Cooey M71 .308 What do you guys think?

bill c68

bill c68

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So I was thinking of "customizing" this M71 I picked up.
Is it worth it?

What I have is a Cooey M71 (almos but not quite identical to a Winchester M70) in .308, it cost me a whopping $200 and is in very good condition except for a hairline crack in the stock.

My thoughts are to shorten the stock (to about 13" lop or so) for my wife and hopefully not make it too short for myself. I also plan to install a Limbasaver pad, bed the action, float the bbl, lighten the trigger and paint the stock with bed liner. Then install a nice scope when the time comes. If the project works out I may also install a mercury recoil reducer.

Question is: Is this gun worth the effort?

Maybe the gun is best kept original as a piece of Canadian history.
 
I've shot 2 centerfire cooey's, both were surprisingly accurate.

It's a low end gun, I wouldn't put to much into it, would make a nice beater for a newbie
 
Amphibious said:
I've shot 2 centerfire cooey's, both were surprisingly accurate.

It's a low end gun, I wouldn't put to much into it, would make a nice beater for a newbie
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I figure, with the pad and paint, I am looking at $50, bedding, I have never attempted but this might be a good beginner's project. If at that point I am happy with it, I will consider other mods.

Actually as far as I can tell the only difference between this and the Winchester is the bottom of the receiver which is unfortunate as the flat bottomed receiver was the one feature making the Winchester superior to the Remington. ( Oh... that should get a few comments)
 
I've shot 2 centerfire cooey's, both were surprisingly accurate.

It's a low end gun, I wouldn't put to much into it, would make a nice beater for a newbie
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One of my hunting buddies had one in 30.06. Darn thing shot cloverleaf groups and he hunted with it for years, no issues.
 
I have one in 3006. Cost me $164 at Crappy Tire. Was there for a year at lower and lower prices. Could not resist the deal.

I bedded it and it shoots 1" with match bullets, about 1.5" with hunting bullets. Stock looks like it was made from melted down hockey sticks, but rifle outshoots all my other M70's.

If you cust down stock, a slip on recouil pad will bring it back to size for you. To reduce recoil for your wife, laod milder ammo. A 308 loaded to 30-30 velocity would be fine on deer. If you don't load, find a friend who does.
 
GANDERITE said:
I have one in 3006. Cost me $164 at Crappy Tire. Was there for a year at lower and lower prices. Could not resist the deal.

I bedded it and it shoots 1" with match bullets, about 1.5" with hunting bullets. Stock looks like it was made from melted down hockey sticks, but rifle outshoots all my other M70's.

If you cust down stock, a slip on recouil pad will bring it back to size for you. To reduce recoil for your wife, laod milder ammo. A 308 loaded to 30-30 velocity would be fine on deer. If you don't load, find a friend who does.
Click to expand...

$164? I guess I overpaid.

My first plan wat to not cut the stock and try to find an M-70 synthetic stock. Apparently there is a bit more work involved to fit them, so I think I will be choppity chopping.
 
Outside of shortening the stock and installing a Limbsaver which has a big impact on the shootability of the rifle for your wife, the other steps can be optional and at your discretion. Have you shot it yet as is?

If you are looking to increase the gun's value by doing this stuff, it'll probably add a few dollars, but I doubt you will recuperate every penny put in in time and money. However, the purpose is to have a pleasant shooter for your wife
which will have years of hopefull pleasure from it. None of this stuff will break the bank if you do it yourself and as you put it, it will be a great learning experience and probably a lot of fun too! So why not? I'd do it.
 
I had in .270 win. Frikkin awesome shooter. Cooeys aren't worth ####...even Enfield's have a prouder heritage. As Woodsman points out, you will never recoup any costs so mod it for the wife and keep it forever.

Don't look back at the history. It distracts from the now.
 
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