Stoeger Cougar thoughts?

[Blaylocke]

Well, I cannot for the life of me find the SR9c or XDM9c in WA that I wanted originally, and I'm getting more than a little impatient. The gunshop here has had a Stoeger Cougar 9mm for a while ($430) and I'm getting more tempted to pick it up. I know it's beretta machinery, but read mixed opinions online. As is usual, net dwellers either swear by them or loathe them. Does anyone have some firsthand experience with it? To either talk me out of it, or give me a green light?

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[AlphaCoyote]

I've owned one. I loved it. Never a problem. I wish I still had it.

 

[Blaylocke]

Did you carry it?

 

[FourTeeFive]

I had a Beretta 8045F, which was part of the original series of Beretta's that became the Stoeger Cougar. Very nice guns; my only complaint was that even at the time the magazines were hard to find and expensive. But that was a compact .45 model which was somewhat rare. Good quality guns though.

 

[FourTeeFive]

Best price I remember seeing on the gun you're looking at was $389 from CDNN. And that was a couple of years ago.

They still have magazines:

<broken link removed>

 

[Blaylocke]

I had a Beretta 8045F, which was part of the original series of Beretta's that became the Stoeger Cougar. Very nice guns; my only complaint was that even at the time the magazines were hard to find and expensive. But that was a compact .45 model which was somewhat rare. Good quality guns though.

Have you ever shot the SRc or the xdmc? Is the cougar near on par with those?

 

[FourTeeFive]

Have you ever shot the SRc or the xdmc? Is the cougar near on par with those?

No; have shot XDs, lots of Sigs, CZ's, and Glocks. The 8045F was similar in shooting to any other high-quality alloy-frame gun. Not much different than a similar Sig.

The quality of the Beretta 8045F that I had was definitely up there with all of the "quality" firearms. If the fit and finish of the Stoeger is similar, and it should be, you'll have a nice quality firearm.

 

[fish1260]

I own, a Stoeger Cougar in 9mm, owned an SR9c until a couple months ago (replaced with an LC9), and have previously owned and XD, though not the 9c. The Stoeger is a great gun, and in the 'comfort to shoot' category it definitely was my favorite of the three you are considering, I think mostly because of the alloy frame rather than the plastic. My cougar has functioned flawlessly in the 600ish rounds I have put through it, and no problems with the limited aftermarket mags available. Fit and finish are great, though having the ambi-safety has led to a bit of excessive wear for me, just a bit of extra bulk. As far as for carry, it was/is not my preference. It is (comparatively) heavy with the alloy frame, and just too bulky for me; I however, am not a very large guy, 5'9". Most of my complaints of the sr9c and xd were just comfort and fit issues, which is obviously different for everyone.

 

[Mark W.]

My son owns a 8045F has shot it a LOT and he's had no trouble with it. He shoots both factory everything and my reloads. He says he's very happy with it.

 

[PuddleMonkey]

Guns and women, two things you should never "settle" on. Hold out for what you want, you're not gonna be happy otherwise.

 

[2Wheels4Ever]

I do not have any first hand experience, but I have a friend who has a cougar and loves it. They are well made reliable guns from what I have seen.

 

[kukusya]

Great gun for the money, it just Turkey copy of Beretta. This gun too stiff so to make work flawlessly you need send thru 500-800 rounds.

 

[marty8587]

I have the couger and like it very much.I also have the SR9 and SR9C. I like them all the stoger was my first semi-auto so it's kinda special to me. $430.00 sounds about $75.00 to much, I would check Kieths price.

 

[bruzer]

The Cougar was originally designed for the S&W 40 and then chambered for other calibers. Nice to know that your 9mm is designed to handle more than it needs to. Following information is from the Beretta Defence Catalog 2010 Beretta Defence Catalog 2010
"NATO qualified, the original Beretta Cougar boasted an incredible life of more than 30,000 shots(9mm x 19 NATO caliber)"

Now that I got your attention here is some real world expectations. The finish of the Stoeger Cougar is like a painted finish. It seems very durable but if you compare it to a real Beretta finish you might be disappointed. I have not seen a new one but the machining and fit of the 2007 model is very nice. Brand new at Sportsman Warehouse for $399 but all I saw in stock was the .40 S&W. The Double Action is long and smooth, trigger reset is very positive and the Single Action is nice and crisp. Grip is very comfortable and points natural. For a compact gun it is a smooth shooter but it is not a lightweight at 32.6 oz. That means it is over 2 pounds BEFORE loading any rounds in it! The slide mounted safety/decocker works perfect but the manipulation is backward from many other gun safeties. Your thumb has to move upward to remove the safety and fire the weapon. It is the same operation for the M-9/Beretta 92 so it can be done and our military has been using it for almost 30 years but it is a point I want to make. So if you are looking for a very solid compact, all metal, smooth shooting gun the Cougar will do the job very nicely.
Good luck and stay safe,
Mike

 

[Blaylocke]

I appreciate all of the input of this, this is why I love this site . It certainly makes me feel better about the idea of a Stoeger, although PuddleMonkeys thoughts on the matter sort of ring true, lol. I would hate to buy the gun and then be looking longingly at the SR9C or the XDM9c until I have the money for one of them. Thanks for the input and the help on whatever decision I ultimately make, fellas.

 

[bruzer]

If you are ever get to Southern Oregon send me a PM and we'll see about some first hand experience with the Cougar.
Mike

 

[tacticalgunner]

If you are ever get to Southern Oregon send me a PM and we'll see about some first hand experience with the Cougar.
Mike

What kinda Cougar are you talking about there bruzer. I know the the type of Cougars I like to handle lol

 

[Otter]

I bought a 9mm Cougar two weekends ago at the Rickreall gun show from Keith's. I paid $379 + $10 background check for it. Best price I saw prior to the gun show was $399 at Sportsman Warehouse in Medford. Took it home and cleaned it. Was very impressed with the fit and finish. Smooth action and a really good trigger. It is a true Beretta pistol, made on Beretta equipment they sold to Stoeger (owned by Beretta), built in Turkey with much lower cost labor. Magazines are stamped "Made in Italy" and the two guys I was with said the magazine is the same as they have in their Beretta 92s. We didn't test fit them however, so that could be incorrect.

Sadly have not been able to shoot it yet. Got everything I need except small pistol primers. Have not even bothered to look for 9mm ammo.

I bought it based on all the positive reviews I read on the Internet, advice at gun stores and my overall impression while handling the pistol. For the price I don't think there is a better pistol deal out there. It is not a cc pistol by any means. It is heavy and bulky, so I plan to use it for practice and home defense.

 

[bmont]

I have the .40 and I love it.Nice gun for the price!

 

[Mark W.]

The Cougar does not share magazines with the 92 series pistols.