B-14 Heavy Barreled Action

[021411]

Have you had issues with the L3I mags?
I don’t have an enormous amount of rounds through mine… probably around 1500ish across 4 “Elite” L3i mags, but can’t say I ever had a rim lock or trouble feeding (once the mag height was set correctly) with the L3i. Also holds 4 more rounds than factory RimX, though I know there are extensions out there.

Yup. I had one of the original ones that were straight trash in a B14R I got it for. I wasn’t the only one that had issues with the older model L3I mags. Gave it away when I sold the B14R.
I can’t speak for them in the rimx as the OEM mags work just fine. I use MKM extensions on mine. No issues either.

 

[CajunExpat1]

Yup. I had one of the original ones that were straight trash in a B14R I got it for. I wasn’t the only one that had issues with the older model L3I mags. Gave it away when I sold the B14R.
I can’t speak for them in the rimx as the OEM mags work just fine. I use MKM extensions on mine. No issues either.

Good to know about the older L3i mags. I don’t have any experience with them, only the latest gen they call “Elite.” I picked up the first one when I couldn’t find any factory Bergara mags and it worked well so I’ve got a handful more now.
I likewise have had zero rim lock problems with my RimX factory mags.

To the OP - if you haven’t learned this yet, a big issue with the R700 .22s is reliable feeding; the ability to change the magazine catch height can be very useful in alleviating this. Some magazines have this adjustment ability built in.

 

[GearMaker]

I don’t think going RimX will cost more in the long run. You’ll save all the $$ of building a Bergara and deciding it isn’t good enough and then building a RimX in the end

Exactly the conclusion I reached--at least for my own personal situation.

 

[Big Phish]

I had issues with my L3i mag that I won’t use them in NRL. It can be finicky and lately matches are becoming more so with mag changes in the stages.

 

[LuckyDuck]

I'm still looking into the RimX option here- am I reading things right that their bolt design requires for a round to be fed via magazine rather than being single loaded? If so- nothing I couldn't work around I guess but would be nice to know at least.

-LD

 

[GearMaker]

I'm still looking into the RimX option

If you have not seen it already, here is a thread you'll want to peruse regarding possible barrel options. PADOM has done extensive testing on RimX barrels:

Zermatt RimX 22LR Review - Bartlein, Benchmark, GM, Krieger, Lilja

Got my RimX thanks to the guys and gals over @Zermatt Arms. Big thanks to Ray, Aaron, Robbie and the rest of the crew! When buying a Zermatt product, everyone knows they are not only receiving an extremely high-quality product but some of the best customer service in the game. With so many...

www.snipershide.com

 

[Simonsza1]

So I took my friends bergara and dropped it in my xylo since my action was out for a new barrel. Well shit it fit perfectly and ran without even so much of a hiccup. Mag fit perfect, fed perfect, extracted perfect and had zero issues. The regular one at $650 in another xylo is making it real hard on me to not give it a try.

 

[Birddog6424]

I have 3 of the L3i mags, and all run flawless.

They don't always start that way though. Feed angle is king in rimfire. If you can grab the bottom of your mag when it's fed into your rifle and induce any wobble forward or back, you can induce a misfeed. You need to eliminate that wobble through either the adjustable mag, the magazine catch, or in my case, I put a little JB Weld on the front face of the mag and sanded it down to make it fit more snug.

I haven't had a single misfeed since doing that to my mags.

 

[chillywig]

I got a B14r when they first came out and it is a great gun. Still have it but now shoot a RimX I put together.

Running the action on a Rimx vs the bergara is comically smooth. I really noticed this when testing at Lapua. Picked the lot the Rimx shot best then had them test that lot in the B14r. Watching the guy have to force the B14r action (which I worked on and smoothed out a bunch) vs the butter smooth Rimx made me see the light.

I'd stay clear of L3i mags. I have one of the older ones that doesn't work in the Rimx at all or in B14 very well. I need to just put it in the trash can as I have 0 faith in it.

 

[long range dogr]

Out of curiosity…… did bergara fix any of the issues with the original b-14r on these? Or is it just a better barrel?

 

[NWTackDriver]

My personal experience/opinion so take it with a grain of salt.

The steel barreled B14Rs shoot well with most ammo but great but great with lot tested ammo.
Kenny at DPG builds excellent CZs, Bergaras, RimX, Voodoos but guarantees 0.3" for 5 shot groups at 50.
Some may scoff at 0.3" but for practical shooting, this is plenty.
Granted, his rifle builds seem to be less finicky with ammo but his builds are usually are longer barrels which I've read can reduce SD and "settle" the bullet better than shorter options. To me, "settle" seems to mean decreased procession or bullet wobble resulting in less BC degradation with longer distances.

For NRL22, 100 yards is the normal max range unless they choose the farther distance stage options or if the match director wants to do a bonus stage. 0.47" 5 shot groups at 50 yards is adequate to do the job since the smallest target I've encountered were 0.25" KYL @ 50 yards.
1.5" 5 shot groups at 100 yards seem to be more than adequate for NRL22.

IMHO where you will start seeing differences are shots past 200 yards (ie: NRL22x or PRS22 matches) and when shooting off barricades that needs the rifle to be balanced (ie: tripods are impractical or not allowed). In these situations, a longer, heavier, higher end barrels tend to do better.

Some Bergaras have weak ejection issues but with ~4000 rounds fired, I've not experienced it. Don't stake the ejectors before ever sending a round down range! I've seen people introduce a problem even before seeing if it worked.

Lastly, IF I had to start all over again, I would buy a used Carbon Barreled B14R on a discount, then send the barrel to Modacam and have them fit a 22-24" truck axle barrel and put it in a stock/chassis of your choice.

YMMV, happy shooting.

I can agree with your last comment, I just got my B14R and a Rem X back from Modacam. He barreled them both with 23" Kreigers and they shoot amazing. He also reworked the bolt on the B14R and it is a lot smoother not as nice as the Rem X . I am running Trigger tech diamonds in both. I put the B14R in a MDT ACC. I am lot testing both rifles now and groups are both comparable. They were worth the wait Jonathan does amazing work!