Bergara B14 Stoke - Itsy–Bitsy

Short rifles have always elicited a deal of interest from the hunting community. This build style often goes hand in hand with a lighter/shorter build and calibre. Sometimes called Micro actions, they are well suited to cartridges like .222/.223 Rem, .300 Blackout, 6.5 Grendel, and 7.62x39.
However, scaling down a standard short-action receiver, although logical, makes for a rather specialised rifle that might not have a greater general appeal. CZ’s 527 is a good example, it’s a nice rifle, but a bit limited.

A new direction
Today, Bergara’s most successful product line is the B14 bolt-action. Based on an improved Remington 700 action, it has become the benchmark for a well-made and accurate rifle, at a very nice price, no matter what model or calibre.
To be honest, although Bergara is Spanish, most of the innovation comes from their American wing. We only have to look at their CURE carbon fibre-wrapped barrels to see this. They are now offering a rifle called the B14 Stoke, which addresses the micro-action concept, but comes at it from the opposite direction.

Taking stock
Stoke does seem a strange name, given it’s a town in England, and has none of the curb appeal of say calling a rifle the wilderness, or similar. In terms of build, there are no surprises, as it’s a B14 short action plain and simple! It’s really the stock that separates it from the pack, as it’s purposely built small, with a minimum length of pull (LOP) of just 12.5”, plus three spacers that bump that up to 13.5”, including the 1” recoil pad.

Born in the USA
This drive has almost certainly come from the USA, where the gun industry is keen to embrace all shooters, with youngsters and the fairer sex potentially expanding markets. Up until now, they might have got a raw deal, with off-the-peg rifles not perhaps offering the required reduced LOP, weight, and dimensions for better shootability. However, in the UK, with our more restrictive gun laws, things are a bit different.

Smart move
Bergara has been smart with the design, as it uses a standard short-action receiver that’s available in nine possible calibre options and with two barrel length options (calibre-specific), leaving the reduced stock build to fit the target customer’s dimensions. Given the good price, research shows most people buying Stokes in the UK are adults who are binning the stock to fit something more practical, in terms of LOP and handling.

Nuts and bolts
The rifle is available in right-hand orientation only, and all models come with a standard sporter-type synthetic stock, with what feels like a soft-touch rubber finish with an over-web of dull yellow, for improved grip. It has a low, straight comb, the forend is about 2” shorter than standard, and the butt is hollow. QD sling studs are included.
The metalwork is blacked, and the bolt has the usual long, angled handle with a tapered knob, which is very handy. With a 2-position rolling safety rear right, forward is FIRE and rearwards is SAFE with bolt operation. The receiver is drilled and tapped for Remy 700 bases, and there are two feed options. Depending on the calibre, you get a detachable box magazine or floor plate system. The barrel shows a standard sporting profile and is available in two lengths -16.5” and 20”. The weight hovers around 6 lbs, with a few ounces more given the version. Operation, as ever, is smooth, slick, and reliable.

You choose
The Stoke offers buyers three options, with the first being .223 Rem, .300 BLK, and .350 Legend (more of this one later). All have a 16.5” barrel, and twist rates are 1:9”, 1:8”, and 1:16” respectively. These all offer Bergara’s AICS-compatible detachable box magazine system. Capacity is a quoted 6+1 rounds. However, my .223 tester took seven. The second option is .308 Win (1:10”), 6.5 Creedmoor (1:8”), .243 Win (1:10”), .22-250 Rem (1:9”), and 7mm-08 Rem (1:9.5”). The third option is 6.5 PRC (1:8”). Groups 2 and 3 are all 20” tubes and only offer a floor plate mag system. Here, the payload is 4+1, except for the PRC, which is 3+1. All rifles, regardless, come threaded 5/8x24 UNEF.

Free lunch?
All the rifles hover around the 6 lbs mark, with the heaviest being the .243 Win and .22-250 Rem at 6.4 lbs, and the lightest being the .308, .300 BLK, and the Legend at 6 lbs. All 20” have an overall length of 38.5” and the 16.5”s are 35”. As we can see, some cute little rifles, but there’s no such thing as a free lunch! Light means handy, pointable, and portable, but some of the calibres are going to be a tad aggressive for what are essentially carbines.

Legend?
The .350 Legend deserves a mention, even though I think it’s only available for the US market. It’s a curious concept, aimed at States that only allow the use of straight-walled cartridges for deer hunting. And yes, the Yanks do have some odd laws! The typical calibres being used are .444 Marlin, .45-70, .450 Bushmaster, and slug loads in shotguns.
Designed by Winchester, it uses a 9.1mm bullet in a tapered case with a rebated head. 160, 165, and 180-grain bullets are used. Velocities are modest, with the 160 showing 2300 fps | 1879 ft/lbs, the 165 - 2200 | 1773, and the 180 - 2100 | 1762. Doubtless, these figures will drop in a 16.5” barrel, and it’s probably more on par with the 30/30 Winchester.

Back to the plot
My tester was in .223 Rem and although short, came up very handy. I put on the three LOP spacers, which helped a bit, but it was still a bit cramped in the shoulder. Honestly, I could have done with more, so it’s no wonder some people are buying these rifles just for the barrelled action and putting on their own furniture.
For accuracy testing, I fitted a reflex moddy, a Nightforce 3-15x56 scope, and a Harris BRS bipod. I’d fit a smaller optic in the field, as the Nightforce would overpower handling. With the NF replaced by my Kahles 3-10x50 CT, its sweet characteristics were restored.

Eclectic
I dug out an eclectic cross-section of .223 ammo that reflected hunting/varmint weights, along with heavier, match-type fodder. The selection included some Remington 50-grain Accutip-V, Norma 55-grain Tip Strike, Hornady 35-grain NTX, Hornady 68-grain BTHP Match, and some Prvi Partizan (PPU) 75-grain BTHP Match. I did not expect the Stoke to digest it all, given its 1:9” twist rate. It was more what the short barrel could handle reasonably accurately, as the length and twist would affect stability.
First of all, and unsurprisingly, the two Match loads did not play, with the Hornady printing around 2.5” and the PPU 4” at 100m, off the bench. Equally, velocity loss was considerable, compared to the factory quotes. Hornady says 2960 fps, but the actual was 2781. The PPU, although heavier, lost less - 2720 factory / actual 2676.

Winners and…
Next, the hunting/varmint loadings. Remington’s 50-grain produced an average of 3181 fps | 1133 ft/lbs, with a standard deviation (SD) of 8.0 fps and a pleasing 0.665” group. On-the-box figures were 3300 fps | 1220 ft/lbs.
Using Norma’s 55-grain Tip Strike, I got an average of 2904 fps | 1133 ft/lbs, with an even sweeter 0.579” group. The SD was also impressive at a lean 11.9 fps. They quote 3215 fps |1240 ft/lbs, so that’s a drop of 311 fps. To be honest, Bergara would have been smarter to stick with 20” for this calibre group.
Finally, Hornady’s 35-grain NTX, which is a pure varmint load. I didn’t expect miracles in the 1:9” tube, as it’s just too fast for the bullet. It was running at 3570 fps | 1010 ft/lbs, which is pretty quick, and the SD was not bad at 18.5 fps. The group was 1.462” at 100m, so OK-ish for a fox, but at 200 you could expect 3” +, so marginal. The quoted figures were a whopping 4000 fps | 1276 ft/lbs.

End game
A nice little rifle, but the calibre choice must be balanced with barrel length and shooter comfort. In .223 Rem it shoots very well, but an extra 1.5” or 3.5” would not go amiss. .300 BLK is too specialised, especially in a compact rifle, although barrel length is not such an issue.
From experience, the 20” barrel calibres would doubtless suffer the same velocity loss and energy issues, with a subsequent increase in recoil. My concern here is not making 1700 ft/lbs for large deer legal, facts only discovered by a chronograph. I doubt if .243 Win would make it and reckon Creedmoor might struggle. The best bet would be the ever-tolerant, .308 Win. I’d guess the PRC might be a bit of a flame thrower and mean in the shoulder. Here, an extra 2” would be a step in the right direction for all calibres, while maintaining the compact ethos.