Looking for goods and bads. A guy at work has a used one for $850 w/ exc. wood.... Accuracy??????
Here is the center portion of an article I had published when this rifle was released quite some years back now;
COOPER Model 21 Varmint Extreme.
BY
JOHN WOODS.
An interesting rifle which recently came my way for appraisal was made in Montana, USA under the name of Cooper Arms.
This is a company that is making a name for itself in the United States because it has basically catered for the top end of the market by providing rifles that feature the best of materials with an emphasis on obtaining the best possible accuracy from a mass produced rifle.
The model supplied for testing was dubbed, the Model 21 Varmint Extreme. Chambered for the .223 Remington cartridge, the rifle had a single shot action that incorporated many proven and popular design features. The receiver was made from Aircraft quality 4140 and was quite heavy in profile for such a diminutive cartridge.
The bolt design incorporates three locking lugs with a bolt diameter of .560" with the three lugs .400" long, .195" wide and .080" high, and also features a "Sako" style extractor with plunger ejector. Apart from the tiny extractor claw, the bolt face is recessed to fully enclose the case head thereby maximizing strength of lockup and safety in the event of a cartridge case letting go.
The bolt handle, due to the 3 locking lugs, has a short 60 degree bolt lift which is well proven to be more than adequate in primary extraction. The raised handle position of an open bolt will clear the scope sight with ample room. The bolt stop is situated on the left of receiver and fits into a machined slot in the side of the bolt body. Interestingly enough, this groove is also right-angled at the end of lock up so that when the bolt is locked, the bolt stop also acts as a "De-facto" locking lug. The safety was located on the right side of the action and was smooth and quiet in operation.
The trigger is a real treat and is really a custom feature as it is an Arthur Jewell trigger designed and made for the Cooper rifles. Although there are some very good triggers on the market today, I rate the "Jewell" trigger as one of the best. They can be adjusted down to an ounce or so up to what a gorilla in customs would approve for import. Quite a latitude. They are adjustable for creep, length of travel, weight of pull and sear engagement.
The round top action is supplied with a set of Warne rings and bases and although I personally do not like vertical locking on scope rings, never the less proved to be easy to install and precise in alignment.
The Barrel on the test rifle was a stainless tube 65cm in length and of straight taper. With the tiny .224 caliber hole, its modest weight still made for a stiff profile. In .223 Remington caliber the twist was a standard 1 in 14 inches
The stock was a very attractive piece of AAA grade walnut which appeared hand checkered on the pistol grip with a wide beaver-tail designed forearm which was reasonably common in varmint rifles 20 years ago. No sling swivels are present and the butt features a thin black solid rubber recoil pad with black spacer.
The recoil lug on the Cooper rifle was not integral being dove-tailed under the receiver ring and was glass bedded into the recoil mortise. Accuracy with this model is said to be .250" at 50 yards and a test target is supplied encapsulated in plastic to support the claim. Such a claim would transfer out to the 100 yard mark with grouping at around one half inch. To extract this kind of potential, I needed good sighting and hand-loaded cartridges.
To begin the accuracy assessment I fitted the Cooper with a Weaver K15 target varmint scope with A.O. The scope rings aligned with a precision rare to mass production and only a few rounds were required to zero the scope.
I began group shooting with some PMC factory cartridges kindly supplied with the test rifle by Fuller Firearms. The 55 grain loads chronographed a little light with velocities averaging out at 3060 feet per second. As an all round powder for the .223 Remington I have to recommend AR 2206 which has a burning rate ideally suited to the tiny case albeit well balanced to the .224 caliber.
A load of 24 grains behind the 52 grain Speer boat-tail bullet proved very mild in this rifle at 2886 feet per second. I worked up to a still mild load of 25.5 grains which propelled that Speer at an average velocity of 3230 feet per second and shot groups around .8 M.O.A. By swapping to the 52 grain Sierra Match bullet velocity picked up to 3280 feet per second and accuracy further improved to .5 M.O.A.. This duplicated the accuracy of the supplied test target which substantiated the makers claims.
Out of interest, I loaded the new Barnes X 53gn BT bullet in front of that same load of 25.5 grains of AR 2206 and chronographed an average speed of 3321 feet per second and an accuracy level of .7 M.O.A. This is superb performance from such a tiny package. As I was about to embark on a week end hunt, I included the Cooper for a field test. Several feral animals were taken, some at long range requiring 3-4 feet hold-over where in theory, at least, energy would be insufficient to expedite a clean kill. The Barnes X bullets killed cleanly and, exited without any bullets being recovered.
During my next range session I decided to uses a standard load of 26 grains of AR 2206 and try several bullets on paper to see the potential or preference for various bullets. This 26 grain load was quite safe in the test rifle as AR 2206 if anything, is bordering on being a little too slow for this particular cartridge.
I began by loading the 50 grain Sierra bullet and put a three shot group into .5 M.O.A. Velocity ran 3239 feet per second. The Speer 52 grain Boat-tail shot a little tighter for a velocity of 3269. I shot several groups with the 55 grain Sierra which chronographed at 3203 feet per second and also held onto the .5 M.O.A. accuracy level. As that particular load still appeared mild in the test rifle I stepped up to a bullet that I used a lot on goats back in the '70's. The 63 grain Sierra still shot sub M.O.A. groups with respectable velocities of 3190 feet per second.
I have to summarize this rifle as being highly desirable. Most shooters who saw it or tried it wanted it, so it no doubt will find acceptance locally. The quality of timber, workmanship, finish and accuracy is what any quality conscious shooter would demand in what is really a semi-custom rifle with features and a chambering that most Australian shooters would find appealing.
