This week on #SundayGunday, we’re taking a look at a precision rimfire rifle from Bergara, the BMR-X Steel. Available in 22LR, .22 Win. Mag., and 17 HMR, this handy little bolt-action sure to pile up the small-game, and with the cost of rimfire ammo being a fraction of centerfire ammo, it’ll provide plenty of fun plinking practice in the off-season.
The new BMR-X Steel rimfire rifle maintains the Bergara’s well-earned reputation for precision as it’s more than accurate enough for serious competition as well as hunting. Starting off, it features a heavy, 18-inch Bergara Number 6, 41-40 chro-moly steel barrel with a match grade chamber. The muzzle is threaded ½x28 for accessories like a suppressor, and the rifle comes with a knurled thread protector. The scaled down Bergara Micro Rimfire action is drilled and tapped for a scope and the gun ships with a 30 MOA rail-style base installed, making scope mounting an easy process. Its two-piece bolt has double extractors, one on each side. This ensures positive extraction, even if you have a sticky cartridge. The standing ejector is on the bottom near the left side of and behind the magazine well. The bolt features an oversize knob that is scaled to keep with the smaller rimfire action. There is a red dot on the rear of the firing pin to indicate when the gun is cocked, and the two-position safety on the right side of the rifle does not lock the bolt shut.
The BMR-X sports a removeable, box-type magazine, and the gun comes with both a 5-round and a 10-round magazine. The magazine is released by pushing on the release lever in front of the trigger guard. The rifle has an excellent and accuracy-enhancing adjustable Bergara Performance Trigger that breaks clean and crisp at right around 2.25 pounds from the factory with no noticeable take up or overtravel.
The Bergara synthetic X-Stock features an adjustable length of pull with three, 3/8-inch spacers that can be removed one, two or all. There is a thick rubber recoil pad on the back. The stock has quick release swivel sockets fore and aft on both sides, as well as conventional swivel studs on the front and rear. The stock has a nearly vertical grip and a cut out in the back for rear support when shooting. There are panels in the grip and fore-end that have a pebble surface to aid in gripping.
Our test rifle was not fussy with ammo, and shot everything quite well, averaging under an inch at 50 yards. The bolt runs smooth, and the magazine feeds flawlessly. So if you’re looking to up your rimfire game, be it for competition or for small-game hunting, the Bergara BMR-X Steel, with an MSRP of $799, should be on your radar.
For more information on the Bergara BMR-X Steel, visit Bergara.online/us, and of course, to join the world’s largest gun club, to get the latest in new guns and gear, and more importantly, to protect your right to own firearms and shoot and hunt with them, head on over to AmericanHunter.org, and click the “join” button in the top right hand side of your screen and become a member of the NRA.
