I do not own a 52 but I do currently own 4 Coopers, one in 222, one in 223, one in 22/250, and a 57M in 22 lr. (yeah - I know a lot of duplication but I like each individual rifle and don't care about the overlap in performance).
I do not own a 52 however I have an acquaintance who has a 52 in 25/06 and I have shot his numerous times and it is no great feat to meet the 3 shot into 1/2 inch guarantee using it. While imy experience is limited to only one 52 I have owned 4 other Coopers, in varmint calibers, and they have all shot extremely well.
Another consideration is that there is definite pride of ownership in them, and every Cooper that I have sold had appreciated enough by the time I sold it that I not only had gotten the use of it but I ended up with a little money in my pocket afterwords.
When it comes time to buy you may want to take a look at Gunsamerica or perhaps Gunbroker so you can see pictures of the wood on the Coopers. Wood likes are a very personal thing and even woods of the same grade can look completely different. I have seen some rated as AA that is fairly plain while other pieces that are rated AA are absolute knockout gorgeous. If nothing else take a look at the sites mentioned to get a feel for what is out there.
One other thing to think about is that it is easy to get caught up in adding upgrades - upgrades are "eye-candy" only, the accuracy guarantee is still the same whether it is the lowest price model or the one with the hightest upgrades.
Good luck in your quest - you will not be sorry.
drover
