Cooper Rifle?

[Greyfox]

I have owned a 520/Jackson Hubter stock in 6.5-284 for four years. It has over 500 rounds through it an it consistently shoots .25 MOA measured out at 500 yards. It's not too picky about what I feed it but really likes 140 VLD's. I have taken a couple of dozen deer and antelope , longest shot at 998 yards. Longest PD at 887 coyote at 1100. Probably the best shooting rifle I have owned. Shot this guy a couple of weeks ago at 881 in Wyoming.

 

[tuck2]

I have a 17 HM2 and 17 HMR Cooper 57M LTV rifles. They are very accurate , a joy to shoot. In 2005 I kept count of the prairie dogs shot with the Cooper rifles, it was a bit over 2,000. They were a bit pricy but worth it.

 

[deertroy1]

Yes, I tried the scope (a new Leupold VX-3 4.5 x 14) on another rifle. The mounts were Talley. Everything checked out.

 

[deertroy1]

Well, I guess I must be the unluckiest guy in the world. I sold the M54 synthetic and purchased a new M54 laminate. After trying several and I mean several different load combinations I still cannot get these Cooper rifles to group. I get the occasional sub MOA group but so far can not repeat it!

 

[BEEMAN]

My Cooper 280AI shoots great. Only thing I don't like about it is the throat is VERY short. If I load at mag length I am just over 100 thou into the lands. I am currently shooting 168 Berger Classic Hunters. I would like to try some heavier longer ELD-X or ELD-M but I would be using up all my case capacity with the bullet seated so deep. Not sure why they would chamber a rifle like that.

 

[el matador]

There are no bad Cooper rifles because the bad ones never leave the shop. I've seen and dealt with a bunch of them and never seen one that was less than fantastic.-----SS

I have a Cooper 56 with a chamber that's terrible. Tool marks everywhere, and they have not been very good about fixing it. I sent it in at my own expense, and they polished the chamber a little. It made very little difference. It also looks like they took an angle grinder to the bolt so it would close easier. Literally, I could have done a better job at these repairs in my garage. When I told them I was dissatisfied with their work they did not respond. The gun shoots okay but I won't be buying another Cooper rifle. I'm sure most of them are good rifles but mine was a let down.

 

[el matador]

The gun I mentioned above is fairly accurate, and has shot a few sub-0.4 MOA groups with 208 grain Hornadys. The test target had a 1/4" group, and I have not been able to shoot a single group that size. I called Cooper and got the load data from them, and have gone through several rounds of load development with identical components and seating depth. Tried cleaning, torquing screws, etc. I've tried the whole gamut of different seating depths as well. My best group with those loads was 1/2", but that was a one-time deal. I haven't found a load that will shoot consistently under 3/4 moa and I've shot around 50 groups. I have other rifles that shoot routinely in the .2s and .3s so I'm fairly certain the problem is not with me.

Here is a thread about the chamber problems: http://www.longrangehunting.com/forums/f37/expert-opinions-wanted-chamber-problem-184708/

 

[el matador]

Here is a pic of the butcher job on the bolt. Apparently the firing pin stop was a bit too long so the guy took a hack saw or something to it. The cut isn't even square:

And here is the chamber. Deep tool chatter marks that extend the entire length. The body area has been somewhat polished down but the shoulder and neck are still uglier than hittin' yer mother. This gun left Cooper's shop not once but twice!!!

 

[LONG RANGE 7MAG]

Coopers test targets are shot at 40 yards I believe. I had a 6.5x.284 Jackson Hunter I believe they called it and it was about a 3/4" gun.

 

[el matador]

Coopers test targets are shot at 40 yards I believe. I had a 6.5x.284 Jackson Hunter I believe they called it and it was about a 3/4" gun.

That would make sense. I wish they would have put that info on the target! All that time I spent chasing 1/4" groups and all I had to do was move closer!

 

[Greyfox]

It's surprising to hear of you guys having problems with the Cooper. Since my post a few years ago, my Cooper in 6.5x284 is now going on 7 years, nearing 1000 rounds. Still shoots 25MOA, has held its zero through several seasons, and indicates no measurable throat wear. I have several buddies that own them, including the newly released LR models. They all produce comparable accuracy to mine, had little fuss in load development, and the workmanship continues to appear impeccable.

 

[wsq]

It's surprising to hear of you guys having problems with the Cooper. Since my post a few years ago, my Cooper in 6.5x284 is now going on 7 years, nearing 1000 rounds. Still shoots 25MOA, has held its zero through several seasons, and indicates no measurable throat wear. I have several buddies that own them, including the newly released LR models. They all produce comparable accuracy to mine, had little fuss in load development, and the workmanship continues to appear impeccable.

I have a MD 52 280ai shoots 140 grain nosler ab's into .5 or better I want to shoot the longer vld's berger 168 I can't reach anywhere near lands loaded as long as mag would allow and best group I can get is about 1.5 at one hundred going to try some classic hunters does anyone have any sugestions.

 

[Mikecr]

This is a really old thread..
wsq, try Berger's recommended full seating testing.