Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Kimber , Cooper, or Winchester Mod. 70 field experiances??

Looking at the next purchase, and it will be one of these in 30-06, wood /blue. What I would like to know, from those of you that have them, is how do you like them or dislike for field use? You can add in your bench shooting experiances if you would like, but I am primarily interested in field use. things you liked, or disliked, problems or advantages...Thanks Gents.

Rob

Kimber is very well made and will shoot 1.5 moa w/factory ammo
Cooper is more bucks and and the finest of the three
A m-70 is a good working rifle hampered by a club of a stock and weighs far too much.

Depends on how you like them when actually handling them and what your budget is.

If you can't pop for a $500 scope, buy a cheaper rifle. Cheap scopes kill great rifles.

As new condition 30-06s are not hard to find. I just bought an ANNB 1953 Husky 30-06 (the best action ever made post war) right here for only $600. Drives tacks, beautiful workmanship and its 100% steel and wood. Cooper level workmanship for a 700 BDL price.

Those Husky's are sweet rifles, I've handled a few and their workmanship is second to none. That being said I've had great luck with the Model 70 push feed in the XTR configuration. They have all been great shooters and very well put together, and you don't have to mortage the house to buy one. I have a Cooper also, and although it is impeccable I don't know if it's worth the extra price for a hunting rifle.

Nice model 1000 Husqvarna. For the non Husky guys, the 1952 to 1956 Husky has the same FN action as a Browning Safari. The HVA action that followed was similar in dimensions to a small ring Mauser, and some consider it the best due to the weight reduction. Either way, Huskys are a great value and are very well built. Glad to see orion03 concede that they are nice since he bleeds Winchester.
dan

M70s always work, but they aren't light. Even the featherweights.

Kimbers are sweet to carry and have a lot of great design features, but the risk of getting a lemon is greater than some other brands of rifles. I like my Kimber 308 but I had to try three before I got one that shot and worked decent.

Have handled Coopers but not owned any. They sure look nice. Would like one some day.

-

Nice husky.

Big Redhead, what were the problems with the three lemons, and how did Kimber ultimately rectify the problem? Was it a barrel issue, or bedding or ????

Thanks, Rob

I've hunted hard with a kimber and cooper. Cooper is worth it to me and not just because it is pretty or pricey.

I shoot well with that cooper offhand. That's the short answer. The cooper balances well, and it is wicked accurate with many loads. Not a picky eater.

I'd look hard at the excaliber.

M70 and if the stock bothers you simply replace it. I have never had a challenge getting one to shoot very well. There is much you can do to a win 70 if you choose to. I'll probably never own Kimber and never have owned a Cooper.

CLB

Though I've never owned one, I've seen a number of 'em shoot and they all have done well. Therefore, if money is no problem, I'd get the Cooper as my first choice. Put a quality scope on it though. No point in going cheap here.
I think my second choice would be the Win. mod. 70. Although I don't have one, I do have a pre-64 in .270 Win. Put an H-S Precision stock on it and I'm very satisfied with it's performance although it is a bit on the heavy side.
My absolute last choice would be the Kimber. I can't address their wood/blue models but my .270 WSM Montana has given me more problems with 150 gr. bullets than I care to think about and won't go into now.
Spend the money & get a Cooper. I doubt you'll be disapointed.
Bear in Fairbanks

I bought a Cooper Excalibur in 25-06 a month ago. Won't hunt with it until next season though. So far, it is quite accurate, balances well and seems well finished. I traded a rifle that didn't feed properly for it and the Cooper feeds fine. I don't have experience with the wood version Cooper, though.

I owned a Kimber that didn't feed well, but was accurate. Good balance and a nice rifle that I never..."bonded" with.

My choices would be:

Kimber Select Grade if I wanted lightness
Win 70 Featherweight if I wanted all-around
Cooper if I wanted accuracy with weight

My personal choice is the Win FWT in an HS stock.

Visited the Scheels in Reno a couple of weeks ago. They have a number of Cooper's on display with factory test targets posted next to them. The Cooper 30-06 test target showed a 3 shot group that at first glance looks like one .30 cal hole. Shot with IMR 4064 and a 168 gr SMK.

All the test targets looked good but nothing like the '06. Probably just a fluke but looked impressive.

I own a Cooper and Win, have shot and handled Kimbers.

-Wood on the Cooper is nicest of the three.
-Safety on the Cooper is most user friendly,IMO.
-Accuracy on Cooper is probably better than the others, definitely not worse.
-Cooper has a magazine(M52), Win and Kimber have floorplate, Kimber Montana has neither(blind mag)

See what I'm getting at?

If it's between Kimber and Cooper, spend the extra few hundred on the Cooper.
If you buy the Winchester, you'll always wish you'd bought a Cooper!

Best advice is to personally have a look at all three.

I wanted a Kimber 84M in 7-08. The first one I got would shoot 2-3 inch groups with bullets I wanted to use. I took it back and traded it for different one in the same caliber. It shot about the same, so I took it back and traded for a 308, which is the one I have now. This 308 shoots 1 inch groups. It also has an extremely beautiful stock. But I wish it was a 7-08 or 260. Would love to have a 260 that likes 140 grain bullets.

-

Doubletap-if I recall right, Cooper shoots their test targets at some silly range like 50 yds, or something like that.

Still darn nice rifles though.

Dober

You are pretty close dober I think it is 42 yards maybe 46 i can't recall exactly at the moment.

Although they sure don't come right out and say that. Wish they would just be honest about it instead of misleading people.

That would be a smart move on their part, but many will believe and some of us will catch it and if you're like me you go hmm...what else are they not up front about.

Dober

That is exactly how it makes me feel. What else are they hiding. Maybe nothing but it makes a fella wonder. I got one on order right now in 280AI found out about the targets after the order was placed and was a little bummed about the smoke and mirrors with the test targets. Had I known that before I might not have ordered from them.

It doesn't matter what range the target is shot at, although at one time the Cooper site mentioned that test targets were fired at 100 yards for centerfire, and 50 yards for rimfire. What range it was shot at is a red herring, what matters is the test target as below:



Even more important is Cooper's guarantee. Here's the latest from the current website introducing the Model 52:

"Like all of our centerfires, the M52 is guaranteed to shoot 1/2� 3-shot groups at 100yds using match grade ammunition."

If your Cooper doesn't shoot .5" MOA at 100 yards, they guarantee it will with premium factory ammunition, I'd call and ask for assistance. Handloads are another story, but the test target gives the loader a clue to follow. Mine just loves RL-22 and bullets similar in weight and profile.

Buy a M70 FW in 30/06;get a McMillan Edge for it....I could care less about an extra few ounces of weight,so scratch the Kimber.

As to bugeye groups at 47 yards, or whatever,who cares;so bye-bye Cooper. I'd rather have the M70 action.