founded in 1990
Stevensville, Montana
“Rifles should shoot as well as they look and vice versa”
- 1990 founded by Dan Cooper and two others in Stevensville, Montana
– all former employees of Kimber of Oregon
– over 50 years in combined experience - created to build affordable custom-quality accurate rifles
- 2009 under new ownership
Cooper Firearms
3662 Hwy 93 North
Stevensville, Montana 59870
406-777-0373
cooperfirearms.com
About Cooper Firearms
Cooper Firearms of Montana is an American maker of high-end, accuracy-focused bolt-action rifles, especially varmint and hunting rifles in a wide range of calibers, including wildcat cartridges. Dan Cooper and two other former Kimber of Oregon employees founded the company in Stevensville, Montana in 1990. Cooper rifles became known for a demanding accuracy guarantee: three shots within half an inch at 100 yards for centerfire models, and five shots within a quarter inch at 50 yards for rimfires. Models such as the Model 21, 22, 52, 54 and 57-M built a loyal following among precision hunters and collectors of fine sporting rifles.
The company has gone through leadership and ownership changes. Dan Cooper stepped down as CEO in late 2008. In January 2023 Mark Stone, owner of Nighthawk Custom, announced that Nighthawk had acquired the company, which would operate as Cooper Rifles of Arkansas on the Nighthawk campus in Berryville, Arkansas, while keeping the Cooper name and its custom rifle standards. The move ended more than three decades of Cooper rifle production in Montana.
Key Facts
- 1990: founded in Stevensville, Montana by Dan Cooper and two former Kimber of Oregon employees
- Late 2008: Dan Cooper steps down as CEO
- January 2023: Nighthawk Custom announces its acquisition of Cooper Firearms
- 2023: operations set to move to Berryville, Arkansas as Cooper Rifles of Arkansas
Learn More
Sources
- Cooper Firearms of Montana (Wikipedia)
- Nighthawk Custom Acquires Cooper Firearms (Shooting Illustrated)
Profiles on Minuteman University.com are editorial content compiled from public sources. Inclusion does not imply endorsement of, sponsorship by, or affiliation with this site or the Gun Websites Firearms Network. Corrections and removal requests are welcome through Contact Us.