Will Beretta 92A1 front sight fight Stoeger Cougar (8040F)

[washagonian]

Does anyone know if a Beretta 92A1 front sight will fit a Stoeger Cougar 8040F (40 S&W version of the Cougar)?

I am beginning to suspect that this may be so, because I've seen Fusion Firearms and some other vendors advertise ONE SINGLE SIGHT that they say is compatible with both a Beretta Cougar 8000 series and a 92A1.

The Beretta and Stoeger Cougars are the same firearm, built on the same tooling that Beretta moved to Turkey when they stopped manufacturing the Beretta version of the Cougar.

I purchased a new Stoeger Cougar (8040F) about a year ago. It was "new old-stock", so I got a great deal on it. I really like the pistol.

But the blasted thing has a POI WAY LOWER than the POA. At 50 feet, the POI is 5 inches LOW. It groups consistently and I finally got the windage adjusted so groups are centered. But it's driving me crazy that the elevation is so far off.

Thus, I am looking for a new front sight. Would like to know that - IF I decide to go BIG $ for something that fits a 92A1 - I'm not gonna have to hassle with a return because it won't fit the Cougar.

Any help or suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks.

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[DirectDrive]

1) Note your POA and POI at a known distance (bench shoot off sandbags for best results)
2) Go to Dawson Precision (or similar), use their sight calculator and buy the correct front sight

If the Stoeger isn't listed call or email them for assistance.

 

[whiskeybill]

Nearly every Beretta I have shot shoots low if you use the traditional 6 O'Clock hold on the bull. The three I have do it. My M9 has a fixed front sight, can't change it out. I find a hold center sight picture puts them right where pointed. If you still have issues, Wilson Combat is the go to source for Beretta sights, with different front sight heights offered.

 

[RX-79G]

Many recent guns aren't even a center hold, but a dot-over-bull, which produces really low POI when you use your sights more traditionally. I hate dot-over-bull - so imprecise.

If you are looking for an aftermarket shorter sight, email the company and ask if they know (Dawson, for instance). You could also provide them with the dimensions of the bottom of the dovetail for reference. The Stoeger guns aren't identical to the Berettas, but that is mostly aesthetic exterior shapes, but you might want to make sure you have a dovetail front sight.

Have you determined what height sight you need?

 

[Stomper]

Maybe you'd have better luck finding a taller rear-sight that'll fit, if you strike out finding a lower front-sight.

Since the POI is fooked anyway, maybe gently file it down until you get the POI you're looking for, then measure the remaining height of the sight and order a replacement at that spec.

 

[Heyjoe]

Yes, 92 series sights will fit the Cougar.*

No, it will not change your point of aim. As described above, these pistols cover the bull completely - known as "combat Hold"

*Some minor fitting required.

BTW, these guns have the slickest actions of any pistol I've handled, they are very accurate also.

Trijicon night sights on my Stoeger Cougar 8000:

 

[washagonian]

1) Note your POA and POI at a known distance (bench shoot off sandbags for best results)
2) Go to Dawson Precision (or similar), use their sight calculator and buy the correct front sight

If the Stoeger isn't listed call or email them for assistance.

We are of the same mind. First thing things I did. I've bought several 1911 sights from Dawson. Dawson doesn't indicate their 92A1 sights will fit a Cougar. Fusion Firearms DOES indicate their 92A1 sights will fit a Cougar - but they only offer one height.

 

[washagonian]

Nearly every Beretta I have shot shoots low if you use the traditional 6 O'Clock hold on the bull. The three I have do it. My M9 has a fixed front sight, can't change it out. I find a hold center sight picture puts them right where pointed. If you still have issues, Wilson Combat is the go to source for Beretta sights, with different front sight heights offered.

Thx for the suggestion to checkout Wilson.

This cougar hits target center when sights are aligned 5 inches above the 12o'clock position.

 

[washagonian]

Many recent guns aren't even a center hold, but a dot-over-bull, which produces really low POI when you use your sights more traditionally. I hate dot-over-bull - so imprecise.

If you are looking for an aftermarket shorter sight, email the company and ask if they know (Dawson, for instance). You could also provide them with the dimensions of the bottom of the dovetail for reference. The Stoeger guns aren't identical to the Berettas, but that is mostly aesthetic exterior shapes, but you might want to make sure you have a dovetail front sight.

Have you determined what height sight you need?

Emailed Dawson last week. They won't answer my question - they said they have not built sights specifically for the cougar, and they won't say their 92A1 sights will fit..

According to Dawson's sight calculator I need about a 0.100" high front sight.

 

[washagonian]

Maybe you'd have better luck finding a taller rear-sight that'll fit, if you strike out finding a lower front-sight.

Since the POI is fooked anyway, maybe gently file it down until you get the POI you're looking for, then measure the remaining height of the sight and order a replacement at that spec.

Two really good suggestions! Thx.

 

[washagonian]

Yes, 92 series sights will fit the Cougar.*

No, it will not change your point of aim. As described above, these pistols cover the bull completely - known as "combat Hold"

*Some minor fitting required.

BTW, these guns have the slickest actions of any pistol I've handled, they are very accurate also.

Trijicon night sights on my Stoeger Cougar 8000:

View attachment 1460130

Thx!!!

I can do the fitting, so no problem there..

Combat hold sight picture was my starting point and the baseline. No matter where my POA is, the result is POI being 5 inches below the POA, e.g., POA at 6 o'clock = POI 5 inches below that; POA about 2 inches above 12 o'clock = POI is 5 inches below that - which is dead-center on this particular target. Tried different POAs and got same 5" gap - which shows that most likely it's not the shooter.

 

[washagonian]

Thanks to @Heyjoe 's feedback I think my first option wiil be to order a Dawson fiber optic 92A1 front sight. I can get a short one and they only cost about $40.

If that doesn't work, there were a lot of other member suggestions that are worth trying.

Thx everyone for your help!!!

 

[DirectDrive]

We are of the same mind. First thing things I did. I've bought several 1911 sights from Dawson. Dawson doesn't indicate their 92A1 sights will fit a Cougar. Fusion Firearms DOES indicate their 92A1 sights will fit a Cougar - but they only offer one height.

You need the large inventory of Dawson.
Call or email them to verify....use their sight calculator first so you know what height you need.

 

[washagonian]

UPDATE!!!!

So, like the lazy-a$$ that I can be, I did NOT Google-foo "Stoeger Cougar shooting low" before I started this thread.

But I DID search for those terms this morning and there are A LOT of posts about this issue in a lot of forums over the past 10 years. Turns out, almost everyone figured out that it was the shooter and not the gun/sights.

So, I am going to take the pistol back to the range next week and shoot another bunch of 5-shot groups, but this time being more meticulous with my sight alignment, use of the bench-rest, and grip. Also, will increase the distance from 50 ft to 60 ft (which is Dawson Precision's recommended distance for testing sights).

Also, will work with factory ammo instead of reloads. Not that I think the reloads were causing any part of the problem - but instead, to remove the "reload" variable from the equation.

From many of the member suggestions provided above, and from my own experience - I am suspicious that I am the problem here and not the sights. A consistent 5 inch gap between POA and POI is pretty significant for it to be a shooter error, but not unheard of. This is my only Beretta form-factor handgun and the grip is thicker than anything else I own.

I suspect the stinkin' shooting is me and not the gun.

I'll update the post with my new test results.

Again, thanks everyone for the discussion and the help.

Cheers.

 

[washagonian]

Okay .....

I'm going to update this thread and then let her die-out.

1.). My POA versus POI problem was ME - the shooter. I am having a problem with my right eye (I'm right eye dominate) and after some manual lens correction, as well as some pretty focused, conscious sight alignment (as opposed to just lining up the sights quickly), I found that this pistol shoots TRUE to POA in the "combat hold" sight alignment position. So, no new sights needed.

This also helps answer the problem with the deterioration of my accuracy with some of my other pistols that I've had for a long time. Sucks getting old.

2.). I was able to find a fair number of sight options for the Beretta 92A1, which, thanks to everyone's help, I know will fit this Cougar. I'm probably going to update to fiber optic sights, but now I know I don't need a different height front sight.

As a result, I am liking this pistol more and more. It's the only DA/SA 40 S&W pistol I own (all my other 40's are striker fired), and I am a fan of metal framed, DA/SA pistols.

Again, thanks everyone for your input and help.

Cheers.