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Bergara BMR Micro Rimfire .22 LR
- Thread starter bsekf
- Start date
Had some time to play with my new BMR.
Took off the picatinny rail. Screws were modestly tight, I'd guess around 15 inch/lbs. The rail is cast alloy. I checked (measure, measure measure/math, math, math) it at exactly 30 MOA as advertised.
Removing the action from the stock I found the front action screw to be very tight. Greater than 60 inch pounds. The rear action screw was barely hand tight.
The trigger is identical to the one from my B14R.
The bottom is relieved where the magazine inserts. You can see through the hole that the barrel is threaded into the action with a surprisingly coarse thread for such a dainty rifle.
A view of the stock with the typical Bergara spatter pattern. The bottom metal is, of course, plastic.
I reassembled the rifle. I torqued everything to 25 inch/lbs.
My first problem: That torque setting bound up the bolt. The rear screw over penetrated into the sear piece on the bolt. Further investigation showed I was missing a bushing that fits into the trigger guard to protect it from the screw.
It's possible that I lost/misplaced it but I was unable to find it after an extensive search of the bench and area where I had disassembled the rifle. I contacted Bergara and they quickly replied that unfortunately they do not have that replacement part available here in the US.
I ended up turning down the OD of an M6 washer to fit the screw hole in the trigger guard and retightened everything to 25 inch/lbs. It's ready to shoot in the AM.
Took off the picatinny rail. Screws were modestly tight, I'd guess around 15 inch/lbs. The rail is cast alloy. I checked (measure, measure measure/math, math, math) it at exactly 30 MOA as advertised.
Removing the action from the stock I found the front action screw to be very tight. Greater than 60 inch pounds. The rear action screw was barely hand tight.
The trigger is identical to the one from my B14R.
The bottom is relieved where the magazine inserts. You can see through the hole that the barrel is threaded into the action with a surprisingly coarse thread for such a dainty rifle.
A view of the stock with the typical Bergara spatter pattern. The bottom metal is, of course, plastic.
I reassembled the rifle. I torqued everything to 25 inch/lbs.
My first problem: That torque setting bound up the bolt. The rear screw over penetrated into the sear piece on the bolt. Further investigation showed I was missing a bushing that fits into the trigger guard to protect it from the screw.
It's possible that I lost/misplaced it but I was unable to find it after an extensive search of the bench and area where I had disassembled the rifle. I contacted Bergara and they quickly replied that unfortunately they do not have that replacement part available here in the US.
I ended up turning down the OD of an M6 washer to fit the screw hole in the trigger guard and retightened everything to 25 inch/lbs. It's ready to shoot in the AM.
Just picked up my BMR this afternoon. It feels like a feather compared to my B14R! Overall, the build quality is very good, matches every other Bergara product I've owned, B14 HMR and B14R. With my scope and Harris bipod mounted, up, it weighs 7lb 12oz...which is HALF the weight of my B14R in a KRG Bravo.
Here are some additional specs some of you may be interested in;
Barreled action weight (steel bbl); 3lbs 10oz
Stock weight w/bottom metal; 1lb 14oz
Total; 5lb 8oz. Just as Bergara stated.
From the factory, the front action screw was torqued at 45 in/lb. Rear action screw was at 55 in/lb. I set them to 25 in/lb, and I'll play with it as needed to see affect on groups.
Scope base screws have no loctite, were inconsistent at a little below 15 in/lb. I added loctite, set all to 20 in/lb. Screw spacing is about 0.520" on the front and rear set, and the front most and rear most screws are about 3.70" apart. No idea if that matches anything else on the market, but it's not Rem 700 pattern.
Trigger is nice, breaks with a little creep and pretravel at 2lbs 6 oz. If you have a little mechanical knowledge, a 4-40 tap, and an extended tip set screw, sear engagement should be adjustable to a crisp 1lb or so. I'm working on that now...screws are in the mail!
Barrel is a #4 taper; .657" at the muzzle, .720" where the barrel and the stock meet up, and just over 1.0" at the receiver. Very nice free float all the way back to the receiver. 3-5 mm of clearance all around.
Mags are nicely made and drop free with zero hangup. They fit nicely in the magwell with minimal wobble. Feed perfectly (controlled round feed...bullets jump up from the mag into the extractor jaws to feed smoothly into the chamber). All rounds fit in as advertised, 10rd and 5rd mag provided in the box. A person with a 3D printer and design knowledge could easily produce extended capacity bases, which I'm sure someone is already working on.
Stock is hollow, but very rigid. Took a far amount of strength to flex the rear of the stock. I'm adding an epoxy/Airsoft BB slurry fill to add some weight and rigidity.
Headed to the range early this week to test out a variety of match ammo.
Also added a $4.29 bolt know I found at Ace Hardware. MUCH better than the stock bolt know, which is a little small. Pre threaded M6x1 to match the factory thread!
Here are some additional specs some of you may be interested in;
Barreled action weight (steel bbl); 3lbs 10oz
Stock weight w/bottom metal; 1lb 14oz
Total; 5lb 8oz. Just as Bergara stated.
From the factory, the front action screw was torqued at 45 in/lb. Rear action screw was at 55 in/lb. I set them to 25 in/lb, and I'll play with it as needed to see affect on groups.
Scope base screws have no loctite, were inconsistent at a little below 15 in/lb. I added loctite, set all to 20 in/lb. Screw spacing is about 0.520" on the front and rear set, and the front most and rear most screws are about 3.70" apart. No idea if that matches anything else on the market, but it's not Rem 700 pattern.
Trigger is nice, breaks with a little creep and pretravel at 2lbs 6 oz. If you have a little mechanical knowledge, a 4-40 tap, and an extended tip set screw, sear engagement should be adjustable to a crisp 1lb or so. I'm working on that now...screws are in the mail!
Barrel is a #4 taper; .657" at the muzzle, .720" where the barrel and the stock meet up, and just over 1.0" at the receiver. Very nice free float all the way back to the receiver. 3-5 mm of clearance all around.
Mags are nicely made and drop free with zero hangup. They fit nicely in the magwell with minimal wobble. Feed perfectly (controlled round feed...bullets jump up from the mag into the extractor jaws to feed smoothly into the chamber). All rounds fit in as advertised, 10rd and 5rd mag provided in the box. A person with a 3D printer and design knowledge could easily produce extended capacity bases, which I'm sure someone is already working on.
Stock is hollow, but very rigid. Took a far amount of strength to flex the rear of the stock. I'm adding an epoxy/Airsoft BB slurry fill to add some weight and rigidity.
Headed to the range early this week to test out a variety of match ammo.
Also added a $4.29 bolt know I found at Ace Hardware. MUCH better than the stock bolt know, which is a little small. Pre threaded M6x1 to match the factory thread!
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Along with the $12 I spent modifying the trigger to a 15oz pull, the bolt knob has been an excellent upgrade. Funny thing is that Bergara actually sells a very similar knob on their website for $20 + shipping, but it doesn't have the brass thread insert...looks like it has plastic threads. Ace Hardware for the win!
Part number for the bolt knob ? Please, thank you! It looks like a lamp finial.
Thanks, I am on my way to ace hardware......well, I struck out. They had nothing at all at the local store.
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I just got another one on my way home from a match. Gonna see if it fits my B14R.
P/N 55443-E
Thanks for the part number ! Two pack from Amazon on the way ! Thanks . 3.87 each plus tax, free delivery. They are sourced from the Hillman group. I got my tap and handle coming for my trigger. Which cutting fluid ?
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I just used gun oil, and just a few drops. Don't forget to back out the tap after each full rotation...you don't want to get chips in the trigger housing. I tapped it upside down, so the chips fell out with gravity, and then used a can of compressed air to blow it out after a few full rotations. It was very easy, just keep the tap straight and you won't have any problems. Also, it helps to put the trigger on "safe", and pull the trigger to the rear fully while you cut the threads, that way the trigger bar isn't in the way of the cutting tap and you can get deeper to cut more threads.
Picked up a carbon barreled one yesterday. Pulled a 6.5x20 Vx3i off something else and installed it.
If someone could help with the trigger modification I would really appreciate it.
Is there a different post or photo essay.
If someone could help with the trigger modification I would really appreciate it.
Is there a different post or photo essay.
There are some good pictures on Rimfire Central. There is a linky somewhere in the bergara bmr threads. If you haven’t run a tap before you may want to get it done by an experienced person
if you break a tap, it can be a bear to get out without damaging the trigger. If you have basic mechanical skills, all you need is a 4-40 tap, a tap handle, a little oil, and a 4-40 set screw. I don’t know the length yet.
5/8" is the length I went with...I don't feel 3/8" is long enough. The 5/8" will stick out a little bit, but it clears the stock just fine.
Tapping is easy...this was the very first thing I have ever tapped and it was a breeze. I watched a few YT videos, took my time. Just don't force it...small taps can break easily.
The RimfireCentral thread is here.
Will the Trigger Tech Diamond with the straight blade fit in the BMR? It’s for a 700 but I’m not sure because of the straight trigger. I shot mine today and it shoots good but I was fighting the trigger.
I shot my TacSol with the 8 oz Kidd trigger in it and was reminded of how much I like light triggers and straight triggers.
I shot my TacSol with the 8 oz Kidd trigger in it and was reminded of how much I like light triggers and straight triggers.
Looks like a shooter.
How does the 90* bolt throw feel on this one (similar to the 455)?
Sounds like a small thing but after going to a Tikka t1x, CZ 457 and other ~60* throws, the 90's feel clunkier.
Went to my local dealer that stocks Bergara and the guys behind the counter kept trying to hand me the B14r and BXR's when I asked about the BMR. Hope to handle one soon.
It's roughly 30* "clunkier". You wouldn't notice unless you had the two different models side by side.
No one has ever won a match because their gun had 30* less bolt throw than 2nd place.
I picked mine up on Tuesday, everything looks great, but the bolt is finicky to put in and it feels like it’s grinding on sand. Do you guys have any ideas on how to fix this or what it might be? I ran my finger across the the bolt (the flat part with the channel running down the middle) the only thing I noticed is that it has some raised parts where Bergara is engraved on it. This first rifle I have owned, so I have no idea if this is normal. It just doesn’t feel anything like the bolt actions that I have shot.
Flitz metal polish. I did notice that engraving on my bolt as well, but I don't think that is what is causing your issue...I don't think that part of the bolt interacts with any other surfaces. My bolt was not rough, but I did slather it with some Flitz and rack the bolt a few hundred times while I was watching TV. Made a difference...it basically speeds up the natural break in that would occur if you fired a few hundred rounds, but you don't have to spend any ammo doing it.
Bergara BMR report - somewhat 2nd hand. The match director for our local ARA factory benchrest matches showed up at our weekly fun shoot (read highly competitive cutthroat rimfire sporter/sand bag match) with a shiney new BMR. He has owned & competed with about all the rimfire sporters available including Tikka, VuDoo, CZ, etc but for our fun shoot he normally uses a Anschutz 54 HB sporter and uses it well often winning these matches vs Win 52's, Sako's, Coopers and a variety of other rifles. Most are not legal for sanctioned factory BR matches. He spent a good bit of time testing the rifle and first impressions (mine/his) are, thr stock is nicer than the Tikka and the rifle will accept most Rem 700 form triggers. Both are good. From a 50y bench, it shot OK but not good enough to be competitive in our elite rifle fun shoot. It may or may not be good enough to compete in ARA factory which is currently dominated by CZ and Tikka's and not much else. The jury is still out. Worth noting, that after a couple days to testing, he sold the Bergra. He competed that night with his Annie. I asked him why? The answer was telling. It was not good enough for the fun shoot and not better than his CZ. I looked at and handled the rifle and liked the looks and feel. Sorry, but I failed to get pics.
I think I’m going to take the $100 hit (restocking fee plus shipping) and send it back. This bolt is really bad and I can just picture being reminded every time I run the bolt that I should have just paid to return it. I think the CZ 457 would be a better pick to start out with. I watched a video last night on Pursuit of Accuracy where he said that they had put about 1500 rounds through the BMR and it wasn’t getting much better.
$100 is a big hit. I’d just try to sell it locally first.
I’d rather send it back to Bergara for warranty work than take a $100 loss. You are either expecting way too much from the rifle, or there is something wrong with it….I’m betting something is wrong with it.
I think a lot of people are trying to compare it to the B14R, which is unfair. That’s like comparing a Ruger 10/22 Target to a Vudoo. The BMR is not a precision target rifle. It’s a lightweight field rifle, and it should be evaluated as such. I’d like to see the results of the other ammo in more detail from the POA video review.
My BMR shoots pretty well. Lapua Center-X shot at .668” @ 100 yards, .39” @ 50 yards. Not as good as my B14R, but I wasn’t expecting it too. Overall, my BMR shoots about 60%-70% as well as my B14R. For a rifle that weighs 50% less, that is perfectly acceptable to me. I’m looking forward to running it in NRL22 base class.
I'm not a saint by any measure and selling it locally was the first thing I thought of, but selling this to someone would be a pretty shitty thing to do. I get where you are coming from, and I have done a head check ( Is this just me?, is this the way they are when they are new? ) so I asked myself if this was a $300 ish new 22lr would I be okay with this?, and the answer is no. It's bad enough that I really don't know if I could fix it by polishing everything, and if polishing doesn't work, I would be stuck with it.
The best way I could describe it would be say, you walked in to a gun store and saw it listed for $300, and you're like "holy shit! that's a $600 rifle!" and you pick it up and work the action and you instantly figure out why the person is selling it for $300. For someone with your skill and experience, you would actually take some time think about taking the chance on being able to fix it and getting a good deal. At $600, and my skill, it's not worth the chance that I could make it work good enough that it wouldn't bother me.
My expectation for the rifle was that for the price point I would get a nice rifle, not great or amazing, just a nice 22lr that wasn't the bottom of the line, not top of the line, just a quality 22lr rifle that would be nice to shoot with my granddaughter and to look at it 5 years from now and be happy that I got the BMR over some $200-$300 one. Pay a little more, get a little more kind of thing. The idea was to shoot at cans and bullshit about life and when we missed a shot, it was us and not the rifle.
If I decided to shoot NRL22 or something like that, I would get a different rifle like a pimped out CZ 457 or the Bergara B14R. I know there are better rifles out there, but both of those would shoot better than me.
It’s actually going to be more than $100. 15% restocking fee on $560, plus shipping and the $45 FFL fee.
Contact Bergara CS. See what they have to say. Are you certain it's the engraving on the bottom of the bolt that is causing the issue? If so, that is an easy warranty claim. I would at least find out what Bergara CS has to say before taking a $129 hit.
I emailed Bergara, I’m waiting for them to get back to me. The engraving was the only thing I noticed when I ran my finger over the bolt. I was looking for anything that might be sticking out or any indication as to what the issue might be. I couldn’t feel anything, I was feeling for any grit or something that could be polished. I couldn’t find anything. When you run it, it sounds kind of like a knife on a polishing stone and it gets hung up so you have work it to go through the range of motion In a few places. It’s gritty and it’s like the tolerances are not right in a few places. I have tried using different amounts of force ( okay try running it lighter and slower) it doesn’t make any difference.
I’m not trying to say that the BMR is a crappy rifle, it isn’t. The rest of the gun is actually nicer than I expected it to be for the price. I ran snap caps to check out the trigger and the extraction, too me, the way the trigger is right out of the box is perfect. I was planning on ordering the parts to do the trigger job and just sit on them to see if I really wanted to do it.
it’s just that how the bolt works matters to me. I would like it if my granddaughter enjoyed shooting it and it is going to be harder for her to run the bolt than me ( well, that, and I don’t want her asking her mom if grandpa has Tourette’s sundrome because of what comes out my mouth when I use it ).
I’m not trying to say that the BMR is a crappy rifle, it isn’t. The rest of the gun is actually nicer than I expected it to be for the price. I ran snap caps to check out the trigger and the extraction, too me, the way the trigger is right out of the box is perfect. I was planning on ordering the parts to do the trigger job and just sit on them to see if I really wanted to do it.
it’s just that how the bolt works matters to me. I would like it if my granddaughter enjoyed shooting it and it is going to be harder for her to run the bolt than me ( well, that, and I don’t want her asking her mom if grandpa has Tourette’s sundrome because of what comes out my mouth when I use it ).
I just checked Big Daddy’s website, I can’t return it because I didn’t notice it until I got home. You can’t return firearms if you don’t notice what’s wrong with it before they process your FFL paperwork. I just looked it over, and asked the gunsmith what I should be looking for and he told me just to check to make sure that the crown wasn’t nicked up.
Short version : Insert the bolt and run the action before you fill out the paperwork.
Short version : Insert the bolt and run the action before you fill out the paperwork.
Wow! Hard to believe that Bergara is making such a poor quality rifle I have. B14r and a friend has there semi auto and both are top notch!! B14 is the best “ off the shelf” rifle that I have ever purchased!
My B14 was stiff and "rough" out of the box, but a couple of hundred rounds later the bolt moves so slick that it chambers & extracts rounds just by tilting the rifle... Which is almost too slick for my liking 
The only time i get "sticking" bolt movement is when I put upwards pressure on the bolt handle whilst pushing the bolt in.
The laser(?) engraving on the bolt is very rough, but it's got nothing to do with how the bolt cycles.
But in the end - if you don't like it, you don't like it. And there's no point in keeping it in that case. It's got to be fun and fun starts in our mind.
The only time i get "sticking" bolt movement is when I put upwards pressure on the bolt handle whilst pushing the bolt in.The laser(?) engraving on the bolt is very rough, but it's got nothing to do with how the bolt cycles.
But in the end - if you don't like it, you don't like it. And there's no point in keeping it in that case. It's got to be fun and fun starts in our mind.
You may want to cycle the bolt with the bolt stop depressed. When I do, the bolt is really smooth.
I’m still waiting to hear back from Bergara. Hopefully they got some extra time off for Thanksgiving And I’ll hear back from them after this weekend.
What parts of the bolt are the parts that make contact? In order to try AZDan’s method, where should I put the polish? and is there any areas I should make sure it doesn’t get on?
What parts of the bolt are the parts that make contact? In order to try AZDan’s method, where should I put the polish? and is there any areas I should make sure it doesn’t get on?
Mine doesn’t look like it’s been laser engraved, not that it matters, the thing that crossed my mind was “ why didn’t they just use a laser” it looks perfect but it has the ridges as if it was done with a rotary engraver.My B14 was stiff and "rough" out of the box, but a couple of hundred rounds later the bolt moves so slick that it chambers & extracts rounds just by tilting the rifle... Which is almost too slick for my liking
The laser(?) engraving on the bolt is very rough, but it's got nothing to do with how the bolt cycles.
But in the end - if you don't like it, you don't like it. And there's no point in keeping it in that case. It's got to be fun and fun starts in our mind.
I’m not anti Bergara by any measure, am I happy about this ? Nope (I threw a mini tantrum and deleted all of their products from my Big Daddy Wishlist and I pictured everyone freaking out at Bergara’s head quarters over it. ) I just figured I got one that slipped through. From everything I have read online they are the best bang for your buck rifles you can buy. I want to figure out how to fix this so at some point I can get the B14R, put it in a KRG Bravo stock. The only complaint I have heard about is the bolt, so if I can fix it on this, then I’ll know what to do on the B14R.
You need to accurately determine what is causing the bolt to be "rough". My BMR bolt is not like lubed glass....there are things rubbing on it, but nothing that I haven't experienced from my Savage FV-SR, Ruger American Rimfire, CZ 455, etc. You might just have an over developed sense of what the a new $500 bolt gun should feel like. You can rule out the serial number engraving on the bottom of the bolt, it doesn't interact with any other surface, so it's impossible for it to cause any roughness. The bolt release lever does rub against the bolt during travel, and if I depress that lever on my rifle and run the bolt back and forth, 80% of the "roughness" disappears. I don't have another BMR to compare it to, but I don't consider the bolt on my BMR to have anything wrong with it...it's just how some new 22 bolt guns are.
The only other way we can help diagnose this issue is to see a video of the bolt...if that is something you can do. There may not be anything wrong with it.
Other than that...go shoot it.
Most likely the bolt release is dragging in the groove it rides in it acts as a bolt guide chech it for burred edges and/or rough machine marks
deburr and Smooth the bolt release groove and check the bolt release that protrudes into that groove
Then put Fitz or automotive valve grinding compound in the groove and cycle the action 100 times lean out the Fitz
I’ll try and get some video of it. I need to look up a parts diagram or something for a frame of reference and where to apply lube to the bolt after I clean it. I plan on documenting everything and if I get it figured out create a post to help anyone else who might end up with the same issue.
Which areas on the bolt did you apply polish? and which areas do I need to make sure I don’t get polish on?
Everything but the face of the bolt. Just sit watching TV and rack the bolt a few hundred times. You can also rub the entire bolt with Flitz and a rag, but doing it while it's in the gun will also polish the inside of the receiver.
Thanks, I need to clean it out because there some kind of grit in there and I don’t want to grind that in with the polish. In the Rimfire Revolution book he said that he always takes his new guns apart when he gets them to clean out any shavings and compound that might be left from the machining process so that seems like a good place to start.
