The FrankenRifle That Explodes In Your Face, The Eaton's Cooey Carcano

[Big Bad]

This is a fascinating little piece of Canadian history and I half expect to find out the video has already been posted some place here I didn't look, but sporterized military rifles are all Greek to me anyway. As for Eaton's, in my lifetime they had a fairly crummy gun counter in Montreal but a magnificent one in Toronto, so must have been a true reflection of Canadian society in more ways than one.

 

[tiriaq]

Thanks for posting this.
In addition, the M-S 6.5x54 cartridge was used in the M1903 Mannlicher Schoenauer sporting rifle - which did enjoy a degree of popularity in Canada, with ammunition being made here.
As noted in the video, there is essentially no evidence that Cooey had anything to do with making these rifles. The rifles were introduced at the beginning of the Depression - when any opportunity for business and manufacture were prized. Austria was on the losing end of WW1, and anything to keep shop doors open would have been welcome. Look at the sported Mausers, Geha shotguns and Deutsch Werke .22s that came out of Germany in this period.
I suspect the necessity of using the clips would have become a real limiting factor for continued use of these rifles.
While the rifles and ammunition look to be very inexpensive, keep in mind that wages were low in the '30s. My father earned $10 a week in a lumber yard.
Incidentally, I had a fellow bring me 6.5x52 M-C cartridges with badly flattened primers. Shooting 6.5x52 M-C cartridges in one of these 6.5x54M-S rifles is not a good idea. Serious headspace issue.
I posted a thread on CGN about rebarreling one of these rifle to 7.62x39. Having broken down that rifle and a few others, these conversions were not badly done. Whoever did the work was skilled, and productive. The use of the original barrel breech as a bushing allowing a cylindrical, non-shouldered barrel to be installed has merit.
Given how frequently these rifles turn up, there must have been a lot of them sold.

 

[tokguy]

Got a couple...Canadian History.

 

[Hitzy]

Andy tried blowing one up...he couldn't, the actions are strong, how they handle case failure is a different story.

 

[jbmauser]

I’ve put some very high pressure rounds through one as well with no signs of damage. I didn’t go so far as to try and blow it up but there was significant brass extrusion into the mud gutter on the bolt face.

I believe Ackley also came to the conclusion they are a strong action.

It would be interesting to know exactly what the metal composition that these are made from is.

 

[Dosing]

Andy tried blowing one up...he couldn't, the actions are strong, how they handle case failure is a different story.

Yes, people wanting to know more should look in the milsurp forum, lots of posts over the years.

 

[Evanguy]

They are strong actions and the idea the barrels were held in place by set screws is false. I have taken a few a part and they are threaded in place like a barrel nut. I'm not sure where they get the bad rep honestly. The actions are easily good for 50k psi.

 

[pounce_the_jaguar]

I'm a good friend of the shooter in the video and he's chuffed that it's so well received here.

He says to stay tuned for the videos on the ######## and Canada's silly stupid G11 gun ban one day.

 

[HuskyDude]

Thx for sharing that BB, very interesting vid.

I have a few... and even have some ammo somewhere.
At one time I was thinking of taking them to the gun show... but now, they can just stay where they are.
As tokguy stated... Canadian History.