It was a special day on Saturday, July 7, 2018 as Cooey gun relatives and gun enthusiasts from across Canada got together in Hamilton Township.
The Cooey Club Day was held at the Cobourg Trap and Skeet Club on County Road 2 in Hamilton Township from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
On display were rare Cooey models and memorabilia along with rare photos of the Cooey plant in Cobourg.
Cooey enthusiasts and relatives came from Nova Scotia to British Columbia for the event.
Marc Guitard and two friends traveled from New Brunswick for the event
‘It was 1,400 kilometres but it was worth the drive. We wouldn’t have missed it”
Guitard started a Facebook group for people who are interested in Cooey firearms a few years ago and there are now over 2,500 members.
“Someone came up with the idea we should have a Cooey day,” said Guitard.
“It took quite a few months to organize, but we’re very happy with the turnout.”
The first Cooey gun made was in 1919 in Toronto, but not long after they moved to Cobourg.
“That’s when they started to make them on a bigger scale. They spread out with different models and helped out with the war effort.”
The business ran until 1961 until it was sold to Winchester who operated it for another 10 years until it closed down.
“There is a lot of nostalgia related to Cooey’s,” said Guitard.
“I think everybody in Canada, if they have experience with having shot something in their youth, it’s most likely going to be a Cooey.”
“They’re apart of Canadian history.”
“It’s about stories, the history and people still talk about the most amazing hunting trips they had with their model 60 or their model 39 and they remember all the details about that and that defines them as a person today.”
Guitard said there were others firearms made by other companies but Cooey was uniquely Canadian design and made.
“They didn’t use anything from elsewhere.”
“A Cooey wasn’t the fanciest gun on the market, but they were made to fit most Canadians budgets throughout the decades they were in operation.”
“They were made with very good quality. We have Cooey’s that are still around today that are a 100-years old that you can pick up and go shoot targets with.”
“The wood, the steel, the workmanship that went into them was fantastic.”
“Generations go through hunting with Cooey’s still today.”
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
