howdy from 'sort of' new guy in Cincinnati
My name is Brian Cooper, and I'm the owner and 'chief gun nerd' of Comrade Arms in Cincinnati, Ohio. It's a new gunsmithing business, and to head off the forum administrators, I will be paying for the vendor banner, posting an announcement in the vendor area, etc. I'll avoid talking about the business too much in this post to stay out of trouble, but for me Savages are both business and personal, so let me introduce the personal side here.
I'm 33. I bought my first Savage, a model 11 long range hunter in .308 on my twenty first birthday. That Savage was my first bolt action rifle. I was in engineering school then, and bought it after a rational analysis of what got me the most bang for my buck. I like to shoot distance, though it's hard to find places in my hilly part of Ohio. I'm also a glider pilot, and whether soaring or shooting, I enjoy the art of reading the atmosphere. I enjoy the satisfaction of reading the air right and finding lift, or the target. I often do not.
At some point I read Townsend Whelen's book "The Hunting Rifle", and bought a Savage 99 to study. My 'studying' turned that 99 into a parts gun when, realizing I had a lot of corrosion in the barrel threads, I tried to get the barrel off unexpertly and twisted the receiver. In spite of that, I was in love with the 99, and growing to love Savages in general, due to the engineering, history, and marketing decisions behind their firearms. I'm a fan of other manufacturers too, particularly Ruger and their revolvers, but Savage clearly holds a dominant position in my safe, and I finally 'collected' my first Savage, a Savage manufactoured Lee-Enfield, No 4 Mk1*, marked US Property from WWII. I made the choice to restore it as a shooter, and not preserve it. I have too many Savages now to describe in detail, so lets just say I'm a carded member of the Brotherhood of the Barrel Nut.
So, my interest in Savage spans over the company and their firearms, from the historical to the modern. Now that I am an active gunsmith, I very much would like to work on them, and intend to be active on this forum. I've lurked on this forum for a long time. Now I hope to give back with what little wisdom I can offer. Thanks for the opportunity! Personally or professionally, I'm happy to talk Savage/Stevens/Fox, etc.
Thanks,
Brian
