PMV-22 brief review [Bergara B14R]

[wildcard6]

I'm surprised there haven't been more posts about this rifle yet. I call it my 'Poor Man's Vudoo' [PMV], because it's so obviously a down-spec'd clone of the VUDOO Ravage. Where the Vudoo has a three-lug bolt, the Bergara has two lugs, but that's still two more than a CZ457! I've had mine for only a short time but it's performing much better than my old CZ457, shooting out to 300-yards. Last month's metallic silhouette match saw first, second and third places go to Bergara B14Rs and I might have come in better than third if I'd had time for a bit more practice with it! I'm trialing a new shoot format where instead of multiple ranges being used, all targets are at 200 meters. I ended up using scoped rimfire Ram targets normally shot at 100 meters [offhand!?!] by freaks. I managed to hit seven with ten shots, so that's not bad accuracy at all.The only real criticism I have is the trigger that comes with the rifle is so HEAVY and user-adjustment only brings it down to around 3 lbs. which is still way too much for a precision rifle like this. I opted to replace it with a Timney Calvin-Elite two-stage trigger adjusted to 1 lb. and it is now a complete, functioning tack-driver. The first B14R I fired at 50 meters on paper shot a DOT and I was sold.Five shots in one hole [POINT 2 MOA] - I haven't shot a group like that in decades, so I put a deposit on one the next day. For the long-range stuff, I'm using SK Long Range, which definitely has an edge... it does what it says on the packet. The super-rigid adjustable stock [at last!] is a dream come true for me, because I've been saying for years that ALL rifles should have height-adjustable combs, because the 'one-size-fits-all' approach is long overdue for retirement. The technology is worked out and the cost of including the feature in all but bottom end rifles shouldn't add too much to the retail price. I'm sure a VUDOO would outshoot my PMV [I've seen one that had a Zero Compromize Optics scope on it [total $10-11K??], but by comparison, the B14R is a bargain.

[Charlie Luncher]

Wild card
Steel or carbon barrel? What price did this run to?

[Bill]

the B14 R sure is a cool rifle and a fair step up from an old CZ. Sounds like the trigger upgrade worked a treat.

Throw up a few more pics wildcard6

[allan]

I've had a steel barrelled one for a while - Kept touching base with Herron Security & Sport until they arrived and ordered straight up. I have "friends" in the US who have been playing with the B14R since they were released so pretty much knew their capabilities.
I'm a wood/.blue rim fire collector and could not bring myself to drop seven k on a Vudoo.
All I can say is that I'm so impressed with the build quality and performance of the B14R that I now have a V22 on the way
I have plenty of 22's which are more accurate than the B14R but they all cost A LOT more to build. None function better than the B14R and consistency wise, if you miss a target with the B14R, don't blame the rifle!
Yes, the trigger is a bit heavy but I had no issues with the factory offering - Mine now wears a Jewell HVR and I won't be adding any more extras. The stock works very well for me and if you don't mind the weight, these are a very good multipurpose option at a realistic price.

[Cooper]

I like the stock. Handled the HMR Centerfire version and was tempted.

[rc42]

5 shots into a single hole at 50m with a 0.2 MOA spread would be a once in a lifetime result, from any rifle, it would be statistically less likely than winning the lottery, I would have bought a ticket that day if it happened to me. Are you sure that you didn't miss the entire paper target with 4 of those shots? (/s)

The results for the best batches of Eley, Lapua or RWS ammunition shot on their own wind free test ranges from a vice clamped action don't even come close to that sort of consistency over 10 shots, it's beyond what is possible for 22 rimfire.

Having said that, lightweight rifles of this type aren't really used to score on paper with Olympic level precision so for metallic silhouette the more typical 1 MOA result is fine if you can do your part and keep the sights on the right spot with the correct wind holdover.

[wildcard6]

Mine is the carbon barrel. I picked up the steel model and almost toppled over forward with the weight out front. I've seen one in use and I guess they add even more stability to things, but I'm happy with mine. I paid a little over $2K for mine, but they have now come down about $200 [!!!!!!!!]. All up, this little rifle cost me about the same as my Sako Varmint Laminate Stainless .223, but it performs, so I'm not complaining. I'm running a Voretx Diamondback Tactical 4-16X FFP scope on it that makes shooting out to 300 yards fairly easy as long as wind drift is dealt with.
For those who don't know, the Bergara and the Vudoo both have Remington 700 short-action compatibility, so anything that fits a Rem 700 SA will fit these rifles. That makes for easy trigger swaps [as long as you've got the $$$$]. If I wanted to put a 6.5 Creedmoor barreled action in this stock, it's a straight swap! This is a 21st Century .22!
I tried to upload a pic, but it's too big. There's plenty of pics online and YouTube has lots of stuff too.

[allan]

This should make things even more interesting:

https://www.bergara.online/us/rifles/rimfire/bmr-steel-rifle/?fbclid=IwAR2WnRFlq4wIbcrq0Il3yW8Hi2fjSAkvH1oGTCW4gxxyd-TYCIFqNL7gU7k

[Bill]

Ahh s**t that looks bloody nice allan, Id be tempted by a 22 for plinking

[SAnewb85]

I pick up my b14r in about 8 hours.

I was planning to buy a vudoo but my industry has been killed by covid/china so decided on a slightly more affordable option for now.

Can't wait to get it into its mpa chassis and ready for the athlon argos 8-34 I have for it and bang steel @300yds

[SAnewb85]

Looks good I reckon

IMG_20210128_120733_296.jpg (93.56 KiB) Viewed 12722 times

[SAnewb85]

The mags look weird but I reckon they'll be awesome after awhile

USER_SCOPED_TEMP_DATA_MSGR_PHOTO_FOR_UPLOAD_1611795723597_6760361250667050140.jpeg (591.71 KiB) Viewed 12722 times

[allan]

The mags look weird but I reckon they'll be awesome after awhile

That mag style was one of the main things preventing me ordering a VUDOO! I'll admit I was wrong here as these rifles feed as well as any rim fire I've ever handled. When I was fitting my Jewell, I ran some spent cases through the mag to use as snap caps. The B14R bolt will actually pick up a case and feed it into the chamber - No feed ramp on these and they don't need it as the bolt holds a bullet in parallel with the bore.
Having said that, I'll be interested to see how yours feeds in the chassis - Vudoo, RimX and Bergara owners have reported a few issues with mag alignment in a chassis - Usually a slight adjustment and all good!

[wildcard6]

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At a recent 100m, 200m, and 300 yard silhouette shoot at Para range, the top three scores were shot by Bergara B14R's. I've recently done a little ammo testing with bits and pieces of leftover boxes and a few hunting-type loads and mine shot them all with acceptable accuracy. One surprise was Norma TAC-22 that shot a ten-shot group that put 9 into .5" at 50 meters, with one flyer that went .75". The flyer was most likely due to my pretty average benchrest skills.I was testing accuracy after cleaning the barrel for the first time and I found a streak of lead on the first patch, which freaked me out a bit [after having had troubles in the past when cleaning a .22 rimfire barrel]. Luckily, it seems to be shooting better than ever with that bit of lead removed. I only had enough Eley Sub Sonic rounds left to have a play, shooting at pebbles at 50 meters, but I nailed everything I shot at, so if rabbits ever make a comeback, they'll be in for a hiding from this PMV-22!

[SAnewb85]

Norma.5.PNG

At a recent 100m, 200m, and 300 yard silhouette shoot at Para range, the top three scores were shot by Bergara B14R's. I've recently done a little ammo testing with bits and pieces of leftover boxes and a few hunting-type loads and mine shot them all with acceptable accuracy. One surprise was Norma TAC-22 that shot a ten-shot group that put 9 into .5" at 50 meters, with one flyer that went .75". The flyer was most likely due to my pretty average benchrest skills.I was testing accuracy after cleaning the barrel for the first time and I found a streak of lead on the first patch, which freaked me out a bit [after having had troubles in the past when cleaning a .22 rimfire barrel]. Luckily, it seems to be shooting better than ever with that bit of lead removed. I only had enough Eley Sub Sonic rounds left to have a play, shooting at pebbles at 50 meters, but I nailed everything I shot at, so if rabbits ever make a comeback, they'll be in for a hiding from this PMV-22!

I've been keen to join para, should probably get on that but haven't had a spare minute to scratch myself.

If you ever see a bloke with a bergara in a blue MPA chassis shooting horribly, it'll probably be me, come say hello. would be good to meet a fellow bergara owner and rimfire enthusiast.

[Gamerancher]

Where did you get the Norma Tac-22? I've used it in the U.S in a 200m event with good results but haven't been able to source any here. ( NSW )

[Bill]

Gamerancher whats ur location ?? as my local Sydney gun shop has Norma 22 ammo on the shelf.

You Bergara bastards got me whacking a deposit on a BMR, not expected in til the 3rd qtr of 2021.

[wildcard6]

I'll post a group shot at 50 meters by the owner of the Bergara that convinced me to buy one. His is a little better than mine, but it shows what these rifles can do with good ammunition. This one was shot with SK Long Range ammo.
Also, I saw something on You Tube that I just had to try for myself. The Bergara B14R uses a controlled feed system that is amazing to watch. The round clicks up out of the magazine and into the jaws of the extractors, then feeds straight into the breech. You can feed fired cases into the breech from the magazine with this system, so no more fiddling around trying to chamber a fired case to dry-fire the rifle. The engineering precision to do this is impressive.
I will continue to test ammo types as I find them, but for the most part, it shoots CCI Standards well enough for informal silhouette practice out to 100m. I keep the 'good stuff' [SKLR] for long-range shooting. SAnewb85 - we have our next long-range silhouette match at Para on Feb 21st if you're interested in coming along. It's only $5.00 for a visitor to shoot the match. Starts at 12:30.

[Gamerancher]

Bill, I'm out in the central west of NSW, nearest I get to Sydney nowadays is the Southern Highlands.

[allan]

I'll post a group shot at 50 meters by the owner of the Bergara that convinced me to buy one.

Just about any 22LR will shoot the odd exceptional group!
I'm still wringing out my B14R but I base a rim fire's accuracy potential by running a 20X5 at 50 metres. About the closest comparison I have here is a Weihrauch HW66JM Running Boar. It's a bog standard rifle and I've compared the two several times at 50 metres outdoors in the wind with no indicators as these aren't bench guns & I figure this is more of a "real world" accuracy test.
Here are the rifles and a target sample.
I've done the same test with 2 X 1710 DHB's, a 1761, an LA101 & a Walther Running Boar - All have outshot the Bergara.
Having said that, the B14R has managed to put several hundred consecutive rounds of assorted SK & Eley into a 25MM circle at 50 metres - For what they're designed to do, they are an excellent gun for the money. Current round count is 1,356 & overall function has been simply faultless!

[Bill]

Bill, I'm out in the central west of NSW, nearest I get to Sydney nowadays is the Southern Highlands.

all good Gamerancher, I get to Bathurst a bit if it helps, $90/500 for the Tac 22 which is pretty good considering SK match is now $14-15/50.

[InisBineest]

Hoping these are good, I've just ordered one from a shop that allegedly has them in stock! Lets see how it shoots, hoping better than my CZ Tinker Custom i've been playing with for years;)

[wildcard6]

I was not happy with the original trigger at all, but I'm a light-trigger shooter by choice. If you ae ex-military, you'll probably have no problems with it, but I find a 3-lb trigger [after adjustment!] way too heavy for a precision rifle. Any Remington 700 trigger can be used to replace the original unit - even benchrest Timney triggers if you want. Mine lets go at exactly one lb. Other than that there's not too much to complain about. They shoot alright. I've been using SK Long Range and it really shoots that well, although for plinking and fun, CCI Standards are quite okay.

[InisBineest]

Only put 50 rounds of cheap Winchester bulk pack through (not a lot of time with two young kids) and already... Wow. Third group was just under an inch at 50m. Trigger is about on par with my modified CZ factory trigger, and I haven't loosened the adjustment screw yet. Would love a replacement 6oz one, but gotta save some pennies! My only hope is that the bolt smooths out a bit, it's a little tough on the close.

[allan]

A mate of mine picked up his B14R steel barrel recently. I've only had the opportunity to check out two of these rifles in detail but for the cost, there is a lot of gun here for the $. The overall function, accuracy and build quality of these is up there with all the German offerings I've handled in recent years.
I installed a Jewell HVR in my mate's rifle yesterday - Like mine, straight forward swap with no complications!
IBI are now doing a pre fit barrel option for the B14R. A contact in Canada has installed one. I'm sure he wouldn't mind my sharing this image - Good looking gun if you're in to these "tactical looking" 22's.

https://internationalbarrels.com/product/bergara-b14-r/

[Charlie Luncher]

I weighed up the pros and cons and have pulled the trigger on a CZ 457 Carbon IBI in a MDT LSS, just waiting on the paperwork then off to the range to see if I made a good D?

[allan]

Never been a better time to be in the market for a 22 - So many options out there recently!

[Bugman]

Yes. Heaps of choice, but those pics of these very accurate .22's leaves me a bit cold on comfort for general hunting. I like to be able to raise the rifle, sight quickly and squeeze of a shot. With all the bits and pieces attached to those rifles, I think I will stick with my Anschutz as it suits me. For target competition, some of those rigs would obviously be the go/

[wildcard6]

I've seen a few people asking about rod guides for the Bergara B14R on US forums, so I thought I'd share this. Lowey Products http://www.loweyproducts.com/products.html produce a range of rod guides and other things like barrel tuners in South Australia. Years ago, at the time I started my journey into the world of long-range rimfire shooting, I had a CZ452 Varmint model. It was a great little rifle that I'd used for many years shooting small game, almost never cleaning the barrel from one year to the next. But I thought that I should get serious about cleaning the bore, what with the extra demands I was making of it, shooting steel targets out to 300 yards. When I finally got hold of one and inserted it prior to cleaning, I was surprised to find that the rod didn't want to go into the barrel. Stupidly, I used muscle to MAKE it go in and consequently caused damage to the front of the rifle's chamber. The problem stemmed from the standing ejector in the CZ452 forcing the rod to skew sideways as it entered the chamber. I contacted Lowey about this, saying that it seemed to be a design flaw, but they countered by saying that CZ rifles had different thickness ejectors that SOMETIMES got in the way of the rod. I ended up having to get that rifle re-chambered to restore its accuracy, and I threw the rod guide into my recycle bin. Big mistake! Years later, I've got a Bergara B14R, which I've discovered needs to have the barrel cleaned regularly to maintain accuracy and I've been sweating bullets every time I push the spear-jag gently into the chamber for fear of causing damage. But, and here's the point of this story... the Lowey rod guide for a CZ452 fits perfectly in the action of a Bergara and aligns the rod just as I'd hoped it would in my long gone CZ452! I'd been told this was so, but it was only yesterday that I sourced one from a mate who kept his rod guide, but no longer has a 452 and it definitely works just as if it were custom made for the Bergara! Just goes to show why it's a good idea to keep everything!

[allan]

Good to know that the Lowey CZ452 guide will work with the B14R.
Debbie sent me a message this morning to advise that Jason now has rod guides and bolt protectors in production for the B14R.