• This Forum is for adults 18 years of age or over. By continuing to use this Forum you are confirming that you are 18 or older. No content shall be viewed by any person under 18 in California.

Bargara Rifle Bolts are just Bad

I can't comment on their bolts, but I had one of their barrels for a TC Encore that didn't end well. About two years before I retired MIDWAY had Bergara barrels for TC Encores, so I purchased one in .223 Remington with the intent of making a walking varmit rifle. After retiring I got all the necessary pieces and parts to assemble the rifle (it was originally a 50 cal ML). After bore sighting it I sat down with a box of factory ammo to verify the accuracy before the final sighting in. All the fired cases came out with the primers standing proud of the cartridge case by .007-.008". My experience with this with factory ammo is it's either the ammo is under loaded, or the gun has excessive head space. I called CVA, the importer of Bergara products and explained the problem, and they asked that I send them the barrel. I did, and they verified that the head space was just as I suspected, +.007-.008" and couldn't be corrected because it goes to a break action single shot. So I asked them to send me a new barrel, this wasn't possible because from the time I purchased that barrel until I experienced the problem, they no longer were in the TC replacement barrel business. So I wound up with a replacement gun of something I really didn't want.
With that experience behind me, I'm wondering if the problem isn't so much with the manufacturers, but lies with the vendor. Last spring a friend of mine ordered a .308 Win replacement barrel for a Savage through MIDWAY. Before he installed it, he did a chamber cast and the neck dimension was .350-.351", grossly large for a .308. Are they selling seconds as first line products. Has anyone here ever ordered a barrel from them, and if so how was it?
 
Looks like you need to make a firing pin removal tool. Thats how the over 50 gang does it. Bergara designed their bolts with that hole in the cocking piece and still advertise it to this day. They must have forgotten it on yours. And you also showed just how easy they are to work on- disassemble your savages side by side and make another comparison!
 
Last edited:
I will point out that their premier actions are a whole different ball game and a much nicer action in my opinion. If I were going to buy a bergara it would be a premier.
 
Two years ago I emailed Bergara in Spain questioning the space between the bolt body and bold handle
and the welding.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ME

I own a Bergara B14 HMR. I would like to know how the bolt handle is attached to the bolt.
Is it welded or is it brazed?

If you look at the attached photos you can clearly see that I can take a piece of paper and slide it between the bolt and bolt handle.

To me it does not appear to be a very solid connection.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Bergara Response.

This is Bergara Europe, probably our dealer in USA (BPI) could you offer better after sales service. I will add a copy of this email.

Your query is totally compressible, and fortunately is has a technical answer:


The bolt handle is laser welded, forming an “L” shape that surrounds it at the rear, it’s not brazed. Our abusive tests (250 kg force applied on the knob) concluded that most of the times the bolt itself will break prior the welding fails.


The inclined front wall is functional. It prevents the cocking piece kicking the sear HARD when pushing the bolt assembly forward, and also it acts like the primary extraction CAM (pulling the fired case rearward slightly, in case it’s stuck to the chamber). This surface is critical for rifle perfect performance, those dimensions must be under strict tolerances, so welding this angle isn´t best idea.


After ensuring that the “L” shape was strong enough to fix the handle, we decided not to weld the inclined functional wall.


upload_2020-7-13_7-54-40.png



upload_2020-7-13_7-54-40.png






With that said I like my Bergara its on its second barrel has around 4000 rounds through it and the only issue I had was the extractor spring failed.
 
I've bushed a couple for forum members. PITA to disassemble but I figured it out. Your insight into the changed bolt shroud is excellent--they missed some things.

I don't like the split threads on the shroud, think it leads to some lack of perfect alignment.

As for bashing them for designing a new rifle for modern cartridges without putting a small diameter firing pin, I totally agree but that applies to practically all new rifles out there. RPR comes to mind. Has any manufacturer started using .060 firing pins in a .062 hole? all should.

--Jerry
 
Two years ago I emailed Bergara in Spain questioning the space between the bolt body and bold handle
and the welding.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ME

I own a Bergara B14 HMR. I would like to know how the bolt handle is attached to the bolt.
Is it welded or is it brazed?

If you look at the attached photos you can clearly see that I can take a piece of paper and slide it between the bolt and bolt handle.

To me it does not appear to be a very solid connection.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Bergara Response.

This is Bergara Europe, probably our dealer in USA (BPI) could you offer better after sales service. I will add a copy of this email.

Your query is totally compressible, and fortunately is has a technical answer:


The bolt handle is laser welded, forming an “L” shape that surrounds it at the rear, it’s not brazed. Our abusive tests (250 kg force applied on the knob) concluded that most of the times the bolt itself will break prior the welding fails.


The inclined front wall is functional. It prevents the cocking piece kicking the sear HARD when pushing the bolt assembly forward, and also it acts like the primary extraction CAM (pulling the fired case rearward slightly, in case it’s stuck to the chamber). This surface is critical for rifle perfect performance, those dimensions must be under strict tolerances, so welding this angle isn´t best idea.


After ensuring that the “L” shape was strong enough to fix the handle, we decided not to weld the inclined functional wall.


View attachment 1189844



View attachment 1189843






With that said I like my Bergara its on its second barrel has around 4000 rounds through it and the only issue I had was the extractor spring failed.
Laser welded. That is good to know. The two example bolts that I had had a significant difference in weld quality.
 
I think they do attempt to set firing pin protrusion at a better level. I like 0.040-0.045 for my own rifles and most of the ones I have done from Bargara were right at 0.040 though one of these was at 0.027 and it would not pope a primer 50% of the time.
 
I can't comment on their bolts, but I had one of their barrels for a TC Encore that didn't end well. About two years before I retired MIDWAY had Bergara barrels for TC Encores, so I purchased one in .223 Remington with the intent of making a walking varmit rifle. After retiring I got all the necessary pieces and parts to assemble the rifle (it was originally a 50 cal ML). After bore sighting it I sat down with a box of factory ammo to verify the accuracy before the final sighting in. All the fired cases came out with the primers standing proud of the cartridge case by .007-.008". My experience with this with factory ammo is it's either the ammo is under loaded, or the gun has excessive head space. I called CVA, the importer of Bergara products and explained the problem, and they asked that I send them the barrel. I did, and they verified that the head space was just as I suspected, +.007-.008" and couldn't be corrected because it goes to a break action single shot. So I asked them to send me a new barrel, this wasn't possible because from the time I purchased that barrel until I experienced the problem, they no longer were in the TC replacement barrel business. So I wound up with a replacement gun of something I really didn't want.
With that experience behind me, I'm wondering if the problem isn't so much with the manufacturers, but lies with the vendor. Last spring a friend of mine ordered a .308 Win replacement barrel for a Savage through MIDWAY. Before he installed it, he did a chamber cast and the neck dimension was .350-.351", grossly large for a .308. Are they selling seconds as first line products. Has anyone here ever ordered a barrel from them, and if so how was it?

I too had issues with Bergara barrel for an encore.... could not get a single scope-mount-screw to start. Appeared as they bead-blasted and rolled the leading edge of the hole.... had to chase the threads on every hole. Then with scope mounted could not zero at 100 yards. 15 inches high was close as I could get with two different scopes.
Finally went to Burris rings with inserts in order to get on paper. Was not impressed.
 
I have never fired a Bergara, I can't remember if I have ever held one. I looked some over at the pharmacy and gun shop in north Georgia(yea that seemed kinda weird to me too). But I have always had it in the back of my mind they were one of the best rifles on the market today. I tried to figure out where that impression came from. OHHH now I remember where that comes from reading a gun magazine. This sure adds credibility to the old thread on this forum right now about gun writers and politicians and not being able to believe either of them.
 
I have never fired a Bergara, I can't remember if I have ever held one. I looked some over at the pharmacy and gun shop in north Georgia(yea that seemed kinda weird to me too). But I have always had it in the back of my mind they were one of the best rifles on the market today. I tried to figure out where that impression came from. OHHH now I remember where that comes from reading a gun magazine. This sure adds credibility to the old thread on this forum right now about gun writers and politicians and not being able to believe either of them.
Dont base your opinion off this video please. Always check things yourselves because there are a ton of folks that like em
 
;)

SINRFPT.jpg
 
Not sure if it's the same bolt, but this video from Bergara shows inserting an allen wrench into a hole in the rear allows you to simply unscrew the firing pin assembly.

 

Upgrades & Donations

This Forum's expenses are primarily paid by member contributions. You can upgrade your Forum membership in seconds. Gold and Silver members get unlimited FREE classifieds for one year. Gold members can upload custom avatars.


Click Upgrade Membership Button ABOVE to get Gold or Silver Status.

You can also donate any amount, large or small, with the button below. Include your Forum Name in the PayPal Notes field.


To DONATE by CHECK, or make a recurring donation, CLICK HERE to learn how.

Forum statistics

Threads
165,839
Messages
2,204,668
Members
79,160
Latest member
Zardek
Back
Top