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  4. Budget Micro Compact 9mm: Review of the Stoeger STR-9MC

Stoeger shrunk its STR-9 to produce one of the tragically most overlooked and affordable "micro 9" carry guns on the market: the STR-9MC.

We have been testing one for the past several months and have all the details, good and bad.
 

Table of Contents
 
Overview
The Specs
Features
Trigger
Reliability
Accuracy
Pros & Cons
Conclusion

Overview


The Stoeger brand has been around since 1924 and for at least a generation has been owned by Beretta. Known best for its shotguns – which are of great quality – Stoeger guns are made in Turkey. 

Just to get it over with rather than beat around the bush and drop hints about it throughout the review, the STR-9 series is very Glock-like – something we touched on in our review of the larger STR-9SC in 2022. They take down for maintenance like a Glock, have Glock-style internals and operation, and a Glock-ish trigger (albeit typically better done). The STR-9MC continues this path, which is not illogical for a striker-fired polymer-framed 9mm pistol. However, it beats the specs of a Glock 43X by a bit, being shorter both in length and height while having a better magazine capacity. It can be argued that the Stoeger has a better trigger as well, but we will get into that. 
 

The Stoeger STR-9MC micro compact 9mm
The Stoeger STR-9MC has an overall length of 6.1 inches, which is about a half inch shorter than a G43X. Width is just over an inch, while height, with the flush 11+1 round mag, is 4.4 inches versus the G43X's 5.1. (All photos: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
The Stoeger STR-9MC micro compact 9mm
The weight, unloaded, is 18.5 ounces. 
The Stoeger STR-9MC micro compact 9mm
The model as shown ships with three Italian-made stainless-steel mags: a flush-fit and pinky extender 11+1 round mags and an extended 13+1 round mag. Of note, they are ridiculously hard to fully load, and we had to use a mag loader to fill to capacity the first several times. These mags have some seriously stout springs. Also, extra mags are kind of spendy, being in the $40 price range. 
The Stoeger STR-9MC micro compact 9mm
It's just a hair too large for a pocket gun while being too small for a duty pistol but hits a nice, sweet spot when it comes to today's micro 9 lineup. 
The Stoeger STR-9MC micro compact 9mm
Compared to Stoeger's other STR-9 family, the MC is shorter than the STR-9C Compact, which is a 15+1 capacity 9mm. 
The Stoeger STR-9MC micro compact 9mm
Stacking it against other micro compacts, it favors the Taurus GX4 in size, especially when taking each model's 13+1 round extendos into account. However, the STR-9MC has a much easier toolless takedown, whereas the Taurus requires a screwdriver. 
The Stoeger STR-9MC micro compact 9mm
The STR-9MC compared to the larger Springfield Armory Hellcat Pro. 

 
Stoeger markets the STR-9MC in four variants. The first (31770) is a sort of enhanced version that includes an optics-ready slide, front Tritium night sight, and three mags, which is the model shown in the review. The second (31766) is a more basic variant that isn't optics-ready and ships with two mags. The third and fourth are state-compliant variants of the other two versions (31771 and 31768, respectively) which ship with 10-rounders. The MSRP ranges from $399 to $479 depending on the model, with the optics-ready/three-mag versions skewing towards the higher end. Keep in mind those prices are typically a good bit lower at retail. 
 
For full disclosure, Stoeger supplied Guns.com with this pistol for T&E purposes. All testing was done on this one gun. 
 

The Specs

  • Overall length: 6.1 inches.
  • Barrel length: 3.2 inches.
  • Overall width: 1.1 inches.
  • Overall height: 4.4-­inches.
  • Magazine capacity: 13+1 extended, 11+1 (flush or with pinky extension), 10+1 rounders available. 
  • Weight, with empty magazine: 18.5 ounces.
  • Weight loaded: 25 ounces (with 14 rounds of 147-grain 9mm and mounted Burris Fast Fire Compact 6 MOA optic). 

 
Features


Takedown is easy for anyone who has ever field-stripped a Glock or Glock clone. 
 

The Stoeger STR-9MC micro compact 9mm
Note the internals, which are very straightforward. The pistol sports a heavy nitride finish on the slide, and the guide rod is stainless steel rather than plastic. 
The Stoeger STR-9MC micro compact 9mm
When it comes to surface controls, they are all on the left side of the frame including a simple slide catch and slim magazine release, the latter of which is reversible. 
The Stoeger STR-9MC micro compact 9mm
The STR-9MC has great grip texture – doing a better job than folks like SIG and Glock, in my opinion, when it comes to the amount of coverage and blend of textures. Speaking to the latter, the texture on the flat grip panels is like a coarse shark skin, like what you see on a P365 graduating to a more Glock-style polymid on the rear. The finger grooves are super subtle, which is a good balance for those who either want them or don't, being smooth enough for them to not get in the way. Note the good undercut to the back of the trigger guard. 
The Stoeger STR-9MC micro compact 9mm
It has blacked-out rear sights with a Tritium front sight. The sights are dovetailed to the slide, which means they are replaceable (SIG pattern) and are made of steel, not plastic. Sadly, Stoeger keeps using flathead screws for the plate (and the rear sight) for whatever reason. 
The Stoeger STR-9MC micro compact 9mm
The optics plate hides a Shield RMS/SMS footprint. We went with the new Burris Fast Fire Compact micro red dot which only adds an ounce of weight to the gun. It is a direct fit with no plate or shim, which is nice, and uses "Always On" technology for a 25,000-hour run time while offering five manual illumination settings. 
The Stoeger STR-9MC micro compact 9mm
Weight with the Burris Fast Fire C and 14 rounds of 135-grain Federal Hydra-Shok Deep personal defense rounds as shown is 25 ounces. 
The Stoeger STR-9MC micro compact 9mm
The grip geometry lends to a nice high purchase ,which helps mitigate recoil. Also, note how deep the slide serrations are. In practice, with the stout recoil spring press checks are tough, but a slingshot rack is not. 

 

Trigger


The trigger on factory striker-fired pistols are never very impressive but they have gotten better over the years.
 

The Stoeger STR-9MC micro compact 9mm
The example found on our test STR-9MC has a short take-up to a wall that breaks at an average of 5.25 pounds. Stoeger bills it as a 6-pound trigger, so that makes sense.


It feels on par with a well-used Gen 3 Glock or the original S&W M&P M9 but without the grittiness and has a predictable break with a tactile reset that you feel push back on your trigger.
 
Observe: 
 

 

Reliability


We tested the STR-9MC with 500 rounds of assorted 9mm brass-cased factory ammunition without any mechanical issues as far as cycling, ejection, and reloading. It was dependable in function although we observed that it was easier to control with the extended mag while tending to be snappy with the flush fit models. 
 

The Stoeger STR-9MC micro compact 9mm
This included Federal Syntech Match 124-grain purple-headed FMJ, Federal Premium Gold Medal 147-grain Action Pistol, Federal Syntech Range 115-grain red-headed FMJs, and CCI Blazer Brass 115-grain FMJs when it came to training loads. Self-defense loads included 135-grain Federal Hydra-Shok Deep.

 
This does not mean there were not any hiccups to mention. 
 
We suffered a bit of injury on rushing reloads, pinching our palm a couple of times between the magazine and the magwell when using the extended 13-rounder. No blood was drawn, but we recommend keeping your pinky out in a tactical reload on this one. 
 
Also, after the first 50 rounds, we noted the rear sight starting to walk off the gun. 
 

The Stoeger STR-9MC micro compact 9mm
Nothing that we couldn't fix on the range with a SAK and a bit of thread locker. 

 
Of note, Stoeger backs the pistol with a 5-year warranty. 

 

Accuracy


The STR-9MC is a small gun with just a 5.5-inch sight radius and a 3.2-inch barrel, so it is not made for Bullseye or competition shooting. However, once we reinstalled the iron sight, we found that it proved consistently accurate in operation. Hitting a 10-inch plate at 15 yards was no problem, and close-in work was even easier. Tossing a red dot on was just a continuation of that trend. 
 

The Stoeger STR-9MC micro compact 9mm
Five rounds offhand at 10 yards with the Fast Fire Compact 6 MOA once we got it sighted in. 

 

Pros & Cons


Pros

  • Tough to beat in its price point for a micro 9
  • Reliable 
  • Great ergos
  • Accurate
  • Comes with three magazine styles.

 
Cons

  • Can get pinched on rapid reloads.
  • Snappy in rapid-fire
  • Mags are tough to load. 
  • Good holsters are hard to find.

 
Conclusion


There is a lot to like about Stoeger's micro compact 9mm. In terms of price, it gives guns like the Taurus GX4 and Mossberg MC2sc lots of competition and even compares well to a lot of genuinely nice Micro 9s such as the CR920 or a Glock 43X. It has a low bore axis that mitigates (but not eliminates) muzzle flip, and we found it both reliable and accurate enough on the range to trust it for EDC. It takes down easily for maintenance. 
 

The Stoeger STR-9MC micro compact 9mm
Walking out the door with an STR-9MC with the short mag loaded and the spares carried separately gives one a decent EDC option. 

 
One complaint I have is that there don't seem to be a lot of holster options out there for the gun so far, which is probably a combination of Stoeger not having the same sort of market penetration as some of the big-name guys and the STR-9MC being very new. Crossbreed makes a King Tuk model that fits it, and there are a few simple Kydex holsters from Black Scorpion, Rounded Gear, Zero Carry, and a couple of others out there as well. 
 
Other, more minor complaints already addressed above include the shortness of the frame that can lead to magazine pinching if you have meaty paws and the use of soft flathead screws for the rear sight and optics plate. 
 
Still, when it comes to balancing the pros and cons of the pistol, the STR-9MC remains a viable choice for those looking for an inexpensive and reliable micro 9 that Glock should have built but didn't. 

 

The Stoeger STR-9MC micro compact 9mm
The Stoeger STR-9MC.

 

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