SmallCaliberCentral

Captqc wrote:Flash, how much do you want to spend?

That's definitely the first question that must be answered.

I can tell you from personal experience that my Cooper will punch very tight groups with Hornady 40 gr V-max factory loads. Many others have had outstanding results with Savage accuracy. Just comes down to what you like and how much you want to spend.

The first question to be answered is "what is a factory rifle". The title of the post is "NEED SUPER ACCURATE FACTORY 204". I think the Cooper must really be a very nice rifle, certinally appealing to the eye. BUT in my opinion, Coopers are not factory rifles, they are at least a semi-custom rifle, if not a custom rifle. JMO.

K22 wrote:stevecrea - I'm not sure when they started, but Tikka is making the 204 in their "Lite" model now.
http://www.tikka.fi/pdf/specs/LiteStainless.pdf

I have one of those accurate 204 T3 lites in the laminate stainless models. Can hardly wait for ground squirrel season again. It's topped off with a Bushnell Elite 6500, 2.5 - 16 x 42 Mildot. I chose this scope purposely for my walk about yote rifle. The 2.5 power is ideal for those close called in shots and the 16 power is still good enough for the long distance shots on skippy.





Here are the results of my latest load data using 24 gr RL-10X with the Hornady 45 gr SP's. Can't wait to smack a yote with them.

poppybull wrote:The first question to be answered is "what is a factory rifle". The title of the post is "NEED SUPER ACCURATE FACTORY 204". I think the Cooper must really be a very nice rifle, certinally appealing to the eye. BUT in my opinion, Coopers are not factory rifles, they are at least a semi-custom rifle, if not a custom rifle. JMO.

At that point, I think we're splitting hairs and arguing semantics. When most people ask about buying a factory rifle, they simply mean a gun that can be purchased over the counter from firearms dealers across the country. Cooper certainly offers people the flexibility of adding custom options to rifles, but the basic nuts and bolts are the same on all of them.

Guess your right, a rifle is a rifle, is a rifle. Sure hope my wife does not see this post, because if she does, she's gonna want a Maserati to replace the Hummer she now drives. Same nuts and bolts, a vehicle is a vehicle, is a vehicle. Can both be purchased straight from a dealer. Gonna be kinda hard to convince her we talking apples to oranges. JMO

poppybull wrote:Guess your right, a rifle is a rifle, is a rifle. Sure hope my wife does not see this post, because if she does, she's gonna want a Maserati to replace the Hummer she now drives. Same nuts and bolts, a vehicle is a vehicle, is a vehicle. Can both be purchased straight from a dealer. Gonna be kinda hard to convince her we talking apples to oranges. JMO

I don't want to sidetrack this thread, so this will be the last comment that I make out of respect to the OP.

A Maserati and a Hummer are both very much factory vehicles. So is a Kia. The fact that they sell at wildly different price points does not preclude any of them from being factory automobiles. Further, the comparison does nothing to bolster your point, because we're are talking about factory vs. custom builds and not focusing on price. To make such a comparison in the automotive world, you'd have to compare a Hummer with something like a Kirkham Cobra that is produced one order at a time.

I'm not trying to make this some type of heated debate, but I get the feeling that you are being intentionally obtuse in an attempt to solidify your stance. In the end, it really doesn't matter where you and I draw the line between factory and custom rifles. All that matters is that we offer the OP constructive feedback about the most accurate .204 rifles that will suit his needs.

K22:

Yes, I know that Tikka makes several models that they chamber in .204. However, BerettaUSA is the importer, and if you go to their website (berettausa.com), I do not believe that they import any of the .204s into the US. This is unfortunate, and I must presume that it is due to financial and economic reasons. The Varminter in left-hand would definitely be on my wishlist, or in my arsenal.

Cooper sounds like the best of "factory" and "custom" worlds to me. If the (rare) one doesn't shoot to your liking, just send it back and they'll fix it; try that with some of the big names. Mine in .204 came with a 1-hole 3-shot (handload) test target, although they've run a print ad that either states or implies that their rifles will shoot around 1/2" with factory ammo (am trying to locate ad to verify, although it's hard to absolutely guarantee that kind of performance with factory ammo in any rifle.) Coopers aren't really much more than the mainstream brands, in fact IMO when you consider the improvement $ you don't have spend on them and the way they should hold their value, they can arguably almost be called a bargain.
As others have stated, CZ would also be a good out-of-the box bet. I have one in .221FB and it came with a test target shot w/factory ammo. FYI: www.budsgunshop.com sells the heavier-barrel Varmint 527 .204 for about the same $ as the sporter American model.

I shot a Cooper the other day in 204. Dunno what model it is but it had a stock that looks like a blood splatter look to it. For an out of the box rifle, its tough to beat. But in the end, it didn't group as well as my Remington 700, which needed bedding, crowning and free floating and a trigger adjustment. Now it shoots 1/4" groups at 200 yards, if I do my part. The Cooper on the other hand, could use some load tweaking and it would proabley do the same.

Cooper, unlike others, stands behind their products. Also, they do install a custom (Wilson) barrel, which the others do not. Not saying factory barrels aren't good (because mine are), but the odds of getting a "turd" are much higher.

Jim

Jim White wrote:I shot a Cooper the other day in 204. Dunno what model it is but it had a stock that looks like a blood splatter look to it.

That's the Phoenix model.

Jim White wrote:Also, they do install a custom (Wilson) barrel, which the others do not. Not saying factory barrels aren't good (because mine are), but the odds of getting a "turd" are much higher.

Jim

Wilson actually purchased Cooper.

I checked out one of those T/C Ventures today at Cabelas. Not one of the new 204's just a 30-06.
Ya know, for the money $459) not a bad rifle at all. Its not a Cooper by a long shot. Its not a bench gun either.
It would need some work right out of the box.
The one I held had a cheap flimsy stock that contacted the barrel its entire length. Easy enough to fix.
Action cycled pretty much like a Savage. A little tighter tolerances I'd say but then again it does'nt have a floating bolt head so it better be tighter.
What intigues this die hard Savage fan is the 10 twist 5R rifling barrel they're screwing on these things in 204 starting this year.
If I was in the need for a walking varminter I'd order one up in 204. If I had'nt spent so much money on another gun in the last month I'd order one anyway. I'd bet I own one before the year is out.
Keep an eye on T/C. If they offer up that 5R 10 twist in a quality heavy varmint model next year it will set new standards.


edit
Woops I just noticed the Icon precision hunter is stated to have a 10 twist 5R barrel. Oh this just hurts.

My Savage 12 VL shoots ~1/3" or less with about anything I stick in it. The first time I shot it at that distance, it put four rounds into 11/16ths at 200 yards with 32-grain Hornady factory stuff. Its 5-shot 200 yard groups are almost always under 1". One 3-shot group measured 0.375" overall, 0.171" C-C:


Savage 12 VL, .204 Ruger, three shots, 200 yards, 0.375" overall with a "developmental" handload. I'm still working on making my handloads shoot better than factory stuff.

This was the first 5 shot group i shot with my howa when it was new.
32 grain hornady v-max factory loads.
I own another howa 223 varminter that is just as accurate.