FieroCDSP
Member
Hi, folks. I picked up a Stoeger Cougar last Saturday, and just wanted to toss up an opinion and get others' experiences and opinions.
I was initially looking into the store's price on a Taurus pt92, to compare to a used price I'd seen at my local store, but after finding they were out of them, I had to make do with browsing, and firmly convinced I was not going to spend any money now.
After much browsing and soul-searching, I finally asked to take a look at the Cougar. My first impression was that it seemed cheap. After all, a $329 semi-auto 9mm from a foreign company.... Maybe I'm spoiled on Smiths...
Anyway...The weight surprised me, but likely because I'm used to polymer frames. Even empty and aluminum framed, it's a good chunk of weight. The grip seemed to fit my hand okay, resting firmly on the middle pads of my middle and ring fingers and the web of my hand choked up naturally on the backstrap against the abbreviated tail.
Unlike some other pistols, I can reach and actuate the mag-release with a very slight turning of the muzzle to the left. This was the sole reason I passed on a Ruger P89...I had difficuly working it and had to turn the gun almost seventyto eighty degrees to get it right. I'm sure with practice it would work out, but I wasn't interested in changing that habit.
The SA/DA action is nice. In SA it's a light and fairly crisp break. In DA it's stout, even more than my Sigma, but it's a smooth and consistant pull. During my first hundred rounds, I found it to be managable in the hands with quick return time on the sights.
I took a few moments to try out drawing the weapon and flipping the safety off. The safety flips up and is easy to nudge off with your thumb as your hands come up and into position. Pulling it back down to the de-cock position requires tilting left roughly 25-30 degrees. A minor issue, as safeing the weapon means the threat is likely gone.
The hundred rounds i put through it were swift and without incident, with the exception of user error. I detail stripped the weapon the night I bought it, and had trouple piecing it back together after being drawn away for several hours. I placed the trigger bar spring in backwards, preventing it from locking in. After 75 rounds, it popped out and into the mag-well, preventing it from firing. A screwdriver was all I needed to repair it the proper way and the remainder of the ammunition was trouble free.
It cleaned up nicely with the over-sized P-B and nylon brushes and patch rod that were included with it behind the foam padding. If anyone can tell me what that Stoeger emblemed, double-sided cup-holder thingy that came in the case with it is, I'd appreciate it.
I only later (while I was trying to piece it back together) read that it's actually the same gun as the Beretta Cougar, just manufactured by the same machines in a different country. One can hardly complain about getting a Beretta for half-price.
All in all, I'd say I got my money's worth, maybe more. I pulled the tightest group of my life near the end of my shooting session, and what seemed like a cheap alternative to what I've been wanting (Walther P99), has turned into a definite keeper. Now I just need to stock up on 9mm reloading supplies.
Anyone else'd experiences or thoughts?
I was initially looking into the store's price on a Taurus pt92, to compare to a used price I'd seen at my local store, but after finding they were out of them, I had to make do with browsing, and firmly convinced I was not going to spend any money now.
After much browsing and soul-searching, I finally asked to take a look at the Cougar. My first impression was that it seemed cheap. After all, a $329 semi-auto 9mm from a foreign company.... Maybe I'm spoiled on Smiths...
Anyway...The weight surprised me, but likely because I'm used to polymer frames. Even empty and aluminum framed, it's a good chunk of weight. The grip seemed to fit my hand okay, resting firmly on the middle pads of my middle and ring fingers and the web of my hand choked up naturally on the backstrap against the abbreviated tail.
Unlike some other pistols, I can reach and actuate the mag-release with a very slight turning of the muzzle to the left. This was the sole reason I passed on a Ruger P89...I had difficuly working it and had to turn the gun almost seventyto eighty degrees to get it right. I'm sure with practice it would work out, but I wasn't interested in changing that habit.
The SA/DA action is nice. In SA it's a light and fairly crisp break. In DA it's stout, even more than my Sigma, but it's a smooth and consistant pull. During my first hundred rounds, I found it to be managable in the hands with quick return time on the sights.
I took a few moments to try out drawing the weapon and flipping the safety off. The safety flips up and is easy to nudge off with your thumb as your hands come up and into position. Pulling it back down to the de-cock position requires tilting left roughly 25-30 degrees. A minor issue, as safeing the weapon means the threat is likely gone.
The hundred rounds i put through it were swift and without incident, with the exception of user error. I detail stripped the weapon the night I bought it, and had trouple piecing it back together after being drawn away for several hours. I placed the trigger bar spring in backwards, preventing it from locking in. After 75 rounds, it popped out and into the mag-well, preventing it from firing. A screwdriver was all I needed to repair it the proper way and the remainder of the ammunition was trouble free.
It cleaned up nicely with the over-sized P-B and nylon brushes and patch rod that were included with it behind the foam padding. If anyone can tell me what that Stoeger emblemed, double-sided cup-holder thingy that came in the case with it is, I'd appreciate it.
I only later (while I was trying to piece it back together) read that it's actually the same gun as the Beretta Cougar, just manufactured by the same machines in a different country. One can hardly complain about getting a Beretta for half-price.
All in all, I'd say I got my money's worth, maybe more. I pulled the tightest group of my life near the end of my shooting session, and what seemed like a cheap alternative to what I've been wanting (Walther P99), has turned into a definite keeper. Now I just need to stock up on 9mm reloading supplies.
Anyone else'd experiences or thoughts?
