The Bergara B14 R is a relatively new rifle to the market; recently announced, following up on the success of the B-14. According to the product page itself, it’s a 22LR, with a single stack magazine, making use of a 4140 Bergara barrel, and with a barrel length of 18 inches. To put all of that into consideration, the Bergara B14 R sounds like a good long range rifle, potentially useful in short bursts for hunting small to medium sized animals, as well as general recreational, competitive activities. 

The Bergara Brand

If you’ve never heard of Bergara before, it’s important we give you a little background on the company. However, when it comes to firearms, the Bergara brand is no stranger to experience and innovation. They have been producing guns in Spain for several years, and often work closely with US Marines to ensure the right products hit the market. 

Based in both North America and Europe, they’re a brand accessible to most gun enthusiasts, and are reasonably priced against their competition. Quoted as working with ‘precision barrels’, the Bergara brand has historically produced well balanced and well firing rifles. Indeed, you may know them from their work on the incredibly popular B14 hunting rifle series! 

The Action

The B14 R can be alongside other guns as training ‘twin’, especially Bergara’s previous rifle range of the B14 hunter series. Good for competition work, the gun can be easily customised to fit multiple types of ammo, thanks to its base as a 22LR. 

The scopes for a gun such as the B14 R can be a little tricky to try and change, due to the rifle’s base decoration, as well as their pic slot orientation. However, thanks to the new standards in precision rifle competitions, which this gun would be mostly used for, fitting a higher scope mount could be done fairly easily. 

The barrel of this gun has a lot to offer. It comes with a 1:16 twist, and is 18 inches in length, made entirely out of carbon or steel. With a heavy profile to work off of, this is a kind of barrel that will last a long time, and allow you to maintain the gun over a long period of use. The heft of the barrel matches the rest of the gun, which whilst well balanced in multiple areas, does feature a screw layout consistent with R700 types. If you’re looking for an alternative to centerfire rifles, the B14 R could be the gun you’re looking for. 

The Magazine

The accuracy of a gun like this could easily be off, thanks to the softness of the bullets typically fired out of it. However, with the magazine using a specific system to ensure the bullet stays streamlined, and to prevent it from touching the rifle as it’s being fed into the barrel, little to no deformation is suffered here. 

The magazine itself is quite tall, and uses a more solid and novel gripping system to keep it attached to the rifle, rather than relying on hooks to keep it hooked on. Even when it comes to a buildup of carbon from the bullets, or even wax and other debris, the chambering of bullets is unlikely to take a hit. You may find, upon inspection, that the magazine has an innovative shape to it, thanks to the shallow cuts made to ensure the hooking system is never put under too much pressure. 

The Firing

The trigger on the B14 R is great to use, even when first setting up. It’s smooth and can be adjusted very easily, depending on how much pull weight you’re looking for. The trigger screw is easy to adjust, ensuring your desired level of pull weight can be achieved. Bergara also maintains that the gun works well without the trigger altogether. 

At the same time, this kind of trigger can also be swapped out for another of your choosing, in a very easy to replace and convert manner. Indeed, the gun itself is compatible with all Remington 700 triggers. 

In firing, the gun can be manned by people of all heights, weights, and strength types. It’s easy to balance, both with and without support, and the gun is fitted with a standard OEM stock. Made out of polymer, this is a traditional and average choice on the current market, but does not hold the gun back at all. 

Adding a suppressor to the barrel does not overbalance the rifle one way, and the 18 inch barrel length copes with the additional weight and length very well. The sound of the gun is also thoroughly suppressed when using a muzzle, and could even be used without ear protection, but do so at your own discretion. 

Our Review

With our insight on firearms, we can proudly say that this rifle has a good balance to it and feels great to shoot. The Bergara B14 R has a lot of potential, and feels right to be representative of the new technology currently moving into the market. 

This gun has a high reliability factor, thanks to its skill in accuracy and the value for money evident in the weapon’s retail price. The design of the gun is also of aesthetic value, and has a good, slick coating, as well as a make that’s easy to adjust to when being fired. Coming in both a steel and carbon type, with very competitive pricing between each of these types, you’ll have plenty of choice. 

All in all, for only $1150, you’ll have access to a precise and maintained rimfire rifle. Quoted as a ‘trainer’ model of rifle, the B14 R is a good gun to get started with if you’re a beginner to the field, and is a handy backup for any experienced shooters. 

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