Could someone tell me if the barrel on the Bergara B14 Hunter Rifle is free floated ? Also, if anyone has one, how do you like it ? TIA, Ben

Mine was, but there was a little flex in the fire end. Great gun, very smooth and accurate, not challenging to get sub-moa out of it. Wouldn’t hesitate to buy one.

Old70

Mine is, I don't use a Bi-Pod so I never notice any flex in the forearm at all. I think its one of the best buys out there today! I cleaned mine down to bare metal, then sopped the bore with EezOx, let dry overnight. Next day, for only the first five shots, I pulled a Bore Snake w/EezOx a few times after each shot. From then only, I only pull it between working up groups of different powder . I did have my rifle skim bedded and and TT Special put in.

The stock on the Ridge is a POS.Easily bent to touch the "free floated barrel".You can get good 3 shot groups,but after that they open up
and that was with their #5 barrel.This seems to be a known problem that Bergara is aware of and they do not know the cure.I think there is a lot of potential as there is a lot to like about the action and trigger.The trigger alone is very comparable to a Timney.It is supposed to have a Rem 700 footprint,but not quite.Mine would not drop fit in a HS Precision stock made for a Rem 700 SA.It did not fit right and the action bolts were too short.That was my experience.Other folks claim they are the best thing ever.

It is the most accurate out of the box hunting rifle I have ever owned.

This may have solved my mystery. I bought a hunter in 6.5 CM a couple of years ago and it shoots great. Recently bought a Ridge in 308 expecting equal or better accuracy but it ain't quite as good. The stocks are the same, but the heavier barrel of the Ridge may need a bit more clearance. I hadn't thought of that. I'm gonna open up the barrel channel and see what happens on mine.

And FWIW I can easily bend the McMillan stocks and factory wood stock on any rifle I own enough to touch the barrel. But with enough clearance it simply never happens under normal use.

Huntz,

Interesting. The forend on my 6.5 Creedmoor Ridge cannot be pressed hard enough to touch the barrel.

I can press the stock on my hunter and it will touch. But it does shoot well. When I bought it I compared it to a Christensen Arms Mesa and a Howa with a H S Precision stock. I could press the forend on each of them and they would touch the barrel. All 3 stocks seemed about the same stiffness to me in that regard.

There have been too many problems with bolt shrouds breaking on the B-14's in the past. Don't know if they have addressed that known issue yet or not.

Odd that you could get an H.S. Precision stock to touch since they have a full length aluminum bedding block. Can't get mine to flex enough to even come close to touching on my Howa.

I own two Bergara B-14 Hunters, and both have free-floated barrels.

My Hunter is definitely free floated. The gunsmith I most often use said it doesn’t necessarily matter if a rifle is floated just at rest, He says ideally there should be enough clearance that you can’t press the stock to touch the barrel, to account for barrel vibrations when shooting, gremlins etc etc.