Review: “Review: Bergara BMR Carbon”

American Rifleman

In April of this year, NRA American Rifleman did a review on Bergara’s BMR Carbon. In this article, they talk about the features of the rifle and their shooting results. Below is some of their article.

“As the sport of competitive rimfire continues to grab hold, more manufacturers are offering .22 rifles capable of superb precision. Many times, these guns mimic centerfire platforms to provide the shooter with an affordable means of training, as was the case for Bergara’s .22 Long Rifle-chambered B-14R and its centerfire B-14 HMR counterpart. However, sometimes a shooter just desires a lightweight, compact platform—the kind we typically most associate with rimfire rifles—and those characteristics often stand directly at odds with the potential for great accuracy.

With that in mind, the Spanish manufacturer set out to build a rifle that meets the needs of NRL22 competitors and small-game hunters alike, offering precision in a package that remains handy, and the Bergara Micro Rimfire (BMR) is the result. Two versions of the rifle are available, with either a traditional steel or carbon-fiber-wrapped barrel, and our sample for this evaluation was a BMR Carbon chambered in .22 LR with an 18″ barrel—although each gun is also offered in either .22 WMR or .17 HMR with a longer 20″ tube.

The BMR Carbon is a bolt-action, rimfire repeating rifle built to exacting tolerances to offer the rimfire shooter the same accuracy capabilities as the company’s centerfire offerings. As Bergara has its roots in barrelmaking, it’s worthy to note the amount of attention that the company gives to this critical component. The carbon-fiber tubes are mandrel-rolled for concentricity at a No. 6 taper and are made of a twill-fabric carbon fiber. Each BMR barrel is threaded 1/2×28 TPI for the installation of a suppressor or other muzzle device.

The barrel is threaded to a chrome-moly steel receiver and torqued to 65 ft.-lbs. before being set into an American-style, black synthetic stock with gray paint flecks. This stock makes use of minimal bedding features to keep both weight and manufacturing costs down, while still providing a rock-solid fit through the use of a pair of traditional action screws. The BMR Carbon comes with a rubber recoil pad and QD sling studs—the foremost of which we used to attach a Caldwell XLA bipod for testing.”

“Our range day benefitted from calm, comfortable conditions, and we were able to sample rimfire offerings from Remington, SK and Fiocchi. Upon settling into the rifle, we all gained an appreciation for the mildly aggressive textured panels on both the fore-end and the grip.”

“We also engaged a 6″ Birchwood Casey Spoiler Alert steel target set at 300 yards and were impressed with the 80 percent hit rate that we achieved at that range. The canted base eliminated the need for any additional equipment in order to reach out that far with the .22. All testers found that the 36″ rifle balanced exceptionally well and, at just 6 lbs., 4 ozs., with rings and a scope mounted, was effortless to shoot offhand as well as in traditional field positions.

As a whole, our testers were impressed with the BMR Carbon. It would be a great option for a plethora of applications—from smallbore silhouette competition to squirrel hunting to backyard plinking. With an MSRP of $659, it does land on the pricier side of the bolt-action .22 LR market, but our testing revealed that you’re getting quite a lot for your money.”

To read the full article written by: American Rifleman, click the link: Review: Bergara BMR Carbon | An Official Journal Of The NRA (americanrifleman.org)