Bergara short chamber

[gero]

I have a Bergara B14 BMP .308. Lately I have shot it with several brands of ammo including Fgmm, Hornady TAP, PPU match. I have found that it is short chambered. I bought the go no go gauges and the bolt will not close on the go gauge. It reaches the point where it begins to cam over but will not go any further. All of the ammo chambered, but the Ppu and Hornady produced a tight bolt closure. Also some of the FGMM you can feel an increase in bolt handle resistance.

The barrel has a Savage style nut. My question is if I loosen the nut and set the barrel back enough for the go gauge to allow the bolt to close am I going to create bolt lock up problem. In other words does headspace have an effect on bolt lock up ? I think it would only take .002-.003 or so to set the barrel back so the bolt would close properly. I might mention here the barrel is coned and so are the bolt lugs.

In talking to tech support at Bergara, they have a bunch of young guys manning the phones. One said they would just perform the operation I just described and send it back. My issue is that I would rather not take the risk of losing the gun while being shipped and also the time it takes for them to diddle around with it, delays in shipping etc. I am aware of issues associated with the warranty. As far as that goes, they will void the warranty if they are aware you are using handloads.

I would appreciate if anyone could give me an answer so I can decide if I should send it in or do it myself. I just bought all the tools, barrel vise, wrench, and action wrench. I am hoping this repair would help prep me for building my own rifle later.

 

[tobnpr]

My question is if I loosen the nut and set the barrel back enough for the go gauge to allow the bolt to close am I going to create bolt lock up problem. In other words does headspace have an effect on bolt lock up ?

You may have misspoken- you don't want to set the barrel further back- you need to move it the opposite direction to increase your headspace.

Bolt function is independent, as long as there's clearance between the boltface and the base of the case it'll close...

 

[Eagle Six]

If everything is as you say and it were me, I would headspace the barrel myself. Keep in mind I have never owned a Bergara rifle, only a Bergara barrel for a Rem 700 and I think this was before Remage was a thing. I have done multiple Remage barrels.

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

Let your gunsmith deal with it. If you don't have one, you need one. If that doesn't work, send it back. Your post insinuates you need someone with a better understanding of what's going on than you have. No offense intended. You are dealing with a known issue, since the bolt doesn't close, that may also be a safety issue. Unless you have a good understanding of how these things relate and work, it should be checked and corrected by someone that does. It sounds like a simple fix but hs isn't the only dimension affected by simply loosening the bbl and getting hs right. Just pay someone to make sure your face doesn't get blown off or send it in. My 2 cents.

 

[gero]

@tobnpr and Eagle Six thanks for your positive comments. @gunsandgunsmithing, thanks for your concern for my safety but really if you have to post " no offense intended", that is exactly the intent.

 

[Mdhmsmith]

Send it back for warranty, take it to a smith or learn how to headspace it yourself if you are mechanically inclined. You will need to buy tools to do it yourself but some people like to that sort of thing. It is not rocket science but it is a high consequence operation if you get it wrong. Don’t try it without the right tools. .02.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

Get the tools and get on it. You wont have an issue if it closes on a go but not on a no-go. Youll need the tools later if you venture down this path

 

[Kracken McGraw]

Learned something new today, I figured the Bergara’s had shouldered barrels.

 

[Mdhmsmith]

Check this out

 

[whatsupdoc]

Bergara's do have shouldered barrels and that is a 12 year old video on removing a
shouldered barrel and installing a barrel with a barrel nut.

gero can you post a picture of the barrel nut on your Bergara.

 

[Mdhmsmith]

Bergara's do have shouldered barrels and that is a 12 year old video on removing a
shouldered barrel and installing a barrel with a barrel nut.

gero can you post a picture of the barrel nut on your Bergara.

I missed the part where he said he already bought tools and you might have missed the part where he said he had a barrel nut. The guy in the video puts German torque on it which I’m not crazy about. You can get strap wrenches with square drives for a torque wrench. You can probably find one cheaper than this. I would also thread the barrel into the receiver before clamping it up. I don’t like the way the guy threaded and unthreaded it with the heavy action wrench attached. You can cross thread or booger up the threads like that.

 

[gero]

Bergara's do have shouldered barrels and that is a 12 year old video on removing a
shouldered barrel and installing a barrel with a barrel nut.

gero can you post a picture of the barrel

 

[INTJ]

The question I have is, was the bolt stripped with the ejector removed before checking headspace?

Even with a stripped bolt, some extractors give the feel of stopping as they start to go over the rim.

If you think you are solid against the go gauge, but aren't, you can wind up moving the barrel too much and creating a safety issue.

If any of this is unfamiliar, then the fastest way to resolve the issue is to take it to a gunsmith. Otherwise you'll need to take time to figure it out. It's not that any of this is hard, but there is a learning curve.

 

[gero]

There's 2 types, the factory said mine is in the first 500 made, after that they eliminated the nut. It's a typical(as you can see) Savage barrel lock nut. If you look at pics on the internet usually you see them without the nut

 

[gero]

The question I have is, was the bolt stripped with the ejector removed before checking headspace?

Even with a stripped bolt, some extractors give the feel of stopping as they start to go over the rim.

If you think you are solid against the go gauge, but aren't, you can wind up moving the barrel too much and creating a safety issue.

If any of this is unfamiliar, then the fastest way to resolve the issue is to take it to a gunsmith. Otherwise you'll need to take time to figure it out. It's not that any of this is hard, but there is a learning curve.

No, I didn't strip the bolt, I will do that and post later. If you read the original post, the issue I have is some commercial ammo produces a tight bolt . That is why I ordered the gauges. If my thinking is correct, one should not have to gauge any commercial ammo in order to run it. It should fit according to SAAMI.

 

[Mdhmsmith]

Let your gunsmith deal with it. If you don't have one, you need one. If that doesn't work, send it back. Your post insinuates you need someone with a better understanding of what's going on than you have. No offense intended. You are dealing with a known issue, since the bolt doesn't close, that may also be a safety issue. Unless you have a good understanding of how these things relate and work, it should be checked and corrected by someone that does. It sounds like a simple fix but hs isn't the only dimension affected by simply loosening the bbl and getting hs right. Just pay someone to make sure your face doesn't get blown off or send it in. My 2 cents.

It is true that if they really did “short chamber” it and not run the reamer in far enough the unsupported case wall above the webbing could blow out. I met a guy that this happened to and he got jacked up. Multiple facial surgeries and he was blinded for a while even with safety glasses. You can check this with the barrel removed. More knowledgeable folks than me can tell you how to get that depth measurement. I think this is unlikely but consequential.

 

[INTJ]

No, I didn't strip the bolt, I will do that and post later. If you read the original post, the issue I have is some commercial ammo produces a tight bolt . That is why I ordered the gauges. If my thinking is correct, one should not have to gauge any commercial ammo in order to run it. It should fit according to SAAMI.

I did read your original post. In order to resolve your issue you first need to sort out the not closing on a go gauge--you were right to acquire go and no go gauges. There are many reasons why a certain brand of ammo or brass may be a tight fit, and your headspace may be fine. The go gauge is a precision measuring device, ammo is not.

While I agree that you shouldn't have to gauge factory ammo to run it, you also shouldn't have to gauge a factory rifle to chamber factory ammo. I see all kinds of stuff with factory ammo and factory chambers so nothing surprises me anymore.

A stripped bolt should close freely with no effort on a go gauge. You may feel a little pressure as the extractor snaps over the go gauge rim, depending on the kind of extractor.

So what I do is firmly close the stripped bolt the first time to ensure that the extractor is past the rim. I should then be able to lift the bolt and let it drop all the way. Then I check with the no go gauge, or better yet, a piece of cellophane tape on the go gauge. The cellophane tape adds .002", the no go gauge is .004".

Also, make sure the chamber is clean. I recently went to test fire a rifle I had chambered after it had been bedded and cerakoted. I couldn't close the bolt. Now I knew the bolt closed fine on the go gauge when I had finished and torqued the barrel into place, so I was puzzled. I seated the bullet deeper in the case. Bolt still wouldn't close. I grabbed a couple different brands if empty brass. Bolt still wouldn't close. I grabbed the go gauge. Bolt still wouldn't close.

So I finally got out the Hawkeye bore scope and took a look. There was a little bit of blasting media in the chamber. I cleaned that out and the bolt closed fine on everything. It doesn't take much to keep a bolt from closing.

 

[whatsupdoc]

That is very strange, never have I seen a picture of a OEM Bergara with a barrel nut.
Is this a newly manufactured Bergara or an older one?

Easy to fix the headspace.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

It is true that if they really did “short chamber” it and not run the reamer in far enough the unsupported case wall above the webbing could blow out. I met a guy that this happened to and he got jacked up. Multiple facial surgeries and he was blinded for a while even with safety glasses. You can check this with the barrel removed. More knowledgeable folks than me can tell you how to get that depth measurement. I think this is unlikely but consequential.

Hes within .004 at the max. Thats not going to push him over the limit. He can chamber saami ammo its just tight, so hes right at the GO and NO GO is .004 past that.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

That is very strange, never have I seen a picture of a OEM Bergara with a barrel nut.
Is this a newly manufactured Bergara or an older one?

Easy to fix the headspace.

He said it was one of the first ones so old one