Beretta Cougar

[SHusky57]

Okay, I love my PX4 in 9mm.
I've decided I want to make another addition to the family. I like the 92fs, but the Cougar just seems more practical due to its smaller size and variety of calibers. I've found some for a great price.

They are .45 and that is originally what I was looking for.

Is there any reason to get them in .40 s&w (what they were originally developed for) or .357 sig (although the prices are crazy on the .357 cougars), rather than .45?

Is .45 the optimal caliber in this make of gun or is .40 more optimal?

What I like about .45:
Single-stack mag - more reliable
8 rounds is plenty of .45, and if hi-cap mags are banned and prices go up, I can still get mags for it for cheap (right now I am paying about $20 per 17 and 20 rd PX4 mag).
I am familiar with the round. I've never shot a .40 S&W or .357 sig. I've shot .380, 9mm, 38 spcl, and .45 and enjoyed them. The only caliber I have shot that I didn't like was .357 mag, too much muzzle flash and noise.

Any input would be appreciated before I drop a few hundred bucks (I know I've posted asking about the Cougar before, but I want to make really sure before I buy).

 

[KegCommando]

Are you buying online, or are you getting an opportunity to hold it in a shop?

Even though it is single stack, the 8045 has a bigger grip than the 9mm/.40 version, and is the biggest complaint I've seen for that model.

 

[WC145]

I carry a 9mm Mini Cougar, I'm not interested in .45's, and regardless of caliber they're great guns and probably would have been much more popular if they hadn't been priced so high originally. If you've resolved the caliber vs capacity issue and want a .45 buy it, you won't be disappointed, it's real six of one half a dozen of another IMO. The local gun shop here has one that is like new, they want $500 but it's been around a while so I'm sure it is negotiable to some degree. PM me if you're interested and I'll give you they're info.

 

[SuperNaut]

I've wanted an 8045 ever since a buddy let me try his back when they were first introduced. Availability and price were always working against the Cougar back then, plus the mags then were outrageously expensive. Now that you can get a used Beretta for under $500 or a Stoeger 9 or .40 for ~$350, and mags are 20 bucks, there is no reason not to have one in your stable.

I picked one up a month or two ago and I couldn't be happier. Well, I could be happier about some of the oddball things Beretta chooses to do, but that is a topic for another post.

Lots of pros to this gun, the DA pull on the Cougar (and by extension the PX4) is smooth, relatively light, and sweet. The grip fits my hand like a glove and it points very naturally. The rotating barrel really changes the recoil characteristics in a positive way. It is accurate and good-looking, and built like a tank.

The negatives are few, low cap in .45, too bulky and heavy for carry (it's a mid-size gun so this is really reaching for a con). Not a whole lot of after-market parts/accessories, the safety is skiwampus.

In the final analysis, I actually like my Cougar more than my PX4, so I say snag it while you can.

 

[mongo4567]

I have a mini cougar in .40 and I really like it....though in hindsight I would give the nod to a Glock 27 or Kahr PM40 for a small, light pistol in .40.

 

[Big Bill]

Stoeger is making the Cougar in 9mm and .40. It is the same gun that Beretta produced using the same machine tools. Some time ago, Beretta moved their equipment to Turkey where it is now manufactured under the Stoeger name - it's the same gun as before only now it costs less money.

 

[SHusky57]

It's online, a used police trade in for $365. (after shipping and FFL fees probably $400).

I'm torn. I really don't need it. My interest just sparked when I started reading Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six and I've loved my PX4 from day one.

 

[WC145]

Sounds like a good deal, I'd go for it if I were you. And, since when does NEED have anything to do with buying guns?

My Mini Cougar is DAO so I don't have to contend with the Beretta safeties.