What rifle do you choose when you work for the importer and could take your pick? For James Fowler of RUAG there was no hesitation – he tried the Bergara B14 and fell in love straight away.
“It’s a versatile rifle that you can use for hunting or match shooting,” he says. “The HMR stands for Hunter Match Rifle. It’s the most popular rifle we sell in the UK, and I think it shoots slightly better than I do!”
RUAG’s James Fowler with his Bergara B14 HMR
James’s rifle is .308 calibre. The B14 HMR is also available in 6.5 Creedmoor, .22-250 or .300 Win Mag. There’s also a range of barrel lengths from 20″ to 26″, and it comes in right or left-handed versions with an adjustable ambidextrous stock. There are spacers for length, and an adjustable height cheekpiece that can be adjusted in the field in seconds.
Bergara is a well-liked for its centrefire rifle design, winning top rating from Fieldsports Channel viewers for fit in our centrefire research.
Case study#1: Jeremy from the UK has a Bergara B14 in 6.5x55mm. he bought it in the last five years for more than £1,000. He shoots Federal Fusion through it. He also loads his own with Sierra Pro Hunter bullets and PPU cases. His scope is a Zeiss V6 2.5-15×56, though he says he preferred one with parallax adjustment. He gives his set up five stars out of five for fit, accuracy, looks, reliability, and value for money, and Bergara’s distributor RUAG five stars for customer service. He stalks deer and shoots foxes with it.
Case study#2: Another deer and foxshooter has a B14 in .308. He bought it for £1,000+ in the last five years. He shoots Federal Power-Shok through it. He loves it, with suggestion that Bergara try a Ceracoat finish on the rifle. He says: “A true out-of-box sub-MOA rifle, excellent build quality and features but best of all is Bergara’s customer care. I lost my mag on a mountain and contacted them in regards to purchasing a new one. They had one delivered to my door three days later free of charge.”
Case study#3: Lewis from the UK chose 6.5mm Creedmoor for its adjustability. He paid more than £1,000 less than five years ago. He loads his own cartridges, with 143-grain ELD-X in a Norma case. His favourite scope is a Tract Optics Toric 4-20×50 UHD and favourite night vision the Pulsar N970LRF. He gives his set up five stars out of five for fit, accuracy, looks, reliability, and value for money, and Bergara’s distributor RUAG five stars for customer service. He stalks deer and shoots foxes with it.
Case study#4: Another of our viewers has bought a Bergara B14 in 6.5mm Creedmoor. Using it for deer and foxshooting, he paid less than £1,000 for it in the last five years. He put a Vortex Crossfire II scope on it and his choice of night vision is a Sightmark Wraith. He shoots a Hornady 6.5 Creedmoor 143-grain ELD-X Precision Hunter. He gives his set up five stars out of five.
Case study#5: James from the UK also has a Bergara B14 in 6.5x55mm, for which he paid more than £1,000 less than five years ago. He also shoots Federal Fusion through it. However, when he loads his own, he uses SST bullets and Sako cases. Scope is a Swarovski Z4i 3-12 x50. His night vision is a Pulsar XM30. He gives his set up five stars out of five for fit, accuracy, looks, reliability, and value for money, and Bergara’s distributor RUAG five stars for customer service. He stalks deer and shoots foxes with it.
Rifle comes in right or left-handed versions with an adjustable ambidextrous stock
Built in Spain at the Bergara barrel factory, the rifle has an integral chassis moulded into the stock, with a fully free-floating barrel for long-range precision. There’s a two-lug bolt with a coned nose to ensure smooth feeding from the detachable five-round AICS magazine.
Scope rails come in 0 MoA or 20 MoA, and there are QD swivel studs for attaching a sling. The rifle comes as standard with an accessory rail at the front of the fore-end allowing you to fit accessories such as the Tier One Evolution tactical bipod.
Accessory rail fits standard bipods
The trigger is designed to give a crisp, clean pull every time, and can be adjusted down to 2lb 13oz.
All in all, the Bergara B14 HMR delivers a level of quality and performance that’s unmatched in its price range, with a RRP of £1,150.
“I think it’s an incredible piece of kit,” concludes James. “I use my .308 for both match shooting and stalking. It’s robust, affordable, it works flawlessly and it’s super accurate. It’s just become a part of myself. It’s going to be with me for a long time.”
