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Forum Index > Rifles general discussion > Bergara B-14 Rifles

Bergara B-14 Rifles

23 Nov 2018
@ 06:36 am (GMT)

Ryan Nafe

Fellas,

I came across Bergara Rifles at a local gun shop a while ago and began a little research on them. I have had a heck of a hard time finding any useful information on them, aside from the usual paid reviews of the gun rags.

To me, while they’re not exactly cheap, they do appear to be a well-designed and straightforwards tool, I don’t see much in the way of funky marketing or hype. The caliber selections are quite limited but extremely useful, offering a few basic hack cartridges like .308 and .270, along with the classic 7mm and .30 cal magnums by Remington and Winchester.

So, at first glance, they look to me like a nice basic tool with some good design elements. A B-14 in .270, set up with a good 150 grain bullet like a Hot-Cor, Partition, or annealed SST, would probably be great as a general hack rifle for ordinary hunting ranges of under 300 yards.

BUT, like I said, I have managed to find very little information on actual rifle performance relative to the more common ones like the M700 or a Howa 1500.

Do any of you guys know what’s what with these Bergara Rifles?

Replies

1
25 Nov 2018
@ 07:27 pm (GMT)

Thomas Kitchen

Re: Bergara B-14 Rifles
hi Ryan

ill try share what i know will try be accurate as possible but like you say there's not massive amount of info

first off there's two bergara's
bergara eu (spain) which is the main company
bergara north america that makes the rifle actions but fits the spainish made barrels.
you might be familiar with the north american single shots CVA which is bergara.
the workmanship is well done on the ones i have seen,
the hmr model specially in 6.5 creedmoor has a pretty big following

the actions are basic remington design but with couple changes

one being side bolt release like you see in lot of the custom actions
other being they recessed the sandwich style recoil lug into the receiver and use slot in the bottom that it sticks out.
they are meant to fit all the remington stocks, scope mounts etc

few things to be aware off the 300 win mag and rem mag is 24" barrel
the spainish 308 win is 1-12 twist the usa is 1-10
they don't offer barrel profile over no5
they do offer 8x57, 9.3x62 and 375 h&h

mags lengths from what i can workout is 90-92mm some are internal some are detachable

if your after more traditional rifle the woodmans in 270 and 30.06 would really be hard to beat.

i was talking to the nz agent and they are pushing for a stainless model for nz so hopefully we'll see that soon.

the usa bergara does do custom built rifles, would love to see them build 7mm practical for people.



26 Nov 2018
@ 09:07 am (GMT)

Stuart Talbot

Re: Bergara B-14 Rifles
I recently bought the B14 HMR in .308. I haven't had an opportunity to really put it through its paces yet.

The HMR is an off the shelf rifle with an adjustable stock. That's important for me because at 6'5" every long gun I purchase is too short for me. The trigger is the best out of the box trigger I've run across, breaking at a hair under 3 lbs. It is adjustable. It's very crisp. It's running a 20 inch barrel. The bolt operation is very smooth, and sports an over-sized bolt knob.

The general idea is that they're producing a Remington action with the improvements many would want made to the action.

I'm hoping to wring it out soon. It doesn't have the best glass on it yet, as I was in a hurry to put it together. But that will all come.
06 Dec 2018
@ 06:22 am (GMT)

Ryan Nafe

Re: Bergara B-14 Rifles
Hey guys, thanks for the info. Been unexpectedly busy lately, sorry for the delayed response.

If they’re basically an “improved” M700 action, then I suppose the main thing that I would try to compare to an actual Remington is basically just these two things:

- Build quality in finishing and general tolerances

- Barrel quality


The barrel quality is a huge one. If they’re more like an 80% or higher chance instead of the 50/50 game we play with the SPS’s, as well as having a more polished and well-made action, then their rifles could be a very good choice for guys on a tight budget.

I really really like the looks of the Woodsman in .270, if it’s a 1 or 1.5 MOA shooter with a hot-loaded 150 grain bullet, that could be an excellent rifle for 0 - 300 yards on a huge variety of game species.

One thing that I found very interesting is the way they claim to bed their wood-stocked guns:

- They mill out the holes for the action screws and fill the holes with epoxy, then machine the entire space for the action over top of the epoxy. So that they’re basically using the epoxy as a rigid and stable place for the action to be screwed into. If they do the machining well, and they keep the barrel off of the wood stock, that could be a huge improvement over a basic inlet without pillars.

What are your thoughts on that kind of bedding?

07 Dec 2018
@ 07:18 am (GMT)

Nathan Foster

Re: Bergara B-14 Rifles
Hi Ryan, regarding the quality, the U.S division have been taking great pride in their work and QC. About the only potential issue is that popularity / sales may cause stress on production. Human and machine error can happen in all manufacturing but I am told (insider) that pride and moral are high. Personally, I find that everything comes down to whats happening on the shop floor, the folk getting their hands dirty. Anyone who has worked in engineering / manufacturing will understand what I am talking about here.

Just take note of what Thomas said about mag lengths, very important.

Hopefully we will have stainless bolt action models in the future.

Keep an eye out for the ridge model, the .30-06 option is attractive.

The lug is quite neat in this design. It is the same lug as the M700 (washer style) but is recessed into a slot milled into the action. This makes alignment easy when rebarreling. It is near to a switch barrel configuration in its own right, not that I think these are any great advantage but still.

Epoxy pillars can go two ways. It depends on the strength of the epoxy. Some will crack over time so its too early to say. It has its theoretical advantages but nothing beats good rifle bedding. This is another one of those times when you need to go back to my first book and understand the difference between the use of the term bedding within the gun manufacturing industry versus actual bedding of the individual action to the individual stock.
03 Mar 2020
@ 09:19 am (GMT)

Trace Jacoby

Re: Bergara B-14 Rifles
I was searching through the forums to find out more about CVA bolt action rifles and came across this topic, so I feel like my question is sort of a follow up for what has been discussed above.

Other than the actions being made in Spain or the USA, what exactly is the difference between Bergara and CVA? I guess I am confused why there would be a need for a US Company and a European company if they are both available in the same market. Is one "better", or are they essentially the same?

Thanks for any info.

Trace
05 May 2020
@ 11:34 pm (GMT)

Steve Travis

Re: Bergara B-14 Rifles
Ryan, i just saw this . I have had alot of different rifles and im no expert . I do have 3 Bergaras. Two B14 in 7mm & 300 win mag and a B14 Ridge in 243. They all are 1/2 moa out of the box. I think the action is much smoother than a 700 out of the box. If you go on their web site and look at all of there vidios will give u more of how they are built. Mr Shillian of shillian barrels (dead now) went to spain for a year and helped them set up their factory. Their barrels are honed after the rifling is cut. I think the guns are put together here in the us in ga.
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