Bergara BMR Carbon, Tested and Reviewed

The Bergara BMR Carbon is a shining instance of why the rimfire rifle is one among our most beloved firearms. Along with being the king of small sport, the .22 LR is a coach, plinker, and competitor. We now have .22 rifles in nearly each area of interest configuration possible, starting from bare-bones survival companions to tricked-out smallbore goal rigs that value greater than my pickup. Nonetheless, the .22 rifles that resonate most are utilitarian do-alls which might be simply as suited to searching beavers in an icy spring river in Alaska as jackrabbits in a Colorado chico brush patch, or plinking metal targets at 200 yards on the vary. These are all issues the BMR Carbon guarantees, and I put 500 rounds by way of one to see if it lives as much as these claims.

Specs

• Caliber: .22 lengthy rifle
• Different Out there Calibers: .22 WMR, .17 HMR
• Capability: 5+1 or 10+1, removable polymer field journal
• Inventory: Black with grey splatter sample, injection molded
• Barrel: 18 inches, carbon, 1:16 twist, threaded ½-28 with thread protector
• End: Black
• Size: 36 inches 
• Size of Pull: 13.5 inches
• Weight: 5 kilos, 2 ounces (measured, with empty journal)
• Set off: Consumer adjustable, 2 kilos, 10 ounces (measured)
• Security: Two-position, Remington M700 fashion
• Worth: $649

Bergara BMR Carbon Evaluation Highlights 

• Versatile and correct
• Good worth
• Dependable operation and crisp ejection
• Common Group Dimension: 0.928 inches (5-shot teams at 50 yards) 
• Common of Greatest 10 Teams: 0.515 inches (5-shot teams at 50 yards)
• Most correct ammo: Norma Tac-22 40-grain LRN (.603-inch common group)

The Bergara Micro Rifle

My first publicity to Bergara rifles, on a hunt in South Africa in 2019, left an enduring impression. After the European sportsmen in camp had their decide of the litter, I grabbed what was left—a plain, synthetic-stocked B-14 Ridge chambered in .308 Winchester. I linked on among the finest pictures of my life on that trip, and the B-14 Ridge gained some particular actual property in my coronary heart.

In that vein, my curiosity was piqued by Bergara’s BMR, or Bergara Micro Rifle. Relatively than a pint-sized capturing iron for kids, the “micro” refers back to the sized down motion that’s crafted in a likeness of the B-14 Ridge. The BMR is a rimfire motion that’s sized to suit .17 HMR and .22 WMR, and .22 LR, however doesn’t embody a full-size Remington 700 footprint just like the B-14 Rimfire. I opted for the BMR carbon in .22 LR, which contains a carbon-wrapped barrel with a threaded muzzle. 

Ergonomics That Mimic the B-14 Ridge

The Bergara BMR Carbon is styled after the B-14 Ridge, and shares most of the ergonomic qualities that endeared me to it on that African safari. It has the identical general look, proportions, and really feel because the bigger centerfire rifle. The form of the inventory lends itself to handiness, nevertheless it’s secure sufficient for exact capturing. The construct of the injection-molded inventory is a step down from the centerfire fashions. It’s pretty pedestrian, nevertheless it’s not dangerous both. It has a little bit of flex within the fore-end, and the barrel doesn’t sit completely centered within the barrel channel. However it’s completed with a pleasant butt pad, appears good, and the motion and parts match collectively with none unpleasant gaps. 

I notably just like the comparatively straight, thin-wristed grip of this inventory. It’s huge sufficient to permit a extra fashionable fashion of capturing, laying the thumb behind the Remington-style two-position security. The rifle is nimble. It’s straightforward to carry, maneuver, and management with one hand on the grip—a vital high quality for a searching .22 rimfire. I additionally discovered this grip angle to properly praise the geometry of the curved set off shoe. The combo allowed a wonderful, constant set off pull. 

The fore-end is flat, and accepts a bipod or rides on a capturing bag satisfactorily. Susceptible, bagged, or off a tripod, I used to be capable of persistently hit a 12-inch-square metal plate at practically 350 yards with Raisin Bran-like regularity as soon as I generated some good dope—one thing that’s completely satisfying with slightly .22.

The Bergara BMR Micro Motion

Externally, the Bergara BMR motion appears like a shortened B-14 motion, which is actually a Remington 700 clone. LIke the B-14 Ridge, it has a knurled, outsized bolt deal with, nevertheless it doesn’t look like detachable on the BMR.  The surface of the receiver does an awesome job of mimicking the centerfire’s appears, and even makes use of an analogous bolt launch latch on the left facet of the receiver. The bolt shroud, cocked bolt indicator, and security are all like they’d be on the B-14 Ridge.

Atop the motion is a pleasant one-piece Picatinny scope base that narrows above the ejection port. It has 30 MOA of elevation constructed into it to help those that need to actually stretch the .22 out in competitors. Internally, the set off seems to be a Remington 700 sample single-stage set off. It’s user-adjustable, however I had no must fudge mine away from the 2-pound, 10-ounce break it got here set at.

Although the cocking mechanism is much like Remington 700 clones, the bolt doesn’t have any locking lugs, and makes use of twin extractors and a set ejector. I used to be fairly happy with how reliably the Bergara BMR Carbon ejected spent circumstances, even after firing massive portions of ammo. Few issues carry flaws to the floor as rapidly as dirty-ass .22 lengthy rifle ammo, and this rifle earned high marks from me. I additionally famous that the firing pin seems to be rounded on the finish, relatively than chisel-shaped like most rimfires, it will doubtless make it extra sturdy, however doesn’t appear to impede ignition in any respect.

Some extent of annoyance I’ve with my in any other case beloved Savage Mark II is that its secondary extractor is kind of rounded off and the rifle gained’t extract circumstances reliably after firing 50 rounds (or so) of waxy .22 ammo. In distinction, the Bergara’s left-side extractor is sharper and does a greater job holding onto the case till it’s flipped out by the ejector because the bolt hits the backward restrict of its journey. I consider it makes fairly a distinction.

Different Key Options

The underside metallic of the Bergara BMR isn’t metallic in any respect, however onerous molded plastic with a fibrous look. The set off guard and journal properly are all one piece, and the gun options an easy-operating double-paddle journal launch simply ahead of the set off guard. It may be operated with the set off finger by pushing ahead, and extends out on both facet of the set off guard. 

The BMR comes with two magazines, one 5-rounder that sits about ⅜-inch proud above the underside of the inventory, and an extended 10-round journal. Each are product of the identical onerous polymer that the underside metallic is molded with. The motion and magazines are sized for the longer .17 HMR and .22 WMR cartridges, and the .22 LR magazines have built-in spacers to fill that further size. Magazines are straightforward to load and snap securely into the rifle by pushing straight in with little effort—and launch simply as tactfully. 

Lastly, as all .22 rimfire rifles needs to be, the Bergara BMR’s barrel is threaded ½-28-inch, so it would settle for any customary rimfire suppressor. The most important operate of the carbon-wrapped barrel is weight discount, because the .22 LR isn’t a lot of a warmth producer. The carbon model is about half a pound lighter than the steel-barreled mannequin. 

My solely actual dig on the aesthetics of the Bergara BMR is the laser engraving for import, serial quantity, and caliber markings on the receiver and rear portion of the barrel. They litter up the look of the rifle, and that fashion of engraving is vulnerable to rust, because it penetrates the metallic’s protecting coating. 

Capturing the Bergara BMR Carbon in .22 LR

Via fairly just a few journeys to the vary, I discovered the BMR to be a pleasure to shoot. It was fairly the aid from pounding away teams from bigger caliber rifles, and the graceful little motion functioned properly, even in sub-freezing temperatures. 

For testing, I topped this little rifle with a Nightforce NX8 2.5-20X, giving it no excuses in accuracy. This rifle is meant to fill a number of roles, one among them being an inexpensive precision .22 that may be run within the base class of the NRL22 collection. So it damned properly higher be correct. 

I recorded 39 5-shot teams at 50 yards with the BMR carbon, utilizing six varieties of ammunition, each with and with out a suppressor. General, the rifle averaged a bunch measurement of 0.928 inches, with the perfect 10 teams averaging 0.515 inches. Essentially the most correct ammunition was some previous Remington Eley match, which averaged .577 inches over 6 un-suppressed teams. Of presently accessible ammo, the Norma Tac-22 was most correct, averaging 0.603-inch teams. Curiously, subsonic ammo shot extra precisely with out a suppressor, and supersonic hundreds usually carried out higher with a suppressor—one thing to remember when testing ammo for competitors.

The rifle functioned properly with all kinds of .22 ammunition kinds: from low cost, ear-wax-caked hollowpoints, to polymer-coated hyper-velocity slugs, to plain previous black lead match seeds, although I famous a stiff bolt closure with one of many hundreds. A 600 greenback .22 higher carry out fairly flawlessly to get my vote of approval, and this one did.

Professionals and Cons

Right here’s the recent and quick of the place the Bergara BMR Carbon is powerful, and the place it’s not:

Professionals

• Correct
• Nice ergonomics
• Good set off
• Easy and dependable motion
• Suppressor prepared

Cons

• I’d want a greater, stiffer inventory
• Laser engraving can rust simply
• Backside metallic is plastic

Remaining Ideas on the Bergara BMR Carbon

General, the BMR does an awesome job of fulfilling its guarantees whereas remaining attainable for a lot of shooters. I’m not blown away by the rifle for the value, however these {dollars} are aptly justified. For anybody who needs a super-accurate, useful .22 that feels so much like their searching rifle, or isn’t overtly tactical, it is a nice possibility. It might be an awesome gun for getting by way of the door into precision rimfire competitors, with out sacrificing utility.