[norm-t]

I have been in search for a hand gun. Lot of people tell me Glock Not a Glock person. Held them , fired them , theres something there I do not like can not put my finger on it.
So in my search I have narrowed it down to a Stoeger Couger or a Beretta PX4. 15+1 vs 17+1 in 9 mm. The gun shop has the Stoger for $439 and the Beretta for $479. I know that Stoger is using the Beretta design. which would be the better buy any suggustions would be helpful. Do the Beretta mags fit Stoeger? Is it easier to get parts for Beretta than Stoegar? what about assoc?
thanks

[dogtown tom]

Beretta owns Stoeger.
When Beretta discontinued the Cougar they transferred production and machinery to Stoeger to resume production in Turkey.

The Stoeger Cougars are identical in design to the Beretta Cougar with slight edge in finish quality to the Beretta.

All Beretta Cougar mags and parts will work in a Stoeger Cougar of the same model and caliber.

[460Kodiak]

Buuuuuuuttttt,

The mags for a PX4 and parts are not compatible with the Stoeger Cougar.

For that small of a price difference, I'd get the Beretta. I owned a Cougar and it was a great shooting little gun, but I sold it because I didn't care for the 40 S&W cartridge. I'd buy another in 9mm or .45 in a heartbeat though. It was very accurate, and a nice looking gun. The Cougar has an alluminum frame also, so I think the polymer on the Beretta may hold up a little better, but I can't be sure. Honestly, you'll do fine with either gun.

Have you looked at the FNX-9? Those are really nice guns, and I think they are narrower than the PX4. It may be a bit easier to conceal. I own an FNP-45 annd it's a great gun, but it's pretty big. 15 rounds of .45 big. That's my bedside gun.

I always thought the Cougar in 45 with the rail would be a nice gun for a vehicle.

[2wheels]

Beretta Cougar mags and parts will fit the Stoeger Cougar, since as previously pointed out they are essentially one and the same. Even made on the same machinery.

I had a Stoeger Cougar, I liked it alot aside from the slide mounted safety/decocker, that's a problem I have with pretty much all Berettas. It was accurate and reliable with minimal recoil even for a service size 9mm, I really can't come up with any legitimate complaints. Gave it to a friend for his 21st Bday when he got his CCW permit. It's not the slimmest gun around if concealed carry is your goal. Mags and replacement parts are easy to come by, they're even sold on Beretta USAs website.

Never messed around with the PX4, honestly I think it's a little ugly (I prefer the look of older Berettas, don't like much of their newer designs) and if I was faced with your decision I'd pick up another Cougar in a heartbeat. It's slightly cheaper while still being high quality and I prefer the alloy frame anyways. I've seen Cougars for under $400, I picked mine up used for $350.

[norm-t]

Thanks for the input, guess i will go and look at them again :confused:

[nelsonal]

I've never liked the looks, but love the feel of the PX4s. I'll echo the FNP/FNX, they were right in my sweet spot of looks, ergonomics, and price. I've been very happy with my FNP-357.

[wbwanzer]

The Stoeger Cougar is one of the best 'bang for the buck' pistols out there. I've had this one in 9mm for a few years now and bought an 8045 last winter. Really nice guns in my opinion.

I just realized that you had the 'Looking for handgun' thread going. I already posted there.

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m145/wbwanzer/Cougar9001.jpg

[paravil]

I briefly owned the Stoeger in 9mm. I had handled the Px4, but ended up going with the Stoeger for the metal frame. If I had it to do again, I'd buy the Beretta. The Stoeger felt good in hand, but I didn't like the short barrel. It also has a half-cock feature, so the the double action pull has a noticeable "click" to it that drove me nuts. Interrupted what was an otherwise nice trigger. Also, the frame started showing wear pretty early after light use, and the finish on the slide wasn't durable at all. In the end, I sold it to a buddy's father-in-law and kept my dad's S&W 5906 on permanent loan.

[460Kodiak]

Also, the frame started showing wear pretty early after light use

You know....... I guess this is true now that I think about it. I wasn't terribly impressed by how much wear mine was showing after only 500 rounds or so. I think it's just the name of the game with these guns, and for the price..... well.....

I think in hind sight, I'd only buy another one if it was for a vehicle or boat or something. Some sort of application where I'd be worried if the gun was stollen. There are better range toys out there, and the PX4 is probably one of them.

[awfulkanawful]

I currently own 4 Cougars....All are 9mm. I owned the PX 4 and the cougar won...Period

[Soapy5]

My roomate has a cougar and loves it. If you absolutely want a metal-framed gun in the $450 range, the cougar cant be beat. Personally, I am not a fan of slide-mounted safeties, but other than the gun feels very solid. I've also shot the PX4 storm, and again, the only killer for me was the safety; The safety location makes it very uncomfortable to rack the slide.

[BP Hunter]

They are both good weapons. Now you just have to decide of you want polymern or all steel.

[Crosser]

Really enjoy my Stoeger Cougar 8045....simple take-down, simple cleanup...all steel, great shooter...

[snakeman]

The stoeger is good...that said, the beretta is awesome! I put the beretta on par with the m&p.

[berettaprofessor]

Never liked the cougars myself...but I'm not that crazy about the PX4 for looks either. For shooting, the PX4 is very good, adjustable grips, accurate, easy to take down, rugged.