Now that is something to wrap your hands around! I am constantly tickled over the guy who insists on a fly weight rifle and never carries it more than 100 yards at a time. When the opportunity for a shot comes along the little wand wiggles a wobbles all over... There is something to be said for a rifle and a lady with abundant curves.

Excellent visual aids for this post.

However, I continue to fail to understand the hate and discontent directed towards detachable magazines. Road hunters will shoot whatever rifle they own regardless of magazine type. If it's an aesthetics thing, I guess I could buy that argument.

But to me a rifle is ultimately a functional tool, and detachable magazines are more functional for hunting rifles. I understand that bench rest shooters like the extra stiffness provided by blind magazines, but past that I don't see any difference between floorplates and detachable magazines.

Beautiful rifle. Hope they sell every one they make, because it might let the gunmakers know that there is a market for a rifle that weighs more than six pounds, scoped and slinged with a full mag. The easiest way to aid accuracy is to have more barrel; the easiest way to cut recoil is to have a heavier gun. No wonder, then, that this rifle is such a sweetheart. Even if it means spending more time on the Stairmaster, I'd prefer a little more weight to going deaf shooting a rifle with a Poly-Choke on its soda straw barrel.

Cooper rifles are indeed something to behold. But I enjoyed taking 3 of my wood stocked rifes and (gasp) my AR to the range yesterday for a pleasant father-son shoot. No competition, lots of time, more ammo than necessary, and five rifles that are in real need of a bore cleaning today!

There are plenty of Winchester model 52's for sale on Gunbroker to counter balance the blaspheme. If they were so s^!t-hot, why are they no longer making them?

All:

Mildly off topic here, but several months ago I wrote here that I was awaiting the arrival of an E.R. Shaw Mark VII bolt-action (LH) in .257 Ackley Improved. I stated that I would write about the rifle and its performance (or lack thereof) at the bench. My report is as follows:

The rifle came with a 2 1/2 contour blued steel barrel (24" in length) in the interesting and attactive (to me, at least) spiral fluting that only E.R. Shaw alone, as far as I know, produces. The stock is by Boyds, is laminated, is hard as steel but warm and smooth to the touch, and is brown walnut in color with lovely grain. There is no floor plate or detachable magazine. Savage's adjustable Accutrigger is on board, with a clean, crisp pull preset to about 3 lbs.

I ordered the rifle about 8 to 9 months ago. I specifically said to E.R. Shaw's sales guy at time of order that I wanted a long action in the rifle so I could seat my .257 AI rounds out to about 2.90" to 3.00" COAL. About 30 seconds after opening the shipping case at my local gunshop, however, and in direct contrast to the hand-written notes on the order form in the case, I noted the action on the rifle is a short action. I not only measured it with a ruler but compared it to the actions (both short and long) of some Winchester Model 70s and Remington 700s in the shop. Interestingly, however, the "short" action on an ER Shaw Mark VII rifle is "long"--right around 3.2", if memory serves--as compared to short actions in centerfire rifles made by major American manufacturers.

Naturally, I called E.R. Shaw. I made polite--but direct--inquiries to their sales guy, the same person I talked with 8-9 months ago. I was told that with the "center feed-style" magazine in the Mark VII action, any cartridge under about 3.1" in OAL would not feed properly in a long action and would constantly jam, which is why E.R. Shaw sent me a short action instead. (Some rather direct and pointed one-way conversation ensued from me to E.R. Shaw at this point about the company's lack of disclosures to me about this issue not only when I ordered the rifle, but in the 8-9 months that I waited for it.)

I told E.R. Shaw I would attempt to feed some of my pre-existing .257 AI rounds into the rifle and see whether the ammos's OAL would be a problem, and if so, the company was going to receive its rifle back and I was going to receive, at a minimum, my money back. I returned to the gunshop the next day with some 257 AI and .257 Roberts ammo handloaded to about 2.91 to 2.93" in OAL. To my pleasant surprise, the rifle was not only headspaced correctly to chamber my AI ammo (which was actually more than I had hoped for; I had assumed I would have to fireform a whole pile of new .257 Roberts brass into custom .257 AI brass for that particular rifle), but OALs of 2.91-2.93"" with various bullet weights and types was not a problem either. I loaded 6 different rounds (each with a different bullet/weight/manufacturer)and chambered each and every round, nice and snug, all without difficulty.

I noted in the gunshop that the rifle seemed exceptionally well-balanced and its action, though certainly far from buttery-smooth in feel, worked without effort and did not bind or jam. I did not like the center-feed load into the rifle's stiff magazine--it is not particularly easy to load the magazine as compared to a Remington Model 700, Winchester Model 70, Savage Model 111 or 1917 customized Lee Enfield, and would likely be impossible to load while wearing gloves or with cold, stiff fingers. Also, the rifle only holds 3 rounds in the magazine plus 1 in the chamber, whereas all my other .257 rifles hold 4 in the magazine and 1 in the chamber. Still, the rifle handled beautifully and its weight--about 7 3/4 lbs.--felt far less than it actually was.

So I accepted the rifle, filled out the ATF form, had the gunshop mount and boresight a Leupold Mark II compact 3x9 scope (very lightweight, but good optics quality), affixed a sling to the rifle, and took the 8lb, 1 oz. fully-equipped rifle home.

A few days ago I zeroed the scope at a 25-yard indoor range and ran some 100-grain Nosler Ballistic Tip, 100-grain Sierra GameKing, and 100-grain Sierra MatchKing handloads through the rifle. Time was short and the outside air temperature was about 100 degrees with high humidity, so I did not make it to the outdoors range where I normally shoot about an hour away from my office.

Once I sighted the rifle in, I shifted to a new target and began firing test groups for accuracy purposes. I inititally thought something was wrong with the rifle or the scope because I could only see one fresh new hole in the target I was using to test my handloads with. Then, after about 5 shots, I noticed that the one hole I was aiming at was getting just a little fuzzy around its edges and was growing ever so microscopically in size. In other words, the E.R. Shaw Mark VII rifle was shooting 100-grain Nosler Ballistic Tip handloads (all with the same exact H-100-V powder loading, same primers, and same exact cartridge OAL) through the same bullet hole. Then I did the same thing with another one-hole target using Sierra 100-grain MatchKings. Based on what I saw at 25 yards, I fully expect my rifle to shoot groups of 1/2" to 3/4" at 100 yards from the bench with no problem at all.

Conclusion: My E.R. Shaw Mark VII LH .257 AI rifle is a a dead-eye shooter. It handles my handloads with no pressure problems at all. The trigger is lovely. And even if it is not the easiest rifle to load (perhaps because it is brand spanking new), it handles wonderfully and looks mighty pretty, too.

So I'm keeping it. I'll report on 100-yard groups when I create them.

T.W. Davidson

My lakelander 389 sporter with thumbhole grip is like rosie o`donnel tellin fat jokes.. Hit after hit after hit, even though she is heavy, bulky and soft with a big hole around the middle:P

Petzal-You are a dirty old man; Keep up the GOOD WORK!
Now as for rifle, I would agree that "lovely" discribes it perfectly. The price does indicate that one should also get an accurate weapon, and this rifle delivers as promised!
Love that wood!!

A bit off topic but still along the same thought process. A friend ordered a custom built saddle a year or so ago. If you are interested in such things look at www.sagecreeksaddles.com. Anyway the saddle started out as a plain jane but somewhat costly utilitarian saddle for trail riding and hunting. As time went by the friend added a few more options and more and more tooling. Bear in mind that a fully tooled saddle does not show off its dents and scratches as much as a plain saddle. Anything put on a horse's back will eventually accumulate some damage. When he finally took the saddle home it costed almost twice the original price or about two Cooper M-52s plus had won first place in the big saddle show in Sheridan, Wyoming. Now he has to decide if he will use it to ride and hunt or put it in his house to stare at when there's nothing to watch on DISH. If it fits your butt a much cheaper Circle Y will work but then its not custom, semi-custom, or high grade. By the way the guy had to make payments on the saddle so he is not a high income type. I bet he uses it just like I did my custom saddle and custom rifles.

Ishawooa

Exactly! Anything carried into elk country will eventually fall, get dropped down a rocky slope, get dragged through bitter brush, scraped up against a rock, or all of the above at once. Might as well take that new rifle and drag it across a rusty barbed wire fence just to get it "broke in" and spare the pain of the first scratch and dent on the hunt.

To PBHead: Good question. I don't think the trend is reversing, but I think we've gone about as far as we are going toward weight reduction. I think the main benefit of the light-weight move was to force designers to eliminate the extra ounces that served no purpose. If you look at a Tikka, or a Mark Bansner rifle, or a NULA, or a Jarrett Tri-Lock, there's just no steel that doesn't have to be there.

To Meplat: Thanks for coming to my defense, but I know Ferber personally, and he has not been taking his meds as he should. He is also depressed about not being able to shoot good any more.

crm3006:

Thanks for the liquid graphite recommendation. I'll try it.

WAMtnhunter:

Yes, it would appear that E.R. Shaw, despite being less than forthcoming about ammunition feeding issues in its Mark VII long action at certain OAL cartridge lengths, and despite taking 8-9 months to produce the rifle, finally shipped me a very accurate rifle, one that also handles nicely and is even headspaced correctly to fit my pre-existing .257 AI ammo. So, overall, I'm pleased with it. I intend to take the rifle on a NE TX wild pig hunt in the near future.

All:

The spiral fluting on E.R. Shaw's barrel not only appears to cut down on weight, but also appears to significantly slow the rate of barrel temperature rise (as compared to non-fluted barrels or even longitudinally-fluted barrels) while I was busily putting rounds downrange. I experimentally touched the barrel at one point, expecting it to be very hot to the touch (after shooting my healthy handloads), and noted that the barrel was only quite warm, and was perfectly safe to continue handling and firing, as opposed to being too hot to touch and plagued with heat mirages, which would have been the case with all of my other .257 non-fluted or longitudinally-fluted rifles shooting similarly healthy handloads. I presume here that the spiral fluting on the barrel is the key behind the reduced rate of temperature rise, rather than the structure/composition of the barrel steel itself, but I could be wrong. If spiral fluting is the main reason, perhaps someday we'll see it as standard issue barrel apparel on U.S. military rifles and machine guns such as the M-14, M-16 or M-240.

T.W. Davidson

Isn't it wonderful that women, whether equipped with left or right handed actions, seem to accept lefties or righties equally?

I for one have had a belly full of writers who swoon over rifles that have a price tag in the four diget column. The average Joe six pack can never afford such luxuries but the average production rifle can and has achived 1/2 minute of angle accuracy!

Nice Rifle. And I like the girls' jogging suits.

Other--I've never been a fan of detach magazines in a big game rifle. AS far as I'm concern it's a useless feature hiding within Murphy's Law. Big Game hunting is unpredictable enough.

$1595 is a pretty penny for a rimfire..
But they are beautiful, and if I could, I definitely would.

Sorry Winchester 52, I think this 52 is more than worthy of the number.

I'm OK with a heavy .280. Perfect rifle to sit in a stand with, waiting on southern deer, or some skinny, thirsty ungulate across the pond.

I really enjoy the single shot Coopers. mine is a 257 roberts, and I think that it's hard to beat for elegance, and the fact that there is no magazine and you just lovingly feed them by hand, one at a time does nothing but contribute to the asthetic. That said I shoot it rarely at best. I hunt once or twice a year with it, the same with my rem 722 in 257 roberts, They are too good not to, but one I'm afraid one day will be shot out (yeah right, it's a bob) and the other I'm sure I'll bash on a tree or stand one day. When I'm at my parents house I'll get out the cooper and just stare at it.

DEP-
Again, you have made me drool over a rifle I probably would never risk in the woods, much less on a horse or 4 wheeler. These things are lovely to look at, but my Old Ugly .30-06
gets the job done for much less and when I can afford a weapon of such splendor, I'm holding out for the H&H Double in .470 NE!

Dave, great post. Great visual aids too. As w/ earlier posts, wish I could afford the gun. Really wish I could afford the gals!

Looks like a nice rifle... and a gun that can be carried a long ways is nothing when a stable shot cannot be taken.

Very Nice

Gee Dave I thought road hunters used single shot .22 mags or Hornets with Tasco scopes.

Thanks Shaky

I'll take it to a 'smith. It breaks clean, just stiff as heck. It is LNIB and I have only hunted with it once for the reasons above. It is still unscarred. I probably won't hunt with it since I have nice old Ruger 77 tang safety in the same caliber that shoots well enough.

I'm not a big fan of detachable magazines personally. Just one more gizmo to go FUBAR or lose. But if you like them, that's why they make 'em ---just for you!

Thanks, Dave...

For another good subject...I find several comments reflecting my interest in an accurate rifle, without complaining overly much about the avoirdupois. My old 722 has a 26" barrel, and shoots like crazy. The barrel helps an off-hand hold, and the ladies of my life have enjoyed shooting it. Sometimes more is...more. The old Garand still holds nicely, because it is heavy, but not really ungainly or awkward. It simply does the job asked of it. No one seems to talk about the old muzzleloaders, BUT...the old flinters hold steady for that critical 10 seconds, because they are substantial...and, of course, they had superb triggers.

Hooray for the independent gunsmith, who makes up a new creation for the shooting fraternity.

Blue

T.W. Davidson-
Your comments on accuracy and trigger pull do
not surprise me at all. Nor the stiffness of the action. Remember, it is basically a Savage
action that has been enhanced. A generous helping of Gunslick liquid graphite to all bearing surfaces of the bolt, rails, lugs, any metal to metal surface, and work the action about 80-100 times, will go a long way toward smoothing it out. Liquid graphite is black, slick and somewhat messy, and will require a good cleaning prior to using the rifle. Some prefer a good white grease, but IMHO, the Gunslick works better. After the above described treatment, my Savage 10 is starting to smooth out, but not to the extent of some of the other rifles. Bolt lift will always be a little stiff. Glad as I am that you have at last received the rifle you paid for so long ago, the arrogance
of the company and sales people does not surprise me. After all, you are merely the CUSTOMER!

So, after all your previous bitching and moaning, you got a fine shooting rifle for a fraction of the cost of a custom rifle. And it was chambered and headspaced correctly and the action and magazine was the correct length? Do you think the folks at Shaw know better how to build a rifle. LOL

Before this post, I had never seen nor heard of Beau Garrett.

She's hotter than the .45-70 loadings that bear her name!

I'd bet you won't see spiral fluting on a military rifle. Too expensive for production guns.

That spiral fluting is fugly, period.

I sold the only Cooper rifle I had. I never will buy another. Yes, giving a political contribution to a anti-second amendment politician is a big deal. At least to me.

In my opinion, one of the reasons we have lost our bearings in this country is that the majority of us don't care. We buy anyway. No matter what. A sad testimony on where we are headed. If people like Cooper know you will buy their products regardless of their anti-gun activities, they will keep doing it. Others will follow suit as well.

We have enough trouble from gun haters in this country as it is without having those in our own camp engage in this sort of treason.

Mike

Looked at 3 Coopers at the Olathe gunshop before ordering an ER Shaw MKVII with SS barrel and action in 22-250 with heavy spiral fluted barrel. The Coopers appear to be everything Dave said they are. I understand the traitor at Cooper arms has been removed. Just decided the Shaw is more gun for the money.