This review contains sponsored content. Originally published in German on Geartester.de.
The little sibling that teaches big lessons
With the BMR-X Carbon, Bergara brings its proven X-stock concept from the large caliber B14 series down to rimfire. I tested the rifle in .22 LR, mainly on the range, though its hunting use for predators or upland game is easy enough to picture too.
.22 LR: the ideal training caliber
Before getting to the rifle itself, the caliber is worth a closer look. .22 LR is one of the most popular training calibers for good reason. Ammunition is extremely cheap: the Leader .22 LR Rifle round tested here runs around 7.30 euros for 50 rounds, roughly 15 cents per shot. For comparison, large caliber hunting ammunition quickly runs into the double digit euro range per round, with only a few types going much beyond 10 euros per shot. That makes extensive practice, where repetition is what matters, affordable in the first place.
Then there is the low recoil. Anyone new to shooting sports or hunting can focus on the fundamentals: a steady mount, a clean trigger pull, following through, without a strong kick tempting them to flinch or pull the shot. Those exact mistakes creep in quickly with large caliber beginners and are hard to train out later.
With the NikkoStirling Diamond FFP 34mm 5-30x56 on the range
Beyond training, .22 LR is of course also usable in the field, classically against predators like fox or marten and against upland game, always within the caliber and minimum energy rules of the relevant jurisdiction.
That makes .22 LR not just the classic entry caliber for beginners in shooting sports, but also a practical, affordable training tool for experienced shooters looking to brush up on fundamentals, exactly the idea the BMR-X Carbon carries through with its B14 style ergonomics.
Build and material quality
Build and material quality are very good, especially considering the price. For an MSRP of 774 euros (identical across all three caliber variants: .17 HMR, .22 LR, and .22 WMR), you get a 51 cm Bergara carbon barrel, a total weight of 2.4 kg, and an overall length of 94 cm. That puts the BMR-X Carbon in the middle of the rimfire bolt-action pack on price, a fair offer given the carbon barrel and the well thought out X-stock ergonomics.
Barrel thread and suppressor fit
The BMR-X Carbon has a 1/2-28 UNEF muzzle thread and is therefore suitable in principle for suppressors or muzzle brakes. Worth noting: since this is a rimfire rifle, mounting a suppressor in Germany requires a separate permit.
As with the Bergara B14² CIMA CF, the same applies here: the carbon barrel is noticeably thicker than a comparable steel barrel. My own measurement came out at around 23.2 mm outer diameter at the barrel, matching Bergara’s official figures. Anyone planning an over-barrel suppressor should check beforehand whether its inner diameter leaves enough clearance, many cheaper suppressors are built for slimmer steel barrels and will not simply fit here.
Ergonomics and the X-stock
The ergonomics are convincing and strongly recall my test of the Bergara B14² CIMA CF: the flat forend is genuinely useful and keeps the rifle from canting, just like on the large caliber Cima CF. Overall, handling feels identical to the full size B14 series, which makes the BMR-X Carbon an excellent training rifle. The key motions can be drilled in properly, with the added benefit that small mistakes at 100 m show up far more clearly with rimfire than with a large caliber, so you learn to correct them faster.
The stock in detail, shown here with all spacers fitted
Trigger
The Bergara Performance trigger feels good and adjusts easily with an Allen key, no special tools needed.
Bolt action
The bolt action is very similar to the B14 series and runs cleanly. It is not yet silky smooth, but that should come with break in, this is after all a brand new rifle.
Precision
With .22 LR, a large part of achievable precision depends on the ammunition used, not just the rifle itself.
At 50 m, the BMR-X Carbon produced a 5-shot group of 2.249 cm (1.546 MOA) with Leader ammunition, measured with the Ballistic-X app. Mean radius came out at 0.847 cm (0.583 MOA).
Bergara defines a “passing” standard for the BMR line of 1 inch (2.54 cm) at 50 yards, tested with match ammunition such as Eley Tenex or Lapua Center X (3 x 5-shot groups). The measured group with Leader ammunition, at 2.249 cm, came in under that figure.
At 100 m, RWS Subsonic 40 gr produced a 5-shot group of 6.080 cm (2.091 MOA), mean radius 2.233 cm (0.768 MOA). With Leader ammunition, the group at the same distance measured 7.793 cm (2.680 MOA), mean radius 2.916 cm (1.003 MOA).
Worth keeping in mind: this is a new rifle, and precision may still shift as the barrel and action break in over more rounds. On top of that, the shooter remains a factor in any single group.
I plan to test the BMR-X Carbon with further ammunition types over the coming weeks and will add the results in an update.
Ammunition choice and reliability
Testing used three different .22 LR loads: the Leader .22 LR Rifle (2.6 g / 40 gr LRN, E0 142 joules), the Geco Rifle .22 LR, also 40 gr and essentially the same loading under a different brand name, and RWS Subsonic at 40 gr. The BMR-X Carbon cycled all three without issue, with no feeding or function problems.
Magazine
Magazines come in 5 and 10 round capacities, both easy to load and offering good capacity. They are sturdy yet still lightly built.
Scope mounting
A NikkoStirling Diamond FFP 34mm 5-30x56 was mounted on the integrated 30 MOA rail. More on the scope itself is available in a dedicated review.
Points to know
Three things worth knowing: the BMR-X Carbon only has a two position safety, there is no true bolt lock. That means the bolt can be opened in any safety position, which can cause problems if it’s engaged by accident.
Bolt open with the safety engaged
The fitted Picatinny rail also has ribs of inconsistent width and does not fully meet the MIL-STD-1913 standard. In practice, that means swapping optics is not quite as straightforward as it would be with a fully compliant rail.
Left, the compliant Picatinny rail of the Bergara B14² CIMA CF; right, the BMR-X Carbon’s rail with different dimensions
A third point concerns the bolt handle’s opening angle, which at 90° is fairly wide. That can cause collisions with scopes that have a far reaching throw lever, in my test of the NikkoStirling Diamond FFP 34mm 5-30x56 the thrower can be set to three positions, but things get tight against the bolt handle in the furthest right position. Anyone planning a scope with a side mounted thrower should check beforehand whether the BMR-X Carbon’s opening angle leaves enough clearance.
Transparency note: for this review, the Bergara BMR-X Carbon was provided to me by the German importer Leader Trading as a test unit. This did not influence the content of this review in any way. I did not receive any financial compensation for writing it, and the content was not discussed or influenced by either Leader or Bergara in any way prior to publication. The experiences, assessments, and conclusions presented here are based entirely on my own, unbiased testing and reflect my personal, honest opinion.
Conclusion
The Bergara BMR-X Carbon successfully carries the X-stock concept of the full size B14 series down to rimfire, delivering a training rifle that feels nearly identical in handling and ergonomics to its large caliber counterpart. For anyone drilling fundamentals or introducing beginners to shooting sports, that is exactly the decisive advantage: cheap ammunition, low recoil, and the same manual of arms as the full caliber rifle.
Build and material quality sit at a level that justifies the 774 euro price, putting the BMR-X Carbon in the middle of the rimfire bolt-action field. The trigger and magazine impress in everyday use, and the bolt action runs cleanly, even if it does not yet feel silky smooth as a new rifle.
Precision clearly showed its dependence on ammunition: at 50 m, the group with Leader ammunition, at 2.249 cm, came in under Bergara’s own passing standard of 2.54 cm, though that standard is set using match ammunition. At 100 m, group sizes differed by around 28 percent between RWS Subsonic (6.080 cm) and Leader ammunition (7.793 cm). Since this was a new rifle, precision will likely improve with more rounds fired and especially with match ammunition, and other shooters may see different results.
Three things are worth knowing before buying: the lack of a true bolt lock (two position safety only), the non compliant Picatinny rail, and the wide bolt handle opening angle, which can cause issues with some scopes that have a side mounted throw lever.
Overall, the BMR-X Carbon is a well thought out, well built training rifle for beginners and experienced shooters alike, with a few concrete limitations worth knowing about, without letting them cloud the overall picture.