I didn't know they were 3 lug, mostly because I never looked

What are you looking for? I have a couple of Cooper centerfires and would be hard-pressed to move them along.

I have a varmint in 204. Nice rifle shoots good
Probbly the reason you don't hear about them it the are kinda boring in the sense they are already a semi custom and usually shoot pretty good.
Even tho my 204 is very accurate I still call BS on their targets they send with the rifles. I have been to cooper factory and they don't even have a shooting range there.
Their rifles are very nice and I would recomend them..

Perhaps you did not see the range but they have an enclosed range. The old facility only had one shooting lane, the new one has three shooting lanes. I have been in the enclosed range in both the old and the new facility. Yes! They do have a shooting range so please do not post misinformation.

As far calling BS on the targets, each rifle is tested for accuracy standards before it is shipped. The targets are shot with a 36 power scope off of sandbags, not machine rested. Any good shot should be able to duplicate them under good conditions.

drover

My 21 223 gets shot less than any other like chambering in the larder. They are essentially useless,by design.................

At fifty yards IIRC.

They'll do the 51 in all stainless, 8" twist and AI. The 51's mag box measures 2.500". They're also sourcing another manufacturer for the synthetic version of the 51.

A 51 Excalibur would be well under 7lbs all up. A stainless 54 Excalibur in 7-08 goes 7 on the nose all up with Talley LW lows and a Leupold 6x.

I measured the chamber of a 51 Classic in 223 at the LGS. The 75 A-Max was into the lands at 2.40. Plenty of room to chase in the 2.5" box...

For the loot,I'd rather Montucky and have something..............

Stick,

Given some of the groups I find on the net printed by cooper rifles it's kind of hard to believe they are worthless- my expand just a bit on the why vs. how ya feel about 'em.

Guys,
The group in the box thing is a double edge sword, kind of makes you feel god looking at them, I guess it depends how the rifle really shoots.

I just want to hear form people who own them, I haven't heard much on them so it's about time we discuss them.

One consistent thing I do notice, is that most of the people who have them don't seem to let them go too much, which can't be bad.

Ergo's suck,materials suck and they'd be amongst the last choices in a Dirty Duty Utility Beater Rifle.

My 21 shoots nicely,but what 223 doesn't?

Pass the Montana's through & through S/S componentry,their killer synthetic handle,they superb balance/handling and bullet proof build quality.

Nothing else begins to compare................

The all stainless 54 Excalibur is pretty slick. Balance is second to none with a 22" tube.

Well they had more room for drastic improvement,than most anyone else.(grin)

What sorta loot are they asking for 'em in the flesh?...............

They're $1719 here with no "custom options".

That's a Montucky,mounts/rings/Fixed [bleep],dies and well over 1000 bullets.................

Yep...but not an 8" twist 243, 8" twist 223 or 8" twist 22-250. The AI's are the same cost in the chamberings mentioned.

For a push in jingle,you could rebarrel the Montucky to the twist/throat of one's choosing and really ring the bell.

Now if Cooper did an all S/S wearing a killer synthetic handle and opted a 3" .473" magbox...they'd rate a whirl..................

Yep. They're a push money wise when you go fast twist and punch it. No arguments on the stock, the Montana has superior ergo's.

I'd greedily grab the Montucky 223,hope it stabilized A-Max and if it didn't,I could suffer Hornie 75 HPBT's...banking the "free" glass,mounts,bullets,etc.

That on ergo's alone.

Buggy's Montucky Dick Rifle is simply absolutely SINISTER and would be the toughest of acts to try and follow.............

To the OP,
Here is mine in 7mm-08.





The pictures are with a VX III 2.5x8 mounted in Talley LW. I have since changed to a 6x36 which brought the weight down to just a hair over 7 lbs. I am not posting group pictures, but no BS about it being able to shoot less than an inch at 100 yds. Easy enough to hit an 8" gong at four hundred just for chits and giggles, which is further than I shoot at game animals anyway. This rifle shoots 120 gr. TTSX and Ballistic Tips equally well as well as 140 gr. Partition and Accubonds. All will go into less than an inch. I haven't tried anything else.

I'm not trying to say that Cooper's are the best out there by any means, but I like mine and know it will do anything I need it to do. I also like the ergs of the Montana's and the way they are made, but you have one opinion here from a happy Cooper owner.

I can love the Montana to 1000yds++..................

Hell Stick, I can't even see a thousand yards. Getting old. (Grin)

Match Barrels take over a half year wait these days, and screwing one on isn't too cheap.

Once I get a lathe that'll change but the wait time seems to always be a factor.

I guess you could replace the stock on a cooper as fast or faster than a barrel on a kimber.

If you gave me 5 minutes of your time in the flesh,you'd be singing a veddy veddy different tune.

Seen it 1000's of times..................(grin)

Easy to score a barrel in a day..............(hint)

Actually in seconds.................

It's a long way up there, but who knows, maybe one of these days.......

I hear through the grapevine,that a journey to The Milford...is never not worth the effort..................

All depends on what you want to do. The Montucky is hard to beat if you're roaming the countryside looking for big game, but the Cooper has no flies on it either. If you're spending a day in the prairie dog towns, a Cooper has few equals this side of a full-blown custom. They are beautiful rifles that shoot very, very well. You don't see very many unhappy Cooper owners.

I own 2 Cooper model 52s and both shoot better than I do. A 270 and 30/06. They are alittle heavy and I don't like the safety, but they are accurate and easy to shoot. I had trouble with the 30/06 and Cooper fixed the problem with a new barrel. That was a while ago when the company was smaller. I don't know how their service is now that they have expanded. I don't or never will own a Kimber. Just too many problems with poor shooting guns and their customer service is terrible. I was going to buy one and called Kimber to ask some questions. The people on the phone were NY City a-holes, so never any kimbers here. Just my opinion, but for the money, the Tikkas or the weatherby vanguards are the best bang for your buck.

100% agreement, buying a high power rifle from a company in Yonkers New York GTFO. DId it once never again.

i've had a cooper 54 in 260 for about 4 years and love it--even over my dakota 76 and beretta mato both of which I adore. all 3 absurdly accurate, smooth actions, fine handling and superb triggers. only gripe on the cooper is the safety. i'd buy another cooper in a heartbeat.

I have to agree the safety is a bit weird, but no where as bad as some like the CZ setup.

I can build better,for less than Cooper loot,which happens to be throated/twisted per whim.

Building heavy is easier,than building light and less expensive to boot...............

Have yet to see a "bad" one,but am still trying...though in fairness,I couldn't speak in the first hand to more than a coupla dozen Montuckies. Hint.

'Course I know my way around a rifle....................

The Cooper rifle does not have features that I want. Some old rifles have had those features for decades. Not a rifle I am interested in.

The Cooper seems to be a push feed with only a trigger safety. The machine work looks unfinished.

Dumb Don,

I'm impressed that you can type while sucking your thumb and schitting your pants.

Congratulations?!..................

Look at the final cut or chamfer as the barrels crown touches the rifling. That machine work is course and crude with chatter marks.

It's ALL about the crown.






Especially when forming Virgins. Kiss,find pressure and rock on. Hint.




[img]http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/1280x1024q90/600/w8p5.jpg[/img]

Can see where this Thread is going to get REAL funny....................(hint)

Go easy on him. He don't shoot much ya know.

If she were paid a nickle for every shot she fired a year and the ammo were free...she'd owe money...............

Depends one one's definition of "better", I suppose. Cooper has a blend of accuracy and aesthetics that is very tough to beat, in my opinion. With patience and determination, a guy can pick up a previously loved Cooper while saving a fair bit of loot.

Cooper isn't the end-all-be-all, of course, but I feel that I get my money's worth out of the examples I own.

Aesthetics!

You wrote: "Cooper has a blend of accuracy and aesthetics that is very tough to beat, in my opinion."

Two position safety on the right hand side of the action.

I shoot rifles...I don't LOOK at rifles. Big difference(s).

Though of course I suffer a Cooper 21 223 as mentioned prior and it's as worthless as they come,regarding Utility.

For $1K I can knock it out of the park................

Sometimes it's nice to have the cake and eat it, too. While slogging through the woods, I want a utilitarian piece that performs well and doesn't make me cringe at the thought of a "character" mark or three. When I'm setting up my shooting bench on a prairie dog town, I can appreciate the performance and a nice chunk of walnut.

Like I said, it just depends on what a guy is after. I've got other flavors of varmint rifles above and below the loot of a Cooper, but they don't turn my crank in quite the same manner.

It looks a little better from this angle, though admittedly still not the best. Just what I happen to have handy at the moment.

Other side of the same coin.

Pass the results and hold the Fluff.



Easily one of the weakest links in the stable,though my only other rifle is a Pre-'64 30-'06........................

Are you saying a guy can bypass the waiting line at Krieger or equivalent for a Sporter barrel that's not way too heavy for good balance.

In seconds..................

Here's what I can tell you based on owning a Cooper 52 Classic .30-06 for a year now. Esthetically it is very nice. The finish of the stock is pleasing as is the grain. The action is very smooth as well.

It is longer and heavier than the average bolt action but not unusually so. It is simply a 24" barreled rifle that is 8.5lbs scoped with a Leupold 3.5-10x40 in Talley Lightweights. For me this is fine. I don't mind the weight and it is very nice to shoot.

As for accuracy, when shooting I can say that mine is in fact a 1/2" rifle at 100 yards with 180 grain Nosler Partitions. I really can't see what more I would want out of a good rifle. I even like that safety that others seem to dislike.

Fair Weather Fluff...don't bear much fruit.

If only by design................