Beretta Cougar 8040?

[polecat]

Anyone with any experience with this pistol? Looking at a trade for a lightly used Beretta (not Stoeger) version . My research indicates it was a pretty reliable pistol. Any input would be appreciated.

Thanks

[dralarms]

Fantastic pistol, you'll love the rotating barrel. Also the stoger is built on the same equipment as the Beretta version, only made in turkey. Beretta moved their equipment to turkey. I've got both and the only difference i find is the finish. 

[McAllyn]

Had an 8000D, loved it, just couldn’t get into the double action only. But the Cougar platform was great. If it hadn’t been DAO, I’d still have it today.

Mac

[dralarms]

Oh, there is a simple mod you can do to make it decock only instead of safety. It's a 5 min mod and can be reversed. 

[tercel89]

I had the Beretta Cougar in 9mm. I loved it . I did the decock only modification. No parts needed , you just take out a spring and plunger. Best mod I ever did . I just don't like the .40S&W cartridge.

[polecat]

Sounds like a great pistol. I sure appreciate the response and will post a range report soon. Thanks again!

[hipower]

Yes, rub salt into the wounds. lol I had a Beretta 8045 some years back. Absolutely great pistol. I foolishly let a parts manager on my route see it. Bugged me until I sold it to him.

Many regrets on that one. Almost as many as letting Smith have my/his 40 BHP back. lol

I think you'll be amazed with this pistol.

[luvmyberetta]

I've owned several Beretta Cougars in 9 mm, .40, .45 & currently have a full size 8045 & 8000 Mini. The 8045 is my main choice for carry. I've never had a failure from any of them & they're all very smooth shooters. Parts are starting to dry up for the Cougar series, but they're extremely easy to work on & modify. Depending on the specific trade I wouldn't hesitate a minute to grab one. My only advice is to make sure you only use Beretta brand mags unless you want an expensive paper weight. Keep us informed & be sure to post some pics if you grab it.

[dralarms]

1 hour ago, luvmyberetta said:

I've owned several Beretta Cougars in 9 mm, .40, .45 & currently have a full size 8045 & 8000 Mini. The 8045 is my main choice for carry. I've never had a failure from any of them & they're all very smooth shooters. Parts are starting to dry up for the Cougar series, but they're extremely easy to work on & modify. Depending on the specific trade I wouldn't hesitate a minute to grab one. My only advice is to make sure you only use Beretta brand mags unless you want an expensive paper weight. Keep us informed & be sure to post some pics if you grab it.

The stoeger brand using the exact same parts. 

[luvmyberetta]

6 minutes ago, dralarms said:

The stoeger brand using the exact same parts. 

+1. Unfortunately, the Stoeger Cougar has been discontinued just like the older Beretta version & parts are no longer being produced. Numrich, Brownell's, & a few other have limited parts available, but mags are getting really hard to locate. I picked up some all metal guide rod/recoil assemblies (before they switched to plastic guide rods), D springs, trigger springs, etc. for mine a few years ago for my parts box. I'll probably never shoot them enough to have to replace those parts, but it's better to have extras than not.

Extra mags are a must.....

[dralarms]

Didn't know that. Guess I'm glad I bought every 8040 mag I came across

[bart305]

I wasn't fortunate enough to get the original 8000, got a Stoeger years later. Absolutely one of my favorites, I even used it for USPSA for a while. I currently can't find a source for recoil springs for it. 

[tercel89]

Numrich or beretta would be the first I'd try