Bergara B14 HMR Green

There’s little doubt that Bergara of Spain has made a big mark on the UK rifle scene since they branched out from just making barrels, to offering complete firearms. | have reviewed a few and appreciated that they took the basic Remington 700 design and improved it in a number of areas, without any problems. However, they wisely kept the action footprint, allowing owners to take advantage of the many aftermarket accessories available for the venerable 700. Later, they started offering their own, a point in case being my Riflecraft Light Sporting Rifle, which is a reworked 700 and uses Bergara’s bottom metal and 5-round detachable magazine system.

HMR

The rifle that most impressed me was their B14 HMR (Hunting and Match Rifle), so much so that | bought one in 6.5 Creedmoor. The heavy synthetic stock, complete with aluminium inner chassis, adjustable length of pull (LOP) and comb height and fully-floated, 24”, medium/heavy barrel made this model a real tack driver. The generic HMR stock build seems to have been used as the launch pad for a whole range of similar guns, including a .22LR cross-trainer.

Calibre-wise, it’s not just short-action numbers like the Creedmoor and 308, but long-action too, and on test is the .300 Winchester Magnum version. Called the B14 HMR Green DBM, it’s identical in layout and features and obviously bigger and heavier, with an olive green stock that shows an attractive, black over-web, which also aids grip.

Adjustable

LOP is controlled by spacers that slide/hook in from the side, once the butt screws are slackened, and is aided by a thick and squidgy recoil pad. The height-adjustable comb is controlled by a single thumb screw. Given the fact this is a long-action gun, the front of the comb is cut out to allow full bolt operation. The underside of the butt is cut away to offer a hand stop. The full pistol grip is near vertical and very comfortable, while the squared-off forend is nice and rigid with a generous free float. Bergara, as standard, fits two QD sling swivel sockets on either side, along with three QD sling studs underneath (one at the rear two up front).

There is a 2-position rolling safety (a-la-700) rear/right of the action. Simply push forward for FIRE and rear for SAFE (with bolt operation). The bolt shroud is more like a ‘monk’s cowl’ design and shows a red cocked-action indicator at the rear. Pleasingly, Bergara has done away with the Remington-style bolt release catch that is found inside the trigger guard. Instead, there is a proper catch integral to the left-hand side of the action.

That’s a big one!

The barrel is commensurate with the calibre, and although a tad long at 26”, it should get the best out of the old .300 Win Mag. It tapers from the re-enforce to a 19mm muzzle that’s threaded 15x1imm. Tipping the scales at 9.8 Ibs (bare-backed), it’s a big rifle and is aimed more at prone- type use. By comparison, your average .300 Win Mag sporter wees Ae has a slightly lighter, 24” tube, making the rifle far handier to carry and use, certainly off-hand.

Carrying on the 700 theme, the stepped receiver bridges are identical in thread form and hole spacings when it comes to scope mounting. Bergara now offers a Picatinny rail, however, one was not available at the time, so | fitted a Barton Gun Works 20 MOA unit instead. The importers, RUAG Ammotec UK Ltd, kindly supplied a very appropriate optic in the form of a Meopta ZD 6-24x56 RD, which is a nice long range optic with illumination and target-type turrets. These days a moderator is nearly mandatory and RUAG included one of the Haukson models in .30” calibre.

Feed and feel

The trigger is easily adjustable, although the action must be removed to do so. Adjustments can be done via a single screw at the front of the mech to set the weight. The mid-width blade is comfortably curved and broke crisply from the box at around 2 Ibs. If you don’t like that, then any compatible aftermarket Remington 700 trigger should fit.

Finally, feed is from a single-column 5-round magazine, with the familiar Bergara ambidextrous release paddle located at the rear of the mag well, which is easily operated by the trigger finger, with the clip falling free.

Overall, a competent rifle with a lot of potential and at a very attractive price of £1340, which is not at all bad, compared to some of the competition. This has always been Bergara’s USP and one that has gained the brand many loyal fans. To complete the package, I added a Harris BRS (bench rest swivel) 6-9” bipod, which, in my opinion, is probably the best general-use pod available.

Powerful performer

The .300 Winchester Magnum, as a calibre, was introduced in 1963 and uses a belted cartridge case. It’s based on the .338 Win Mag and the venerable .375 Holland & Holland Magnum. Despite more modern and possibly more efficient .30” calibre designs, at 60 years old the Win Mag is a nicely balanced round (for a magnum) that offers good energy and a flat trajectory, along with acceptable recoil. Let’s put it this way, and like the .30-06 and a few other old timers, it’s still around because it does the job well enough!

RUAG supplied 40 rounds of the RWS 165-grain Speed Tip ammunition. I also decided to make a reload using Sierra 175-grain Tipped Match king (TMK) bullets from the importers, Henry Krank & Co Ltd. They also supplied a set of Lee Precision dies and some Prvi Partizan (PPU) cases.

With the 300 I found it best to use large rifle, magnum primers. In this case from Remington.

Down, test & adjust

Although a heavy rifle, the HMR Green is not that unwieldy and comes up as very shootable. The recoil, with both factory and reloads, proved surprisingly comfortable, which is always a bonus. As always, factory quoted figures and the data gained from the chronograph differed. RWS say the 165-grain Speed Tip Professional is doing 3215 fps | 3790 ft/lbs, while the chrono showed an average velocity of 3082 fps, with a low standard deviation (SD) of just 4.2 fps, giving an extreme spread (ES) of 8.4 fps. Energy was still a respectable 3479 ft/lbs.

By comparison, the reload was pushing its 175-grain pill at an average of 2763 fps|2966 ft/lbs, with an SD of 15.6 fps and an ES of 32.2 fps. So, it appears the lighter bullet is the way to go, maybe for shorter range use, but let’s not forget the .300 WM has good long range potential too.

The Sierra reload still has 1709 ft/lbs at 650 yards and 637 at 1000. By comparison, the RWS hits 1700 ft/lbs at 540 yards, not a big difference, but at 1000 that drops to 385. So, as can be seen, both loads offer useful, although different characteristics. Bullet weights go from 150 to 220-grains in both hunting and target-oriented configurations, proving the versatility of the calibre.

Accuracy-wise, the RWS was initially shooting 1.2”. However, after 40 rounds it shrunk to 0.848”/0.736 MOA. The Sierra reload printed dead on the inch and did not deviate from that figure. However, as with any new barrel, a running-in period often shows an increase in accuracy as the bore smooths up. Plus, and as with any rifle, experimentation with different ammo weights and types will help identify any preferences.

End game

Overall, no real surprises, but a proven recipe if you’re looking for a well-designed and presented rifle in a more powerful calibre option. Weight is always a consideration and this model with its 26” barrel is perhaps better suited to long range shooting. The price tag too, makes it very attractive, certainly when compared to other guns in its class.