Hammerli Arms is the sister company of Walther Arms, and for years, it was primarily known for its competition-style firearms, along with a more recent rimfire variant of the AR-15. In 2023, though, Hammerli introduced a unique straight-pull .22, the Force B1, that included a number of standout features, making it one of the most versatile rimfire rifles on the market. Watch our "American Rifleman Television" Rifleman Review segment above to see the details of this caliber-interchangeable rifle.
"Now, the first thing you'll notice is this isn't a bolt handle that we're used to seeing on a lot of .22s or a lot of straight-pull rifles. It's a toggle-style, kind of biathlon-style bolt handle," American Rifleman Executive Editor Evan Brune said. "And what it allows you to do is it allows you to get a couple of fingers on the front face so that you can actually work it really very quickly. So you've got this articulating lever there. And when you get to the front end of the bolt travel, you meet a little resistance, and then all of a sudden, there will be this final click, and that's the gun locking into battery."
The most noticeable feature of the Hammerli Arms Force B1 is its caliber-interchangeability, facilitated by a quick-change barrel mechanism. Hammerli offers the Force B1 in .22 Long Rifle, with .22 WMR barrels being available for purchase from the company. The knurled locking collar just ahead of the receiver can be pulled back, releasing the ring of ball bearings that lock a barrel into place using an annular groove cut around the outside of the chamber. A U-shaped indexing point makes it easy to ensure that barrels can be replaced easily and quickly.
"You've got this little locking collar here at the front of the receiver, and if you pull that back, that gives you a way to pull the barrel out of this receiver," Brune said. "This is a 16.1", .22 LR chambered barrel, but because of how easily you can remove barrels and then subsequently put barrels back into the receiver, that means that this gun has the option of accepting not only different sizes of barrels, different lengths of barrels, it also has the option of having some caliber interchangeability."
To facilitate this caliber-interchangeability, the Hammerli Force B1 has an expanded magazine well that accommodates longer .22 WMR rotary magazines in addition to .22 LR magazines with the included spacer block. All Ruger 10/22-style rotary magazines are compatible with the gun, and Hammerli includes a spacer block for these magazines, as well as a spacer block designed to work with extended BX-25 magazines, too.
"Moving all the way to the back of the gun, this is where it gets really cool and shows the versatility they built into this platform," Brune said. "It is a six-position adjustable stock. The other nice thing is this rubberized comb here is an insert, so you can remove that, you can flip it upside down, and that gives you two different heights positions on the comb. So, you know, it allows you to really fit the gun to you as a shooter."
Other features include an integral 15-slot Picatinny optics rail on top of the aluminum receiver, a threaded and capped muzzle, as well as a fore-end that's designed with a section of M-Lok slots on its underside for further customization.
"In the wide world of rimfire rifles, the Hammerli Force B1 is one of the most versatile we've seen in a long time, and it's affordable, to boot," Brune said. "You can really have a whole lot of versatility built into one platform, and that's something we've seen a lot in Europe, but it's something we don't see a lot in the United States. So big thanks and big kudos to Hammerli Arms for bringing some extra versatility stateside."
Hammerli Arms Force B1 Specifications
Manufacturer: Umarex GmbH (Germany)
Importer: Hammerli Arms
Action Type: straight-pull, bolt-action, rimfire, repeating rifle
Chambering: .22 Long Rifle
Receiver: 7075 aluminum
Stock: molded synthetic; six-position adjustable
Barrel: 16.1" carbon steel; 1:16.5" RH-twist rifling; 1/2x28 TPI muzzle
Magazine: 10-round detachable box
Sights: none; Picatinny rail
Trigger: single-stage; 5-lb., 5-oz. pull
Overall Length: 35.5" to 37.5"
Weight: 5 lbs., 12 ozs.
Accessories: owner's manual, extra magazine spacer, hex key, lock
MSRP: $649
To watch complete segments of past episodes of American Rifleman TV, go to americanrifleman.org/videos/artv. For all-new episodes of ARTV, tune in Wednesday nights to Outdoor Channel 8:30 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. EST.
