Stoeger Cougar - An overlooked diamond

[Guest KWW67]

I have had Beretta pistols and think they are very good guns. Most of you know the story behind the cougar and the name change to Stoeger. Seems like most people look right over it thinking it is a cheap off brand weapon. Some may remember when it had a Beretta emblem on the handle it was $800.00+. Same machines, same weapon, just another manufacturing location and name. Now you can buy them all day long for $399.00. I picked up a 8040 .40 cal Stoeger cougar for $299.00 NIB yesterday (ordered some hogue wood handles today). While that was a special circumstance and not an everyday deal, it was still $299.00. Even at $399.00 it is a steal and every bit Beretta quality. Even the suggested retail is only $469.00. It perplexes me why people go and pay much, much more for a weapon that is no better in quality. Same goes for the Bersa. As close to a Walther PPK as you can get. Wonderful quality. It just goes to show what a brand name can do to people's perception. Some may not agree. Just my opinion. I would enjoy others thoughts on this one.

[Guest Matchguy]

I owned a Beretta 8040 Cougar a few years ago and share your opinion that it is a first rate gun, as I'm sure the new ones imported by Stoeger are too.

The first thing that hurt the Cougar, and the biggest thing as well, was poor timing by Beretta. The Cougar wasn't really regarded as a full size service pistol and didn't get a lot of play from law enforcement....after all it was competing with its big, honkin' brother, the Model 92 and 96, and it came along when most agencies had just finished reequipping with auto pistols at great expense.....Really great expense. So it came along when the market for police pistols in this country was "already had" and the Cougar had to depend mainly on civilian sales for survival. This wasn't good either because it was competing against well established dealer networks for Glock, Sig, S&W, and its own company's guns I mentioned earlier. Basically, I think Beretta had rocks in its head for bringing the gun out when they did, and it never really had a chance to get popular.

Finally, I believe the Cougar also failed because the grip to barrel angle is different from most other auto pistols and took some getting used to by the shooter......one has to crank his wrist upwards noticeably to instinct shoot the gun well from the hip, and this is why I sold mine. If you can get used to this and the Cougar is the only gun you are going to carry, it is indeed an outstanding pistol, and I'll say it again....it IS an outstanding pistol. But as a retired cop I just had too many years of Smith and Wesson in my muscle memory to be able to consistently remember to crank my wrist upwards, so I went back to a 4006. But in retrospect I wish I had bought the 4006 AND kept the little Cougar. Bad move on my part in selling it.

The Bersa is a common military and police pistol in South America, being essentially a copy of the Walther P88, but you have to look hard to find them in this country.....it's getting better, but you get my point. I own two of them, a Thunder 9 Hi Cap and Ultra Compact, and have now shot them enough that I would recommend them to anyone right along with the other major brands of service pistols. They are certainly well made and are accurate and have a lifetime warranty to the original owner.

So that's my take on it. If I could find another Cougar in the price range you mentioned I would jump all over it. Hope this helps. All this blabber above is IMHO.

MG

[Guest KWW67]

I agree. I could not see a cougar being a service weapon myself. I carried a Beretta 92F .40 and 9mm. Never liked the 9mm. 25 or so years ago everyone furnished their own weapons (revolvers mostly) and ammo, you had everything under the sun being carried. I have carried many different weapons. Then we got Dept. issued Ruger .357 GP100's. I could drive nails with that gun. Then we got the Beretta semi-auto's and they were good guns, but I was a wheel gun man at heart. About 20 something years ago I remember co-worker showed us a Glock he bought. First one most of us had ever seen. Never heard of them. We all just scratched our heads at it. We called it a Mattel gun. Light as a feather compared to all the 686 Smiths being carried at the time. Most of us said we wouldn't have a plastic gun and we would never trust it. Never thought they would be what they are today..... But for personal carry, the cougar is a great gun. So is the Bersa, especially the Thunder .380. It baffles me people overlook these guns and they in turn buy high priced weapons. I could understand people not wanting Jennings or Raven arms .25 (how many of THEM have you confiscated over the years?) for a reliable personal carry gun. It all boils down to personal choice and they should definitely get what they want and are willing to pay for, it has just made me wonder and thought I would ask around. For the record, I am not knocking high priced guns. The point of this topic is I was just wondering why some great guns are forgotten.

[Guest Boomhower]

I've got a cougar in 9mm..........It was my first carry gun. Shoots like a champ!

[poak]

I've been meaning to pick up a Stoeger Cougar for quite some time...

[Guest Matchguy]

I've been meaning to pick up a Stoeger Cougar for quite some time...

Who stocks the Stoeger Cougar? The two distributors where I located them a few months ago are out and say they won't have any more for at least six months.

Jer

[poak]

Who stocks the Stoeger Cougar? The two distributors where I located them a few months ago are out and say they won't have any more for at least six months.

Jer

I saw 2 or 3 and Guns and Leather (Greenbrier, TN) last time I was there. You might drop Joe @ Hero Gear a line, I know they stock Stoeger, but I dont know whether or not they specifically carry the Cougar or not.

[Guest Boomhower]

Gander Mtn. in Knoxville used to stock them. Was $349, but it's untelling what they are now.

[Guest KWW67]

You can go to Stoeger's website and enter your zip code to find dealers in your area.

http://www.stoegerindustries.com/customer_service/dealer_locator.php

[frankmako]

not a bad gun and is over looked by many.

[Rambo]

I wouldn't mind getting one. My old man has a Stoeger shotgun, and it's IDENTICAL to a Beretta and a Benelli at a fraction of the cost. You lay it down beside a $1000 Benelli and you can't tell which one is the Stoeger.

[Guest KWW67]

Here is a little history on the Stoeger Cougar..........

In the 1990s, the Stoeger company was purchased by Finnish rifle manufacturer Sako. In 2000, Sako was acquired by Beretta Holding S.p.A. At that time, Stoeger Industries was placed under the ownership of Benelli USA, where it remains today as a member of the Benelli USA family of companies.The technology and expertise of Benelli USA are integral to Stoeger’s manufacturing processes. And all Stoeger products enjoy a solid reputation for affordable quality.

http://www.stoegerindustries.com/information/stoeger_history.php

Edited March 8, 2009 by KWW67

[Guest FroggyOne2]

That trap gun looks pretty good.. also like the looks of the Uplander!