Cooper Firearms is **NOT** Closing Down Operations

My source told me today they drove by their plant not to long ago and there was only four cars in the parking lot , so who knows if their done but it looks like it.
SG

Georgejr said:

Gents:

Heard today that Cooper Firearms are Closing Down their Operations. Have no other details yet on what might still be available for sale from their finished inventory of Rifles or parts.

Cheers,

George Jr.

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Well , that stinks . 😩 I feel bad for the employees . Just a random thought ; I wonder if Dan Cooper is aware of the situation ? 🤔 Wondering if he might “make a comeback “ .

Savagenut said:

Well , that stinks . 😩 I feel bad for the employees . Just a random thought ; I wonder if Dan Cooper is aware of the situation ? 🤔 Wondering if he might “make a comeback “ .

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Did Cooper sell the business?

Dan Cooper resigned in 2008, if that's what you're asking..

If so there high price just went higher guess I'll never get a 57m custom classic ..... Crap!

VA-outlaw said:

If so there high price just went higher guess I'll never get a 57m custom classic ..... Crap!

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If you knew what one of our Australian members went through with his, consider yourself lucky.
I'm also not surprised to see them fail. They tried to be too many things to too many people.
Too many models and calibers offered.
And at the end of the day, just so many people willing to spend 3500 for a gun with a plastic stock. Their forte was stock making, which they tried to shift away from, due to the costs of blanks and talented labor.

How does that happen with a recent price increase and a supposed backlog of orders?...Tom

Thomasconnor said:

How does that happen with a recent price increase and a supposed backlog of orders?...Tom

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The usual reason is their costs over run their profits. Another reason is they manage the business poorly. Or their market deserts them for whatever reasons.

Just last week, I inquired about buying some steel magazine floorplates. (in anticipation of buying an Anschutz 1712)
They indicated that all of their stock was allocated, but they expected more soon, and to check back in two weeks.

I talked to them just a couple weeks ago about my 57m that shoots 3” groups (they didn’t care) and they said they had 2 years worth of guns to fix and were behind on new guns. I hate it for the employees. I hope the owners go broke with the company but I’m sure they won’t.

When you start a new company out and sales are brisk, you think you’re a success. Eventually, returns start coming back for various reasons. Sooner or later the plotted curves start to intersect and that’s when your problems start. The cost of returns and rework take away the profits you’ve been enjoying are gone. Time to close up shop and reopen under another name.

Providing an accuracy guarantee is a sure path to failure. Your business cannot survive that, hence the 2 years of repairs backlog. It they had just focused on making nicely stocked rifles accompanied by impressive test targets with no implied guarantee, they would still be in business.

Art

Oh man..... Just when I was thinking about ordering, really, I was..... I guess the secondary market prices will jump.

VA-outlaw said:

If so there high price just went higher guess I'll never get a 57m custom classic ..... Crap!

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Hendershots has one.

"If so there high price just went higher guess I'll never get a 57m custom classic ..... Crap!"

Fear not, I have a Custom Classic in .17 HMR that I bought around 2002-ish. I don't buy guns for investments, but if my usual financial acumen holds, it will soon be worth around $50.00. Beautiful looking and operating gun, but I don't get to use it since my friend with acreage had the nerve to up and die on me.

Hopefully the internet news is wrong and they'll stay in business.

Well, I hope Cooper survives. Everything is just speculation at this point, though, even the company's demise. There are myriad possible reasons beyond those already mentioned. IF Cooper fails, it sounds like Kimber of Oregon all over again. I was still hoping Cooper would resume production of the cute little M38 rifles. 🤞

I called Cooper this morning and asked if there were ceasing production and their reply, while a bit vague, was - "we are still building rifles and still taking orders". I tried to get a more difinitive answer but that was the only reply I could elicit.

I hope for their survival but IMO they need to get back to their core business - nice looking wood stocked rifles in small calibers that most other manufacterers are not trying to compete with.
Even though most of their orders for wood stocked rifles are with upgrades they would be wise to offer some models with a less figured wood at an entry level price range, say $1500 or so for Classic and Varminter models. Build a customer base again.

There was an old saying when I was a kid - "dance with the one who brought you", Cooper seems to have forgotten what brought them to success and quit trying to be everything to everybody.

drover

I cant find anything on the net saying they are closing. I would think there would be a public announcement of some sort.

Back when Dan Coonan was making .357mag semi-automatics I bought two of his guns. The second one was when he was having problems with marriage and production. Long story short, he had one of those guns for almost two years along with my money before I got the gun and he then went belly up. Don’t send any company money whose future appears to be dubious for any reason. They try everything they can to stay above water and when they lose you lose.