Stoeger (Beretta) Cougar range review

[wbwanzer]

Last week I picked up my Stoeger (Beretta) Couger in 9mm that I got from Bass Pro. They were $419 before the 10% discount for opening a Bass Pro Credit card. This pistol is all steel with a rotating barrel like the PX4, but is a little smaller than the Storm. It feels like a well made pistol to me.

I took it out today for the first time to test it out. It has a decocker and I'm always concerned about them working properly. They always drop the hammer rather sharply and I need to know that it's not going to fire. The decocker worked as it should.

I had cleaned and relubed the gun last week after I brought it home. After the decocker test I put 100 rounds of Magtech 124 gr FMC through the Cougar with zero problems. I was fairly accurate with it relative to my little world of shooting. Lets say that I'm more accurate with it than I am with my XDm.

I would love to post a picture of the gun but my small Canon that I used for macro photography is crapping out on me. I've bought an inexpensive Nikon to replace it but the wife wants to give it to me for Christmas so I have to wait a little longer to take the photos.

So in summary, I like this pistol a lot considering what I paid for it. It worked flawlessly and was at least as accurate as some of my more expensive guns.

 

[LUPUS]

This pistol is all steel with a rotating barrel like the PX4

Congrats for your new pistol. But if you not take it as an offence I would like to remind that the Cougar is not an all steel pistol. The frame of the Cougar is aluminium alloy with a hard anodised surface.

 

[wbwanzer]

I'll stand corrected on that. I thought it was steel, and it weighs like 32 oz., I believe, so that kind of reinforced my thinking. I would have expected it to weigh more like 26 or 27 oz. in aluminum alloy.

 

[golocx4]

I have a 8045 Cougar in the mail as we speak.
The 9mm will be my next purchase.

 

[AJChenMPH]

Good pistol from all the reviews I've read. I had a bead on a Stoeger 8000 for $300, which included three extra mags and a set of wood grips, but wasn't able to close on it...ah, the one that got away.

 

[wbwanzer]

Man, that would have been a deal.

 

[AJChenMPH]

Tell me about it. Apparently, others saw it and jumped on it as well, so I lost out. But wound up getting a G19 for a great deal instead.

 

[group17]

I bought mine NIB for $359. It is my favorite 9mm and has been nothing but reliable and accurate.

 

[wbwanzer]

That's nice looking with those grips. I'm consideing them for mine.
Glad to hear that you're liking yours. Do you know if there are any fiber optic sights made for these?

 

[Lonestar49]

Understand how it works by:

I took it out today for the first time to test it out. It has a decocker and I'm always concerned about them working properly. They always drop the hammer rather sharply and I need to know that it's not going to fire. The decocker worked as it should.

...

Yes, one should always worry that decocking can fail and is the reason to, always, point gun in safe direction just in case it does fail and fires but:

Your, congrats by the way, Stoeger, with rotating barrel, like the Px4, and, IIRC, your decocker acts the same way as my Px4 40's, in that, IF you watch, carefully, by holding the hammer back, not letting it fall, as you decock, you'll see how its 2-part firing pen works by, simply, the exposed firing pen rotates UP and out of any possible hammer strike, even though the hammer does fall hard with a loud hit, but it is not hitting the firing pen until you, if yours is a G-model, the lever springs back up, on its own, as is the case with my lever/s on my G-model.

Or, if yours is an F-model, decocker-safety in one, then it remains down, or up, depending on your guns safety position, and so does the outer firing pen until you push or pull your lever off safety back into the rdy to fire mode and your firing pen also comes back down, rdy to fire.

Enjoy,


Ls

 

[9mmepiphany]

I would have expected it to weigh more like 26 or 27 oz. in aluminum alloy.

the weight comes from the slide mass needed to contain the rotating barrel

 

[group17]

Did I mention the cougar is accurate.

 

[wbwanzer]

I'm not sure about the gun, but I definately shoot more accurately with the Cougar than I do with my XDm. I think this has moved up the ranks to just below my Witness Elite Match in accuracy.

I need to get the spring from the 'D' that everyone talks about to improve the trigger pull.

 

[Big Bill]

I got my first Stoeger Cougar for about $325 right after they first came out and loved it. It is one of the most accurate semi-autos I have ever owned. That rotating bolt is really cool and smooth operating. I gave it to one of my older sons for Christmas last year; and, he really likes it. He carries it every time he rides his 4-wheeler in the mountains, etc. And, now my local gunstore wants $399 for them. I suspect in a relatively short time they'll be $500 or so.

http://www.stoegerindustries.com/firearms/stoeger_cougar.php