The Cooey Make-Over Thread

Restored a Cooey I bought from Greyman441 a few weeks ago, Bolt busted after a defective round on the second day of shooting. So it goes. Hopefully I get it back in the game soon.

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Seeing that this gun was one of my wife's favorite to shoot, I thought I would get her input on it and asked her what she would like carved in place where the rabbit was. She gave me this image of a wild rose.



Taking her idea I came up with a design, and my dad then spent some time carving and sanding the design on the stock.





Next was the color of the stain and I wanted a reddish colour. We decided that it would look nice in cordovan and here is the finished rifle.



tashiaka, after seeing the initial carving as I scrolled down the thread I thought "nah, don't like where this is going". Then I got to the images of your finished work...BEAUTIFUL! Love it.

I'm a "Wood" man. Just loving this thread.
 
Great thread! I am trying to get my Grandpa's old Model 60 ready to go But I have no rear sight and the front one is in pretty bad shape. Does anyone have an old set they are willing to part with? I would appreciate any suggestions for replacement iron sights too.
 
I wouldn't mind finding some open sights as well. I'm trying to refurbish both a model 39 and model 60 for Xmas gifts and have everything I need, except the sights. Surely with all the modern sights available, there should be something close. I'd hate to think that "hammer & chisel" me has to try making them myself!
 
This thread has really inspired me. I've never done a refinish, but I recently got a single shot and a Cooey repeater. The repeater was redone obviously in the recent past but the single shot could use some love. Now that the weather is turning the single shot will be my cold-weather project. This thread has me considering all my options for refinishing. I know cold blue isn't the best option for redoing a whole gun, but with my lack of set-up it appears my only option, so I'll try it. My plan for the stock is a simple strip, sand and lin-seed oil to try and find some old interesting grain hidden underneath. Wondering if anyone out there has a picture (or better yet a clip-art or outline drawing) of the old Cooey logo they used to use on the sides of the shotguns? It had COOEY written in outline-block letters with stylized maple leaves on the edges. I have an idea to try and put that on the stock somehow. Any help would be awesome (Google wasn't my friend thus far other than a small, angled picture)
 
This thread has really inspired me. I've never done a refinish, but I recently got a single shot and a Cooey repeater. The repeater was redone obviously in the recent past but the single shot could use some love. Now that the weather is turning the single shot will be my cold-weather project. This thread has me considering all my options for refinishing. I know cold blue isn't the best option for redoing a whole gun, but with my lack of set-up it appears my only option, so I'll try it. My plan for the stock is a simple strip, sand and lin-seed oil to try and find some old interesting grain hidden underneath. Wondering if anyone out there has a picture (or better yet a clip-art or outline drawing) of the old Cooey logo they used to use on the sides of the shotguns? It had COOEY written in outline-block letters with stylized maple leaves on the edges. I have an idea to try and put that on the stock somehow. Any help would be awesome (Google wasn't my friend thus far other than a small, angled picture)

You can get very nice looking results (almost factory looking) doing a whole barrel with cold blue. I have done a few. However, the finish may wear easily, especially if the gun is used in harsher weather. I wouldn't use cold blue if it was a gun of some value but with guns like these I'd give it a try. The other option might be if you know of someone who does hot bluing. Maybe you could do the prep work and see if they will just charge for dipping it.
 
Model 75 Make-Over (PICTURE HEAVY!)

After a few weeks of "When I find a few spare minutes" worth of restoring, my first Make-Over is completed. Like all novices I learned many things while doing this; as my dad would say "It's easy to learn lots when you start with zero knowledge"
First mistake, no "Before" pictures of the complete gun. But follow me anyways through my journey

First, I started with the stock.


Hindsight, probably would have used regular furniture stripper. The "Environmentally Friendly" option took 2 attempts to strip the stock, each time leaving the stripper to sit for 6 hours the first time, 18 hours the second time. Eventually it worked, but it was a long time waiting


Next step was sanding. I wasn't aiming for pristine, although I did try a trick of using an iron to steam out some bigger dings. More hindsight, I would have put down a sheet of plastic or something to save the sawdust from covering my extra-fancy gun table cover... the wife REALLY didn't like the sawdust going into the washing machine :rolleyes:


The bolt wasn't in bad shape to start


But I attempted to clean it up a bit anyways... It must be a different type of metal that you can get REALLY shiny, because I put a lot of elbow grease into this and this is as good as it got...?


I didn't have access to anything for hot blueing so cold-blueing was my only option. For the previous condition of the barrel anything would help (Also hindsight, take a full before picture of the barrel, not when it's half done)


Even though I was warned about the possible short life of cold-blue, I think it worked out just fine


Now back to the stock. I wanted to make it unique, something I haven't seen before. So I took advantage of the wood-burning kit the wife found in her Grandpa's basement over Christmas. I fashioned a logo and off I went...


Using graphite paper to transfer the logo gives very faint lines to follow


After the maple leaves are already done I really like where this is going


Logo done and after one more quick polish with 300 grit, I'm ready for stain


This is after coat 1 of Boiled Linseed Oil. I ended up doing 6 coats. Each coat sat for 24 hours and had 400 grit sandpaper polish in between coats


All in all, I am stoked on the results. It was a fun project that I got to look forward to in the cold months, and I learned alot (Re-see dad's quote at beginning of post)
I enjoyed it enough that I may try again with an old Cooey 12 gauge I was given a few months back...


I think the Old Canadian Flag is appropriate seeing as this gun was made before, what is now our current flag, was born
 
Nice job! Lots of hard work usually pays off and you now have something both beautiful and unique!
(I learned the same as you did with my current project....no before pics. Oh well, next time)
Look forward to seeing your next project.
 
Went down to a friends uncle's butcher shop the other day to fix some of his guns that he uses for butchering, he pulls this one out of the locker and says I can have it. The stock in the picture is covered in mold and fecal matter, the barrel is covered in rust but no pitting except a small spot on the receiver. The main issue is that the pivot point for the trigger is broken but shouldn't be a hard fix and currently I have no trigger for it. What surprised me is the bore is as shiny as a new rifle.

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So far I got all the the rust of the metal parts and am just waiting to get in to town to get a bluing kit. I went to work on the stock, started by putting it in the bathroom and cranking the heat in the shower to steam it and loosen stuff up. I scraped of the mold, poo, and what was left of some awful red varnish with my pocket knife and used an awl to clean out the checkering. After that I gave it a good sanding with automotive sanding mesh and just coated it in gun oil. the color that was hidden under that red varnish is beautiful.
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I was left a Original Cooey 64 with the plastic clip whem my uncle passed away, I managed to find a Magazine well and Magazine at a Fantastic price but he did not have the Barrel retaining clip so I modified the original clip I had hear (20 Min Job). The person I bought it from ( not sure if he wants me to put his name here) suggested i post the pictures here .check out the Pictures below:
Not much difference in the clips:
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Here it is Cut off:
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You will have to cleanup and check the thickness of where it goes on the firearm. I had to change the thickness so I actually file on the inside and outside. Usually take about 4 to 6 passes and try the clip in the rifle.
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and 20 Minutes later here it is installed in my brothers 64B.
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The other thing you will need to do is modify the floor plate not much to modify. Here is a picture of the original 64 that will need to be notched, one I have notched (this one will not be as wide) and a original cooey 64b.
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I also had to replace the sight elevator so I made this out of Aluminum. It is not perfect but neither was the original I took a pattern from.
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I plan on reblueing the gun so I will touch up the clip when I do this, if you don't plan on rebluing then you so apply some blueing to the clip to help protect it.
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The Magwell and Magazine both cleaned up nicely, Got the Magwell mounted give the magazine a little cold Bluing ( whole gun needs to be hot blued, future project)

Had to modify the stock to accommodate the Magwell and add a Nylon washer under the screw next to the housing. As you can see the barrel is on but have to modify the retaing clip a little more, Also have to modify the floor plate

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Well all together, the bottom cooey is the 64 that I just converted, the stock is not finished but the conversion of the Magazine is complete. The middle one is the cooey that my uncle left to my brother, the stock on this one is how mine looked when I started ( I got this one cleaned up and working good just got to refinish the stock). The last cooey is my wife's that belonged to her father, it was a 64 with a broken plastic magazine that I converted.

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You ever try to steam the Dings out of the wood?

I also use 2 drops of Japan Drier in my Oil ( and I mean 2 drops from a eye dropper) this will let your oil dry faster (usally a 1/3 of the normal drying time) , harder and more of a gloss and no need to use varnish.I also hand polish , I like the finish better.

I got the japan drier from Sherwood Williams $9.99 CAD for 500ml (16.9 oz)

Below is a picture of a stock 2 coats of just tung & teak oil ( no japan drier) and 3 coats with Japan drier
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My favorite Cooey of all, the full wood 82.

Picked up one myself a while back and am in the process of refinishing the wood. Mine has alot of dings though.
 
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Went down to a friends uncle's butcher shop the other day to fix some of his guns that he uses for butchering, he pulls this one out of the locker and says I can have it. The stock in the picture is covered in mold and fecal matter, the barrel is covered in rust but no pitting except a small spot on the receiver. The main issue is that the pivot point for the trigger is broken but shouldn't be a hard fix and currently I have no trigger for it. What surprised me is the bore is as shiny as a new rifle.

H8hCDim.jpg


So far I got all the the rust of the metal parts and am just waiting to get in to town to get a bluing kit. I went to work on the stock, started by putting it in the bathroom and cranking the heat in the shower to steam it and loosen stuff up. I scraped of the mold, poo, and what was left of some awful red varnish with my pocket knife and used an awl to clean out the checkering. After that I gave it a good sanding with automotive sanding mesh and just coated it in gun oil. the color that was hidden under that red varnish is beautiful.
Ch19Qkv.jpg

b7RTneI.jpg

There are some awesome finds in old butcher shops and slaughter plants.
Every Cooey I have worked on has come out of a slaughter house and they are exactly as you describe yours. Covered in mold and feces, and rust up the wozoo, but the bores are always amazing.
Tell me, how did you get the rear magazine guide off? Mine is so rusted on I have been using WD-40 and still no budge.
 
Cooye Model 82 many of these around and what value?

Got this Cooye not long ago in a trade, Bluing had some fine rust that cleaned up great with 0000 steel wool and Hoppes.
wood needs refinishing but should come out good.
I cleaned bore with Butches and its in excellent condition no pitting or grey areas its looks as new condition.
I have done some searching on net and seems these where made for Canadian Military in 40s they mention bottom of pistol grip would be stamped this one has no stamping
what king of money do these bring now days?
manitou




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No stamping on the bottom of the pistol grip means it was a civilian version. Refinished and no peep sight it's about a $150.00-$175.00 gun. If it was a military version in original condition with peep sight, it could fetch up to $350.00 if nice.
 
There are some awesome finds in old butcher shops and slaughter plants.
Every Cooey I have worked on has come out of a slaughter house and they are exactly as you describe yours. Covered in mold and feces, and rust up the wozoo, but the bores are always amazing.
Tell me, how did you get the rear magazine guide off? Mine is so rusted on I have been using WD-40 and still no budge.
surprisingly it was pretty clean and just slipped right out.
 
This has inspired me to do a makeover on my Model 60.
I grew up with this gun, starting with .22 shorts, then moving up to longs and finally long rifles, woo-hoo!
Dad would take me out and we would shoot cans, old cars, rabbits and assorted junk in the pits.
He used his Marlin 89c with weaver 4x and shot circles around me, but I loved those days and really miss them and him.
I still have the Marlin too, but the Cooey was mine so it's just as special.
I can smell the powder and hear that distinct "chunk,chunk" sound of the Cooey action.
I will post some pics as I proceed.
 
I know these aren't totally "made over" with before and after pics, but they are Cooeys so I'd rather show off the pics in a Cooey specific thread. Perhaps in a bit of time there will be some "after" pics of them as well.....

What's there to makeover on this one, this is basically how I received it. It's in great shape, just took it all apart and gave it a clean and some oil, then took the scope apart and cleaned off some of the glass. This one came with this scope, mounted as seen here, and it's also drilled/tapped for a side mount scope. Missing the rear sight too.

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A peak through the old Weaver scope:

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This was originally a barreled action and some trigger parts along with the side mount for the scope. The scope is an older Mossberg that I had bought separately and realized it fits just nicely into the side mount. The magazine spring tube that came with this one was too long, must have been for a different gun, so I cut it down and made it work just fine. Then I cleaned everything up and had to do a bit of honing of the receiver where the rear of the bolt moves to actually strike the firing pin. It was binding and would not hit hard enough to ignite anything. Dropped the works of it into a spare stock I had (unfortunately the stock is cracked) and it seemed to be good to go now. I could use some iron sights so, seeing as how you can still use them with this scope mount.

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A peak through the Mossberg scope:

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And last, but not least, the untapped Cooey 60 that will remain with iron sights. It will get a good clean up one day, perhaps a stock refinish as well. Never fired it yet though.....

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