Cooey 64B worth the time?

C

CanukMauser

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I inherited a good looking Cooey 64B with 3 original mags. The online reviews seem pretty mixed about them, just looking for a decent reliable .22 plinker. The rifle has no scope or mounts so before I look into putting optics on it I was wondering if it's worth doing so or should I just pick something more modern up?

The rifle has no sentimental value but it's just collecting dust right now. From what I read I should be able to use most Savage 64 parts?
 
Like most semi's, the reliability of it is based on 3 things. Cleanliness/lubrication of moving parts, good ammo (often high velocity for .22lr semiauto's) , and GOOD WORKING MAGAZINES. If the springs are weak or it has rust or burrs inside the mag....chuck it. Mags are pretty easy to get. If you find any reliability issues, use good ammo, clean it well, and buy a new mag. They sell them at Canadian tire. $20
If it runs well, for sure scope it.
 
I've got one that I've had since the 70's...its never really been all that reliable in feeding...I also picked up a new SS SAvage 64 when they were on sale for 250.00 with a scope and when I use the savage 64 mag in the old cooey 64 it no longer has any feeding issues.:)
 
Mine runs pretty well I only have the new savage 64 mags for it. It's already grooved for dovetail rings.

The only thing I didn't like about mine was the charging handle being too small for me. Ended up replacing it with a DIP Savage 64 handle that I ordered in from Kinney's.
 
Cooley 64B’s are like .303’s - Every Canadian Gunnie should own at least one. I’ve owned several over the years, and with a good mag they can be reliable. They are decently accurate. They aren’t a sniper rifle, but with a decent scope, gophers at 80 yards is no problem. They are easy to find parts for if you do need to do a repair. Easy to work on.

Down side: the trigger isn’t great. The small charging handle mentioned above. ( I’ve turned a couple new ones on the lathe that solved this issue)
 
I adore my 64... have had a few pass through, but still have th'first one.
They can be finicky..
-Clean. (get used to cleaning every 500rds or so) I run them dry...seems counter-intuitive, but after trying all sorts of different lubes I get best functioning results with none at all. For storage/rust prevention only.
-Ammo. Reported results vary on which ammo...try a few. Some like Winchester, mine hate it, etc. A round nosed works best, mine favour federal/CCI. My most accurate days seem to have (ugh) Remington sub-sonics involved.(the only Remington ammo mine will cycle)
-magazines. These are cast from potmetal, and can/do wear out. Try all three

Take yours for a testdrive. If you already own it, then the question of investment isn't serious. Any optic you slap on it will go on a different rimfire if you decide to replace it.
 
CanukMauser said:
I inherited a good looking Cooey 64B with 3 original mags. The online reviews seem pretty mixed about them, just looking for a decent reliable .22 plinker. The rifle has no scope or mounts so before I look into putting optics on it I was wondering if it's worth doing so or should I just pick something more modern up?

The rifle has no sentimental value but it's just collecting dust right now. From what I read I should be able to use most Savage 64 parts?
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I know a guy who owns one and he loves it and hits pretty well anything he shoots with it . I saw a video on you tube a while back on how to make them or the newer savage one uber reliable so buddy said . you want to shoot them with the least amount of lube because they will gum up fast. - hold un burned grains of powder hence jam . you won't have these problems with a Ruger 10-22. larger action and ejection port. use the best ammo you can in it .
 
hey there why would you buy a old gun like that there are many inexpensive 22s on the market .. like a savage bolt action with a accura trigger , or many others your choice... try and find parts for the cooeys very expensive ,,, most old 22s are very worn have excess headspace and are not that reliable .. you get my point ,, forget the old stuff buy new
 
CanukMauser said:
I inherited a good looking Cooey 64B with 3 original mags. The online reviews seem pretty mixed about them, just looking for a decent reliable .22 plinker. The rifle has no scope or mounts so before I look into putting optics on it I was wondering if it's worth doing so or should I just pick something more modern up?

The rifle has no sentimental value but it's just collecting dust right now. From what I read I should be able to use most Savage 64 parts?
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Should be easy to get parts for, Savage acquired the design. Still produced today, and was made since 1964. I believe a few things changed, like the new ones have drilled receivers for scope mounts whereas yours, I believe should have a 3/8 dovetail grooves.

Read something about different mags; I think the older ones were plastic and the new design is steel. Supposedly the bolt wears out the mag body after awhile. But if the bodies are good, you can probably buy new springs if needed from Western Gun Parts in Edmonton. Sounds like the new mag style won't fit the old gun.

I'd take it down and clean it up. Pretty hard to wear out those old .22s. Sounds like the main issues are magazines which you should be able to buy, and fouling. Try graphite dry lube for that. Should be able to pick that up from a hardware store or locksmith locally if the gun store doesn't have it.

Should be able to get it going for next to nothing and probably have a good gun for many years. The old Cooeys have a great rep, and were made pretty well. Worth a try IMO, and it's a nice piece of Canadian history.
 
Gordon M said:
hey there why would you buy a old gun like that there are many inexpensive 22s on the market .. like a savage bolt action with a accura trigger , or many others your choice... try and find parts for the cooeys very expensive ,,, most old 22s are very worn have excess headspace and are not that reliable .. you get my point ,, forget the old stuff buy new
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He didn't buy it . he inherited it . there is nothing wrong with old guns.
 
Gordon M said:
hey there why would you buy a old gun like that there are many inexpensive 22s on the market .. like a savage bolt action with a accura trigger , or many others your choice... try and find parts for the cooeys very expensive ,,, most old 22s are very worn have excess headspace and are not that reliable .. you get my point ,, forget the old stuff buy new
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A lot of us here prefer the old stuff over the new stuff. I have a mordern .22 thats very accurate and reliable but I take a old cooey 600 to the range most times because it just feels better shooting it. Some of the mordern rifles just feel souless shooting them its just like people who drive classic cars a mordern car will beat the classic in every class apart from the feeling driving them.
 
Midnight Rider said:
I have a couple of older 64Bs ; and I wouldn't bother putting to much time or money into one....you might be better off just to buy a good used Ruger 10-22 that is already scoped .
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Yeah but 10-22s can have their issues too, my buddies is a piece of crap that rarely gets through 10 rounds without a problem...
 
I say clean it up, test it out, see how yours runs. I've never owned one, but have brought one back to life (inherited by a family member). I've never felt tempted to own a 64 myself, but have had a number of Cooey bolt guns come and go. An inherited gun is always worth a little TLC...if only to familiarize yourself with a new gun type, and see how well it works. Or doesn't. It wouldn't make my top 5 list of 'best econo 22s"...but if I were the OP, I'd see this as a good opportunity to mess with something new.
 
Those old semi autos really like the 40 grain 1000fps+ to run well. Modern .22LR is downloaded from what used to be the standard as far as I'm concerned.
 
Sniper_485 said:
Those old semi autos really like the 40 grain 1000fps+ to run well. Modern .22LR is downloaded from what used to be the standard as far as I'm concerned.
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A bit over 1000 is more or less standard velocity. The cartridge was originally black powder and when it went smokeless, the original loads were matching BP velocity. Most of the new stuff is high velocity, and much faster. A lot of the semi auto guns seem to be made for high velocity 1200 + fps ammo with 40 gr. bullet, especially if there is a little fouling. The newer CCI Velocitor is hitting over 1400 fps with a 40 gr. bullet.

Kind of a long way of saying the old stuff wasn't very hot, and in the later decades, regular high velocity became much more popular and is a couple hundred fps over the old stuff on average.
 
tactical lever said:
A bit over 1000 is more or less standard velocity. The cartridge was originally black powder and when it went smokeless, the original loads were matching BP velocity. Most of the new stuff is high velocity, and much faster. A lot of the semi auto guns seem to be made for high velocity 1200 + fps ammo with 40 gr. bullet, especially if there is a little fouling. The newer CCI Velocitor is hitting over 1400 fps with a 40 gr. bullet.

Kind of a long way of saying the old stuff wasn't very hot, and in the later decades, regular high velocity became much more popular and is a couple hundred fps over the old stuff on average.
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I disagree. That package is nearly twice as old as I am.
 
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I had one for many years

Before that I had a Remingtin Nylon 66 but the tube mag made it awkward to load so I switched to the 64 because it was mag fed. The 66 would run thousands of rounds between cleanings and never falter.

I agree with most of the guys, they run dirty and the only way to do a good job of cleaning is to do a complete tear down. BUT I had mine for the better parts of 30 years and while it does have some feed issues if you polish the hell out of the ramp it'll be better and good ammo will keep it running longer between cleanings. I always run CCI mini-mags, but thats just me. As for accuracy I never had any complaints it always shot right where I pointed it.

The only reason I ever sold it was I went back to a bolt gun for a 22.
 
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