I don’t think firearms technology has advanced as much as the industry would have us believe. There is a business incentive to entice customers to buy the latest and greatest every year, but from a pure function perspective, there are many older guns with fantastic designs. One such pistol is the Stoeger Cougar 8000 series.
The standard Cougar is a 15+1 capacity, compact, all-metal semi-auto 9mm handgun with a traditional double action/single action trigger. Three things really set it apart: First, it recoils more softly than most other guns in its category, and second, it is highly accurate. Third is its affordable price.
Size-wise, it’s proportioned like a Glock 19 pistol, so it is easily carried and conceals well. But because it shoots so softly, it excels at fast shooting and would make a great competition gun. It is just comfortable to shoot.
I’ve seen this gun go for under $300 used on Guns.com. At that price, it’s a steal!
History
I first tried a Cougar back in the late ’90s, but it wasn’t a Stoeger Cougar – it was a Beretta Cougar. Beretta designed and debuted the pistol in 1994, later transferring the manufacture of the Cougar to its subsidiary Stoeger in the mid-2000s with the advent of the PX4 line. The Stoeger guns are basically the same as the Beretta-produced guns, because they are built by the same machines.
Rotating Barrel
The soft impulse of this gun is due to its unique operation system. The Cougar uses a rotating barrel system.
In nearly every semi-auto pistol available today, you will find a Browning tilting barrel design. After firing, this system unlocks the breech by tilting the front of the barrel upward. Glocks, SIGs, S&Ws, CZs, 1911s, and more all use this system because it’s reliable and easy to manufacture.
In contrast, the Cougar uses a rotating barrel design. In this system, instead of tilting, the barrel rotates to lock after a round is discharged. It is said that this system produced a lighter-recoiling gun with less muzzle flip than the Browning design. This is because more of the energy is used to rotate the barrel, as opposed to tilting it. In addition, this design allows a lower bore access so perceived recoil is more inline and better absorbed by the hand.
Traditional Double/Single Action
Another nuance of this pistol is that it uses a traditional double/single-action trigger. This means the first trigger pull that cocks the hammer is long and heavy, but once the hammer is cocked, subsequent trigger pulls are light and crisp.
I cut my teeth on a DA/SA trigger, but for most unfamiliar with a traditional double-action trigger pull, it will take practice to get proficient. I’m able to pop off multiple hits on target with ease.
Safety
The Cougar uses the Beretta 92-style slide-mounted safety. I really like external safeties on pistols, because I carry in the appendix position and the extra manual safety gives me peace of mind.
Of course, people new to this type of safety will need to get proper training and drilling to make its use second nature.
One little tip on the use of this safety – most new shooters deactivate the safety by flipping up on the lever. This is awkward and slow from a normal firing grip. The trick is to swipe down, as when deactivating a 1911 safety.
Accuracy & Reliability
Theoretically, the rotating barrel mechanism is inherently more accurate than the Browning design because the barrel never comes out of alignment with the sights and the target. I’m not sure this aspect is perceivable by a human. But I did experience excellent accuracy with this gun.
The 8000 series has a reputation for reliability built over many decades. My testing corroborated this, and I had no malfunctions.
Models
Over the years the Cougar has been chambered in .40 caliber, 9mm, .357 SIG and even .45 ACP. The standard version of the Cougar pistol is the F model, with the traditional DA/SA trigger with exposed hammer, and ambidextrous safety/de-cocker levers.
The G model does away with the safety, making the levers for de-cocking only. There is also a D version, which has a double-action-only trigger, a spurless hammer, and no safety levers.
Stoeger also produced a few smaller compact models. Different models have different 8000 numbers, such as 8045 for the .45-caliber version. The whole family of guns is called the 8000 series.
Accessories
One of the downsides of purchasing a less popular, older pistol is that there are not as many accessories available. There aren’t many holsters made for this gun, and being designed in the mid-1990s, it was not set up to take a red dot optic. To solve this problem, I used the Picatinny rail.
I was able to mount a Streamlight TLR-1 HL tactical light to the pistol. This allowed me to use my universal Phlster Floodlight holsters, which are designed to index off of the attached light, as opposed to the exact dimensions of the pistol.
Issues
I did encounter one fit issue. The trigger pull distance is a bit short for me. The distance from the backstrap to trigger is so short that at the completion of the trigger pull, my fingertip is farther back than is comfortable for me.
Gun fit is important, which is why the current trend of interchangeable backstraps is a good thing. As an older design, the Cougar does not have this option. Therefore, if I were debating whether to purchase this gun for myself, I would probably have to pass because of the fit issue. However, this is personal to me and the shape of my hand.
Individual shooters must try out any potential firearm for themselves. And don’t just look at the stats – a gun might look good on paper but feel terrible in the hand. Or it might feel great in the hand initially but cause hot spots after prolonged fire. Fit is an individual decision and should not be taken lightly.
Conclusion
I think the Stoeger Cougar 8000 was an underappreciated firearm in its day. It’s reliable, accurate, and soft-shooting. As it’s relatively unknown today, it’s a great value for its going price.
If you like the idea of the Cougar and its innovative operating system, but want an updated design with more modern features, stay tuned for my next review on the Beretta PX4.