Gun Review: Bergara BMR-X Carbon .22 LR Rifle [VIDEO]

Though it’s scaled down for rimfire cartridges, the Bergara BMR-X is still a real deal, made-from-steel bolt action rifle. This ain’t an aluminum and plastic plinker, it’s a quality rimfire bolt gun made they way a serious tool should be, and it’s designed for a lifetime of use. And I’m here for it.

I have owned my share of .22s, both in semi-auto and bolt action formats, from cheapos to competition-ready guns. On the rifle side, until just a few months ago, I had pared down my .22 LR collection to just one bolt gun and one lever gun. I had long-since sold off the chintzy rimfires with aluminum receivers, cheap internals and oceans of plastic and kept two high-end models, one of which I gave as a gift to one of Black Collar Arms’ engineers a few months ago. I’ve finally replaced it with the BMR-X Carbon reviewed here.

As you can see above, the action is machined from a solid piece of steel as are the bolt body, bolt head, bolt handle, and more. The Bergara Micro Rimfire action is made like a scaled-down centerfire action, not like a toy.

Made with competitive shooters (e.g. National Rimfire League), long range aficionados, and varmint hunters in mind, the Bergara BMR-X comes with a 30 MOA optic rail installed on top of the action. That’s a great touch for stretching the legs on good ‘ol .22 LR ammunition. However…unlike all the important components I mentioned above, the Pic rail is polymer.

I’m sure it’s perfectly serviceable and I’ve had no issues with it, but I’d prefer if the rail were aluminum. Then again, I’ve had quite a few rifles come in the door over the last year that don’t come with anything on top of the action at all, so at least this is a step in the right direction. Hopefully the aftermarket (or Bergara) will or perhaps already does offer aluminum rail/ring options.

Now I’ll go and totally contradict everything I’ve said leading up to this point, because the bottom metal is also polymer and I actually prefer that. On a lightweight rimfire I’ve found the dent-, rust-, and chip-proof polymer trigger guards manage to hold up better than the thin steel components on many guns I consider to be in a similar category to the BMR-X.

Inside the BMR-X’s trigger guard you’ll find an externally-adjustable Bergara Performance Trigger. We’re back to metal for this piece, which feels good on the trigger finger and breaks nice and crisp and clean.

In front of the trigger guard is a paddle-style magazine release that’ll be familiar to anyone with experience behind a typical centerfire bolt gun. This isn’t super common in the rimfire world, but it’s one aspect of the BMR-X that makes it a great trainer for your centerfire rifle.

Another feature that makes the little Bergara an ideal rifle for training is the stock, which is shaped and featured like a real-deal centerfire tactical/target/hunter stock, complete with length-of-pull adjustment. The BMR-X shoulders like a centerfire rifle and has an adult-size length of pull from approximately 13 to 14-ish inches.

I really liked the placement of the hand hook on the bottom, rear of the stock and the integrated QD sling sockets on both sides, front and rear.

The vertical grip has a great palm swell and gives the BMR-X the feel of a tactical rifle. Dan and I both really like the gently rubberized coating that’s on the entire stock — it feels great. It’s a little tacky (in the good way), a little soft, a little grippy. All good stuff.

One of the best features of Bergara’s BMR and BMR-X rifles are the compact, reliable, fairly affordable magazines. The gun ships with one 5-round and one 10-round magazine, and they can be found for about $34. These magazines are easy to load, easy to insert and drop, and they work great.

Two versions of the BMR-X (and BMR, which features a more traditional hunting style stock shape) are available: Carbon and Steel. I opted for the Carbon model, as I’m not an NRL shooter and most of my use will be for hunting and recreation, so the 5.7-pound weight appealed to me more than the 6.6-pound weight of the Steel flavor. MSRP is $100 higher for the CF, but between the weight and the good looks and this being a permanent, go-to addition to my gun safe, it was worth it to me.

Note above, by the way, that the barrel is centered in the forend. This is shockingly uncommon — rimfire or centerfire — but it’s something I noticed on the BMR-Xs at SHOT Show and wanted to see it on my own before pulling the financial trigger on it.

Naturally, I just had to pair it with my CGS Siren carbon fiber suppressor. It sounds amazing. And by amazing, I mean it barely sounds at all. In the video at the top you’ll hear that it’s scarcely louder than dry firing, and some of that’s just because we were close enough to the berm that there’s noise from the bullet’s impact on the dirt in the mix as well.

Out on the range, Dan shot a 1-ish-inch, 5-shot group at 100 yards with American Eagle subsonic ammo and I shot the half-inch group above at 50 yards with Federal Gold Medal. The thing’s a shooter, folks.

Smooth and rock solid, run the BMR-X as you would a centerfire. Don’t baby it. Rack the bolt back to its stop and chamber the next round firmly. A match chamber with “extremely tight tolerances” and snug headspace make it a little tight on bolt close, which is exactly how my previous, super-accurate rimfire felt. Yes, you can do it slowly, but that final bolt close is tight and it’s easier to do it on the run.

Dan and I both loved the balance and feel of the BMR-X, right down to that great grip angle and shape, the flat bottom on the forend, and the rubberized texture on the stock. While I’m sure the heavy barrel of the BMR-X Steel is great for rested target shooting, the lighter, faster, more rearward-biased balance of the BMR-X Carbon is fantastic for offhand and practical shooting.

Now that’s a good-looking gun. I’m now back up to two .22 LR rifles in the safe and my new BMR-X stays near the front with magazine loaded, suppressor attached, sighted-in and ready to go. Critters beware!

Specifications: Bergara BMR-X Carbon

Type: Bolt action rifle
Caliber: .22 LR (also available in .22 WMR and .17 HMR)
Barrel Length: 18 inches
Overall Length: 38 inches
Weight: 5.7 pounds
Capacity: 5-round and 10-round magazines included
MSRP: $819 (about $750 retail)