The B14 HMR Carbon Wilderness is one of the newest offerings to come from Bergara, a company that has fairly recently shaken up the world of precision bolt guns with exceptionally performing offerings at excellent price points. The rifle discussed below had large shoes to fill in living up to the standard Bergara has set for itself. Does the carbon-wrapped barreled variant of the rifle live up to the precedent set? This was one of many questions that needed answering when testing first started months ago. Below are the results.
Weight – 4.5/5
Weighing in at 7.9 lbs without a scope, I would consider this rifle an excellent weight for a rifle of this type. Being that the B14 HMR is attempting to serve as a multi-purpose gun, the weight is light enough for hunting but heavy enough to have a solid shooting platform and to flex into the competition world. The weight savings is in large part due to the carbon fiber wrapped barrel. Those weight savings are very welcome to anyone who has ever strapped a rifle to their pack while hiking through terrain.
Firepower – 5/5
Chambered in 6.5 creedmoor, fed by AICS pattern magazines, the rifle arrives with one five round magazine. I used both five round and ten round magazines throughout the duration of my testing. So, overall, pretty standard as far as a modern-day bolt action rifle goes.
Bergara offers this rifle in multiple chamberings, including 6.5cm as discussed here, 308winchester, 6.5prc, 7prc, and 300winmag.
Durability & Reliability – 5/5
This rifle has proved extremely reliable throughout my use. I was informed that the rifle had been broken in prior to my receiving it. Since then, I’ve put approximately 450 rounds through the rifle, of varying loads. The reliability has been near flawless. The only issues experienced were magazine induced, these feeding issues were due to the magazine design and not the rifle itself. Specifically, the magazines used were the MDT poly/metal mags and the followers kept sticking within the box. As far as the rifle itself, it was been without fail functionally.
Accuracy – 4/5
The big question with precision rifles always is just how tight a group does it shoot. Bergara advertises sub-moa (minute of angle) accuracy guaranteed. This is a bold claim. A claim to which this rifle, mostly, delivers on. With one exception, which will be expanded upon shortly.
To test out the capabilities of the rifle, eight different loads from various manufacturers (Berger, Hornady, Federal, Nosler) were used in grouping exercises. These shots were carried out at 100 meters from the prone position, with the rifle using a bipod and a rear bag for support. The testing protocol consisted of shooting two five round groups per load for a total of two iterations. Between each group, there was a break in shooting of approximately 2-8 minutes.
After completing this shooting regime, the results were certainly interesting. What was discovered was that this particular rifle shoots lighter weight bullets (120gr-130gr) in groups that meet the Bergara sub-moa claim. Depending upon the load, the 120gr-130gr bullets produced groups between a 0.7moa – 0.96moa. Somewhat surprisingly, the 0.7moa group was using Federal American Eagle, which was the least expensive of all the loads tested. So as far as economy of use goes, this is one of the cheaper rifles to feed, potentially allowing more live fire training time. To me, this is a substantial finding and a major “pro” for this rifle.
The previously mentioned exception to the sub-moa claim comes down to the heavier bullets used in testing. This B14 did not get along well (relatively speaking) with loads using of 140gr, 143gr, or 144gr bullets. The worst group shot was Berger 144gr Long Range Hybrid Target, with a 4.28moa printing. I feel obligated to say at this point that this group represents the extreme end of the spectrum here. The other heavier bullets performed anywhere from 1.5moa-2.8moa. Obviously, the variable of myself as the shooter certainly plays a role in all of these findings. While I worked to make each shot a good one, errors are impossible to eliminate completely.
With all that being said, there is nothing really ground breaking here. Each rifle has it’s own particular preference in the loads it performs best with. These results can certainly be specific to the exact rifle used during the testing.
Overall, I am quite satisfied with the precision from the Bergara using relatively cheap, lighter-weight ammunition. For my use case, this is a solid rifle to receive straight from the factory. The end user just needs to find what ammo combo works best with their rifle, which is all part of the precision shooting process.
Ergonomics & Simplicity – 5/5
Developing a consistent, solid body-to-rifle connection is critical to precision shooting. The ergonomics of the stock can make or break a shooting platform. Setting up the B14 stock to my liking was as easy as it could be. I was able to fall in on this rifle and get comfortable with minimal effort or growing pains. The rifle comes with 4 different spacers that can be added or removed to the stock to adjust the length of pull to your specific requirements. This is done with the easy loosening of two screws in the recoil pad.
Adjusting the cheek piece is also very easy. Simply loosen the “regulation screw” on the side of the stock and set the cheek piece to the desired height, tighten when complete. My cheek piece never slipped or loosened during use once it was set.
All of the controls of the rifle are easily within reach when mounted on the rifle. The magazine release can be actioned with the firing hand without breaking the firing grip, as can the safety be switched from safe to fire.
The trigger is quite good. From the factory, it is set at 2.2lbs and can be adjusted up to 4.4lbs. There is essentially no “slack” or “creep” in the pull at all. Immediately on the wall once pressure is applied, the break is crisp and clean. In short, a very good factory trigger.
Working the action is also a pleasant experience: Very smooth leading to repeatable running of the bolt. The locking and unlocking of the action is perfect for my liking as well. Unlocking the bolt using the stock bolt knob is a straight forward, thought less action. The knurling on the edge of the knob is well thought out and easily manipulated.
Price – 4.5/5
This is a premium rifle offering from Bergara, and therefore fetches premium factory pricing. For a classic style stock, this is one of the more adjustable offerings from a factory and is worth the increase in price over other similar offerings from Bergara and it’s competitors. The stock, combined with an exceptional trigger, smooth and definitive action, and a carbon fiber barrel that, when paired with ammunition it mates up with, makes for a premium package that I believe is worth the MSRP of $1699. As usual, it is highly likely a prospective buyer will be able to find one of these for a couple hundred dollars less.
Overall Assessment – 4.5/5
The B14 HMR Carbon rifle was a pleasure to shoot and train with. Without a doubt, this offering from Bergara will serve a prospective buyer well. As the name implies, as a “Hunting-Match Rifle” this is and would be a great platform for a shooter who might just as likely use this as a lightweight back-country hunting platform while also competing in the occasional precision shooting match. It is a “one-stop-shop” offering from a factory that can get the job done.
During my time with the rifle, approximately 450 rounds were fired in total. Some of those rounds were strictly testing for accuracy from a prone supported position. The rest were shot while shooting off a tripod, tank trap or barricade of some sort, or slanted terrain off a pack for support. My intent in testing this rifle was to use it from likely “real-world” positions, whether that be in the mountains of the Western US hunting or moving from barricade to barricade in a PRS-style competition. In doing so, this rifle performed flawlessly. Once the rifle found some ammunition loads it liked, it served as effective tool that brought a smile to my face when shooting it. And that is having your cake and eating it too, having a rifle platform that gets the job done and is enjoyable to work with in pursuit of those perfect shots.
*Disclaimer*
I received this product as a courtesy from the manufacturer so I could test it and give my honest feedback. I am not bound by any written, verbal or implied contract to give this product a good review. All opinions are my own and are based off my personal experience with the product.
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