In an effort to get more people shooting ELR I am going to work on building a 22 ELR competition. My old Savage MkII BV has been a good rifle over the past 20 years. Many thousands of rounds and dead ground squirrels have proven the gun. But when I started testing the waters with higher end ammo, ELEY, Lapua and SK, the Savage started showing its age. At 200 yards it would shoot @ 60% on a 4” plate and at 300 yds it was closer to 20%. So, the quest for a new rifle began.
The top runner for my new 22 ELR gun was the CZ 457 MTR. As I saved up and planned the build I realized my budget wouldn’t support that rifle. Two other options were the Tikka and Bergara’s. Some of the early reviews of the Bergara’s were hit or miss on the accuracy. The later reviews seamed to address those issues. The Tikka reviews were similar so it boiled down to what I could get my hands on.
Friday I was in Sportsman’s warehouse and spotted a Bergara BMR Carbon on the shelf. I fondled it a bit and liked the feel of the action. Not as smooth as the Savage but I know it’ll smooth out. If needed some bolt polishing will occur. I went back to work and thought about the purchase and at quitting time I went in and bought the rifle.
After work I pulled the scope off the Savage and mounted it on the Bergara. I still had a selection of quality ammo so I hit the range.
50 yds groups:
Yesterday I it out to 100 yards. A little gusty but groups were good.
Best SD’s I have seen with any 22lr ammo. ELEY Tenex.
Following that I went to 240 yards and shot some small rocks on the backstop. Out of all the shots at 240 yds not a single one was a flyer. If I missed a shot and adjusted the hit was there. Consistency is required for 22 ELR and this gun is showing very consistent results.
The specs for the gun included a 30moa rail. I am guessing they shipped it with a 0moa rail because the scope is dialed in the middle of its range at 50 yds. I am going to contact Bergara to see if the will exchange the base. The stock is a plastic fantastic stock but it is not affecting accuracy. For now I will shoot it as is.
At least now I can prove the concept of a 22 ELR course of fire. Let the fun begin!
The top runner for my new 22 ELR gun was the CZ 457 MTR. As I saved up and planned the build I realized my budget wouldn’t support that rifle. Two other options were the Tikka and Bergara’s. Some of the early reviews of the Bergara’s were hit or miss on the accuracy. The later reviews seamed to address those issues. The Tikka reviews were similar so it boiled down to what I could get my hands on.
Friday I was in Sportsman’s warehouse and spotted a Bergara BMR Carbon on the shelf. I fondled it a bit and liked the feel of the action. Not as smooth as the Savage but I know it’ll smooth out. If needed some bolt polishing will occur. I went back to work and thought about the purchase and at quitting time I went in and bought the rifle.
After work I pulled the scope off the Savage and mounted it on the Bergara. I still had a selection of quality ammo so I hit the range.
50 yds groups:
Yesterday I it out to 100 yards. A little gusty but groups were good.
Best SD’s I have seen with any 22lr ammo. ELEY Tenex.
Following that I went to 240 yards and shot some small rocks on the backstop. Out of all the shots at 240 yds not a single one was a flyer. If I missed a shot and adjusted the hit was there. Consistency is required for 22 ELR and this gun is showing very consistent results.
The specs for the gun included a 30moa rail. I am guessing they shipped it with a 0moa rail because the scope is dialed in the middle of its range at 50 yds. I am going to contact Bergara to see if the will exchange the base. The stock is a plastic fantastic stock but it is not affecting accuracy. For now I will shoot it as is.
At least now I can prove the concept of a 22 ELR course of fire. Let the fun begin!
. My original build had a bad cold bore shift. This barrel doesn’t, and was very reasonably priced.
