Magazine capacity is three rounds with an interior length of 3.40 inches. Cooper went with a narrow single-stack magazine primarily because it requires the removal of less metal from the receiver than an internal staggered magazine and thereby increases receiver rigidity.
Untitled Document
ACCURACY RESULTS: COOPER MODEL 52
Bullet
Bullet Weight (gr.)
Powder
Charge Weight (gr.)
Muzzle Velocity (fps)
Avg. Group (in.)
Sierra HP
75
RS BigGame
54.0
3,617
0.55
Sierra MatchKing
100
IMR-4831
53.0
3,312
0.47
Berger HP
110
RL-22
57.0
3,188
0.64
Sierra SBT
117
H4831
52.0
3,011
0.86
Swift A-Frame
120
RL-25
56.0
3,011
0.86
Federal Premium Ammunition
Nosler Ballistic Tip
85
NA
NA
3,468
0.82
Nosler Ballistic Tip
100
NA
NA
3,231
0.73
Sierra SBT
117
NA
NA
3,105
0.52
Nosler Custom Ammunition
Nosler Ballistic Tip
100
NA
NA
3,187
0.71
Nosler AccuBond
110
NA
NA
3,012
1.07
Nosler Ballistic Tip
115
NA
NA
2,981
0.58
Notes: Powder charges are maximum and should be reduced by 10
percent for starting loads. Federal cases and Federal 210M primers were used. Accuracy shown
for each load representsfive three-shot groups fired at 100 yeards. Velocities are an average of
15 rounds clocked 12 feet from the muzzle with a PACT chronograph. Handloads show here are safe
only in the rifle for which they were developed. Neither the author nor InterMEdia Outdoors
assumes any liability for accidents or injury resulting from the use of misuse of data.
The Model 52 is available in five variations: Classic ($1,595), Custom Classic ($2,595), Jackson Game Rifle ($1,695), Jackson Hunter ($1,395) and Western Classic ($3,295).
The Jackson hunter has a synthetic stock replete with full-length action bedding block while all the rest wear claro or French walnut in various grades. Several extra-cost options such as skeleton grip cap and buttplate and case-colored scope mounting rings are available. Standard features of the various models are too numerous to mention, so I refer you to the Cooper website, cooperfirearms.com.
The wood stocks of Cooper rifles are inletted, shaped, sanded, checkered and finished with oil by hand. The rifle you see in this report is a Western Classic, which comes standard with AAA-grade claro walnut with ebony fore-end tip, a 24-inch octagon barrel, steel grip cap and case-coloring of its receiver and trigger guard by Doug Turnbull. Its only custom extras are Model 70 Super Grade-style quick-detach sling swivel posts and a Niedner-style checkered steel buttplate.
The stock has 22-lpi hand-cut checkering at wrist and fore-end in a borderless pattern said to have originated in the shop of Lenard Brownell. A narrow ribbon of uncheckered wood makes the layout extremely difficult to execute with any degree of perfection, but near-perfect it is. The shadow-line border around the cheek rest of the classical-style buttstock is also nicely done. The finish is hand-rubbed oil, and except for a couple of almost unnoticeable areas alongside the barrel, wood to metal fit is exceptionally good.
Weighing just over eight pounds without scope, the Model 52 Western Classic is no lightweight by today's standards, but on the positive side its heft adds stability on the sandbags. (Other Model 52 variants are lighter with the synthetic-stocked Jackson Hunter rated at 63⁄4 pounds.)
Quite a bit of the weight of my particular rifle is in its 24-inch octagon barrel. A short, round section of the barrel at the receiver is 1.15 inches in diameter and from there it changes to tapered octagon measuring .67 inch across the flats at the muzzle.
A deeply recessed crown protects rifling from damage in field. Rifling twist rate is 1:10 inches, quick enough to handle all commonly available bullets up to the extremely long Berger 115-grain VLD.
Dan Cooper and his talented crew have the rare ability to build a rifle that is custom rifle handsome and target rifle accurate. The new Model 52 is presently available in .25-06, .270 Winchester, .280 Remington, .30-06, .338-06 A-Square and .35 Whelen. The magazine also feeds .240 Weatherby Magnum cartridges quite smoothly, another great option I'd like to see added to the list.
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