Stoeger Cougar 9mm Review

[bruzer]

Been wanting a 9mm for some time now. Saw one of the members had a 9mm Cougar for sale and he was actually within driving distance. Picked it up from John a week ago. Thanks John!!! It was good meeting you.
On to shooting. At the range last Saturday my Wife shot about 130 rounds out of it. All reloads. Had some real good training with a squib but I'll cover that in another post for I do not feel it was gun issue. I got to shoot 57 rounds for Practical Pistol (practice for IDPA and USPSA).
The Cougar is Double Action/Single Action with Safety/Decocker. The trigger is very smooth and the DA is long. But we shoot the 1911 SA so my buddy shot it and said it was very nice and he shoots DA revolvers. The SA is too quick for us right after the DA so it will take some practice. Being familiar with the 1911 safety, it is a whole new ball game with the Safety/Decocker WAY UP on the slide of the Cougar. I am finding it helpful on the draw to bring my thumb a little more forceful into position and realizing the Safety/Decocker moves up to shoot and not down like the 1911 Safety. The Cougar is kind of a compact version of the Beretta 92 (shorter barrel anyway). It is a very solid gun and actually weighs more in 9mm (32.6 oz) than 357 (32.4 oz), .40 (32.4 oz) and .45 (31.9 oz). Not by much but when you add the 15 round capacity magazine it feels like a full size gun in weight. It has a thick oval shape to the grip and at first site looks like it would be too large but it actually fits smaller hands quite well. Magazine release is easy to reach and changes are very smooth. Breaking down the gun is easy as long as you remember to hold the gun upside down. NOTE: When removing the slide HOLD THE GUN UPSIDE DOWN or the Central Block and Recoil Spring will fall to the ground!!! Assembly is not hard but it will take some practice to align the central block and barrel to get the gun back together. It helps to have your Glock buddy field strip his weapon 6 times while you fiddle with your Cougar getting it back together. It's all in fun. The gun is accurate but until I get better with it I can't tell you how accurate. The DA/SA is throwing me a curve ball and I will get better but this will take lots of practice. A reason for shooting more sounds like a good thing to me. Fit and finish is very good. I have not seen any tooling marks anywhere on the gun. Overall if you are looking for an all metal gun (Steel slide aluminum alloy frame) this one is a keeper. The Sportsman's Warehouse has them new for $399 9mm or .40. I am currently looking for a good concealed holster and although nobody stocks for the Cougar locally, I can easily order online. Have not pulled the trigger on that yet.
The picture is the Cougar and the Kimber Ultra Carry II for size comparison.
Mike

 

[2wheels]

Glad you like it! I got one just like it, I also bought it because I wanted a 9mm.

My Cougar is just a range toy for me, but it's a fun gun to shoot. It's been 100% reliable for me except for the slide not locking back all the time, I think it's the way I'm holding the gun.

This gun seems to be a well kept secret, not too many people know about it in the sea of tupperware guns. But this all metal gun is cheaper than most of them, I got mine for a little over $300 used.

 

[JAV8000]

I used to own a Stoeger Cougar 8000, great weapon system! Never failed me in many thousands of rounds, shot very soft, and was quite accurate. The only negatives I can come up with is that it's fairly large/heavy for having a relatively short barrel, mags are pricy, and holsters are a bit of a hassle to find if you're looking for something specific. All in all a great weapon system though!

 

[cougarman]

I love mine. My first handgun. Got it Christmas 2009. I did a lot of research looking for the right gun for the money. Purchase number 2 was a Bersa Thunder CC. Much reasearch again before purchase. Enjoy your Cougar.
Cougarman

 

[labhound]

I've got the Stoeger Cougar 8000 and 8045. Both excellent guns and flawless so far.

 

[triplebike]

Ive been touting the excellence of the Stoeger Cougars for well over a year now. I owned both the 8000 9mm & the 8045 .45. Well over 4500 rds fired between the two with no malfunction what's so ever.

There is simply no better value on the market today. I don't care what you put it up against , the Cougars will hold their own with the best of them. To be able to buy a Beretta/Stoeger Cougar (it's the exact same gun as the Cougars that were made in Italy) at a clone price is an outstanding deal.

My next handgun purchase will be the new 8000 compact that's due to hit the stores in a month or two.

 

[wbwanzer]

I like mine. Here's a pic:

 

[Dulvarian]

I've always enjoyed my Beretta Cougar. I only see some slight modifications to the external slide as far as cosmetics. I figure it has the same mauser action, which does a nice job reducing felt recoil. I have an 8045 with about 8k rounds through it. Very nice pistols. I've sometimes wondered how the Beretta model and Stoeger models compare.

 

[triplebike]

I've always enjoyed my Beretta Cougar. I only see some slight modifications to the external slide as far as cosmetics. I figure it has the same mauser action, which does a nice job reducing felt recoil. I have an 8045 with about 8k rounds through it. Very nice pistols. I've sometimes wondered how the Beretta model and Stoeger models compare.

It's exactly the same gun. Just look at it this way. You have two exact same
size factory's, one in Italy that houses all the manufacturing machinery that produces their Cougar line of firearms, one in Turkey that's empty.

You then remove all the manufacturing machinery in the Italian factory & put it all in the Turkish factory.

You then transfer all the Italian Cougar supervisors to oversee the manufacturing machinery in the Turkish factory.

You then hire Turkish workers to work the factory at a faction of the cost of the Italian
workers.

You are now able to Manufacture the Beretta line of Cougars at a faction of the cost & are able to sell them now at almost half the price. The only thing you have to change is the name Beretta to Stoeger (Beretta owns Stoeger)