I am in the market to buy a Cooper rifle in 204. I really love the wood that the Cooper's have. However I am afraid to nick/scratch the wood. They have the Phoenix model which is synthetic. I guess my stupid question is: Is one stock a better platform for accuracy (wood vs synthetic)? I can assume that both stocks from Cooper are glass bedded. I'm not going to be hauling the rifle through the woods much so durability is not an issue. Just want an accurate rifle. Most of my rifles are synthetic, but just love the wood. Anyone have a Cooper Phoenix and care to share any info?
Cooper synthetic vs wood stocks.
- Thread starter MOREAMMO
- Start date
Cooper rifles are available in several finishes for the 4 or 5 different models they offer. The Phoenix option is a Kevlar stock with an aluminum bedding block. My tastes run more to wood, like the Western Classic, but if you want synthetic you should get whatever you want. Nothing quite like wood and blued steel IMO. If it gets dinged, it adds to the momory, like the lawyer that dropped his mesquite stocked custom FN 7mm Mag off a rimrock in Nevada said "It adds to the experience".
I have Cooper Varminters in both types of stock: A .204 in wood, and a .221FB Phoenix. Generally, good synthetic stocks will help maintain accuracy mainly because they won't move/warp due to weather and humidity changes. Being a stainless and synthetic type, the only reason I got wood was because I got a good deal on the one in stock, although the 1/2# less weight of the wood over the synthetic on a rifle with the optional 26" barrel helped a bit; if I were ordering new I'd go for the 24" barrel Phoenix in .204. Another warning: as pretty as the wood is, the Cooper finish isn't very durable; I've already put a couple of small safe gouges in it despite great care (at first) not to. I've since decided to take it out hunting and let the, uh, chips fall where they may, then eventually replace the wood with a synthetic.
Good luck with your choice. Coopers are so accurate and fun to shoot, stock type really won't make that much difference in the long run.
Good luck with your choice. Coopers are so accurate and fun to shoot, stock type really won't make that much difference in the long run.
In general and everything else being equal, when compared to wood stocks synthetic ones are more durable, more easily camouflaged, more affordable and, most importantly, more stable when it comes to wood-warping moisture. The way I see it, the only real "advantage" wood has over synthetics is a purely subjective one: aesthetics. Which is why most of my rifles have walnut stocks...
