Cooper or Christensen?

[wyo_gasman]

Which would you choose? Why?

 

[FURMAN]

Cooper. Unless I am missing something you get .5 moa guarantee for half the price.

 

[elkguide]

Cooper. Just like the feel/balance better.

 

[6mm Remington]

I toured the Cooper plant and looked at a lot of their rifles and watched the folks actually working on them. I can tell you they take a lot of pride in their product and it shows. I do not have a Cooper rifle..........................yet, but maybe some day!

 

[wyo_gasman]

I was close to buying one on Friday, soooooo close. They have a nice feel and the.5 MOA, some of the target cards they have .5 would be on a bad day.

 

[huntingbigsky]

Both make great guns but I would go with a Cooper. I have numerous Coopers and they all shoot great.


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[KINGSNAKE]

Cooper has a real guarantee. I have a 338 06. I was unlucky and had one with a bad barrel. It was very sparatic and not consistent. They had me send it back. They put three barrels on it before it was right. I have had it back and it is very consistent now. I can tell you first hand they stand behind their products.

 

[Mtslackcountry]

Cooper. Unless I am missing something you get .5 moa guarantee for half the price.

I thought there were about the same price. 2-$3K ???

 

[FURMAN]

Not when you get a .5 moa Christensen.


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[PathFinder]

Neither. Now, I'm not trying to be a negative nancy or bash either gun. But I've owned both, and didn't own either one for very long. I'll list my reasons; what it really comes down to is that a true custom can be had for a very similar price. A lot of it is because I'm very picky about guns, and there are certain things that I think have only one proper solution.
Cooper Negatives:
1. Junk magazine. Seats poorly, mine fed very poorly. Prone to seat crooked.
2. HS stock is heavy, ergonomics are nothing to write home about
3. Barrel isn't threaded. Not everyone cares, but it makes my toenails curl, especially on a pricy gun.

I do love the Cooper action, through the bolt stop broke on mine before it hit 100 rds. Trigger was good as well (Timney on the one I had).

Christensen Negatives
1. Poor accuracy (for the price). Mine met the 1 MOA guarantee, but a $2k+ rifle should do better.
2. Garbage magazine (the CF one). Hinged floorplates make me cringe too. AICS is the only way to go, and they don't do that on their hunting rifles. However, Wyatt's will bolt right into place on a Christensen.
3. Sloppy tolerancing. Way too much play in between the bolt and raceway for my taste.
4. Flimsy stock. The lightweight fiberglass stocks aren't loads stiffer than a tupperware factory stock. Mine had all kinds of loose fibers inside, and wasn't bedded.

Timney trigger was nice, and the ergonomics of the stock were excellent. Loved the titanium muzzle brake, and the new ones look to be even better.
The point I want to make is that for money, a much better gun can be had. All the little details that drove me to sell both guns (including less than stellar accuracy from the Christensen) are resolved in a custom build from someone like Bullseye Precision or NW Action Works, who will build a gun in the same price range that will run circles around either rifle. The only advantage I see to either the Cooper or Christensen is that they can be had immediately. However, a year later, I still don't have the gun I want because I wasted a year and several thousand dollars messing around with half baked "semi-custom" rifles.
If it does come down to one of the two, I'd do the Cooper. I think their manufacturing is far superior, and their CS as well. The 1/2 MOA guarantee vs the 1 MOA guarantee says it all about their manufacturing, and how they feel about their product.

 

[garyw]

I just got my new cooper m92 backcountry (it weighs 92oz.)and your opinion makes me cringe! This was to be my dream rifle and now you make me think it's going to be a night mare. I haven't got it set up yet but will have in the next few weeks. I really like the feel of it and how it fits me. the spring in the magazine is real soft. I have never felt a spring with as little tension on it as this one has but it does feed the bullet into the chamber. thanks for your opinion and I'll let you know how it turns out. thanks, garyw

 

[GKPrice]

looks like a "consensus" from here ....

 

[6mm Remington]

Not bad to think about what Pathfinder says either. That's the route I went after searching for a .280 Remington to replace the one I had sold a few years back. I wanted a .280 with a 24" barrel instead of the 22" barrel most factory rifles come with. I think it can use the extra 2" to get a little more velocity gain. I wanted a controlled round feed like the Ruger 77 or Winchester Model 70 too. I searched and found a Winchester Model 70 in .270 and got a good deal on it. It also had a great looking walnut stock so I would not have to replace or refinish it. I gave it to my gunsmith and this is what we did. Now do I go with the .280 Remington or the 280 Ackley Improved??? I ended up going with the .280 AI !!!!

1. 24" stainless Shilen match barrel - 1-9 twist - standard contour -all metal work coated in a flat black coating by John Norrel Arms - similar to Cerekote and equally as good!

2. Stock was glass and pillar bedded and I had my gunsmith make sure the barrel channel was sealed very well so the wood would not soak up any moisture/water. I like my walnut/laminate stocks, what can I say.

3. Trigger was worked to perfection and breaks at 2.5 pounds now. Crisp and sharp. I put a 4.5-14x40mm Leupold with the B&C reticle on the rifle in Talley mounts. Did not take hardly any work to get a load set up to at least get me through hunting season last year. 140 gr. Nosler Partitions at 3230 fps (chronographed) and shooting 3/4" groups at 100 yards. I have no doubt it will do better with some tweaking, as this was simple to get it shooting like this.

I shot a nice fat cow - one shot at 450 yards and she went about 20 yards and tipped over. Week later I shot a nice whitetail buck at 200 yards. Again one shot. I can't wait to work on some more loads. I want to try the 140 gr. Accubonds too. Buying this rifle, scope, and having all of the work done that is listed totaled about $2500.00 if I remember correctly and I have exactly the rifle I have always dreamed of. I could not be happier!! Hope this helps.
David