Thoughts on a Cougar 8045

[wbwanzer]

I'm considering a Stoeger Cougar in .45. I have one in 9mm and think it's pretty good. I already have two .45s that I'm not thrilled with. So the cougar has come onto my radar (even though less than a week ago I said on this very forum that I wasn't going to buy a gun this year).

Anyway, my question is, is the 8045 as wide in the grip as the 8000? My 8000 is fairly chunky and that along with the rotating barrel I think helps to mitigate recoil. So is the Cougar in .45 as chunky as the 9mm? Just seems like the Cougar in .45 would have less perceived recoil than my XD45.

Any other thoughts about the 8045 from those of you that have them are welcome also. Thanks.

 

[MachIVshooter]

If you want the softest shooting .45 ACP, buy a S&W 4506-1 or long slide 1911.

However, any metal framed full size gun is going to be pretty pleasant. I always liked the Beretta 8045, and though I haven;t held the Stoeger incarnation, I imagine it is exaclty the same.

 

[The Sarge]

A Stoeger 8045 is on my nightstand right now. I have the 9mm/.40 and the .45 ....
The 45 is not noticeably wider than the 9mm frankly. Tad heavier yes. Not a concealed carry gun by any means. I have a SureFire light on the .45 and it is dead reliable as the other Cougars are.
I am not a good judge of recoil. I am recoil insensitive. I can tell no difference between my Glocks in .45/my XD's or my Stoeger 8045.

 

[triplebike]

+1 to what Sarge said. The design makes it's a soft shooting .45. Not a big difference between it & my 8000. Tons of gun for the money!

 

[Maple_City_Woodsman]

I think it is an excellent pistol.

 

[labhound]

I got both the Stoeger Cougar 8000 F 9mm and the 8045 .45 ACP. Both are soft shooting and very accurate. The 8045 grip is very slightly bigger front to back but I don't notice much difference from side to side. If the 8000 fits your hand well, then the 8045 will also. Excellent gun and a great buy for the money. You won't regret buying one. The rail on the Stoeger version makes finding a holster for it a little more difficult. I keep mine for home defense with a Viridian C5L laser/light attached.

 

[wbwanzer]

Thanks guys. I was actually hoping that the 8045 was at least as wide as the 8000 in the grip. I think spreading the impact out would help to lessen the felt recoil.