H. W. Cooey Machine & Arms Company

Several Cooey models from a 1950s-era advertisement.

The H. W. Cooey Machine & Arms Company was a Canadian firearms manufacturer located in Cobourg, Ontario, Canada, from 1903 until 1961. In April of 1961, H.W. Cooey Machine and Arms Company Limited was sold to the Olin-Mathieson Ltd. of St. Laurent, Quebec and became a division of Winchester-Western (Canada) Ltd. At that point, the manufacture of Winchesters (primarily for Winchester Canada) began and continued through the mid-1970s (see also: Iver Johnson). Cooey ceased production in 1979.

Products

From 1919 until April 1961, the production capacity of Cooey averaged 20 arms per diem. When the company was sold to the Olin-Mathieson and became a division of Winchester-Western (Canada) Ltd., new production lines were equipped with the most up-to-date automated German equipment which was to provide for some 2,000 guns per day. Production figures were confirmed by Mr. Ernie Barriage, Sales Manager, for Savage Arms (Canada) Inc. in Lakefield, Ontario who worked with a number of former Cooey employees.

Assuming that the retooling of the Coburg plant required two full years, simple arithmetic indicates that Cooey manufactured approximately 321,000 firearms from 1919-63 and 11,680,000 from 1963-79, for a total of almost 12 million guns. This number would not include increased production levels during the Second World War, when Cooey was a main supplier of training rifles to the Canadian Army.

Although Cooey is known to have manufactured no fewer than 67 different models of firearms under their own brand alone, the exact number is difficult to know due to there having been several unnumbered single shot and repeating sporter rifles produced before 1961. At least three unnumbered models of shotguns are known to exist. Some of what is known for certain follows.

Rifles

see also: Table of Cooey firearms

Cooey manufactured over 6,000,000 rifles in a wide number of models, including bolt action repeaters, single shots, and semi-autos. During the late 1920s-early 1930s, Cooey also manufactured the Model X and 2X for Iver Johnson.

Pre-1961 Cooey mmanufactured models include: 25, 35, 39, 55, 60, 62, 75, 78, 82, Ace, Ace 1, Ace 2, Ace 3, Ace Repeater, Ace Special, Bisley Sport, Canuck, Canuck 25, Canuck Junior, Canuck Western, Cooey Repeater, HWC, Mohawk, and several unnumbered single shot and repeating sporter rifles. Post-1961 Cooey firearms made by Winchester include: Model 10, Model 39, Model 60, Model 600, Model 64, Model 64 Deluxe, Model 64A, 64B, Model 71, 71 Carbine, Model 75, 750, and 750 Deluxe, Model 710, and Ranger.

Shotguns

Cooey manufactured both double and single barrel shotguns for Iver Johnson (Hercules and Champion) during the late 1920s-early 1930s (see Iver Johnson). Cooey also manufactured single shot shotguns. Pre-1961 Cooey mfg. models include: .22 rimfire smoothbore, 37A, 410, 84, Canuck 25, and Canuck 410. Post-1961 Cooey firearms made by Winchester include: Models 84 and 840.

While the exact number of shotguns manufactured by Cooey is not known, production numbers for the Model 84/840 alone are estimated at between 140 and 160 thousand.

Value

To date, there is limited collector demand for most models in this trademark and values should be based on the shooting utility rather than collector premiums due to rarity. Values for average condition guns will typically range between $75-$150 in Canada but in foreign markets, even as close as the United States, the value can rise surprisingly.

Most (but not all) Cooey models are so common in Canada as to negate collector value. From the 1920s to the mid-1970s, Cooey is estimated to have produced approximately 6,000,000 rifles alone. More than 6,000 Canadians bought Cooey Canucks in 1922 alone.

Notes

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