Bergara B14 HMR trigger, Triggertech Special?

[broncoaz]

I’m getting the final bits together to assemble my new rifle and I was thinking I need to get a trigger. The base rifle is a Bergara B14 HMR LH in 6.5 Creedmoor. Here is the parts list:

B14 HMR base rifle
Magpul Pro 700 folding chassis
Badger 20 moa left handed rail
Badger 34mm rings, standard (1”)
Razor Gen II 4.5-27 mil
Silencerco ASR brake
Atlas PSR bipod (may get a Cal)

My current R700 .308 rifle has a Timney 511 trigger that works well, I have it set just under 2 lb. I read elsewhere about the Bergara having a heavier firing pin spring. I was looking at the Triggertech, but I don’t completely understand their note about overweight firing pin springs causing increased pull weight:

***Pull weights of TriggerTech Triggers are directly impacted by firing pin spring weight. Overweight firing pin springs may cause pulls weights to vary above the advertised range***

I’m surmising this means that with the trigger at a lighter setting the feel will be heavier due to the springs. The B14 manual recommends not setting the trigger below 2.8 lb and that that is the weight setting from the factory. Will the 1 lb setting feel like 2.8 or will it feel lighter and be unsafe? Do I need to set the Triggertech at 2.8 lb to keep it safe? If the pull weight needs to stay at a weight achieved by the stock trigger is the upgrade worth it for reduced overtravel, etc?

There is one Bergara related review on the TT page:

The TriggerTech Remington 700 Special took my Bergara HMR from great to excellent. My B-14 HMR had a pretty good trigger but the TriggerTech took the rifle to a whole new level. It is set to within Bergara's described pull weight parameters but it feels at least 8 - 10 oz. lighter, and it improved my groups with the 6.5 Creedmoor match grade ammo that produced .7 MOA groups at 100 yards to .3 MOA and with the ammo that produced .3 - .5 MOA before to .1 MOA.

 

[SonicBurlap]

You must be quoting one of my old posts although I did not post on TT page, has been totally worth it for me, especially since I recently upgraded my bolt to the Bergara Premier SA bolt. The Bergara trigger was nice but not anywhere in the same class as the TriggerTech Special, even Bergara is using TriggerTech Primary triggers for their premier series now.

 

[Lunchbox27]

Curious... of all the parts you threw together, why go factory and not a custom barreled action?

 

[broncoaz]

You must be quoting one of my old posts although I did not post on TT page, has been totally worth it for me, especially since I recently upgraded my bolt to the Bergara Premier SA bolt. The Bergara trigger was nice but not anywhere in the same class as the TriggerTech Special, even Bergara is using TriggerTech Primary triggers for their premier series now.

Thanks for the response, i’ll get serious about ordering one. Upgrading the bolt on my LH model isn’t an option.

Curious... of all the parts you threw together, why go factory and not a custom barreled action?

I began with the intent of running the Bergara out of the box with a PST Gen 2 scope, making a solid $2K rifle to learn on. I already had the Magpul chassis, I purchased it for my R700 .308 and then decided to change caliber to 6.5 Creed. I planned on selling it and keeping the Bergara stock, but the Magpul chassis has better ergonomics prone for me so I kept it. I did purchase the Razor specifically for this build, comparing it side by side to the PST Gen 2 it was worth the extra money, Scott at Liberty Optics got me a great price. It kind of snowballed and I’ll end up with a $4K rifle, on the good side I can always upgrade the action and barrel later without changing much else.

 

[fanninland]

I got a RH HMR in 6.5cm before the lefty’s came out and now I’m going to sell it and buy a LH. I too was thinking about a TT Special upgrade at some point so if you go that route please let us know how it goes. Like Sonic said it seems like you would be gtg since they use TT’s in the Premier series. Also, would like to see some pics with the Magpul Pro stock - thanks!

 

[SonicBurlap]

I got a RH HMR in 6.5cm before the lefty’s came out and now I’m going to sell it and buy a LH. I too was thinking about a TT Special upgrade at some point so if you go that route please let us know how it goes. Like Sonic said it seems like you would be gtg since they use TT’s in the Premier series. Also, would like to see some pics with the Magpul Pro stock - thanks!

It doesn't just seem like it though it is gtg at least for me it was. I was careful and set pull weight of the TT Special to the Bergara manual recommended 2.8 lbs. felt a whole lot lighter and broke very crisp, checked function, it fired, charged it again, put it on safe and it did not fire, then did what we used to do in the Army, kept it on safe and bounced it around a bit on the buttstock, did not fire, I used it and never had a problem. When I changed to the Premier SA bolt I followed the same procedure but due to the difference in the bolt, even though it is still set at 2.8 lbs. I had to show quite a few of my buddies with the pull gauge that this was still set to 2.8 lbs. because they did not believe it was and insisted it might be about 1lb. lighter.

 

[fanninland]

Great to know, appreciate the info sir.

 

[TaylorBacon]

It doesn't just seem like it though it is gtg at least for me it was. I was careful and set pull weight of the TT Special to the Bergara manual recommended 2.8 lbs. felt a whole lot lighter and broke very crisp, checked function, it fired, charged it again, put it on safe and it did not fire, then did what we used to do in the Army, kept it on safe and bounced it around a bit on the buttstock, did not fire, I used it and never had a problem. When I changed to the Premier SA bolt I followed the same procedure but due to the difference in the bolt, even though it is still set at 2.8 lbs. I had to show quite a few of my buddies with the pull gauge that this was still set to 2.8 lbs. because they did not believe it was and insisted it might be about 1lb. lighter.

Bergara's 2.8lb limit is for their factory triggers only. You can set a TT Special as light as you would like in a B14.

 

[SonicBurlap]

I know I can in mine since I'm using a Premier series bolt, however not so sure about the B14 bolt because even Timney on their web site made reference to the heavier firing pin spring in the B14 bolt potentially causing problems. The Premier SA bolt solved that problem, and the whole firing pin cratering issue on some of the loads when I share ammo with some of my buddies who load their own. You might want to verify that statement with TriggerTech.

 

[__jb]

Why not replace the heavy firing pin spring with a lighter spring?

Is the firing pin too heavy for a lighter spring?

 

[SonicBurlap]

Why not replace the heavy firing pin spring with a lighter spring?

Is the firing pin too heavy for a lighter spring?

At the time I replaced the B14 bolt with the Premier SA bolt it was not the only issue, the other was the welded bolt shroud vs. the machined bolt shroud on the Premier, plus the Premier had some other features I wanted as the non-rotating gas shield, the fluting, and the bayonet style firing pin assembly which allows for disassembly with a simple 1/4 turn.

 

[__jb]

At the time I replaced the B14 bolt with the Premier SA bolt it was not the only issue, the other was the welded bolt shroud vs. the machined bolt shroud on the Premier, plus the Premier had some other features I wanted as the non-rotating gas shield, the fluting, and the bayonet style firing pin assembly which allows for disassembly with a simple 1/4 turn.

Thanks... I am leaning towards a Premier HMR.

This is another good reason...

 

[JakeM]

It’ll work fine, mine is set at 1 and 3/4 lbs and works great with the factory bolt.

 

[JakeM]

The trigger tech special is what I have

 

[fanninland]

Well alrighty then....
I’m about to order a LH Special pvd (black) curved from TT website for $172 shipped for my B14 HMR - anyone know of a better Cyber Monday deal out there before I pull the ......no not gonna say it!

 

[timwoo]

This is my first post on this forum, but after reading this thread, I figured I would share my experience. I just recently put a TT diamond in my HMR (non-premier model). Based on the Bergara 2.8lb min. recommendation, I was reluctant (the diamond's advertised range is only 2lb-4oz), but figured since it was on sale, and TT offers a 30-day satisfaction guarantee...I would give it a try. The trigger adjustment screw came set about midway between the max and min pull weight, so I first just installed it w/ the factory setting and I did the standard safety check. I then dropped the rifle on its butt stock cocked several times w/ the safety on and off. The trigger didn't release the firing pin, so I began decreasing the weight a few clicks at a time and re-doing the safety checks and drop test. I stopped at 5 clicks below factory setting and settled there based on feel. Beyond that feels too light for my personal preference. At that point it doesn't release the firing pin when dropped, or when the bolt is slammed closed, and it feels way lighter and crisper than the factory trigger was when it was set to its lightest setting. I am very satisfied with it.

If I get a trigger pull gage, and get a measured pull weight reading I will share it with you all, but for now I just wanted to share my story in-case it helps anyone else make a decision.

 

[timwoo]

... I replaced the B14 bolt with the Premier SA bolt...

Sonic Burlap,
This is may be a dumb question, but did you go straight to Bergara for the premier bolt? I haven't seen just the bolts for sale anywhere (although I did see that Brownells recently started selling complete barreled .308 actions). When you replaced the bolt, did you have to make any other adjustments to maintain headspace, or did it fit your barreled action right out of the box?

 

[SonicBurlap]

Yes, I called Bergara USA direct to order the Premier SA bolt with the standard bolt head for the 6.5 Creedmoor, no other adjustments were necessary as I was told by Bergara and verified with my own 6.5 CM go and no-go gauges, fit right out of the box. Highly recommend it, even if just for the ease of maintenance. After initial break in runs smooth as butter.

 

[Paul1262]

Yes, I called Bergara USA direct to order the Premier SA bolt with the standard bolt head for the 6.5 Creedmoor, no other adjustments were necessary as I was told by Bergara and verified with my own 6.5 CM go and no-go gauges, fit right out of the box. Highly recommend it, even if just for the ease of maintenance. After initial break in runs smooth as butter.

Just curious as to why you didn't just purchase the HMR Pro instead of replacing the trigger and bolt? If the Pro was not available at the time of initial purchase, would you recommend the Pro over the standard HMR today? Thanks

 

[SonicBurlap]

The Pro was announced but not available for purchase anywhere yet, with no hard date of when available. Yes I would recommend getting the Pro over the B14 if money is not an issue because just the stainless steel, the cerakote, and the improved bolt are well worth the difference, the added 2" on the barrel are a nice bonus but don't make that much of a difference.

 

[Paul1262]

Appreciate the reply. I really like my B14 6.5 CM and it is very accurate out to 600 yards (max shooting yardage available). However, I have been weighing whether or not to buy a PRO bolt and a Trigger Tech Special or just go for a new PRO rifle. I like the color of the HMR 14 over the PRO and the added 2" barrel length doesn't really matter to me. Again, thanks for the reply and recommendation.

 

[timwoo]

Appreciate the reply. I really like my B14 6.5 CM and it is very accurate out to 600 yards (max shooting yardage available). However, I have been weighing whether or not to buy a PRO bolt and a Trigger Tech Special or just go for a new PRO rifle. I like the color of the HMR 14 over the PRO and the added 2" barrel length doesn't really matter to me. Again, thanks for the reply and recommendation.

Brownells now sells the barreled premier actions, which might be an option if you already have an HMR stock that you want to keep. Four differences that I am aware of in the actions are that there is more metal around the top of the ejection port On the pro (supposed to make it stiffer), The pro is S.S. Instead of 4140, the pro has a relief cut in the feed ramp to allow feeding of longer COAL from magazines, and the pro uses #8 base mounting screws instead of #6.

I have already added a relief cut to the feed ramp of mine (non-pro) so that I can load closer to the lands and still feed from magazines.

 

[SonicBurlap]

Appreciate the reply. I really like my B14 6.5 CM and it is very accurate out to 600 yards (max shooting yardage available). However, I have been weighing whether or not to buy a PRO bolt and a Trigger Tech Special or just go for a new PRO rifle. I like the color of the HMR 14 over the PRO and the added 2" barrel length doesn't really matter to me. Again, thanks for the reply and recommendation.

If you already own a B14 then I would advise against selling and buying a new HMR Pro because the hit you are going to take selling the HMR as used will not make up for the difference, at that point it would be better just doing what I did and upgrade the bolt and trigger. That is providing your current B14 is giving you the accuracy results you desire; mine is a keeper and will eventually be passed on to the next generation as long as our second amendment rights are still intact.

 

[SonicBurlap]

Brownells now sells the barreled premier actions, which might be an option if you already have an HMR stock that you want to keep. Four differences that I am aware of in the actions are that there is more metal around the top of the ejection port On the pro (supposed to make it stiffer), The pro is S.S. Instead of 4140, the pro has a relief cut in the feed ramp to allow feeding of longer COAL from magazines, and the pro uses #8 base mounting screws instead of #6.

I have already added a relief cut to the feed ramp of mine (non-pro) so that I can load closer to the lands and still feed from magazines.

That might be a better option in my opinion, although I prefer the TriggerTech Special over the Primary Bergara mounts on their Premier actions.

 

[Paul1262]

If you already own a B14 then I would advise against selling and buying a new HMR Pro because the hit you are going to take selling the HMR as used will not make up for the difference, at that point it would be better just doing what I did and upgrade the bolt and trigger. That is providing your current B14 is giving you the accuracy results you desire; mine is a keeper and will eventually be passed on to the next generation as long as our second amendment rights are still intact.

I think your recommendation(s) make the most sense. Selling my B14 and buying a new PRO, scope mount (6.48 vs 8.40 screws), sales tax, and etc. just doesn't make any financial sense. Like you, I think the best course of action is to keep what I have and upgrade the bolt and trigger and pass it on to the next generation. Thanks again.

 

[Paul1262]

Brownells now sells the barreled premier actions, which might be an option if you already have an HMR stock that you want to keep. Four differences that I am aware of in the actions are that there is more metal around the top of the ejection port On the pro (supposed to make it stiffer), The pro is S.S. Instead of 4140, the pro has a relief cut in the feed ramp to allow feeding of longer COAL from magazines, and the pro uses #8 base mounting screws instead of #6.

I have already added a relief cut to the feed ramp of mine (non-pro) so that I can load closer to the lands and still feed from magazines.

Thanks for the information.