“bergara b-14”

Digital Associate Editor Rose Bier discusses the Bergara B-14 HMR, the latest addition to our #SundayGunday series.

The Bergara B-14 Wilderness Ridge sports a carbon-fiber barrel, a lightweight synthetic stock and a fluted bolt, all working in tandem to create a rifle that is as lightweight as it is precise.

Get a close-up view of the Bergara B-14 R, the latest addition to our #SundayGunday series.

The B-14 Wilderness Terrain is an extremely accurate rifle that is built to withstand the ruggedness of the backcountry.

This year, Bergara adds a new member to the B-14 family of bolt-action hunting rifles, the B-14 Ridge. Is it a varmint and predator gun? Yes. A versatile big-game rifle? Indeed. One of the best values in bolt guns for 2018? Without question.

If you haven’t yet heard of Bergara, it's time to start paying attention. Granted, the company has been making rifles for only about three years, but its growth during that time has been nothing short of phenomenal. Let’s use the B-14 Timber as an example.

Bergara combines a nimble, sporter-style stock with a precision, No. 5 contour barrel in the B-14 Ridge. Like all B-14 rifles, which are made at the Bergara factory in Spain, the action in the Ridge has a two-lug bolt with a sliding-plate extractor and a coned nose for smooth feeding.

The nicely balanced B-14 HMR (Hunting & Match Rifle), perhaps more than any other offering from Bergara, proves the company's considerable capabilities as a rifle maker. It isn’t too heavy or bulky for carrying through the foothills, and its adjustable stock, compatibility with AICS-pattern detachable box magazines and heavier-than-average barrel make it worthy of a precision rifle match, too.

Bergara burst into full gear in 2008, just when AR-15 sales were skyrocketing and manufacturers couldn’t buy enough barrels.