Hammerli Force B1 in .22 LR, Tested and Reviewed

There may be nothing that balances marksmanship with enjoyable and ammo affordability higher than a .22 rifle, and the Hammerli Pressure B1 folds all that into an adjustable, modular, biathlon-style rifle. You and I won’t be clicking into our cross-country skis to wash plate racks, however we don’t have to spend north of $6,000 to expertise the enjoyable and elegance of an olympic-grade rifle both.  Although the target-style vertical grip and enormous straight-pull deal with are immediately noticeable, the Hammerli Pressure B1 is filled with options that make it interesting to all kinds of rimfire hunters and plinkers.

Hammerli Pressure B1 Specs

• Cartridges: .22 LR (finally .22 WMR)
• Barrel: 16.1 inches, muzzle threaded ½-28 
• Receiver: Aluminum, black end
• Inventory: Polymer, adjustable LOP and comb
• Set off: 5 kilos, 4 ounces (measured)
• Weight: 5 kilos, 5 ounces (measured)
• Size: 35.5 inches to 37.4 inches
• Worth: $600

Key Options

• Straight-pull bolt motion operation
• 10/22-style receiver and rotary magazines
• Picatinny optic rail
• Push-button length-of-pull adjustment
• Prolonged journal launch
• Fast-detach barrel
• M-Lok rail on forend 
• Q.D. rear sling socket 

Evaluation Highlights

• Quick operation 
• Good ergonomics
• Cool, user-friendly options
• Numerous enjoyable to shoot
• Case ejection isn’t sturdy
• Potential caliber swap possibility is cool
• Accuracy: 1.605 inches at 50 yards (common of 38 5-shot teams with 6 forms of ammo)

Hammerli Pressure B1: A Straight-Pull With 10/22 Inspiration

Straight-pull bolt-action rifles have by no means been wildly in style within the U.S., however they provide velocity and stay-on-target stability that common bolt actions don’t. One of many causes biathlon racers use them is to rapidly and exactly interact a sequence of targets whereas standing on skinny cross-country skis. Although it’s not as costly or high-performance as professional rifles just like the Anschutz 1827F Bionic, The Hammerli Pressure B1 is in-built the identical spirit.

This new straight-pull is designed with roots within the Ruger 10/22, and makes use of the ten/22 rotary journal. I might be amiss if I didn’t level out its resemblance to the Volquartsen Summit .22 rifle, which has been round since about 2017 and is the same 10/22-inspired straight pull. Although they give the impression of being fairly comparable, there are a selection of key variations, and the Hammerli — manufactured by Umarex in Germany — is a little more reasonably priced. 

The Hammerli Pressure B1 Motion

Essentially the most defining characteristic of the Hammerli Pressure B1 is its straight-pull motion. Behind the ten/22-like ejection port within the aluminum receiver is a slot from which the big vertical bolt deal with extends. To open the motion or eject a spent case, I merely pull the deal with to the rear. A rotating linkage which connects the bolt deal with to the bolt attracts the bolt backward, pivoting exterior that slot within the receiver. This cocks the set off and ejects the spent case. When pushed ahead, the linkage drives the bolt ahead, chambering a recent cartridge, then the linkage clicks again right into a straight place behind the bolt, locking it into battery. 

The bolt deal with is lengthy sufficient to make use of two fingers to tug it to the rear, however I discovered that merely utilizing my set off finger to function the bolt was straightforward and extremely quick. I can fireplace, function the motion, and fireplace once more, whereas conserving the pad of my thumb cemented to the vertical grip. The truth is, it’s the vertical grip that permits for each a great set off pull and intuitive, environment friendly operation of this motion.

The bolt cycle isn’t completely easy, and there are mainly three completely different resistance “bumps” to beat:

• Dislodging the bolt from its battery place
• Ejecting the case
• Locking the bolt again into battery

The important thing to working this rifle easily and rapidly is to drive it with authority. As a result of this gun makes use of a set ejector — one which depends on rearward velocity of the bolt to eject the spent case — sluggish or comfortable operation of the bolt will trigger a failure to eject, and also you’ll must clear the gun. Even when working quick, I seen ejection to be lower than sturdy.

One factor I actually admire is the prolonged journal launch that has tabs on both aspect of the set off guard. These tabs are low-profile, however permit the shooter to achieve with the set off finger and never break grip. As a result of the lever that truly pivots and releases the magazines is lengthy and provides lots of leverage, magazines may be dropped free effortlessly — in contrast to the usual 10/22 model magazine catch.

Fast-Change Barrel

The second-most defining characteristic of the Hammerli Pressure B1 is its quick-change barrel design. This differs considerably from the ten/22-type barrel attachment, or that of the Volquartsen Summit. The barrel attaches to the receiver by way of a ball-bearing and sleeve locking system that works the identical means as air compressor fittings. To take away the barrel, the sleeve is drawn again from the ball bearings, permitting them to launch the barrel. Merely pull the barrel free. To put in the barrel, pull the sleeve again, press the barrel into the becoming with its indexing notch at 12-o’clock, then slide the sleeve ahead, again over the ball bearings. The bearings match snugly right into a groove within the barrel itself. 

The indexing works in the same means that an AR15 barrel extension interfaces with the receiver, besides that it’s backwards. An AR barrel extension has the pin, and the receiver has the notch. The Hammerli barrel has the notch and the receiver has the pin.

This method appears to work properly, and the bearings are lubed with a grease that appears (and smells) like Bore Butter muzzleloader lubricant. The thought behind this quick-change characteristic is to make it straightforward to swap between .22 LR and .22 WMR barrels — which aren’t obtainable but. The receiver and journal properly are made to just accept Ruger rotary .22 WMR magazines, and to accommodate the .22 LR mags, Hammerli features a small spacer that clips onto both the 10-round or aftermarket prolonged magazines.

I’ve an inherent mistrust of quick-change-fitting barrels. I’ve seen twist-lock .22 rifles that will present impression shifts of a number of inches at 50 yards every time the barrel was eliminated and reinstalled. I examined this with the Hammerli by firing two 10-shot teams at 50 yards, which I might then correlate right into a 20-shot group. Then I pulled and re-installed the barrel and repeated the take a look at. I did this thrice, and although I did see a shift of my imply level of impression by about .26 inches, it’s arguably throughout the variability of that pattern measurement. I’m positive there may be some impression shift, but it surely’s not demonstrably vital. I do, nonetheless, imagine that the quick-change characteristic in all probability degrades the general accuracy of this method at some degree.

Set off Compatibility

The set off that comes on the Hammerli Pressure B1 isn’t dangerous. At 5 kilos, 4 ounces, it’s fairly heavy, and I’d desire a barely wider set off shoe. The inventory set off group housing can also be polymer, which you will or could not like. The excellent news for tinkerers is that this set off group is instantly interchangeable with Ruger 10/22 set off teams — of which there are quite a few aftermarket and customization choices. It’s an apparent straightforward button to push with this rifle.

Optic and Suppressor Choices

As any fashionable .22 rifle ought to, the Hammerli Pressure B1 comes with a Picatinny rail machined proper into the highest of the riser for mounting pink dots or magnified optics. The muzzle is threaded in the usual ½-28 sample and capped with a knurled thread protector that totally encapsulates the muzzle. The entrance of the thread protector cap stands off the tip of the muzzle by a few quarter inch, however that small chamber doesn’t appear to have an effect on accuracy or level of impression.

The Hammerli Pressure B1 Is Versatile with Considerate Options

What initially looks as if a easy, low-cost artificial inventory on the Hammerli Pressure B1, seems to be filled with helpful options. We’ve already coated the vertical pistol grip, however the buttstock has two main adjustability elements. The comb is adjustable for use with decrease and higher-mounted optics by way of a reversible rubber insert that matches tightly into the buttstock. Out of the field, it matches flush with the remainder of the inventory — nice for a low-mounted reflex pink dot. However pull it out, flip it over, and also you’ve obtained a taller comb for utilizing optics with a riser, tall rings, or a cantilever mount.

The buttstock has a big adjustment vary for size of pull, and may be moved by urgent a button that’s countersunk within the recoil pad. The button lifts a locking lever, and you may slide the butt to the rear to whichever of the six locking positions matches you finest. Additionally embedded within the buttstock is a QD sling attachment cup, slightly than a standard sling swivel stud.

Up entrance, the simple-looking forend options textured panels on the edges for grip, and a flat backside that includes a piece of M-Lok rail. You’ll be able to connect a piece of picatinny, vertical grip, bipod, or perhaps a part of ARCA rail in the event you’d like. A entrance QD sling cup isn’t included, however you might simply add one. The inventory comes with this M-Lok rail and, although different equipment and variations aren’t obtainable but, I can see that the inventory is designed to just accept completely different grip panel configurations — together with M-Lok mounting on the edges.

The flexibility and ergonomics of the inventory make it nice for quite a lot of positions and helps. It’s simply run from a tripod, bagged on a barricade, or offhand.

Hammerli Pressure B1 Accuracy

It’s a on condition that .22 rimfire rifles aren’t typically carrying the torch for excessive accuracy and, within the phrases of a good friend and former NCAA champion smallbore coach, it’s superb that we will make good-shooting rifles in any respect with the inconsistencies in .22 LR ammo. That being stated, I used to be slightly underwhelmed by the accuracy of the Hammerli Pressure B1. I did my accuracy testing from 50 yards, utilizing 5-shot teams as a base increment for analysis, and compiled 20-shot teams with probably the most correct ammo examined. 

At Outside Life, we’ve lengthy used 5-shot teams to gauge accuracy, however we’re additionally striving for fixed enchancment of the knowledge we offer you. We take a look at weapons exhausting, and we don’t lower them any slack. Most significantly, we’ve began utilizing bigger pattern sizes and metrics like mean radius to supply a extra informative image of what every gun’s accuracy actually seems to be like. Listed here are among the 5-shot accuracy outcomes:

Right here is the information collected on 3 20-shot teams with probably the most correct ammo:

Self-Calibration and Accuracy Oddities

Clearly, the Hammerli Pressure B1 isn’t spitting out teams that will win NRL .22, benchrest, or positional competitors, however we in all probability shouldn’t maintain that in opposition to the rifle. There are some correct .22 rifles on the market, however how does the Hammerli stack up in opposition to an unquestionable basic, the ten/22? My stainless 10/22 carbine — the primary gun I ever obtained underneath the Christmas tree — was good to match it to. I’d by no means truly recorded good knowledge from my 10/22, and was stunned to see that it wasn’t fairly the knot-buster that I’d thought it was. Right here’s how they in contrast:

With the ten/22 kind of recalibrating my expectations, I feel that the Hammerli shoots fairly properly for having a quick-change barrel — actually not worse than the ten/22 on common. If that’s adequate for generations of shooters, it’s adequate for me.

A development I seen is that the Hammerli would print completely different common group sizes with and with no suppressor, and there wasn’t a transparent common benefit for both — I feel it simply is dependent upon the actual ammo. 

Essentially the most attention-grabbing development I noticed — although not conclusive — was on the finish of my testing when firing 10-shot teams (to correlate into 20-shot teams) with the Remington Eley ammo by way of a suppressor to verify for repeatability when altering the barrel. After a pair teams have been fired, pictures tightened down considerably. I continued to fireside 10-shot teams to see if this development would go away, but it surely appeared to carry. They dropped from constant 2-inch-range 10-shot teams, to 1- to 1.5-inch teams. The one potential variable distinction was further fouling accumulation. The most important shift gave the impression to be between teams, circuitously after a barrel change. I can’t say that taking pictures an entire field of ammo by way of the gun will make that ammo out of the blue shoot higher, however one thing appeared to alter —and I ate up the remainder of that stash of ammo chasing it. 

What the Hammerli Pressure B1 Does Effectively

The Hammerli Pressure B1 gives a quick-cycling, cool, straight-pull motion at an attainable value for a lot of shooters. It’s enjoyable, has good ergonomics, adaptability, and nice customization potential. 

The place the Hammerli Pressure B1 Might Be Higher

I’d like to see a bit higher accuracy from this rifle, but it surely’s not dangerous. I feel that if I’d designed the gun, I’d in all probability have chosen a less complicated, extra sturdy barrel attachment system that also provides the consumer the choice to swap tubes simply. I feel that the $600 price ticket is honest, however pushing it. 

Closing Ideas on the Hammerli Pressure B1 .22 Rifle

This can be a cool little rifle that’s proper within the wheelhouse for anybody who likes to tinker and customise their weapons. It’s quick and intuitive to run, and may accommodate quite a lot of shooter sizes, taking pictures types, and optics. This rifle is a blast to run on plates from a bipod or bagged on a barricade. It’s not lower out for pinging KYL racks or small targets at 100+ yards, however neither is an everyday 10/22. 

This rifle has nice potential when contemplating the eventual interchangeable .22 WMR barrels and different equipment it’s suitable with. Hopefully the magnum barrels grow to be obtainable quickly, however as it’s, the Hammerli Pressure B1 continues to be an attention-grabbing and enjoyable fashionable plinker and small recreation rifle.