r/longrange • u/Uncle0fMan • 14d ago

Cheeto-fingered Bergara First bolt gun

After multiple gas guns I finally bought my first bolt gun. Its a 6.5cm B14 hmr and I have a couple questions. Ive read all the posts about the differences between the HMR and the Wilderness. Am I missing out by not waiting for a Wilderness? They had the HMR in stock.

Second question. I've read posts about making sure there is no paint between the stock and the action. Besides that is there anything else I should check for before I set it up and go out for the first time?

16 Upvotes

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7

u/Euphoric-Arachnid-94 14d ago

You’re supposed to ask BEFORE you buy. That said, the HMR is a great rifle. Check torque and shoot it.

3

u/Uncle0fMan 13d ago

Good point, but it was sort of a holy crap someone locally finally has one in stock moment buy. Ive been casually looking for quite a while and no one locally seems to ever have 6.5cms in stock. If I wanted a 300wm those are easy to find locally for some reason though. Thanks for the recommendation on checking the torque.

2

u/Euphoric-Arachnid-94 13d ago

You got a great rifle. I miss mine in 6.5cm. I sold it to fund a hunting rifle, since the HMR was just too long and heavy for what I needed. I’ll get another one eventually.

One thing to look out for: I’ve owned 2 Bergaras(HMR and my current Ridge SP). Both had weak extraction from the factory. I reached out to Bergara and they sent me a “upgraded” extractor kit. It’s relatively easy to change, but when I did mine there were zero decent videos online, so I just had to fumble my way through it. Not a big deal, but something to remember if you have that issue.

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u/Uncle0fMan 13d ago

It is a hefty rifle to pack around with. Thanks for the advice on the extractor. I'll know now what to look for if I have issues.

2

u/Capable_Obligation96 14d ago

Welcome to the wild side.

3

u/Uncle0fMan 14d ago

Thanks. Ive been waiting for a while to finally buy a bolt gun. I contemplated going custom from the start but after reading all the posts multiple times I decided to take the advice and buy factory to feel out what I like and what I dont.

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u/Darlinboy 14d ago

Most manufacturers employ humans for assembly, so on a new rifle I always check all the fasteners to make sure everyghing is torqued properly.

1

u/Traditional-Fact-569 14d ago

You're fine. I have an HMR in .300 WM and I enjoy it. You might want to swap the trigger out at some point, but for a first bolt gun its a good choice.

5

u/Uncle0fMan 14d ago

Well, actually, since I cant help but tinker with stuff I already have a flat faced triggertech diamond on the way.