BERGARA B14 BMP SUPER VARMINT
Spanish long-range tack driver
BERGARA rifles are made in Bergara, Spain. Prior to their production of rifles, the company was known for making precision barrels. Today their rifles have a reputation for excellent accuracy and they carry a wide range of practical stocks for almost all shooting disciplines.
We received the B14 BMP Super Varmint in .308 Winchester for testing. The Super Varmint is basically the same as the standard BMP (Bergara Match Precision) rifle, but with a longer, 28-inch barrel (25mm at the crown), which is not threaded for a suppressor. The barrel has a 1:11 twist, compared to the standard BMP’S 1:10 in .308 Win. Most .308 hunting rifles have a 1:12 twist. For longer-range shooting, heavier bullets are preferred, hence the move to tighter twists in rifle barrels.
Bergara states that unlike most other barrel manufacturers, who have changed to reaming (a process that leaves tool marks in the bore), they use three separate honing spindles that utilize diamond-tipped bits. These bits polish the bore’s interior surface to a mirror-like finish without any tool marks. The next step is button rifling, which results in a groove diameter deviation of less than .0002-inch, something usually only achieved by hand-lapping. Barrels are then stress-relieved. The technology used, combined with decades of barrel-making experience, delivers production barrels that perform as though they were custom made.
Apart from the barrel, the Super Varmint is the same as the standard BMP rifle. Both come with a machined chassis made from 7075 T6 aluminium, rather than the traditional wood or fibreglass stocks. The stock is fixed (cannot be folded), and can be adjusted for length of pull. In addition, the cheek-piece can be raised/lowered/moved forward or backwards for a perfect cheek-weld by loosening rectangular nuts. The soft rubber buttpad can be moved up and down, as well as canted, by adjusting a round dial. All adjustments can be done conveniently without the use of tools.
QD flush cups are included in the stock to allow for the easy attachment and detachment of slings. The stock can be removed to allow for a standard Ar-style buffer tube and stock, which provides for a wide range of customizations.
Incorporated in the fore-end are flush cup mounts for QD attachments and Magpul M-LOK modular locking mounting slots. This means you can mount a variety of accessories if needed.
The body of the chassis is machined for AICS style magazines and the ambidextrous magazine release lever protrudes
slightly in front of the trigger guard, within easy reach of the trigger finger for mag changes. The mag holds five .308 rounds in a single stack, yet protrudes only slightly below the trigger guard. Cartridges can be fed straight into the chamber by dropping them on the empty magazine, a feature not found on all modern rifles. The magwell is also slightly bevelled to ensure quick mag replacement, and mags fell free when the release lever was worked.
The standard Ar-style grip is thin with texturing on the sides, and allows for ambidextrous use.
The B14 action is a two-lug system with a springloaded push-feed extractor. Bolt-throw is 90 degrees and the action is extremely smooth for a factory rifle. The bolt handle is fitted with an oversized metal bolt-knob, and alternative after-market options are available. A twoposition sliding side-safety is employed.
The smooth, single-stage metal trigger is shaped like those found on shotguns, can be adjusted, and is set at 3lbs in the factory. On the test rifle it was set at 2¾lbs and broke cleanly, but a slightly notchy take-up was experienced before releasing. Overall, the trigger performed well and is suitable for long-range precision work.
For mounting scopes, Bergara opted for Remington 700 bases with 6-48 screws, which means you’ll be able to buy mounts almost anywhere.
The test rifle came fitted with Sightron’s new SV 10-50x60 second focal plane scope (which we plan to test in an upcoming issue). On the range I used Lapua 185gr Mega and Norma 150gr Kalahari factory ammunition and 155gr Hornady ELD Match handloads at 100m.
Top performer was the Norma Kalahari ammunition (2 911fps) which achieved an 8.83mm centre-to-centre (c-c) 3-shot group. The Lapua hunting ammo (2 587fps) also performed well with three Mega bullets printing 16.13mm c-c. My handload consisting of Lapua cases, S&B primers, 39gr Alliant 10X powder and 155gr ELD Match bullets (2 701fps) printed 26.03mm c-c. This particular combination is extremely accurate in my Sabatti Tactical, consistently printing one-hole groups at 100m. Both rifles have 28-inch barrels and the Sabatti with its 1:12 twist produces an average velocity of 2 718fps. This shows that you cannot expect another shooter’s accurate load to necessarily work in your rifle.
Bergara claims 1MOA or better for their rifles and this was certainly the case with the Super Varmint. In fact, the rifle’s superb accuracy was confirmed with several threeshot groups at 400m, the biggest measuring just less than 3 inches. I deliberately chose the Lapua 185gr ammo for this test as ballistic coefficient has no, or very little, impact at 400m. Bergara included the factory target with the rifle; they used 168gr Norma Diamond Line Match ammo, which printed into 22.3mm c-c at 100yds.
The Bergara B14 BMP Super Varmint is one of the best-finished rifles I have handled in some time. Machining is above reproach and tool marks non-existent. The action is also much smoother than most rifles in the price range. I particularly like the solid one-piece chassis without a folding stock. In the past, I have experienced problems with folding stocks catching a bit of dirt and refusing to lock into place, or developing play. Also, Bergara’s adjustable stock design is simplicity itself and was extremely easy to set up for my overly large frame. I rate it as one of the more practical chassis options on the market. The stock and recoil pad did an excellent job of reducing felt recoil and I presume that the range of adjustment offered by the pad played a role in this.
This is an excellent rifle and the shorter-barrelled standard BMP, available in .308 and 6.5 Creedmoor, should make perfect long-range precision tools that can double as voorsit rifles. If you are in the market for a precision rifle you’ll make no mistake by taking a look at the Bergara.