Cougar 8000 Semi Automatic Pistol

[scubatrooper]

Has anyone bought and fired the new Cougar 8000 in either 9mm or 40 S&W yet? It looks like a great handgun and a great price.

Tha January 2007 Guns & Ammo had a review and gave it good marks all around. I was looking for some real world real people feedback. Thanks.

Regards,

Steve

[SKK]

Try doing a search at www.berettaforum.net

They have several range reports and just general posting regarding not only the Stoeger Cougar but the Beretta Cougar as well.

[scubatrooper]

Well, I actually bought the 8000 Cougar in .40 S&W. It was on sale at Scheel's Sporting Goods here in Omaha for $329. I took it to the range this afternoon and it shot great! I was getting 3 and 4 inch groups free hand at 25 yards and 2 inch groups supported at 25 yards using standard 165 gr FMJ (Federal).

The build quality and fit and finish is outstanding. The felt recoil does not seem to be anymore than my Taurus PT99AF in 9mm. I fired 100 rounds with no misfeeds or ejection problems. Overall I'm very happy with this pistol. I look forward to shooting with it again and having a smaller sized semi-auto when I get my concealed carry permit (Nebraska passed this into law effective January 1).

Regards,

Steve

[jmpait]

I just bought a Cougar 8000. I too read the Guns and Ammo article. I am glad to see a real person saying good things. But, where can we get accessories for this gun? Holsters, etc. Thanks.

[scubatrooper]

There are not many accessories for the "Stoeger" Cougar out there but I've found quite a bit for the "Baretta" Cougar which is essentially the same gun. I've found holsters for the Cougar on eBay and Midwayusa.com has a decent selection of products. From my understanding and reading the Stoeger is identical to the Baretta in all aspects. It's just built in Turkey instead of Italy. So my guess is anything you find for the Baretta Cougar can also be used for the Stoeger Cougar.

Regards,

Steve

[scubatrooper]

Jmpait:

I found a gun shop that sells on the web with some great prices! Check out budsgunshop.com. I orderd a Bianchi 7500 AccuMold Paddle Holster in Size 11 (according to the Bianchi web site this is the size for the "Baretta" Cougar) for $31.80
and a Bianchi 7303 Accumold Single Mag/Knife Pouch Size 4 (again the Bianchi web site indicated this was the size for the Cougar mag) for $11.49. I couldn't find the holster for any less on the web and this price was an average of eight or nine less than the others were selling it for.

When I receive the holster I'll be sure to let you know how it fits my Stoeger Cougar in 40 S&W.

Regards,

Steve

[avordman]

I picked up my new Stoeger in 40 S&W last Thursday and I went to the range yesterday. I have to say that, barring any wear issues later on, it is one of the finest pistols I have ever bought or shot. It shot everything I loaded into it with no problem. No FTFs, FTFs, or FTEs. It seems to be extremely ammo friendly and reliable. Its reliability reminds me of the 1911A1s, but the recoil is not much more than a 9MM. As for accuracy, at 15 yards it is capable of shooting a lot better than I am. I wore out the center of a couple of targets yesterday. Not a whole lot of bulls but close enough to be dangerous. I may not be able to hit a bad guy between the eyes with it, but I can certainly do well enough to change their thought patterns. BTW, the fit and finish on the pistol is extremely good to excellent. As it stands now, it was worth every penny I spent on it and I highly recommend this pistol.

[scubatrooper]

avordman:

I couldn't agree more! I have not had one malfunction in shooting over 300 rounds of ammo. I have not observed any abnormal wear of gun parts. The fit and finish of this pistol is top notch in my opinion and is equal to or better than any of my S&W, Taurus, Ruger, or Glock pistols I either own or have owned. It was worth every bit of the $329 I paid and, like you, would highly recommend this pistol to anyone.

The only upgrade I plan to purchase is a metal guide rod. Reading another BB I came across this web site with a good deal http://www.olhasso.com./beretta/cougar.htm. He is currently out of stock according to the web site. Although the plastic one seems to work just fine it just feels a little flimsy. The replacement metal part is only $11 plus $5 shipping and includes a recoil spring.

Have fun shooting.

Regards,

Steve

[jmpait]

Thanks ScoobaTrooper for the info. I will check their website out. I ordered a metal guide rod from Olhasso right before he ran out. Works great so feel confident ordering from him.

I went to shoot my new Stoeger Cougar 9mm this past weekend. Put over 400 rounds through it. Not one single problem. Very accurate, little recoil. The $350 I paid for this gun was a bargain as far as I am concerned. I encourage everyone to try and get their hands on this gun. They won't be disappointed.

[scubatrooper]

jmpait:

Sounds like you're having a great time with your 9mm 8000 Cougar. I'm in the USAF Reserves and one of my best friends is a Combat Arms Training (CATM) troop at the base here (Offutt AFB). As such, he has access to the range so I think we are both going to do some serious shooting this weekend. I'll be taking the .40 S&W Cougar, a 9mm Taurus and an AR to punch many holes in targets. As my earlier post indicated, I've shot many different brands of ammo through the Cougar with no problems at all. Like you, I feel this is a lot of gun for the money and I'm glad I purchased it. Anyone thinking about a smaller size 9mm or .40 should put this on his/her short list to check out at their local gun dealer. It's lots of gun for the money.

I'm still waiting for my holster to be delivered from budsgunshop.com. They have great prices but the shipping seems to be a little on the slow side (ordered on 1/7/07). I called them today and got their answering machine. Maybe if I'm lucky it will be in my mailbox when I get home from work! Have a great weekend.

Regards,

Steve