Testing the new Cooper Firearms Open Country Long Range rifle

[Josh Boyd]

The Rokslide community had a hand in naming this new rifle from Cooper Firearms and I've been given an opportunity to test it throughout the summer and pack it along on a special Utah elk hunt in November. The unit is fairly open with shots on the long side of things. Out of the long list of cartridges available in this rifle I opted for a 300 RUM for it's elk killing ability.

The rifle is based on their Model 52 action and has a spiral-fluted tactical bolt, a detachable single stack magazine, and a 10 MOA picatinny base. The barrel is a stainless Proof with straight flutes. I'll go into more depth on the finer details during the review process.

I'll keep this thread updated throughout the load development and testing, long range practice sessions and the Utah elk hunt.

The first order of business is mounting up some glass!

 

[Grumman]

That is one great looking rifle. I can’t wait to read more about it.


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[robby denning]

that's a UT bull's nightmare right there.

 

[Elkfitness]

Nice looking rifle!


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[danmayland]

Subscribed!! Can’t wait to follow along in your journey!!


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[HvyBeams]

What's the weight without scope?

 

[Josh Boyd]

What's the weight without scope?

It weighs 8.9 lbs empty with the rail. Optics and rings shouldn't make it too much of a beast.

As for an update, I have a scope arriving this week which I'll get mounted and headed to the range for a little load development. I'm excited to see how it shoots.

 

[Josh Boyd]

The new Maven RS.1 scope arrived and is mounted. An MOA turret with a zero lock is on it way to replace the standard covered turret. This scope is a very solid build. 2.5 - 15x with a 44 mm objective lens. I went with the MOA reticle to keep it simple in my simple brain. With the low Hawkins rings it comes in at 10.8 lbs.

Now it's time for a little load development.

 

[wind gypsy]

Nice looking rifle.

I'd be worried about dropping the magazine out of it with that release location.

 

[Josh Boyd]

Nice looking rifle.

I'd be worried about dropping the magazine out of it with that release location.

Yeah, that is definitely a concern with the bottom metal / magazine setup. I've not used it in the field under real world conditions so I am reserving judgement at this time. But I will be keeping a close eye on things when I take it out on some hikes.

 

[elkguide]

How is load development going?
How does the rifle carry in the field?
What kind of accuracy are you getting?

 

[Matt W.]

Anyone spent much time behind the trigger on the Lightweight version of the Open Country rifle?

 

[robby denning]

How is load development going?
How does the rifle carry in the field?
What kind of accuracy are you getting?

Josh is off the grid right now. I sent him a text, he’ll answer soon


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[Josh Boyd]

How is load development going?
How does the rifle carry in the field?
What kind of accuracy are you getting?

elkguide, Sorry for the delayed response. Like Robby mentioned I have been out of service most of last week and this one. Elk scouting, fires, and the backcountry have kept me distracted.....

As far as load development I've got a load worked up with a 220 ELD-X and RL26 stuffed into a fresh batch of Bertram brass that is shooting around .5". I have been needing to chronograph the load but I'm waiting for cooler temps. It looks like some cooler weather is on the way and I'm hoping the velocity out of the 26" barrel starts with a 3.

The rifle is heavy but not too unwieldy. The magazine kind of gets in the way when carrying it in the hand but on a sling or the Stone Glacier rifle carrier it is a non-issue. I definitely would want something a little more trim for a backpack hunt, but for day hunts from the truck I'm not too concerned with the weight.

Thanks for reminding me to update this thread.

-Josh

 

[Josh Boyd]

I have settled on a load for the fall. I've got the Hornady 220 ELD-X bullets stuffed in front of 87 grains of H-1000. They are leaving the muzzle at 2950 fps with a extreme spread of 17 FPS. The groups are tight and hope is high that this combo will be deadly on a giant Utah bull. I'm now working on some long distance drops to validate my Leica Geovid HD-B's. Fun times burning powder by the spoonfuls!!

 

[elkguide]

So, how did this rifle do on your hunts this year?

 

[Josh Boyd]

So, how did this rifle do on your hunts this year?

I just returned from a hunt in Utah where I used the rifle to punch an elk tag. And now I'm settling into the final two weeks of Montana's rifle season. I'll have a full report written on this rifle where I discuss the preferred habitats of this rifle and its personality. FYI it performed wonderfully in UT with a one shot kill. Stay tuned.

-Josh

 

[robby denning]

Good job on the Ut bull Josh. Looking forward to the review/story


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[Jardo]

Yo Josh. Just pulled the trigger on an open country in 300 win mag. It came with a magpul 5 rd magazine that looks to max out at 3.56 coal. Just measured the chamber and from base to lands I would end up with a 3.71 COAL. So need to figure out if I can put one of the MTD 3.715 mags or the accurate mags or a CIP length mag.

New to these magazines. Any info would help.



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[Josh Boyd]

Yo Josh. Just pulled the trigger on an open country in 300 win mag. It came with a magpul 5 rd magazine that looks to max out at 3.56 coal. Just measured the chamber and from base to lands I would end up with a 3.71 COAL. So need to figure out if I can put one of the MTD 3.715 mags or the accurate mags or a CIP length mag.

New to these magazines. Any info would help.



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I'm new to these magazines as well but I think the mag length is specific to the bottom metal and you might be stuck with the 3.56" magazine. I could be wrong and I will check with Cooper this week to see what they say. If anyone else has any thoughts please chime in.