non 1911 45 caliber handgun

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triplebike

triplebike

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I am eyeballing the new Stoeger 8045 handgun. I have looked at just about every other brand of 45 & I believe that the Stoeger is the least expensive, $419 NIB in my neck of the woods. What am I getting by going with the more expensive name brands other than 'bragging rights"? I'm most concerned about loading the gun with whatever name brand factory ammo I buy , pulling the trigger & having the gun fire, eject & reload the next bullet flawlessly each & every time. If a $400 gun does that accurately, why spend $600-800 for a gun that does exactly the same thing?
 
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I thought calipers were part of a brake system. :p

I've actually got a Stoeger Cougar in 9mm and it's a fine handgun. Best bang for the buck right now I believe. Fit and finish on mine is comparable to any CZ I've owned or held. I'd have no trouble getting a Stoeger in 45 if that was what I wanted.
 
It's true name brand guns cost more up front.

But they will likely still be in business and making the same gun 10 - 20 years from now when you need to order parts.

Not saying Stoeger is going out of business.
But if I had a dollar for every discontinued model gun they have sold and no longer support in the last 50 years I've been buying guns?

I'd have enough dollars to buy another Smith & Wesson, Colt, or Springfield XDm .45!

rc
 
Were I looking for a non 1911 .45, I'd go used and get either a S&W 4566, or a 4506. They are the ultimate in reliability, durability, etc... and should come in approx at your budget.
 
19-3Ben said:
Were I looking for a non 1911 .45, I'd go used and get either a S&W 4566, or a 4506. They are the ultimate in reliability, durability, etc... and should come in approx at your budget.
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I like the 4566's as well, but I'm torn between taking a chance with a ten year old S&W vs a brand new Stoeger. I believe that both are reliable, well made & accurate, but with the Stoeger I know what I'm getting from the git go by buying it brand new.
 
There are several .45 acp handguns that aren't on the 1911 platform. The Ruger p90 comes to mind as a durable, reliable, reasonably affordable example.

There are also 1911 guns out there that don't cost an arm and a leg- but I believe you get what you pay for in this arena and an inexpensive 1911 would come with some factors that may not be desirable to everyone.

An example (a couple of examples, actually) are an Essex framed 1911 at a local shop for around $500, or a compact 1911 Rock Island for $450

On any purchase like this, caveat emptor
 
I'm most concerned about loading the gun with whatever name brand factory ammo I buy , pulling the trigger & having the gun fire, eject & reload the next bullet flawlessly each & every time. If a $400 gun does that accurately, why spend $600-800 for a gun that does exactly the same thing?
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Your thinking seems to be sound in my opinion.
The only question is this:

Is the Stoeger .45 reliable?

I haven't heard anything particularly bad about them, but I haven't heard folks raving about them either.
 
easyg said:
Your thinking seems to be sound in my opinion.
The only question is this:

Is the Stoeger .45 reliable?

I haven't heard anything particularly bad about them, but I haven't heard folks raving about them either.
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I own the Stoeger 8000 9MM. I have fired over 2000 rds of various brands of ammo without one failure of any kind. It has been flawless. $369 NIB.

When I was researched the Stoeger Cougar, 99% of the comments were very positive.

The comments on the Beretta 8045 are equally as positive.



Brief history (not my write up)

When Beretta manufactured the "Beretta 8000 Cougar" it drew rave reviews and many were sold to very happy users across the globe! Extremely reliable, accurate, easy to shoot were just a few of the comments that described this gun. You just didn't find a bad review or for that matter a bad comment about this excellent firearm...except one "It's too expensive!"
While it was and is a great gun, and Beretta sold a lot of them, it was just overpriced for the market situation it was put in! This along with the rampid proliferation of polymer guns i.e. Glock, and it was just a matter of time till Beretta fazed out this nice piece.

The Cougar was then brought back in a deal with the Turkish Ministry of Defense to manufacture the Stoeger 8000 Cougar, (Stoeger is a fully owned subsidiary of Beretta holding inc.). Beretta shipped the entire Cougar production line from Italy to Turkey and the new Stoeger Cougar is manufactured on the exact same machines and tooling as the original Beretta branded model with Beretta overseeing QC. The only difference is the name stamped on the gun and the price you pay for it.
 
You may want to check out the EAA Witness. You can get the Standard steel model for around 400, or the Elite Match for around 500. The polymer is under 400. All excellent pistols. The Match is a superb pistol for the price.


bluestringer
 
You want a sweet .45ACP that's not a 1911 style?

Get the FNP-45. I did. Never regretted it. Best handgun I've never had or fired, hands down.
 
Bersa UC45...totally reliable and highly accurate. Mine is this discontinued stainless...a very sweet carry gun.

 
The best non-1911 .45 made right now is the H&K 45. It has the best ergonomics of any handgun, even more that a 1911. I shot one in comparison to my Les Baer last week. It was more ergonomical and could shoot just as well as the Baer at 25 yards. And it was about $800 less.
 
BlayGlock said:
The best non-1911 .45 made right now is the H&K 45. It has the best ergonomics of any handgun, even more that a 1911. I shot one in comparison to my Les Baer last week. It was more ergonomical and could shoot just as well as the Baer at 25 yards. And it was about $800 less.
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This is where I'm torn, how is the HK COMPACT worth more " to the average shooter" than well over twice the price of the Stoeger. I'm sure that both will load, fire & eject flawlessly & accurately.
 
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