First Gun - Stoeger Cougar 9mm

[zbock]

Hey Everyone,

I recently purchased a Stoeger Cougar 9mm after doing a bit of research online. I was cross shopping the cougar and the sigma and shot a sigma at the range. There wasn't much I liked about the sigma, the trigger sucked and the stippling on the grip caused my hand to start aching after fifty rounds. While i would've been able to purchase it for $100 cheaper than the cougar, I felt that I would not have liked owning the firearm and so I passed on it. The cougar felt much better in my hand, and although I did not have a chance to shoot it before I purchased it, I picked it up anyway. I bought it for $450 at gander mountain. It was disappointing to see that the price had increased so much on the cougars, I would've loved to purchase one at 350 or 380, but it's too late for that. In terms of other guns, it appears that gun shops were sold out of pretty much everything (the cougar included), and I didn't have much patience at the time. Otherwise I think there would've been some wisdom in waiting around for a glock 19 to show up in stock, but hindsight is 20/20.

As far as a range report is concerned I've put about 500 rounds through the gun. My first trip out i had 10 FTE out of 100 rounds, but this was due to lack of lubrication. Before I take it to the range now I make sure it is properly lubed and don't have any problems with it. I like the way the gun shoots and how it feels in my hand. I shoot OK, I have a lot of room for improvement. I've purchased a Don Hume 715 open top holster for it and will be using it for carry once I receive my permit.

Overall I'm very pleased with the gun. It's reliable, fits great in my hand, and I really like how it shoots. Concealing it is a little challenging as the grip is fairly big, so I'll have to play around to find a comfortable/concealable place iwb for it.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[matiki]

Sounds great. I haven't had the pleasure of firing one, but I did handle one when shopping a few years ago, and I also like the ergonomics.

[BeefyBeefo]

I have one that my girlfriend picked out. I purchased it long before the price hikes, and it is/was one of the better values out there. My girlfriend has put about 1300 flawless rounds through it and she loves that thing. It really is a great gun. Enjoy.

[MikeGoob]

I love this gun. It shoots better the more you shoot it. The rotating barrel is a great design.

[hogdaddy]

There great shooting guns!!

[Sportsterguy]

Outstanding pistol for the money. Same as the old Beretta but hundreds less. Congrats and keep practicing!

[drs1457]

Wow. Never heard of this one until your thread. I like your choice, you appear not to worry about what the thundering herd likes. An individual.

[retsupt99]

If you like it, then it's the gun for you.
One can learn to conceal almost anything...time will tell if you still feel that way a year from now.
Congrats!

[Chorizo]

Great gun. I first bought a Stoeger Cougar 8040 and by chance found a hardly used with no mags Beretta 8040 at a pawn shop for $375 out the door. Now I have a pair!

Mags are cheap at CDNN and I have lots on hand.

I must say that the Stoeger is every bit as good as the Beretta.

I have a Milt Sparks VM II and it carries well!

[zbock]

Wow. Never heard of this one until your thread. I like your choice, you appear not to worry about what the thundering herd likes. An individual.

Thanks for that. I just read around a couple of forums and the cougar was often reccomended as a good first inexpensive firearm. After doing some research I found out that beretta use to make the gun back in the late 90s. They discontinued production themselves and sent the machinery to Turkey and began production under the Stoeger brand (which Beretta owns). Reading this, along with positive reviews from a few handgun magazines, and other individuals who purchased the gun stating positive experiences convinced me that I should purchase it (and I did so, especially after holding one and liking how it felt in my hand).

If you google beretta cougar you'll see the stoeger is identical in every way, except for branding . Lots of good info on beretta forum as well. Check out this wikipedia article for a good summary:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beretta_Cougar

When dealing with gun "snobs" I just say that I own a beretta cougar, as it's often futile trying to explain yourself to people that think that only expensive guns are worth while, or the people who think the know it all.

Anyway I love the forum, it's very informative and entertaining to read!

[Eagleks]

I have the Beretta Cougar I got new some years back... and was glad when I got it "discounted" to $550. Good gun. The Beretta PX4 SC , is a bit smaller and reminds me of the Cougar alot. In fact, it will go in many cougar holsters.

[RTC1004]

I have a Beretta Mini Cougar in 9mm. Its short grip makes for a nice carry gun. Check out the Beretta Forum. They are good folks there and you will find lots of information on the Cougar both Beretta and Stoeger makes.

Welcome to the Beretta Forum

Here's my Mini Cougar in a High Noon Holster

[Dirtpile]

I'm waiting for Stoeger to roll out the mini version myself. It's on their international website but not the US site.

[eagle5]

Congrats on your first gun! Your first will always hold a special place in your heart/safe.

[WC145]

Congrats, the Cougar is a great gun and a ******* deal these days. I have a mini cougar that I carry on duty. For those of you that have 9mm Cougars, you get get factory original 15rd mags off the Beretta estore site for $19.95. If you have a mini, they still have the sleeves for the fullsize mags that fill the gap between the bottom of the grip and the bottom of the mag so it's like having a full size grip frame. I carry mine in a shoulder holster with the 10rd mag in it but the 3 spares I carry are 15rd w/sleeves.

zbock-
The full size cougar with a full mag is a bit on the heavy side, you should make sure you get a good, stiff gun belt, it'll make keep things in place much easier.