Moving a business is normal. Keeping its reputation and quality intact is not so easy. Time will tell.
Nighthawk Custom Acquires Cooper Firearms
I just got an email from Nighthawk that they now own Cooper Firearms.
January 5, 2023 in Berryville, Arkansas -
Mark Stone - Owner/CEO of Nighthawk Custom:
I am pleased to announce that Nighthawk Custom LLC has acquired Cooper Firearms of Montana, known for custom bolt-action rifles. The rifle company will now operate as Cooper Rifles of Arkansas LLC and will be located on the same campus as Nighthawk Custom in Northwest Arkansas. Nighthawk Custom will proudly be the exclusive distributor of all Cooper Rifles.
Customers of Cooper will be pleased to know that the name, legacy, and reputation of building high quality custom rifles will continue, and we as a company look forward to strengthening the brand and even improve upon the quality of the past.
We ask for your patience during this time of transition as we move all operations to Berryville, Arkansas. At this time, we are not able to give you an exact date that Cooper Rifles will begin operations. The process will take time, and our goal is to ensure the same great products and customer service from Cooper Rifles that you have come to know and expect from Nighthawk Custom. It will be worth the wait, and we know that you will be thrilled with the quality, craftsmanship, and our excellent customer support.
As owner and CEO of Nighthawk Custom, I am very excited about this acquisition. Cooper has a long reputation of building fine and accurate rifles for over 30 years. Each rifle will be built with 100% fully machined parts, stunning wood, hand checkering, and beautiful finishes that are a perfect fit with our existing offerings that we are known for.
Please like and follow Cooper Rifles social media and check out the website for the latest news and information. We will do our best to keep you up to date and informed on our progress.
Thank you for your continued support. We are excited for what 2023 holds and we are thankful that you are a part of it.
Sincerely,
Mark Stone
Owner & CEO
January 5, 2023 in Berryville, Arkansas -
Mark Stone - Owner/CEO of Nighthawk Custom:
I am pleased to announce that Nighthawk Custom LLC has acquired Cooper Firearms of Montana, known for custom bolt-action rifles. The rifle company will now operate as Cooper Rifles of Arkansas LLC and will be located on the same campus as Nighthawk Custom in Northwest Arkansas. Nighthawk Custom will proudly be the exclusive distributor of all Cooper Rifles.
Customers of Cooper will be pleased to know that the name, legacy, and reputation of building high quality custom rifles will continue, and we as a company look forward to strengthening the brand and even improve upon the quality of the past.
We ask for your patience during this time of transition as we move all operations to Berryville, Arkansas. At this time, we are not able to give you an exact date that Cooper Rifles will begin operations. The process will take time, and our goal is to ensure the same great products and customer service from Cooper Rifles that you have come to know and expect from Nighthawk Custom. It will be worth the wait, and we know that you will be thrilled with the quality, craftsmanship, and our excellent customer support.
As owner and CEO of Nighthawk Custom, I am very excited about this acquisition. Cooper has a long reputation of building fine and accurate rifles for over 30 years. Each rifle will be built with 100% fully machined parts, stunning wood, hand checkering, and beautiful finishes that are a perfect fit with our existing offerings that we are known for.
Please like and follow Cooper Rifles social media and check out the website for the latest news and information. We will do our best to keep you up to date and informed on our progress.
Thank you for your continued support. We are excited for what 2023 holds and we are thankful that you are a part of it.
Sincerely,
Mark Stone
Owner & CEO
1 - 20 of 63 Posts
NightHawk Custom has a reputation for building quality pistols, and the price reflects the quality. The company advertises that pistol is completely produced by one person. That is an expensive way to manufacture a complex product, so I wonder if that philosophy will be used on Cooper rifles. If so, I expect more price increases, and parts interchangeability becomes questionable.Moving a business is normal. Keeping its reputation and quality intact is not so easy. Time will tell.
I'm surprised this isn't provoking a bigger reaction from all of the Cooper fans . . .
I have a couple premium 1911s from Brown and Wilson. Nighthawk does tend to be priced at the higher end of that group. They also tend to be more modern/innovative on the design side which I don’t personally care for in the 1911, but they do offer a couple traditional models. How this translates to Cooper who knows, besides being firearms the products are very different.
This is clearly a wait and see. Nighthawk has a very good reputation and I expect they want to keep it that way. But their philosophy and culture are unique (like all companies) and almost certainly different than Cooper's which will have to change somewhat. (As anyone who has gone through a merger or acquisition well knows.) What will be the impact on the product line? Lose some existing models? Get some new models? Probably both. Mostly center-fires or rimfires (both, we hope)? Parts availability is always a question and one I hope Nighthawk is tuned into. Like a I said, wait and see.
Doug
Doug
If anyone was going to to take cooper over I think nighthawk has a good chance keeping the cooper quality up. And they have awesome customer service.
Yup, tis a waste of brain cells hypothesizing what will be.This is clearly a wait and see.
Doug
I've shot several Nighthawk 1911s and have one of their joint venture Korth Mongoose. 357s.
They are about as good as you want, the Korth is perfectly finished and is a very finely tuned machine. It is one of the very few firearms that I own that is unmodified, it is that good.
I have no experience with Cooper Firearms but I'd say they are going to be in good hands.
They will add a completely new line of guns and income stream to Nighthawk's portfolio and they probably don't have any plans to kill a golden goose.
They are about as good as you want, the Korth is perfectly finished and is a very finely tuned machine. It is one of the very few firearms that I own that is unmodified, it is that good.
I have no experience with Cooper Firearms but I'd say they are going to be in good hands.
They will add a completely new line of guns and income stream to Nighthawk's portfolio and they probably don't have any plans to kill a golden goose.
Well as an owner of 2 Coopers rifles, I'm pretty piXXed at the way Cooper misled customers in their recent webpage statement they sent out about "closing down for the holidays because they were moving to a bigger building to be able to produce more rifles in a shorter time period, to get caught up. That was total b.s. They knew then they were either in the process of selling or had already sold out. So what about the loyal customers who plunked down $4K for their custom rifles and have been waiting for 2 years? What about warranty for rifles bought under the Cooper Rifles of Montana name? The old owners took the cowards way out of closing down Cooper Rifles IMO, instead of being square with loyal customers.I'm surprised this isn't provoking a bigger reaction from all of the Cooper fans . . .
Nighthawk may make great pistols, but as far as I know they have zero experience in the custom rifles sector. At least no PROVEN experience. So yea, I'm pissed!
What about the firing pin that would not go in and when asked . . . 'They all have to be custom fitted".
I have two Coopers and can not say their customer service impressed me.
I have two Coopers and can not say their customer service impressed me.
Cooper wouldn't back the model 36 so it isn't the first time around the block for Cooper.
Kimber of New York wouldn't back the Kimber of Oregons.
Remington, Winchester, Marlin, Thompson Center. On and on it goes.
Kimber of New York wouldn't back the Kimber of Oregons.
Remington, Winchester, Marlin, Thompson Center. On and on it goes.
The backing of the model 36 when it was the product of the day, left a lot to be desired.
One of my better gun moves, to be rid of my pair.
One of my better gun moves, to be rid of my pair.
As with Kimber's move from Oregon to NY, how many experienced employee's would make the move to Arkansas from Montana? hmmm....
I can only hope and pray for better wood, finishes that don't spot up in the rain, quality control and customer service.
Time will tell.
I can only hope and pray for better wood, finishes that don't spot up in the rain, quality control and customer service.
Time will tell.
I'd like to see Cooper of Arkansas tap into some resources/employees from before the days of Hugo's purchase. Following Hugo's purchase I feel like Cooper's culture was whitewashed. Perhaps they made a mistake when they decided to get into the high end repeater market. Cooper had carved a really neat niche for itself with it's single shot actions, diverse chamberings and offering the Model 38. Cooper under Hugo stepped away from what made a Cooper a Cooper. Cooper of Arkansas needs to pull from the brightest spots of Cooper's history and show how this move revitalizes the Cooper brand. Following conversations with the folks at Nighthawk it sounds like they mean business and want to build some fine rifles. I look forward to seeing what Cooper of Arkansas has in store....
Meh, we're too old and its time to sell off some of the herd like Camster.Me too!
Doug
Al, I'm "up there" too (maybe further than you are), and have four beautiful and very accurate Cooper 57Ms. I doubt seriously that I'll buy any more, but I would find it difficult to part with the ones I have. In any case, I'd like to see Cooper come back strong with great quality rifles and thrive. We need such rifle manufacturers in the USA.
Doug
Doug
Well guys , I have an LVT 57m & Montana 57m which I've
been shooting for years and just love .
I'M on your side , what ever Cooper of W?T?H does I don't need to hold their
hand and sing camp songs.
... skwerl
been shooting for years and just love .
I'M on your side , what ever Cooper of W?T?H does I don't need to hold their
hand and sing camp songs.
... skwerl
Till the paperwork is signed they have been told to keep it under wraps (confidentiality). But they did give customers “ a heads up” .Well as an owner of 2 Coopers rifles, I'm pretty piXXed at the way Cooper misled customers in their recent webpage statement they sent out about "closing down for the holidays because they were moving to a bigger building to be able to produce more rifles in a shorter time period, to get caught up. That was total b.s. They knew then they were either in the process of selling or had already sold out. So what about the loyal customers who plunked down $4K for their custom rifles and have been waiting for 2 years? What about warranty for rifles bought under the Cooper Rifles of Montana name? The old owners took the cowards way out of closing down Cooper Rifles IMO, instead of being square with loyal customers.
Nighthawk may make great pistols, but as far as I know they have zero experience in the custom rifles sector. At least no PROVEN experience. So yea, I'm pissed!
1 - 20 of 63 Posts
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