Cooper Model 92 (52) Backcountry Magazine Issue

[Deleted member 39919]

I've seen some previous threads on this but wanted to see if anyone out there had more recent experience with the problem and fix -

I purchased a Cooper model 92 Backcountry rifle in 7mm rem mag this past February. The rifle was brand new and purchased from an authorized Cooper dealer. It was produced in August 2019 so a recent build.

The rifle has a detachable box magazine. The model 92 action is basically identical to a model 52 action.

I followed the Cooper owner's manual to fire the first 20 rounds in 5 shot groups with cleaning after each group. My first 10 rounds, one at a time, were placed in the chamber from the top, not the magazine. No problems at all with the shooting. The next 10 rounds were loaded 3 at a time in the magazine. The first round from the magazine wasn't feeding so I thought I must not have seated the magazine all the way in. Pushed the magazine in again and the first round loaded fine. I shot that round, ejected it, and went to load the next round from the magazine with no luck. The bolt was closing by just going over the top of the round. Hmmm I thought...then I saw that the rear edge of the magazine, other end from the magazine release, was lower than it should be.

What I've figured out is that when you feed a round from the magazine the bolt is slightly pushing the magazine forward to remove the round, and this is causing the magazine to release from the rear tension spring that holds it in place. The front catch is still holding but the rear of the magazine is dropping.

I will be honest that when I first received the rifle and checked it out, that the magazine seemed a loose fit and somewhat sloppy in the design. For a $3200 rifle I was a little shocked but figured it wasn't a big deal as long as it lived up to the Cooper accuracy reputation.

Now I'm very concerned about the rifle being dependable when it counts in the field. So I've emailed Cooper explaining the problem and am awaiting a response. My guess that since they are in Montana and under the stay at home thing I might not hear for awhile.

Anybody had a similar problem with some guidance on a fix? Yes I can send it back to Cooper but the optics are already installed and pretty much dialed in. I'd have to ship it in a Pelican case or drive the 4 hours from my house to their location in Stevensville.

I'm not trying to bad mouth the company as I know their reputation, but I'm surprised that the rifle would leave their factory with this issue.

Thanks for any guidance provided!

 

[Capt_Craig]

Cooper’s customer service is normally very good, as are their dealers. I’d call them and see what they say, as it could be something as simple as an out of spec magazine, which they may be able to just send you out another to try. If not, and If it was mine, (as it is a new rifle) I would definitely dismount the optic and rings, and send it back to them to fix or replace. Personally I would not bubba gunsmith a brand new $3k+ rifle as long as the factory will at least attempt to fix it.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

 

[Deleted member 39919]

I hear you Capt. and appreciate your input. Cooper is closed for now as far as I can tell due to state orders. I can pull the scope and rings somewhat easily from the rail and ship if that's what they suggest I do. Just a bummer that my once in a lifetime treat to myself has an issue.

Thanks again!

 

[Outlaw99]

I had an issue with a spare mag I purchased for my 92. I emailed and didn’t hear anything as soon as I wanted. I called, and I immediately was taken care of. They took great care of me. Maybe I mis read, but have you actually attempted to call them during business hours?

 

[Deleted member 39919]

When you call their phone number it says they are temporarily closed until April 13th.

 

[Kotaman]

I‘ve owned several Coopers over the years. Two of them, the Mag would fly out when the rifle was fired. Both fixed by Cooper, but what a PITA. I agree, for a 3k rifle, their QC could be much better.

 

[choovhntr]

The mag on my 300 win mag is pretty finicky too. First it was very loose and rattled when empty. Drove me nuts. Rifle went back to cooper for something else and they adjusted the retainer a touch and it was better. Now if I load 3 rounds in it, it doesn’t latch smoothly. It’s similar to what your describing with the rear not engaging all the time. I’ve fount if I play with it, latching the rest first then the front, it’ll eventually lock in. I agree that it’s a PITA for a 3k weapon. You gotta be careful in a hurry too because it can fall out if both latches aren’t engaged. That would really suck while on a hunt. Also, beware of coopers 2-4 week turn around time. Mine has been back 3 times and while they stood by their guarantee, it was always longer. Like 2 months longer.

 

[Deleted member 39919]

I'm doing my best not to rush to judgement and regret going with this rifle. I did a ton of research (obviously not enough) and went with Cooper over Fierce, Nosler, Christensen Arms, etc. But I sure didn't count on having an issue brand new out of the box. All I can hope is that when Cooper opens back up that they will take care of this in a timely and thorough manner. Sucks to be me right now

 

[onetohunt]

I had a similar issue with it as well. It is not as big of a problem as you might be thinking. I know Cooper is closed right but they are still working their sales end of things. If I were you, I think I would call and see if you can leave a message and if so, I would say they will call you back. I have 3 coopers and have not had really any issues to speak of, they have great customer service and will take care of the issue. Granted it may not be today, but rest assured they will take care of any issues. I also have the 92 and it is one great shooting gun. This is also the gun I had an issue with on the mag as well. Good luck!!

 

[Deleted member 39919]

Thanks for the reassurance as I will be patient for Cooper to open back up and remedy the issue.

Still bothers me though that if this is a known issue with their magazines that they wouldn't have better quality control letting another one out the door just to come back under warranty.

Not to mention the hassle of pulling a mounted optic, boxing up and shipping. Then one wonders how long until it comes back?

 

[Shaghickory]

in 2016 i had opportunity for a “last minute“ brown bear hunt on AK peninsula. Booked the hunt in Jan, with hunt sched in May. Needed a rifle...decided I didnt have time to mess around and so spent $2200 on a Cooper in 338 win. bought it new in the box and started shooting...quicky realized it wasnt ejecting spent brass. Called Cooper and arranged to have it shipped back to them, they turned it quick and returned. pulled it out of the box and tried it....and it failed on the second eject...and then would fail about every 10 cycles. sooo, we made a video of what was going on and i called them...explaining again that I was going on a brown bear hunt and needed to have confidence the gun would cycle shells correctly 100% of the time. They again turned it quickly....and short story is that it still wasnt fixed. Would fail every 10-15 ejections. Called them again...asked for another gun or my money back. They refused and asked me to return gun again for repair. Fortunately i had bought gun thru Scheels...and Scheels agreed without argument to take the gun back and return monies. thats the story of my first and LAST Cooper. Hope your repair goes better than mine.

 

[Deleted member 39919]

So here's an update - Cooper called me on 04/13/20 which was their first day back after being closed for the ongoing virus thing. I spoke with one of the gunsmiths and he knew right off the bat the problem with the rifle magazine.

I was told there was a "field" fix of coming from the top of the action and bending the metal tab forward at the top to hold the magazine better. And a better fix was to remove the bottom metal to get at the tab, remove it, grind some to make it easier to bend, and then reinstall.

Needless to say with a new $3200 rifle I opted to send it in for them to fix. Cooper sent me a UPS shipping label and quoted a two week turn around time. Rifle left this past Friday and will be delivered to Cooper tomorrow.

Something odd though, as the UPS tracking number for my rifle shows as piece 1 of a 6 piece shipment. Hmmm I thought, I'm only sending one box? Well I looked at the other 5 tracking numbers and they are all being sent to Cooper. So does that mean that 6 rifles are going in for warranty service? Sure hope I'm wrong and maybe something else is going on but why would Cooper pay for shippping 6 times if it was a customer pay type for an upgrade, etc.?

I'm doing my best to remain positive and thinking that quality control made a simple mistake.

I'll update when the rifle gets back to me.

 

[NorthCountryAB]

I ordered a Cooper 92 Backcountry in 7mm mag LH through a Canadian dealer. I read quite a bit of reviews before doing so. I knew when ordering I was taking a chance on accuracy, at that time lots of reviews said they couldnt achieve Coopers accuracy guarantee.
After placing the order Cooper told the Canadian dealer 6 months and I would have the rifle and the extra spare mag I ordered. After 8 months went by I touched base with my dealer, and Cooper told them very close to being done. Well after getting run the around for a year and a half I finally got my rifle (But no spare mag) So 2 years for the rifle to be made and sent to Canada.
Either way I was happy with the rifle, fit and finish was great. I really liked the rifle.
I got it broke in as per Coopers instructions and sighted in. Shot it a bit last summer.
The day before my rifle elk hunt in western Alberta I went to the range to double check it was shooting on. Fired 3 rounds, let it cool down. After that I could not fire another round. The firing pin would not strike the primer hard enough. So I tried 4 different factory loads and none of them would fire.
Needless to say I was pretty disappointed the day before rifle elk opener.
My dealer sent the rifle to Corlanes the Canadian warranty rep.
They replaced the Timney trigger over to a Trigger Tech (Cooper website says they come with a Trigger Tech trigger????)
I now have the rifle back. It does strike the primer hard enough to fire the rounds.
But I have a few issues im concerned with. Sloppy magazine, if I single load one round and than attempt to remove the round approximitely 25% of the time the bolt wont pull the round out. I have to turn the rifle upside down and let the round fall out. Accuracy is mediocre at best 1.25" at 100yds. Ive tried 6 different factory rounds in many different bullet weights.
And I still dont have the spare mag I ordered. $220 Canadian for a spare mag and here we are over 3yrs after ordering the gun and I still dont have the mag.
Bullshit in my mind for a rifle I spent $4200 CAD on, waited 18 months longer than quoted and have issues with. This will be my first and last Cooper.

 

[Grundy53]

Sounds like they've really gone down hill.

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[Steel Rain]

This is disappointing! Have they gotten that sloppy? They used to be on my short list. I’m not so sure anymore.

 

[Deleted member 39919]

I’ll update when I get the rifle back as to how long it takes (they said two weeks) and if the problem is fixed.

it’s hard not to be very disappointed in my rifle choice so far...

 

[choovhntr]

I’ll update when I get the rifle back as to how long it takes (they said two weeks) and if the problem is fixed.

it’s hard not to be very disappointed in my rifle choice so far...

I know it’s extremely frustrating, I felt the same sending mine back 3 times in a year and a half. I’ve had it back now for almost a year, and it is shooting great groups with handloads. I agree that a rifle like this shouldn’t have any problems from the get go, but try and stay positive until you get some rounds down range. I hope it shoots great for you.

 

[Sako76]

I have a 52 Excaliber in 30-06, shoots good, feeds well and the mag rattle drives me crazy! I could send it back to Cooper, I don't really want to take the scope off and send it in. I handled a 92 at Euro-Optics about a year ago, I really liked the rifle and the mag was in really tight. I hope it works out for you.

 

[Santa]

Really appreciate all the info, guys! Of the rifles I was considering in this price range, Cooper was just removed from my list. Pretty sad knowing that basically any out of box, basic factory rifle would perform better than a Cooper these days. Again, I really appreciate the honest feedback.

 

[Jardo]

I own 2 coopers including a 92 Backcountry in 280ai. The backcountry has been back for a recall but no complaints other than that.

I also have a 52 Opencountry in 300 win mag and it’s a great 1000 yard steel banger.

Sorry to hear your challenges but for every frustrating story and mad customer, there are a 1000 happy customers. Every manufacturer has problems occasionally. Cooper has always taken care of me and I love both of these rifles.


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