Beretta Cougar

[razoo]

My first posting so please bear with me. I picked up a Berretta in a box that has the following and I am trying to find out some info on it and I am not having any luck. The box says " Model 70, .380 Cougar, ser#E6111**". When I try to find any info it seems the serial numbers match the model 418?. I also do not find anything stating the Model 70 had a Cougar. Any help or direction in finding info like approximate year manufactured, etc. would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Hk Dan]

Are you sure it's not "Puma"?

 

[razoo]

Nope, the box says Cougar. That's what is giving me fits. I cannot find anything out about it.

 

[WC145]

Beretta made a .380 Cougar but it was way back, like in the fifties. Google .380 Cougar, you'll have to sift through a lot of crap but there's some info out there.

 

[SuperNaut]

According to the Beretta Pistols, The Ultimate Guide book the first .380 1934 Cougars were officially imported into the US from 1954-1967 with some errant early units from '51-'53. It doesn't specify exactly when it started getting called the "Cougar," it just says that it was called that "a little later" from '54.

I'm not seeing anything in the book about the Model 7x's being called Cougars. However, over the years Beretta has made all kinds of short-run oddball versions of pretty much all of their handguns. So anything is possible.