Just curious as to whether anyone had replaced the Bergara barrel with a true topline target barrel like a Shilen Ratchet or a Benchmark. If so what were the results?
- Thread starter Merlin O
- Start date
The results might be better. But it's not possible to predict because, while a custom barrel can be much better, not all barrels, even from the same manufacturer, are equal, and, more importantly, the ammo must be carefully selected to obtain the best results.
For some details on a Shilen barreled B14R, see https://www.snipershide.com/shooting/threads/penrod-b-14r-is-back.7038080/
For some details on a Shilen barreled B14R, see https://www.snipershide.com/shooting/threads/penrod-b-14r-is-back.7038080/
Thanks for the link. Good read as KoD always seems to go the extra mile with any rifle he shoots. I understand what you are saying but my point is I want to see how the Bergara performs with a proven quality barrel to be able to give it a fair(er) comparison to the Vudoo and RimX. Or... how much difference in the rifles is due to a superior barrel and what can be attributed to a Superior? action (and likely trigger) on the more expensive guns.
What I took away from the thread on the Bergara and aftermarket barrel was that the juice wasn’t worth the squeeze. They never posted the price of their experiment. I really appreciate people trying new things to innovate. But if the new barrel and extension costs more than say $700, why not just get a rim-ex or a voodoo. Considering how much the base line set up is, you are quickly reaching that territory anyway defeating the purpose of the Bergara. If the aftermarket barrel set up half that, which I doubt, it might be fun to play with.
Understand what you're saying... But... 
I still am very curious as to just how much of a quality difference - real or perceived - the B14 action and the Vudoo action have. The only way I can see to check it out is with barrels of comparable quality.
I still am very curious as to just how much of a quality difference - real or perceived - the B14 action and the Vudoo action have. The only way I can see to check it out is with barrels of comparable quality.Fair enough. But all things being equal, I can’t imagine the actions are going to drive accuracy as much as the barrel. But if you are spending voodoo money for a Bergara with a custom barrel, that seems like a crappy deal to me.Understand what you're saying... But...
I have a shot a Bergara and a Vudoo side by side. The Bergara is nice but the Vudoo action is just all around nicer.Understand what you're saying... But...
Agreed. B14R is perfectly usable. I recently shot my B14R in the rifles only match while my VGW was out of commission. Rifle worked great, I didn't miss any shots cause I wasn't using a more expensive rifle.
The vudoo action is just nicer to use. Is it worth twice as much as the B14R? For me yes, i'm willing to pay a little extra to get something that is really nice.
I agree with @tomcatfan, if you're gonna spend all that money in getting custom work done - just get the RimX or Vudoo. I think you'll be happier with the end product.
I'm not going to disagree that the overall experience of a rifle that costs triple of the Bergara is not superior. What I am hoping to determine is whether the expensive actions are the accuracy difference or the barrels make the difference. I fully appreciate everyone's opinion but I still hope to find information that will allow me to form my own based upon factual criteria. Vudoo and RimX ship with Premium quality barrels - the Bergara not so much. If you took ten barrels off of the shelves at Vudoo or the RimX shop and installed them on Bergara actions how much difference in the actual accuracy would there be? The only way I can see to do this is ask people with good barrels on Bergara actions. KoD has the only actual experience I've seen to this point and HIS experience doesn't seem to be all that great but a sample of one is not what I want to base an opinion on.
Brother Scott rolled into East Tennessee Easter weekend with a pile of killer rifles, the Bergera B14R in the AICS AXSR SA chassis was impressive. While not quite as accurate as the Vudoo 3-60, Anshutz Fortner, Anshutz MSR, and my vintage Winchester 52C its easily accurate enough to win any NRL22 match if you can pull the trigger.
It's real.Understand what you're saying... But...
In the 20 years that I have been on gun forums, I see similar situations like this. 1911 guys would buy a cheap $350 1911 and put a $350 Kart barrel in it along with $500 worth of other parts, so $1K total. The value of the upgraded gun may double to $700 but it still isn't a Nighthawk or Les Baer.
I've seen it happen with the CZ crowd that wants their 455 to shoot against an Anschutz. Barrels and bedding, and trigger jobs to try and get close.
You might get a Bergara to shoot up there with a Vudoo, but it isn't going to be cheap, it still won't be a Vudoo, and the resale will be a loss.
Thanks for your opinion. Anyone besides KoD have any testing results?
A 2 piece firing pin assembly (B14R, Ruger 77/22, etc.) can never have the true accuracy potential of a single pin assembly (40X, Vudoo, etc.) because of the much slower lock time.
Just like a Kidd 10/22 compared to a Vudoo, even though the MECHANICAL accuracy (example...action locked in a vice) may be the same, an 8 MS lock time compared to a 2 MS (or better) means the gun must be held PERFECTLY STILL 4 times longer AFTER you pull the trigger before the bullet leaves the barrel....sorry, but it's impossible.
On a centerfire.....say an AR compared to a bolt gun.... the bullet on the bolt gun is 50-75 yards downrange before the bullet ever leaves the barrel of the AR. That's a large reason the AR is so much harder to shoot well.
Just like a Kidd 10/22 compared to a Vudoo, even though the MECHANICAL accuracy (example...action locked in a vice) may be the same, an 8 MS lock time compared to a 2 MS (or better) means the gun must be held PERFECTLY STILL 4 times longer AFTER you pull the trigger before the bullet leaves the barrel....sorry, but it's impossible.
On a centerfire.....say an AR compared to a bolt gun.... the bullet on the bolt gun is 50-75 yards downrange before the bullet ever leaves the barrel of the AR. That's a large reason the AR is so much harder to shoot well.
Valid point on the lock time although it is somewhat marginalized with bench shooting. One of the reasons I shoot an Anschutz for smallbore metallic silhouette is the quick lock time.
Still looking for actual results to do the apples to apples thing.
Still looking for actual results to do the apples to apples thing.
