Early this week I had a pleasant conversation with one of the leaders of NHC, now the owner of Cooper Firearms of Arkansas that may have interest to some here.
My primary question was 'what is the future of Cooper rifles'? From the conversaton, it was readily apparant that those guys read and pay attention to the various gun forums where this subject has been discussed ad nauseum. I can relay that the honcho's at NHC are well aware of our grief at the demise of Cooper of Montana, and according to them, are working to rectify the situation.
I was told that one of the primary employees of the MT operation is now with NHC in AR, and is leading the operation in terms of producing once again the rifles we've come to miss. They are using up components that remain in inventory and building the big game rifles we see on their website that are of little interest to those reading this. When I asked about the small calibers we want and miss and the single shot small actions, they told me that eventually those rifles will reappear in mostly the same configurations as before, but the transition will take "a year or two" to get going. But they promised they would do all they can to reestablish both our trust and ensure they keep the old modes of MT rifles in their lineup. It was emphasized that this transition will take some time.
So after a day or two digesting what I was told, I came away somewhat satisfied, but still wonder just how long this 'transistion' will actually take. As with all business's, the bottom line is the only thing that really matters. So it is my thought that if enough of us whine, complain, and contact them as to our wants, this 'transisition' may go quicker than it would without our input. If "we" want those nice wooden stocked, single shot bolt guns once again, we'll have to make our desires known to them.
One thing that inhibits all of this in terms of the old rifles newly produced by NHC is the incredible rising cost of some of the components that go into these rifles, nice figured Claro walnut being one of them, as those blanks now go for four times the cost of what the MT outfit was paying. When asked about who will supply the barrels for the new rifles, no real answer there, but assurances that whomever it is, it will be of high quality. I just hope that if/when these new rifles come to market, we'll be able to afford them.
That's it in a nutshell. For those who want more information in this regard, it's my hope they'll call NHC for themselves, ask for Chris in Marketing and post whatever outcome is relayed and post it here on the forum. I know I'd purchase at least one more Cooper varmint rifle if I live long enough to see them come to fruition. So for anyone else with the same interest, call NHC and get your wants known, as they are indeed open to our input as I was told more than once. Sitting back reading forums and complaining won't cut it. If you want it, be proactive and help make it happen.
Now it's time for me to get back to staging gear for an upcoming 'Rat Rodeo' coming up soon. I love this time of year.
