Erik Cortina on the Bergara B14 HMR

Erik Cortina usually shoots custom rifles. In this series he takes off‑the‑shelf rifles to 500 yards with factory ammo, and the Bergara B14 HMR in 6.5 Creedmoor goes first.

Bergara B‑14 HMR review Watch on YouTube — Erik Cortina.

What he covers: no sponsor is stated in the video. Cortina does sell the tuner brake and bolt shroud he adds. His rifle has a 26 inch barrel, an added ARCA rail for the bipod, and a Swarovski scope. Bergara advertises a 1 MOA guarantee, so he puts it to the test prone off a bipod on an electronic target. He says the factory radial brake is not a good idea for shooting prone and swaps in his own tuner brake. With Berger 140 grain ammo, the first group is exactly 1 MOA by his reading, and he says it cycles real nice. After he swaps the bolt shroud, his next five shots open from a tight three to 0.94 MOA, and he isn’t sure whether barrel heat caused the last one. Desert Tech 140 grain loads land around 1 MOA once he throws out the first shot. The rifle doesn’t like the Sako Powerhead Blade 120, and he stops that group early. His verdict is that this rifle with Berger or Desert Tech 140s, plus a tuner brake and bolt shroud, shot under 1 MOA at 500 yards. Specific claims in the video are his, not ours.

Here’s our take. Buy the Bergara B14 HMR if you want a factory rifle that can hold its own at distance, and plan to test a few loads to find the one it likes. Know that his best groups came with his own brake and bolt shroud, not the rifle as it ships. Also know the factory brake isn’t his pick for shooting prone.

We stock the B14 HMR in the same 6.5 Creedmoor chambering, but in a 22 inch factory configuration, not the exact rifle in the video and without his add‑ons. On the shelf: the Bergara HMR in 6.5 Creedmoor, Black Cerakote, 22 inch. Related: the Bergara HMR in 308 Win, Black Cerakote, 20 inch. Also related: the Bergara HMR in 22 Creedmoor, Black Cerakote, 20 inch. Complete firearm. Indiana FFL transfer through Wulfy’s. Ask us for current fees.