Bergara recently released a new rimfire rifle platform: the BMR (Bergara Micro Rimfire). In this story we’ll get hands-on with the premiere rifle from this lineup: the BMR Carbon in 22LR. This rifle is aimed at both precision shooting, and light-weight hunting: should be fun!
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About the Bergara BMR Carbon
From the Bergara Product Page:
You asked, we listened. The Bergara BMR (Bergara Micro Rimfire) is for those that demand the best and expect nothing short of perfection. With the option of either a 5rd magazine for hunting or a 10rd magazine for running stages at your favorite rimfire match, we designed the BMR from the ground up with field and match performance in mind.
The BMR fits the bill of the base class within the NRL22 series and offers a match chamber with world-class accuracy. It’s also lighter (especially the carbon barreled version) and easier to carry in the field for small game pursuits. We’ve expanded the calibers available beyond .22 LR to include .17 HMR and .22 WMR so you can match your round to your application.
Some features that make the BMR stand out:
Action: BMR
Barrel: Carbon Fiber Bergara Barrel. No. 6 taper
Twist: 1:16 for .22 LR and .22 WMR and 1:9 for the .17 HMR
Barrel length: 18” (.22 LR) or 20” (.17 HMR and .22 WMR)
Threaded muzzle: 1/2-28” with thread protector
Weight: 5 – 5.4 lbs. depending on caliber
Length: 36” or 38” overall
Mag capacity: 5 and 10 round magazine included
Scope mounts: 30 MOA Rail Included
Trigger: Bergara Performance Trigger. Compatible Rem700
Stock: Black with tactical grey specks
BMR Carbon MSRP – $659
What’s In the Box
The Bergara BMR Carbon comes with everything shown above:
- Rifle assembly
- Bolt
- 5 round magazine
- 10 round magazine
- Instructions and decal
Just add an optic, and ammunition!
TriggerScan
One of the first things we did after getting the BMR out of the box was to run some TriggerScan tests. Here’s what our graph looked like:
These results were run with the trigger adjustment on minimum pull weight setting. With an average pull weight of 2.414lb, this trigger fell right into the advertised pull weight range. You can also see how consistent the trigger pull was (lines overlapping) and also free of grittiness (smooth lines). Overall a great trigger.
Borescope Inspection
For the bore inspection, we used TESLONG’s NTG100H rifle borescope. This is a 26″ rigid borescope that you can connect to your Windows PC, or an Android/iOS phone or tablet. Here’s the video from Ultimate Reloader giving more information about this instrument:
For the BMR, we saw a really nice bore with clean rifling and great surface finish:
the crown was also very nice, with a good crisp edge and a lack of burrs or tooling marks:
Athlon Ares 4.5-27x50mm Riflescope
For this testing with the BMR, we decided to use the Athlon Ares BTR GEN2 4.5-27x50mm Riflescope which we had previously used on our Bergara B-14 Wilderness in 6.5 PRC.
Here’s the video showing this scope in-depth:
Sighting in and Shooting
I started at 50 yards, and had the rifle sighted in with only a few shots. This time I did an optical bore-sight, with the first shot landing on an 8.5″x11″ target! We then took things to the “ridgeline range” and did a variety of shooting at 50 yards, 100 yards, and on steel targets. Lots of fun, and it was awesome to compare this rifle to the B-14R which we brought along to compare with.
Velocity and Groups
Above is a comparison of the two Bergara rimfire rifles we have here at Ultimate Reloader. The BMR velocity is a little slower than the B-14R. Both of these ammo sku’s are match grade and are subsonic. The SD for the Lapua Midas+ was 12.2 and the SK Match SD was 14.2. Interesting to note the SK Match had a better grouping.
Here are best groups, both shot at 50 yards. First, the group shot with SK Match:
And then the group shot with Federal ammunition:
Great results for sure!
Summary and Conclusion
My impression of the Bergara BMR Carbon: This is a great lightweight do all rimfire! Taking the BMR Carbon out of the box I was very happy with the fit and finish of the rifle, plus bolt fit and manipulation is great. This gun is a perfect walkaround squirrel gun. The BMR Carbon is light and compact enough for your kids to shoot, and once you are done plinking, the accuracy can take you to an NRL22 match.
The trigger is very crisp and has zero “grind”, and no excessive creep. The fact that it is adjustable and even replaceable with any Rem700 trigger really tells me Bergara engineered this well. The included 30moa scope base is a big plus for anyone wanting to play in the 22lr ELR game. These are several very nice features not found on many other 22lr rifles. Accuracy testing showed it was ready to take to a NRL22 base class match and be ultra competitive. This rifle is a keeper!
Get the Gear
Here’s a summary of the gear used in this story:
- Bergara BMR Carbon
- Athlon Ares BTR GEN2 4.5-27x50mm Riflescope
- Caldwell Ballistic Precision G2
- SK Long Range Match
- SK Rifle Match
- Lapua Midas+
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Thanks,
Travis