Kimber versus Cooper 22 rifles.... narrowing the field

[Lone_Gunman]

I have been looking at 22 rifles, and have narrowed the field down to these two high end bolt guns. I am looking for a rifle that will make 50 yd groups of half an inch, and I think both of these guns will be able to do that.

I get the impression the Cooper Rifles might have better support from the manufacturer than the Kimber. I have had bad experience with Kimber customer support before, anyway.

Any opinion about these two rifles would be appreciated.

 

[travis301]

My .02

I would stay away from the Cooper. Had a friend that had 4 of them at one time. Bolt came off of one,chamber was reamed to short in the other.After 6 months of calls and letters,he finally got them back.He promptly sold out then.
My favorite is the Anschutz 54 sporter.With Eley browns,it will shoot"bug holes" anytime.My next 2 favorites are the 541T "sporter barrel" and the 541S.For some reason they outshoot the heavy barrel version.
I haven't been around the new Kimbers.I did have an Oregon gun that would shoot though.

 

[esldude]

The description of the above experience with Cooper sounds extremely unusual.

I haven't shot all the 22's in the world. But of those I have two stand head and shoulders above anything short of a custom rifle. Anschutz and Cooper.

For more info on both, and others go to www.rimfirecentral.com where there is both a forum for Coopers and Anschutz rifles. You won't find many complaints with Cooper service. Mostly you will find considerable praise for Cooper going above and beyond.

Finally, it is tough to choose between Cooper and Anschutz. Both are hard to take out of your hands. Both are highly accurate. Depends on your use. Cooper has some of the finest, prettiest wood you will see on a firearm. But it is an oil finish. Making it a bit fragile for hunting use. For range use, target use, etc. it is fine. It just cannot be allowed to get much moisture on it. So if you plan on some hunting or other general use, go with an Anschutz.

Kimbers are fine, but a rung down from Cooper.

 

[travis301]

Let me clarify my previous post.The experience was with Cooper centerfires in a 17CCM & 22CCM.It may have been only the caliber since it was on the experimental side.I haven't had any dealings with the Cooper rimfire ,but that ordeal there spooked me away.

 

[Spudz]

I have been looking at 22 rifles, and have narrowed the field down to these two high end bolt guns. I am looking for a rifle that will make 50 yd groups of half an inch,

Any opinion about these two rifles would be appreciated.

I would go with the Cooper, I have owned two of them and they were head and shoulders above the Kimbers I looked when deciding which one to get. The Cooper M57M 22Lr had no trouble shooting well below the half inch mark at 50 yards.

Spudz

 

[rick_reno]

I have a friend who ordered a Cooper last summer - it had problems and had to go back to the factory twice. First trip back was to fix a "tight" chamber, they'd forgotten to polish it and when fired the bolt was very difficult to open. How they shot the target that is shipped with the gun and failed to notice the bolt sticking is a topic still open for discussion, we had to use a rubber mallet to open it. Next trip back was to fix the accuracy - this gun didn't shoot. They recrowned it and as a freebie adjusted the trigger. He's not sure how it shoots yet - that was last fall and the range shutdown for the winter ust as the gun came back. Luckily, we're close to Cooper so returning it was pretty easy. The gun is beautiful, I have to admit the look of it is fantastic.

There are a LOT of rifles that will do 1/2 inch at 50 yards. You shouldn't have any trouble finding one. Most of the Ruger 77's I've seen will do that, as will the CZ's - and they won't cost you nearly what either of the rifles you mentioned will.

 

[JohnBT]

I've spent a fair amount of time looking at Kimber and Cooper rifles at a local dealer. I nearly bought a Kimber Super America a couple of years ago, but there was a stamp-sized flat spot in checkering on the pistol grip that appeared to be from a soft spot in the otherwise beautiful wood - not good on a $1500 rifle. The more I looked the more small surface flaws I found on the Kimbers - certainly not on all of them, but some. The Coopers I saw didn't have those sorts of problems.

I was impressed enough with the Coopers I'd seen to buy a Custom Classic .22LR for my father sight unseen. At that time there was a 9-month backlog on them at the factory and I wanted one for his birthday. So...with a lump in my throat I mailed off a check for nearly $1600...and everything worked out perfectly.

I've heard many good things about Kimber rifles in addition to the sorts of complaints we hear about every manufacturer. My only personal experience with Kimber has been with the Stainless Gold Match .45 I bought locally in 1999 for $1049. It has been trouble free. Well, I did lose the small nut off the windage screw a year or more out of warranty. It was staked, but came loose while I was shooting. I called to buy a new nut and they sent me a new sight for free!

Decisions, decisions, decisions. I went through the same thing.

John

P.S. - For some reason I just don't like the shape/feel of the stocks on the Anshutz sporters. YMMV, etc., etc.

 

[rangerruck]

you may consider a Anny or bsa rimfire, very accurate, very expensive. and to throw antoher wrench in the bucket, go to a gun shop, find an old used mossberg, about 50 yrs old, maxed out with the bells and whistles and target shooting goodies, and pay about 150 bucks for it. Or forget them all , and find a Fiala.

 

[JohnBT]

I didn't know Fiala made a good old American squirrel rifle like he wants, I thought they made a pistol with a shoulder stock. A Mossberg target rifle would be a little hefty to take hunting, too.

John

 

[win71]

Cooper

I bought a Cooper LVT in 17 HMR a year ago. It shoots well under 1/2 inch groups at 50 yds. I was impressed enough with the accuracy and overall workmanship that I bought another Cooper in 204. It too shoots under 1/2 inch groups at 100 yards and usually from .3 to .4 inch for 5 shot groups. But alass I also have heard horror stories about serious problems and guns being sent back. It's of some consolation that Cooper always makes good on a problem though.