Sako 85 vs. Weatherby Mark V

Hey storm2844.  Tell me about the extraction problem on your 300 wsm Sako 85.  Is it caliber specific?  Thanks.

i had to get rid of my sako 85 in 300wsm due to extraction problems the distributer refunded me all my cash. and i puchased a weatherby ultralight in 7mm weatherby mag. much happier with the weatherby. but the sako is still very nice.

Originally posted by storm2844 timber if you get a weatherby get a weatherby caliber. 7mm wm instead of 7mm rm

 

i agree with you 100% one of my biggest pet peeves is that if you wanna buy a weatherby rifle dont waste your money by buying a standard caliber.

Originally posted by timber I can't tell from the few pictures (nothing on their website either) I've seen of Model 52's what kind of safety and bolt stop/release they have.  Is it a wing safety?  Is the release/stop located on the receiver in a similar location as a Browning A-Bolt?    I'd like to do more research on these as I didn't even know Cooper did a repeater.  They certainly emphasize nice wood.  And their accuracy has been well publicized for years.  But I've never seen or handled any Cooper, let alone fired one.  And a one year wait is also a challenge.

 

I think a little clarification on the Cooper bolt stop is in order.  First, yes, they are on the opposite side of the receiver as the bolt handle, in the same location as a Browning A-Bolt.  Like the A-Bolt, the Cooper bolt stop is a rectangular pivoting button. 

 

What I mean about the bolt stop pin being flimsy is that unlike some bolt stops where the actual stop is a beefy steel blade, the Cooper bolt stop (on their centerfires) is a small diameter dowel pin that protrudes through the receiver into the bolt lug race, and it's a separate piece from the bolt stop button.  In actual use on a hunting rifle, this may never pose a problem, but on a varmint rifle where you do a lot of rapid shooting and therefore are prone to open the bolt rather briskly in the heat of the moment, it can break fairly easily.  One of my buddies and I discovered this the hard way with our M21 rifles while shooting a very large prairie dog town.  He broke his bolt stop pin 3 times on 2 different rifles after slamming the bolt open a few hundred times.  Depending on your perspective, this may be a minor criticism, because if you don't make a habit of slamming the bolt open hard, you probably won't have a problem.  Still, it's worth mentioning.

 

The Cooper safety is a 2-position pivoting button located on the bolt handle side of the tang, like a Remington 700.  It is connected to a linkage that blocks trigger travel only.  It's essentially the same design as the Kimber of Oregon M82, which I believe it was modeled after, and basically functions the same way as a Rem 700 safety.  It isn't by any means my favorite design, but it it's smooth operating and fairly silent.

 

You don't necessarily have to wait a year to get one, though.  You can sometimes find one for sale at gunbroker.com and gunsamerica.com.  In addition, the Cabelas near me has some Cooper rifles in stock.  You can also call Cooper for a dealer near you that may have exactly what you're looking for in stock.

 

As for worrying that you might not like it after handling and shooting one, if you like accurate, nice looking rifles, you're not likely to be disappointed.  However, like Kimber, these rifles are for the person who prefers more "classic" lines and satin oil wood finishes.  If you prefer gloss finished wood and monte carlo style stocks, Cooper doesn't offer that style.

I can't tell from the few pictures (nothing on their website either) I've seen of Model 52's what kind of safety and bolt stop/release they have.  Is it a wing safety?  Is the release/stop located on the receiver in a similar location as a Browning A-Bolt? 

 

I'd like to do more research on these as I didn't even know Cooper did a repeater.  They certainly emphasize nice wood.  And their accuracy has been well publicized for years.  But I've never seen or handled any Cooper, let alone fired one.  And a one year wait is also a challenge.

 

What do you guys think of the Mark V Fibermark in a 7mm Rem Mag as a way to try out the big magnum action in a not so big magnum caliber?  I didn't care for the wood Sporter and the Deluxe (or Ultramark ) isn't available in that caliber.

 

Timber

Cooper is a nice rifle, as well is a Kimber and Steyr.  But, then again you are straying from your initial considerations and the other options do not stop there.  I think the Cooper and Kimber are great rifle, but do not believe they are better than a Sako or Weatherby by any means.  Finn is right, you will not see one very often, but where I live, I never see a Weatherby, occasionally a Sako and one Cooper and one Kimber.  99% of the time it is a Browning or Remington, just like Leupold scopes.  The Cooper and Kimber may be more accurate out of the box, but that may have more to do with the non-magnum caliber.  Weatherby will further customize your rifle, in a Mark V to guarantee to shoot sub-moa, if you wish, in their magnum calibers.  Cooper, from what I understand, has a somewhat flimsy firing pin, which I would replace, at the outset.  This is not my first hand knowledge, but I believe and I could be wrong, but something I learned from Rifledude, he knows much more about those rifles.