Stoeger Cougar...Why aren't these more popular?

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Mercenary

New member
I know nothing about this brand but the other night I was watching Guns And Ammo TV and they were talking about 3 Gun options from Beneli. When they got to the pistol, they were showing the Stoeger Cougar.

Since then I have been looking at these online and they look the part! So my question is, IF these guns are well made, why aren't they more popular? With a 3.6" barrel, 32 oz, and a DA/SA trigger it is dimensionally close to a SIG P229.

Anyone know much about these guns?
 
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Micahweeks

New member
They are very popular, but most shooters remember them as the BERETTA Cougar, not Stoeger. Beretta moved the manufacturing equipment to factories in Turkey and now market the gun under the Stoeger brand name.
 
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AustinTX

New member
They're reasonably popular, but being made in Turkey and having an unfamiliar brand name probably doesn't help. Too bad, because they're great guns and outstanding values. Bud's has them in 9mm and .40 for $379 and $375, respectively, shipping included.
 
S

SwampYankee

New member
I paid $300 for a Beretta Cougar a couple years ago. There used to be a lot of PD trade in guns on the market and I suspect that makes it hard for Stoeger to compete. And you also have to ask yourself, why did Beretta bail on the gun and sell all the tooling and equipment to Stoeger? Beretta is not a stupid company...

That said, I like mine but its not my favorite. I prefer a CZ 40B anyday. Or a CZ RAMI.
 
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T. O'Heir

New member
Hi. Stoeger is the distributor. Unfortunately, they're known more for lowish end shotguns than they are for handguns.
 
C

C0untZer0

Moderator
To me they just fall into that huge category of DA/SA pistols with flip up safeties on the slide, and I don't care for DA/SA triggers or any levers on the slide - decockers or whatever but especially not anything that I need to flip UP

Why they're not more popular within that category of pistols I'm not sure.

Is a Cougar cheaper than a Taurus PTx... ?
 
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L

labhound

New member
Beretta owns Stoeger and lists the Stoeger Cougar on their International site. Beretta stopped making the Cougar under the Beretta name when they developed the polymer PX4. I own the Stoeger Cougar 8000 F 9mm and 8045 .45ACP. Two of the best buys for the money going today IMHO. Excellent guns, about $200 less expensive that when they carried the Beretta name and $120 to $200 less expensive than the PX4 depending on the caliber.
 
G

gyvel

New member
Having had the misfortune (or stupidity) to own three Turkish guns, I can say that if you buy a gun MADE in Turkey, it IS a turkey.

I know I've learned my lesson.:(
 
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MikeNice81

New member
I passed on the Cougar because I just liked the CZ P-07 much more when I held them.

The Stoeger is a great value at the price. I just think that most people skip them because of the name. Outside of the "gunnies" like us the name is almost unknown.

Most people recognize Ruger, Colt, Smitth & Wesson, and Glock. Beyond that it gets real fuzzy for most people. So, they stick with what their daddy, gran-pa, or best friend has.
 
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jglsprings

New member
They're reasonably popular, but being made in Turkey and having an unfamiliar brand name probably doesn't help
Click to expand...

A lot of this ^

And, they are larger than you would expect. They are not really concealed carry guns. I like mine so much I got a second (45 & 40). One is a Stoeger and the other is Beretta.


This is the (new) Stoeger 8045...

5185305223_7e22b62061_z.jpg


And this is the before and after Beretta Police trade in 8040...

5185219470_bd86891208_z.jpg


5224161357_6006b6281c_z.jpg
 
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labhound

New member
They're definitely not small pistols. Almost as big as a Beretta 92, just a shorter barrel and for me the best fitting grip of any gun I own. Mine have proven to be very accurate, extremely reliable with only 1 FTE in almost 2000 rounds. My 9mm is the gun I carry around my property and the .45 has a Viridian C5L laser/light on it and is used for home defense.
 
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DougU

New member
The stoegers are good guns. I love reading all the speculation as to why Beretta stopped making then and why they sent them to a subsidary to continue manufacturing. If you really want to know, ask Beretta. The biggest problem is that they are a good solid weapon but they don't have all of the marketing and fanboys behind them. And to that, they are all metal and slightly heavier than the poly pistols that dominate the market. They have a different mechanism that most are not familiar with. They don't have alot of aftermarket support. The .40 and 9mm do not have a rail which is a must have for many today. I have a .40 and it hasn't missed a beat, but the lack of a rail makes it a no go for a HD gun and it is a bit large to conceal in the summer. All in all, its a good gun at a great price, but that doesn't win popularity contests these days.
 
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triplebike

New member
Simply one of the very best, if not the best value for a NIB semi auto handgun on the market today. Do some real research. Beretta still controls the supervision of the manufacturing process, which is done on the actual Beretta machinery. 1000's of flawless rds fired through my 8000 & 8045.


Just take a look at the Taurus copy of the Beretta 92fs , which is still made on Beretta made machinery. It's probably the most consistently reliable handgun Taurus makes in spite of its self. If it was still being supervised by Beretta it would no doubt be their most reliable out of the box handgun.
 
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salvadore

Moderator
I recommended Cougers to my Brother in law and sonny boy after reading the rifleman review of them. No one has sent me death threats because of it. I've put sonny boy's on paper this spring and it is quite accurate and handles nicely. Don't quote me but in general I believe the all metal framed guns tend to be more accurate than the plastic fantastics.

They really are a great value and I may get the .45 model myself.
 
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