Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Cooper vs Sako 85

I am getting tired of the blah of a stainless/sythetic and I have been looking around at my options in regards to a wood blued rifle. Building a custom would be the best thing but out of my reach in reality for what I would want. So I have been looking at the Coopers and Sako 85 Deluxe rifles.

I have a Sako 85 and am familiar with it but I have no experience with Cooper. What are they like compared to the Sako?

I'm interested in this very question... same situation as you are. I have an 85 classic in 25-06, but am looking at a 300 in the 85 classic, and not quite sure based on what little I've seen on the cooper rifles.

I have never owned the cooper but the few I have handled all seemed alot heavier than my Sako 85's.

I don't know if they really are that much heavier or if its just the way it feels to me.

Dink

I think if me, and wanting some pretty wood on a quality accurate rifle, I'd go Cooper for little more money. Love Sako's, but Cooper is quality from what I see, metal AND wood figure.

EITHER would satisfy me.

In that price range i would also consider the Anschutz 1780 and Schultz and Larsen classic (which is an absolute bargain - if you can still get one). I think i read the new Anschutz uses a newer nitrided steel process like the Blasers - so you get something far stronger, harder and more corrosion resistant than stainless that also has a (IMO) more attractive blued finish. The Anschutz is not an attractive looking rifle, though, to my eye. The S&L is dead sexy.

can't make an informed comment on sako but i have had a cooper 54 in 260 for a couple years and love the accuracy, trigger, handling, looks and everything else except the safety design

I handled the 300 win mag sako 85 earlier today, and it feels quite a bit heavier than my 25-06. 2" extra barrel length, but the stock is noticably thicker in the pistol grip area. feels great... good trigger, overall nice. I can't find a place locally that has the cooper rifles on the shelf. not about to mail order a rifle like this.

The only Cooper repeater I have is a model 54 (medium length action), it has a wood stock and a fluted 24 inch barrel. I am probably not as unbiased as I should be about it since I am a Cooper slut but to me the Sako 85 feels heavier and not as "lively" as the Cooper.

If you are anywhere near Prophet River Firearms they have quite a few Coopers on hand and you could get a feel for them there.

drover

I could live with a Jackson Game rifle or the Custom Classic...

hmm... just dug up an article about Dan Cooper being an obama supporter, and was asked to resign as CEO of the company. It didn't say anything about the company buying him out, only that he resigned as CEO... so I have to wonder, if you buy a cooper, are you still putting your money towards an obama supporter?

Hows the quality of the Cooper? Whats the action like and how smooth is it?

Dan Cooper no longer has any interest whatever in the company -this is an old subject that has been rehashed many times.

drover

The quality of Cooper rifles is IMO about as good as you can get without having a full custom build done, which would cost a lot more than a Cooper costs.

The actions are very smooth. The bolt lift is a bit heavier than most rifles but that is because they are a 3-lug action rather than a 2-lug.

drover

Anyone have some close up pics of the Cooper actions? I have never seen one and their site doesn't give you any close ups.

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=254030630

Good comments above, echo what Drover has said. Bolt lift is short like a Sako 85, both 3 lug, but I doubt should one NEED a fast 2nd round, it would slow you down when one was on a hunt and 'in the moment'...

I like the 54 Classics the best of all....as I like short actions. A 54 C in 250, 260, 6.5x47, or 7/08 is what interest me the most.

Below is one example w/pics...

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=254030630

I am unsure of just exactly what you want to see on the action but here are some pictures of my model 54 (short action. The long actions are esscentially the same just a little longer is all.

The bolt is a 3-lug with a Sako style extractor and a spring powered plunger ejector set in the face of the bolt.

drover

I have a couple of Sako 75 and a couple of Coopers. Both are nice rifles and accurate. I think the Coopers are a bit more polished, closer to a semi-custom, IMO. Either will be fine. One thing that have noticed with both of my Cooper rifles is that the brass is not ejected with the same force as it is from my other rifles, Remington, Winchester, Sako... It just flips our a few inches from the port unless you really crank the bolt rearward. Actually had it checked at the Cooper factory and all was well, just the way they are, I guess.

So do see the ejection of brass an issue for the Coopers? Anyone else experiencing this?

Well, here I am again. In my experience with Coopers it has never been a problem. I currently own 6 Coopers and have owned another 8 in the past and have not had an ejection problem with any of them.

Even if it were an issue all it would take is a slightly stronger spring in the ejection plunger since that is what controls the ejection.

I don't know why "cranking" the bolt would cause them to eject more forcefully since the ejection is only controlled by the strength of the spring in the ejection plunger.

This is the same system that many other manufacturers use and while it is not as fail-safe as a fixed ejector like 98 Mausers and Model 80's use it is reliable.

drover

It was my understanding that the Coopers have a Sako style extractor but a fixed ejector like a Model 70 or Mauser, not a plunger ejector like a Model 700.

From their web site: "Retractable tab ejector machined from solid bar"

The ejection force would be entirely controlled by how forcibly the bolt is pulled rearward to strike the case head against that ejector.