its a great package for the price, especially if you can score just the barrelled action for $600. I don't regret buying it at all. I've got some tweaking to do to get it to run perfectly, but I'm OK with that considering I didn't buy a complete rifle. Eventually I'll invest in a Vudoo or other custom action just for smoothness sake and maybe a slight increase in accuracy, but the b14r should do very well in the meantime.
Curious how many broken firing pins have occurred. I just bought one of these and am really pleased so far but want to have spare parts on hand in case I break something.
I have inquired about firing pins and main springs and Bergara wouldn't sell me any much less send one for free.
Been awhile since posting anything. Shooting but not posting much. Still working on the new house in VA. Anyway, here are my last groups from the B-14R CF version. All were shot with the Sparrow suppressor. Most of my shooting at the moment is me grabbing a rifle or pistol, walking out and shooting off hand at my 3" swinger. I'll shoot 5-8 guns, 10 rounds each. Sometimes I'll do it twice a day. It's like a "fix" for me. Haven't been on the bench in a few weeks. Also look for an update on the Penrod B-14R.
Went to the range again today and I feel like I figured out what has been causing my large groups.
First photo is the group from one of my last range sessions. This was with eley contact @ 50 yards and while it wasn't terrible I felt the rifle could do better. First two were 5 round groups, last one was a ten round group.
This was after I removed the rifle from the stock and tried different torque settings. I immediately saw my groups tighten up. This is with 20 inch pounds on my front and rear screw. I shot the bottom two left groups first (two 5 round groups) and then the 10 round group on the top left but felt myself pull a shot. The top right was a re-do on my ten round group cause I felt I could do better. I'm definitely happy with these kind of results using cheap eley contact.
First photo is the group from one of my last range sessions. This was with eley contact @ 50 yards and while it wasn't terrible I felt the rifle could do better. First two were 5 round groups, last one was a ten round group.
This was after I removed the rifle from the stock and tried different torque settings. I immediately saw my groups tighten up. This is with 20 inch pounds on my front and rear screw. I shot the bottom two left groups first (two 5 round groups) and then the 10 round group on the top left but felt myself pull a shot. The top right was a re-do on my ten round group cause I felt I could do better. I'm definitely happy with these kind of results using cheap eley contact.
I shoot all my rimfires with a torque setting at 20. Doesn't matter if it's wood, aluminum or other.
Interesting, I usually just torque center fire stuff to 65in/lb and call it a day. I didn’t know the world of rim fire was a whole other animal.
I'm no different. I torque rimfire stuff to 20 in/lbs and call it a day. I decided 20 years ago when wood stocks were pretty much all you had. If it wasn't pillar bedded you run the risk of crushing the wood if more than 20 was used. When I slowly started transitioning to other material I discovered that 20 in/lbs worked just fine and it help me standardize my method.
Only if the rifle has something wrong with it. A rifle that shifts POI or shrinks/grows group size in relation to guard screw torque has a stock to action interface problem. Period.
Rimfires, specifically precise 22LR's, are more likely to reveal the problem than centerfires. Centerfires can mask their poor performance behind significant recoil and longer distances. A surprising number of people are perfectly content with 1moa performance beyond 200yds. A precision 22lr is being asked to shoot significantly better by a much wider audience. As a result, things that don't bother shooters on centerfires, will be troublesome on 22lr.
What @Kisssofdeath is saying about wood stocks crushing under load is correct, and indicates an interface problem. A chassis which exhibits shift also has an interface problem. It's shocking to me how many people are content to run rifles where this guard screw torque problem exists. It isn't as if it isn't solvable by running a proper stock with flawlessly installed pillars and bed job. Foundation stocks do not have an interface problem... and they are basically the only "chassis" I'll recommend as a result. Wood stocks which are properly bedded, can and will go to 65 in/lbs without deflection or deformation. Whether they stay that way over time is another conversation.
When you dial in torque settings to such a fine degree, where 5 in/lbs or even 10 in/lbs of torque one way or another can result in a rifle shooting better, environmental conditions and simple curing of polymer material that exists in some stocks over time can and will cause the rifle to come out of tune. Yet shooters constantly ask why their POI is shifting all the time? lol
It's a basic lack of understanding about the harmonic variances created by having stress in an action.
That makes total sense when broken down that way, people are willing except lack luster results without looking past their elbows to see if the problem is an easy fix.
Thanks for all the info here on the Bergara, I ordered mine but won't be able to shoot it till July next year because of the law here in the Netherlands. I will mount the Vortex strike Eagle 5-25x56 and a MPA BA chassis. Now counting the days.....
Good info about the torque settings, I should have thought of that I used to have a Savage Fv-sr .22 that you needed to play with the torque settings, never thought about it with my Bergara and just set it to 55in lbs like the manual says. Will test some lighter torque settings today.
Update:
I broke my firing pin by dry firing a few hundred times. Turns out the B14r isn't designed to be dry fired for an extended period of time.
I've heard others have had a hard time getting extra firing pins, but I can't say I had the same experience. I called Bergara CS, gave them the part number listed in the exploded diagram in the manual, and they're sending me 3 of them no questions asked.
I broke my firing pin by dry firing a few hundred times. Turns out the B14r isn't designed to be dry fired for an extended period of time.
I've heard others have had a hard time getting extra firing pins, but I can't say I had the same experience. I called Bergara CS, gave them the part number listed in the exploded diagram in the manual, and they're sending me 3 of them no questions asked.
That's great, all I'd like is the new spring they now have. I don't think the firing pins have changed.
New firing pin spring or new extractor spring? I think a heavier spring on my extractor would help my ejection issues.
Firing pin spring. I have one of the first B-14R and a few months back I bought another. The springs are noticeably different while the firing pin measured the same length and OD and had the same profile.
I went to Home Depot today & bought a 150PK of yellow Everbilt #1004 810 314 plastic ribbed drywall anchors sized #4-#6 x 7/8" to use as snap-caps. About $5 & change.
They load into & feed from the Bergara B-14R mag just fine. They have a piece that sticks out on the sides. Load that so it sits horizontally in the mag.
Complete newb here. I have a Bergara with carbon barrel and Seekins 30MOA scope mount. Scope is Athlon Ares ETR 4.5-30x56. What height scope rings should I order? Any help appreciated.
I’m going to say 1” at minimum, I run that height with my razor on a M24 contour and they are close. Might be a little more wiggle room with the B14r but better to be a little high instead of to low.
I know a few guys on this thread had their gen 1 striker assemblies replaced.
Someone please sell me the original with the 17 coil spring.
www.snipershide.com
Someone please sell me the original with the 17 coil spring.
Rimfire - Found/purchased - Bergara B14R old style striker assembly
Who still has their original striker assembly laying around? It's the one pictured on top below. Bergara has been sending replacements (bottom in picture).
www.snipershide.com
Picked up a B14R after a 30 year break from shooting. This is my 2nd range with 4-16 Bushnell Nitro and SK Standard Plus at 50 yards. Averaging .60 inch. Have had a little problem with smooth ammo feed. Have used the magazine tape trick which has helped some but am open to suggestions.
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I had to actually cut a small feed ramp with a dremel to get mine to feed reliably. It sits in a Mcmillan A4 and now it can utilize its own magazine or the vudoo mags with no problems. Obviously this voids the warranty so take it for what it is. I was so frustrated with the poor feeding I didn't care. Did'nt have any impact on accuracy and does not mar the tip of the bullet. Your results may vary
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I picked up a steel B14R from Aces and Eights in the classifieds earlier this week; bolt was surprisingly tight after bringing it home but I ran a couple hundred cycles through it and it definitely started to break in. I took it out this morning for the first time, and while I pretty much suck shooting groups was getting 5rd 1/2"ish groups at 50yd with SK Match while CCI SV was a little bit bigger and CCI Mini-Mags were probably 1".
I did have a pretty high incidence of ejection issues with the action dropping brass back into the action...seems like my rifle ejects about 1 o'clock with all three kinds of ammo I used today. I wasn't sure if I was short stroking, or perhaps running the bolt too quickly...seemed like if I was a bit more deliberate it didn't happen but I'll have to keep working through it.
Haven't shot 22LR beyond 50yd before...was really fun hitting a 8" plate at 150yd and seeing how significant the impact of wind can be. Getting some smaller plates is definitely on the to-do list...
I did have a pretty high incidence of ejection issues with the action dropping brass back into the action...seems like my rifle ejects about 1 o'clock with all three kinds of ammo I used today. I wasn't sure if I was short stroking, or perhaps running the bolt too quickly...seemed like if I was a bit more deliberate it didn't happen but I'll have to keep working through it.
Haven't shot 22LR beyond 50yd before...was really fun hitting a 8" plate at 150yd and seeing how significant the impact of wind can be. Getting some smaller plates is definitely on the to-do list...
I have noticed, that you have to run the bolt with purpose, to get a reliable ejection. Like any controlled feed, run it slow and the case just sits there or barely flips out. When you run it like you stole it, the spent cases will shoot out.
Yeah, I have to remember to put my purse down and treat it less like a rimfire.
Had mine out yesterday. Zero complaints. Great product.
Anybody tried a Vudoo scope rail on there B-14R ?
Vudoo MOA Scope Rails
Vudoo Gun Works V-22 specific picatinny scope base, Various MOA available in both left and right hand configuration. Select which MOA in the product drop down.
www.brinkexcursions.com
Good info!I'm going to post these from best to worst. Details are on the targets.
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As promised, there you have it. I'd like to stress the importance of giving an accurate review, summary, assessment or whatever else you want to call it.
Even though I didn't get exactly what I had hoped for in the accuracy department I'm still happy I bought the Bergara and would do it over again. The feeding is phenomenal and I do believe the accuracy will get there. Worst part about the rifle is the trigger and it's not all that bad because of the crispness it has. No need to replace anything really. As said, IMO the best way to make this rifle better is change the trigger. I wouldn't know why anyone would want to replace the stock. Nothing left to do except a barrel change but if that was the case I'd just buy a 457 Scout with the intentions of replacing the barrel and the stock from the get go,....oh wait, I did that.
I have been putting together a review on my B14r for about 6 months now.
I've had several things to keep me busy, but as I've posted here and there, mine is shooting much better than many expect...
Hopefully I'll be able to post my indepth review up soon.
Something's not right IMO. I have a couple thousand rounds through mine and I don't think I've had 1 FTE. It's also in a Krg Bravo fwiw.
It makes no difference if I run it as slow as I can or if I try to send that empty case into the next zipcode. Mine also ejects about 1:00.
I'd call Bergara.
Run your bolt really slow and see if you have any, and try to eject live rounds after they engage the rifling on the bore. I would be willing to bet you see some hang ups then.
I have. Again, It makes no difference if I run it as slow as I can or...
What do live rounds getting stuck in the bore have to do with ejecting spent cases? They all do that because of the chamber not because there is potentially something wrong when it doesn't eject spent cases.
