cooper model 21 6mm ppc

[wmdron]

I bought a used cooper ppc today and would like to use it as a varmint rifle. I could use a little help getting set up to reload for this caliber. Can I get by with a set of redding 7/8" dies (I don't own an arbor press) and Norma ppc brass ? or Should I fire form Lapua .220 Russian? Should I bite the bullet and buy the arbor press and the hand dies ? I would appreciate any help and suggestions. Thanks, Ron.

 

[ReedG]

Ron, it's way too complicated for you to load for this rifle. Therefore, you should sell it to me at once, before you become overwhelmed by it.

Having said that, you'll love the Cooper and the 6 PPC. The Redding dies are great, no arbor press needed. By all means, buy the Norma brass and enjoy. Not sure what the twist is in the Cooper's but I think any of the 58- through 70-gr. V-Max/Blitzking bullets will work fine. I've had good luck with TNT's and Berger Varmint, too. Enjoy, you have a great rig.

 

[wmdron]

Thanks Reed for the input and advice, I'm not sure what twist the barrel is myself so I plan on measuring that today. I have a savage LRPV in 6BR nice rifle and a good shooter but heavy as all get out, too much for this old man to be lugging around fields. When I lifted the Cooper it was a totally different story very light and easy to carry, I couldn't resist... Ron.

 

[mikecr]

The Coopers are very field practical, and yet accurate enough.

 

[tome]

I've had good luck with H-322..read the 6mmppc article on accurate shooter..will give you a good foundation..i would guess that the cooper is chambered for a no turn neck..but a call to Cooper will give you twist and neck size..low recoil and super accurate once you have the load dialed in..and i believe a long barrel life..I've got a ruger 1v in 6mmppc w/ a set trigger that I'm satisfied with..star states makes 6mmppc American brass also..

 

[hedditch]

Your model 21 Cooper in 6 PPC has a 1 in 12 twist. Using Norma brass, my load is 27.5 grs of H322 with a 68 gr Barts Ultra bullet, 205M primer seated .020 off the lands. Oh, I anneal after every firing so that everything is the same including the neck tension. Depending on how wore out your barrel is, you can expect average group size to be in the high .3 to low .4's for a five shot group at 100 yds. 65 gr Gentners work well also. We had a local competition a few years back where we shot 5 five shot groups. The winner was the lowest average of the five shot groups. My average for the five groups was .307. So, can the rifle shoot? Yes. I haven't tried my rifle with any of the more popular brands of bullets like Sierra, Hornady, etc. since I shoot mostly paper with that rifle. I have a Ruger MK II in 6 PPC I use for varmint shooting and it does extremely well for a plain off the shelf factory rifle. In fact, it does so well, I am generally outlawed when it comes to a factory rifle shoot.

Dave

 

[wmdron]

Many thanks for all the good info and load suggestions. The dealer where I bought the rifle has a hawkeye bore scope (a very useful instrument albeit a bit pricey) the lands looked sharp, I couldn't see any fouling or striations etc.. To my eye, granted I'm a novice the bore looked good. Seems like everyone is out of brass right now so it looks like I'm in for a bit of a wait until I can get going. If I can shoot groups like you hedditch with this rifle I will be in seventh heaven. I too would guess that it is chambered for a no turn neck but maybe I should call Cooper to be sure. Thanks again, Ron

 

[hedditch]

The Cooper Mod 21 in 6PPC: my rifle had a .272 neck so I am going to submit that probably all the Coopers came out with that neck. What you might look for is an oversized chamber. Mine had one. I had to lub the case to get the case into a neck sizing die. Didn't seem to bother accuracy however. A lot of Coopers in all calibers came out that way because the early Cooper factory didn't have the greatest equipment for building rifles. The equipment has been up graded.

Dave

 

[wmdron]

Thanks for all the help everyone (Dave it's nice to hear from someone with the same gun) My cooper may indeed be an early one as it has a serial number of 17. If you don't mind me picking your brain(s) a little further, what specifically are the dies you are using ? I need to buy a set and would like to buy once. Ron...

 

[hedditch]

Ron, I went with the Redding Competition Neck Die Set. I have since replaced my barrel and varmint stock (all accomplished by Cooper) but I gave them a reamer with a .267 neck so that I could shoot Norma brass without turning the necks. Let me tell you this rifle shoots even better.
Dave