Bergara B14R Heavy Ammo

[Jagerwerks]

I have owned my heavy-barreled B14R for a little over a month now and have mainly shot SK Rifle Match. I probably have 500-600 rounds through it so I feel that the barrel is "seasoned" enough so to speak that I can start playing around with ammo to dial it in. Rifle Match shoots pretty dang good but it will occasionally throw a couple.

I wanted to know what ammo my fellow B14R heavy owners have found that produces the most consistent groups. I know it can vary from barrel to barrel but I just wanted to get a good baseline of ammos to try instead of ordering one of everything.

I have also shot Eley contact and Lapua long range and both of them left a lot to be desired. That was also early in the barrel life so I may need to try them again at some point.

 

[Old Man with Gun]

SK Standard + for me.
And since I don't do matches or anything that justifies Tenex prices, I was looking at the under .25 a shot options. I got SK + for .17 delivered last time I got it.

 

[Emerson0311]

I have owned my heavy-barreled B14R for a little over a month now and have mainly shot SK Rifle Match. I probably have 500-600 rounds through it so I feel that the barrel is "seasoned" enough so to speak that I can start playing around with ammo to dial it in. Rifle Match shoots pretty dang good but it will occasionally throw a couple.

I wanted to know what ammo my fellow B14R heavy owners have found that produces the most consistent groups. I know it can vary from barrel to barrel but I just wanted to get a good baseline of ammos to try instead of ordering one of everything.

I have also shot Eley contact and Lapua long range and both of them left a lot to be desired. That was also early in the barrel life so I may need to try them again at some point.

Rimfire ammo consistency generally follows cost. That’s what we pay for. SK would almost always throw 20% or so high/low for me. I only saw that after my gear and myself were consistent enough. I use Eley Team and Match. I would use Tennex if I had the $$$.

 

[Jack_L]

You need to lot test to find the optimal ammo for your barrel.
You can send your barreled action off to Lapua or Eley and have them do it, and choose from the best lots for your rifle that they have available.
I prefer to do it myself, buying a hundred rounds of a few lots of Eley Tenex and Match from Killough, and then ordering what I like the most.

 

[Jagerwerks]

You need to lot test to find the optimal ammo for your barrel.
You can send your barreled action off to Lapua or Eley and have them do it, and choose from the best lots for your rifle that they have available.
I prefer to do it myself, buying a hundred rounds of a few lots of Eley Tenex and Match from Killough, and then ordering what I like the most.

Yeah, I would really prefer to do it myself instead of sending it off. I would like to lot test some SK but the only place to buy it by lot is Whidden Gunworks and it looks like they only sell it in bricks. I'm not sure of a good source of Lapua 50rd boxes by lot number.

 

[Jack_L]

Yeah, I would really prefer to do it myself instead of sending it off. I would like to lot test some SK but the only place to buy it by lot is Whidden Gunworks and it looks like they only sell it in bricks. I'm not sure of a good source of Lapua 50rd boxes by lot number.

That's 50% of the reason I went to Eley products.

 

[bobby1028]

If it liked SKRM it might like CenterX or Midas+...a brick of each might be a good starting point.

 

[Jack_L]

If it liked SKRM it might like CenterX or Midas+...a brick of each might be a good starting point.

I have seen wildly different results from different lots of CenterX and Midas+.
You might get lucky and get something that works, but unless you're willing to risk it and just buy 2500+ rounds at a time until you get what your rifle likes, sending it off for lot testing is really the most economical way to get top level performance. Unless you can find a place that will let you lot test CenterX, of course.

 

[bobby1028]

I have seen wildly different results from different lots of CenterX and Midas+.
You might get lucky and get something that works, but unless you're willing to risk it and just buy 2500+ rounds at a time until you get what your rifle likes, sending it off for lot testing is really the most economical way to get top level performance. Unless you can find a place that will let you lot test CenterX, of course.

Agreed. Almost impossible to buy Lapua in small quantities, have enough time to lot test and then find it again in bulk. Luckily one of my CZ's hammers with a few different lots of Eley Match...no more chasing Lapua for me.

 

[Mongo68]

Whidden occasionally has test bricks in stock. Multiple lots in one brick. I haven’t been lucky enough to catch one in stock, but I don’t shoot well enough to matter (yet?! ).
My Bergara with KI barrel seems to like Lapua LR. Haven’t had the opportunity to try any eley yet.

Edited to add: KI Precision barrel is 1.220 and 24”

 

[hafejd30]

My factory 18” prefers SK LR. Shoots the match very well but the LR is better. Seems the Bergara chambers prefer SK/Lapua type ammo in general

May be worth a try. My standard barrel put 29/30 rounds inside of 1 moa at 100 yards the other day with SKLR. 26 of those inside 3/4”

3 consecutive 10 shot groups.

 

[Jagerwerks]

My factory 18” prefers SK LR. Shoots the match very well but the LR is better. Seems the Bergara chambers prefer SK/Lapua type ammo in general

May be worth a try. My standard barrel put 29/30 rounds inside of 1 moa at 100 yards the other day with SKLR. 26 of those inside 3/4”

3 consecutive 10 shot groups.
View attachment 8643569View attachment 8643568View attachment 8643567View attachment 8643566

My buddy has the 18" and his loves the SK and Lapua long range stuff. It appears his likes the higher velocity stuff and my 20" likes the lower velocity of SK rifle match. I need to get my hands on some Center X and give it a try.

 

[hafejd30]

My buddy has the 18" and his loves the SK and Lapua long range stuff. It appears his likes the higher velocity stuff and my 20" likes the lower velocity of SK rifle match. I need to get my hands on some Center X and give it a try.

You ever chrono them to see how close those barrels are shooting the same ammo? I know my 18” keeps the SK match subsonic. The LR stuff can bounce over the supersonic mark. Depending on the lot it can be several in a mag or 0/1 in a mag

 

[Jagerwerks]

You ever chrono them to see how close those barrels are shooting the same ammo? I know my 18” keeps the SK match subsonic. The LR stuff can bounce over the supersonic mark. Depending on the lot it can be several in a mag or 0/1 in a mag

Yeah, I have shot my SK rifle match with the chrono and it is always right at 1080. The Lapua long range was around 1160. I also shot some Eley contact that was north of 1100 and my heavy barrel didn't like it either.

 

[Jayhawkhuntclub]

My 20" likes Norma Tac-22 about as well as anything. It will average 1 MOA or better with it at 50 and 100 yards. Mine also likes SK std+, Biathlon and SK semi-auto. It also likes Federal Hi-Vel Match.

BTW, it hates Wolf Match Extra, Eley Target and Blazers.

I haven't found anything that it really loves yet. Only had it a short time though.

 

[d_dial]

My Bergara 18” shoots SK pistol match better than SK rifle match. I may have gotten lucky with this lot of pistol match tho.
Just my experience,yours may differ

 

[actionshooter]

I have played with the normal stuff and Ceneter X is the winner... have no idea about the Lapua LR... won't pay the price for that.

 

[vaguru]

You ever chrono them to see how close those barrels are shooting the same ammo? I know my 18” keeps the SK match subsonic. The LR stuff can bounce over the supersonic mark. Depending on the lot it can be several in a mag or 0/1 in a mag

I have both the 18" steel and the 20" SS HB. Same ammo, same day shot 20" immediately after the 18". Using LabRadar, the 18" shot 1.7 fps faster, 1063.38 vs 1061.68. The 18" has over 15,000 rounds fired, the 20" had 1,200+/- at that point. Other ammo might give differing results, only tested one ammo for the test. Your results may vary but this is what my 2 rifles showed that particular day.

 

[grauhanen]

You ever chrono them to see how close those barrels are shooting the same ammo? I know my 18” keeps the SK match subsonic. The LR stuff can bounce over the supersonic mark. Depending on the lot it can be several in a mag or 0/1 in a mag

Does it matter if rounds are over the speed of sound?

The problem of transonic turbulence, which may affect the accuracy performance of some ammo, occurs when supersonic rounds slow down into the transonic range of velocities. The transonic range is between about 890 fps and 1340 fps. The vast majority of high velocity .22LR ammo spends a great part of its most useful flight time within the transonic range of velocities. When high velocity .22LR ammo accuracy performance is poor it's related to ammo quality not MV.