Cooper vs Custom 700?!?

[Mikecr]

Also, Remington 700 customs being a mess? Really? Trued by a competent smith is trued and squared, regardless of brand. So if it's built right, regardless of brand, it should be a shooter.

IMO most 'customs' are a complete mess, and most don't shoot worth a **** -in any brand.

Of course a small percentage do turn out well, and there are a small percentage of builders who actually know how to DESIGN a good gun(not your design, but theirs), some can build them well also.
One of these is COOPER for sure. You pick one off the shelf at Cabelas, put a good scope on it, develop a load, and it WILL shoot well. If you also find off the shelf ammo that shoots well, it's value blooms a little more. Good investment.

When you take the term '700', you're basically talking about a pawnshop donor action, as it only comes down to this beginning point. That's what I see in classifieds(with the scope removed).
Why begin the investment while already knowing this core of it will need a lot of work by a 'competent smith' just to begin, and given all our choices today?
Well I suppose it could be fun if you're sentimental on Remington for some reason, but the end product will not actually be a Remington. It will be a bunch of parts screwed onto a donor action(another 'trued' action out there). That's it's value, and classifieds support that much with them.

Now if considering a great gunbuilder, like GAP, and they build on a 700, then that's easier to consider. But I wouldn't choose this. Actually, I wouldn't waste the space in my safe for it.
I would want a GAP with one of their templar actions, as this would be a lot more valuable, and knowing that makes the investment easier. This I would make room for.

 

[ramrod79]

Just my opinion as I own Coopers ,and have a few Custom Remingtons , my cooper shoots as good or better than my custom Remingtons , and I have sold 2 Custom Remintons over my Cooper . In Canada a good custom rifle is $2500 and up to have built ,and well I only paid 2100 for my Cooper, the fella in one of the previous posts talked about Cooper actions,and I agree the action on my Cooper is way better than any of my Custom remmys . But when it comes to these topics it just comes down to personal preference anyway.

 

[Greyfox]

The advise I would give concerning the Cooper is to be cautious of any opinions that starts off with something like, "I HAVE NEvER OWNED ONE BUT......."

 

[Africa P]

I can't help but laugh at some of these posts... When you're dead and gone, who gives a crap what brand your rifle is? No matter what brand it is, custom or not, you're woman most likely isn't gonna know what it's worth. And that's not a shot at women, that's just a fact that most women don't know jack crap about guns or gun values. Some do, but a vast majority don't have a clue.

Also, Remington 700 customs being a mess? Really? Trued by a competent smith is trued and squared, regardless of brand. So if it's built right, regardless of brand, it should be a shooter.

Yep a brand is nothing, Holland & Holland, Rigby, Purdey doesn't do a thing for anyone who can never afford one I agree. I would know it also if I couldn't afford it to make myself feel better about myself. I would prefer to pass down a great rifle to my kids and hope they do the same someday. A Manners stock, Krieger barrel, and 250.00 trigger is already more expensive than a Cooper.

 

[AFraser]

A lot of brands claim great 'out of the box' accuracy, but Coopers seem to truly deliver that - and certainly have done in my experience. So all you have to invest time & money on is the accessories, and load development or cartridge selection.
Good equipment saves a lot of money (and frustration) in the long run.

 

[Slick8]

Wow, I don't get the cooper hate.

They provide proof in the box of accuracy. They cost about the same a a simi custom 700 until you get into the high end wood then they get really pricey but so would your smith built 700.

I owned one years ago prior to the owner being ran off and it was / still is one of the finest rifles I've ever owned. They used Wilson barrles back then This, not sure about today. This was before I hand loaded and it was a sub half minute rifle at 300 yards with 3 types of ammo in 2 different weights of bullet.

Having said that, yes you can have a competent Smith build a trued 700 to shoot as good if not better.

As for resale, imo, nothing beats a custom action with all top shelf parts.

I prefer the custom route for the money as I can pick the exact parts and color combo to my desire including reamer specs if desired. Cooper being a production custom limits some of your choices .

 

[lewwetzel]

Two years ago I bought my third Cooper—a used, like-new M22 in 6mm Remington—for $1100. First handload I tried shot well under half an inch, some same-holers, on a breezy day; ran across a dusty box of loaded Federal 6mm SP stuff and the two rounds I shot of it (saving the rest for a "rainy" day) were touching. I've tried factory ammo in my others and both did quite well with it.
Had planned on spending my retirement time reloading and enjoying all of my rifles. Now I'm seriously thinking of selling my reloading equipment and just keeping the Coopers.

 

[Greyfox]

Given this thread is about six years old, I thought it might be interesting to update the input on my Cooper mentioned at that time, and owned for a total of ten years. This rifle, a 6.5x284, now has a over 1000 rounds down the tube. With the exception of scope and mounts which were updated a couple of years ago, this rifle remains all original. It's has been my primary hunter over this period and accounted for over 60 whitetails, mule deer, and antelope taken from 200 yards to 1200 yards along with a large number of coyotes. It has never had a failure to feed or any other reliability issue. It has maintained its original .25-.5MOA, 5 shot accuracy with a variety of high BC bullets. The barrel continues to show no signs of throat erosion or fire cracking. It has served me well!

 

[DHBWA]

Cool update!!

 

[Emine]

Given this thread is about six years old, I thought it might be interesting to update the input on my Cooper mentioned at that time, and owned for a total of ten years. This rifle, a 6.5x284, now has a over 1000 rounds down the tube. With the exception of scope and mounts which were updated a couple of years ago, this rifle remains all original. It's has been my primary hunter over this period and accounted for over 60 whitetails, mule deer, and antelope taken from 200 yards to 1200 yards along with a large number of coyotes. It has never had a failure to feed or any other reliability issue. It has maintained its original .25-.5MOA, 5 shot accuracy with a variety of high BC bullets. The barrel continues to show no signs of throat erosion or fire cracking. It has served me well!
View attachment 198008

Awesome. I'm a big fan of coopers

 

[elf]

I have a Cooper M22 in 6BR and it shoots very well. The usual knock on them is the triggers have creep. Cooper does not want a smith to adjust them; they recommend sending them back for that work. Mine is no exception.

 

[rapala09]

I have been thinking about getting the open country long range in 300 win mag. I've pretty much narrowed it down to that or a custom rig. The end goal for me would be to end up with a 1/2 moa rifle or better. It seems like cooper fits that bill. Looking through the classifieds here, there seems to be a few customs that would fit the bill as will, but for more money and they are used.

Thanks for the update.

 

[stx]

I have been thinking about getting the open country long range in 300 win mag. I've pretty much narrowed it down to that or a custom rig. The end goal for me would be to end up with a 1/2 moa rifle or better. It seems like cooper fits that bill. Looking through the classifieds here, there seems to be a few customs that would fit the bill as will, but for more money and they are used.

Thanks for the update.

I've been thinking about ordering a Cooper Open Country Long Range, as well.... or maybe the lightweight model. I've owned a Backcountry in 6.5x284 for several years and it's a Sweeet Shooter with 140 VLDs. Three shot groups attached!

 

[Bullmark]

I have owned 5 custom rifles and 2 custom smokeless muzzleloaders. All but two were built by McWhorter and all shot great.....1/2MOA on a bad day....usually better. Actions were Stiller, Borden and Shilen.
All of that said, the most accurate rifle I've ever shot is my friend's Cooper .280ai.
I would buy a Cooper before going the trued Rem700 route.....it should hold its value better and Cooper will take care of you if something goes wrong.
But I have no doubt u can get a fine shooting rifle using a good builder and a REM action.
Good shooting rifles are like good looking women....they're all outstanding....it just depends on your personal preferences.