Cooper Factory Bedding?
 

How much is bedded on Cooper factory rifles, let's say a Model 21 Varminter or Montana Varminter? I have never had any of my rifles apart. Do they just add some bedding around the recoil lug, do they bed the whole action and recoil lug, or is it the whole action, recoil lug and a section of the barrel shank?

Thanks,

Danny

My Coopers that have been out of the stock had bedding around the recoil lug only. Never seen one completely bedded.

Danny, PM sent.

Jaybird

Didn't get anything.

Danny

Bedding
 

Same here, I have 5 Coopers in both model 21 & 38. Only bedding is at the lug area, about an inch worth in length.

On my model 38 and 21 the area around the lug and the front of the receiver is bedded and the first inch of the barrel channel on the receiver end is bedded.

The bedding is around the recoil lug and the front of the receiver and it extends forward to bed an inch or so of the barrel. So all in all there is about an 1-1/2" or 2" in the lug area, the rear of the action is not bedded.

Taking the rifle apart is not a big deal - remove the two action screws, take of the floorplate then remove the action from the stock.

Hint - use a sharpie and mark the orientation of the screws to the floorplate and when the rifle is reassembled line up the orientation marks and the rifle will go back to the same point of aim as before disassembly.

Hint #2 - If you happen to have a Cooper that is not grouping quite as well as you would like try loosening or tightening the rear action screw about 1/8 of a turn, a little more, or a little less tension on the rear action screw can affect group size.

drover

All spot-on advice.

Something to consider with Hint #2 - If group size is affected by tightening/loosening the rear action screw, it usually indicates the action is being stressed or torqued. When bedded properly at the tang, there should be no detectable 'bending' or stressing of the action if both front and rear contact surfaces are bearing on even, uniform surfaces.

Sometimes removing just a bit of stock material at the tang, and re-bedding it properly with no discernible action stress is all that's required to get a 'good' shooting rifle, into an 'excellent' shooting one. At least that's been my experience FWIW.