Cooper Firearms of Montana
Encyclopedia
Cooper Firearms of Montana was founded in 1990 by Dan Cooper and two other former Kimber of Oregon
employees.
Rifles are built mostly for hunting, with an emphasis on varmint hunting. As such, a wide variety of calibers is supported, including many common and popular wildcat
rounds.
Cooper has achieved a reputation for high-quality accurate rifles. Gun writers have noted that the rifles are both good-looking and well-built as well as accurate.
In 1993 Cooper created their first single-shot rifle in .223 Remington
. This rifle later became their Model 21. In 2005 They made their first rifles that had synthetic stocks. Previously all rifles had wood in a variety of grades. In 2007 the first Cooper repeater (non single-shot) rifle was created - the Model 52.
article featuring executives supporting Barack Obama
for president
was published naming Dan Cooper as a financial supporter of the campaign
. Scandal soon erupted across gun-related web forums and blogs when it was made public that Dan Cooper supported a pro-gun control
Presidential candidate and had donated several thousand dollars to his campaign. Gun owners and blogs reacted to the news calling for a boycott
of his company.
By October 28, 2008 Cooper Firearms released a message on their website, noting that the company itself had not contributed in any fashion, and clarifying Cooper's contributions.
On October 29, 2008 Cooper Firearms updated the message on their website indicating the board of directors asked Dan Cooper to step down as CEO of the company.
In an October 30, 2008 article from USA Today Dan Cooper confirmed that he did indeed resign as CEO. In the same article the governor of Montana, Brian Schweitzer
said he was disturbed by the backlash. Bob Ricker, executive director of the American Hunters and Shooters Association
, called it "McCarthyism at its worst" noting that "If you're a gun owner, but you have a contrary view to some of these wackos, they will go out and try to destroy you."
Kimber Manufacturing
Kimber Manufacturing is an American company that designs, manufactures, and distributes small arms such as M1911 pistols, Solo pistols and rifles. The USA Shooting Team, Marines assigned to Special Operations Command, and the LAPD SWAT team use Kimber pistols....
employees.
History
Cooper was created to build affordable custom-quality accurate rifles. As they put it "Rifles should shoot as well as they look and vice versa". All Cooper rifles carry an accuracy guarantee. The guarantee for rimfires is 5 shots in 0.25 in (0.635 cm) at 50 yard, while for centerfires it is 3 shots in 0.5 in (1.3 cm) at 100 yard.Rifles are built mostly for hunting, with an emphasis on varmint hunting. As such, a wide variety of calibers is supported, including many common and popular wildcat
Wildcat cartridge
A wildcat cartridge, or wildcat, is a custom cartridge for which ammunition and firearms are not mass produced. These cartridges are often created in order to optimize a certain performance characteristic of an existing commercial cartridge.Developing and using wildcat cartridges does not...
rounds.
Cooper has achieved a reputation for high-quality accurate rifles. Gun writers have noted that the rifles are both good-looking and well-built as well as accurate.
In 1993 Cooper created their first single-shot rifle in .223 Remington
.223 Remington
The .223 Remington is a sporting cartridge with almost the same external dimensions as the 5.56×45mm NATO military cartridge. The name is commonly pronounced either two-two-three or two-twenty-three. It is loaded with a diameter, jacketed bullet, with weights ranging from , though the most common...
. This rifle later became their Model 21. In 2005 They made their first rifles that had synthetic stocks. Previously all rifles had wood in a variety of grades. In 2007 the first Cooper repeater (non single-shot) rifle was created - the Model 52.
Models
Rifles center on a few particular actions. In 2007 a centerfire repeater (Model 52) was added in a few calibers.- Model 16 (discontinued) - single shot action for cartridges based on the WSSMWinchester Super Short MagnumWinchester Super Short Magnum, or WSSM is a line of rebated rim bottlenecked centerfire short magnum cartridges introduced by the U.S. Repeating Arms Company...
family, as well as 6 mm BR and 6 mm PPC6 mm PPCThe 6 mm PPC , or 6 PPC as it is more often called, is a centerfire rifle cartridge used almost exclusively for benchrest shooting. At distances out to 300 yards, it is one of the most accurate cartridges available...
. - Model 21 - single shot bolt action for cartridges in the .223 Rem family.
- Model 22 - single shot bolt action for cartridges in the 308 Win and family and similar.
- Model 38 - single shot bolt action for cartridges based on the .22 Hornet.22 HornetThe .22 Hornet is a low-end vermin, small-game and predator centerfire rifle cartridge. It is considerably more powerful than the .22 WMR and the .17 HMR, achieving higher velocity with a bullet twice the weight. The Hornet also differs very significantly from these in that it is not a rimfire...
and similar. - Model 40 (discontinued) - repeating bolt action for cartridges based on the .22 Hornet.22 HornetThe .22 Hornet is a low-end vermin, small-game and predator centerfire rifle cartridge. It is considerably more powerful than the .22 WMR and the .17 HMR, achieving higher velocity with a bullet twice the weight. The Hornet also differs very significantly from these in that it is not a rimfire...
and similar. - Model 52 - repeating bolt action for cartridges in the .30-06 Springfield.30-06 SpringfieldThe .30-06 Springfield cartridge or 7.62×63mm in metric notation, was introduced to the United States Army in 1906 and standardized, and was in use until the 1960s and early 1970s. It replaced the .30-03, 6 mm Lee Navy, and .30 US Army...
family. - Model 54 - repeating bolt action for cartridges in the .308 Win family.
- Model 56 - repeating bolt action for cartridges in the .300 Win Mag family.
- Model 57-M - repeating bolt action for rimfire cartridges.
- Model ?? (in development) - repeating bolt action for cartridges in the .223 Rem family.
Political donation controversy
On October 27, 2008 a USA TodayUSA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
article featuring executives supporting Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
for president
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
was published naming Dan Cooper as a financial supporter of the campaign
Political campaign
A political campaign is an organized effort which seeks to influence the decision making process within a specific group. In democracies, political campaigns often refer to electoral campaigns, wherein representatives are chosen or referendums are decided...
. Scandal soon erupted across gun-related web forums and blogs when it was made public that Dan Cooper supported a pro-gun control
Gun control
Gun control is any law, policy, practice, or proposal designed to restrict or limit the possession, production, importation, shipment, sale, and/or use of guns or other firearms by private citizens...
Presidential candidate and had donated several thousand dollars to his campaign. Gun owners and blogs reacted to the news calling for a boycott
Boycott
A boycott is an act of voluntarily abstaining from using, buying, or dealing with a person, organization, or country as an expression of protest, usually for political reasons...
of his company.
By October 28, 2008 Cooper Firearms released a message on their website, noting that the company itself had not contributed in any fashion, and clarifying Cooper's contributions.
On October 29, 2008 Cooper Firearms updated the message on their website indicating the board of directors asked Dan Cooper to step down as CEO of the company.
In an October 30, 2008 article from USA Today Dan Cooper confirmed that he did indeed resign as CEO. In the same article the governor of Montana, Brian Schweitzer
Brian Schweitzer
Brian David Schweitzer is an American politician from the U.S. state of Montana. Schweitzer is its 23rd and current governor, serving since January 2005. Schweitzer currently has one of the highest approval ratings among governors in the nation, with polls regularly showing a rating of above 60...
said he was disturbed by the backlash. Bob Ricker, executive director of the American Hunters and Shooters Association
American Hunters and Shooters Association
The American Hunters and Shooters Association , founded in 2005, was a small United States-based group, which has set itself apart from the much larger gun owner organization, the National Rifle Association, founded in 1871, by advocating further restrictions on 2nd Amendment rights...
, called it "McCarthyism at its worst" noting that "If you're a gun owner, but you have a contrary view to some of these wackos, they will go out and try to destroy you."