Range report: Stoeger Cougar 8000
Clark
subsidiary Stoeger. Thats about all the guys at the shop knew. I was in the
mood to buy and the price was right, ~$300. They had a 40 S&W and a 9MM and
I got the 9. The 8000 is set up as a SA/DA with decocker safety.
I've been shooting 45 ACP (1911 and CZ 97B) for a few years and decided it
was time to get a 9 so I could shoot relatively cheap ammo without having
to load my own.
So, get the gun home and field stripping for the first cleaning is simple -
push a button and flip a lever and the slide literally will fall off. The
slide does not have to be locked back. Swab out the nooks and crannies,
lube, and assemble. The rotating barrel lock-up is an interesting action.
Re-assembly is simple with no pins to stab, just pull the slide back and
rotate a lever. All the internal bits seem to self-align.
At the range, put about 100 rounds (WWB) through it with one failure to
eject. The discharged round had been pulled out of the chamber but failed
to clear the slide and the action jammed when the old case interfered with
the new round. Simple to clear.
Checked the decocker action and it worked fine. It drops the hammer
abruptly after moving the firing pin up out of the way. Leave the decocker
in place and the trigger is disconnected. This gun cannot be "cocked and
locked" but decocked and locked or unlocked is available with the DA. It
has a firing pin safety so decocked and unlocked is a viable carry option.
Trigger is firm and smooth in double action. Fairly crisp and smooth in
single action. Better than the 97B since it does not move the hammer
further back in SA mode.
At 7 yards it was easy to make a ragged hole about an inch and a half above
point of aim. At 15 yards the 15 round group was larger but still easily
covered by the palm of my hand. At 25 yards I really lost the bubble with
rounds on paper but no grouping. Obviously the gun can do better than I
can. Will have to try it from a rest next time.
I have large hands and the grip seemed a good fit. The trigger reach might
be a little more comfortable for someone with shorter fingers or smaller
hands. It wasn't natural to keep my finger perpindicular to trigger travel
but it didn't seem to impact the shooting at short range. It might have
contributed to my "challenges" at 25 yards.
Nothing major to note in post range cleaning. The recoil spring/guide
assembly looks difficult/impossible to disassemble. The rod is plastic so
probably just replace periodically rather than worrying about doing more
than a wipe down.
It seems hard to beat for the price (ok, 1 year warranty sucks) with fine
fit and finish but some no-no's: +p and +p+ are not recommended and no dry
firing. The manual goes so far as to recommend the snap-caps with a spring.
At least now I can shoot relatively inexpensively at the local ranges that
require factory loads. Will have to get some snap-caps so I can work on
trigger technique though.
--
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Ron Seiden
news:eb4m1h$snr$1...@grapevine.wam.umd.edu...
# So Beretta moved the Cougar plant to Turkey and changed the distributor to
# subsidiary Stoeger. Thats about all the guys at the shop knew. I was in
the
# mood to buy and the price was right, ~$300. They had a 40 S&W and a 9MM
and
# I got the 9. The 8000 is set up as a SA/DA with decocker safety.
#
# I've been shooting 45 ACP (1911 and CZ 97B) for a few years and decided it
# was time to get a 9 so I could shoot relatively cheap ammo without having
# to load my own.
#
# So, get the gun home and field stripping for the first cleaning is
simple -
# push a button and flip a lever and the slide literally will fall off. The
# slide does not have to be locked back. Swab out the nooks and crannies,
# lube, and assemble. The rotating barrel lock-up is an interesting action.
# Re-assembly is simple with no pins to stab, just pull the slide back and
# rotate a lever. All the internal bits seem to self-align.
#
# At the range, put about 100 rounds (WWB) through it with one failure to
# eject. The discharged round had been pulled out of the chamber but failed
# to clear the slide and the action jammed when the old case interfered with
# the new round. Simple to clear.
#
# Checked the decocker action and it worked fine. It drops the hammer
# abruptly after moving the firing pin up out of the way. Leave the decocker
# in place and the trigger is disconnected. This gun cannot be "cocked and
# locked" but decocked and locked or unlocked is available with the DA. It
# has a firing pin safety so decocked and unlocked is a viable carry option.
#
# Trigger is firm and smooth in double action. Fairly crisp and smooth in
# single action. Better than the 97B since it does not move the hammer
# further back in SA mode.
#
# At 7 yards it was easy to make a ragged hole about an inch and a half
above
# point of aim. At 15 yards the 15 round group was larger but still easily
# covered by the palm of my hand. At 25 yards I really lost the bubble with
# rounds on paper but no grouping. Obviously the gun can do better than I
# can. Will have to try it from a rest next time.
#
# I have large hands and the grip seemed a good fit. The trigger reach might
# be a little more comfortable for someone with shorter fingers or smaller
# hands. It wasn't natural to keep my finger perpindicular to trigger travel
# but it didn't seem to impact the shooting at short range. It might have
# contributed to my "challenges" at 25 yards.
#
# Nothing major to note in post range cleaning. The recoil spring/guide
# assembly looks difficult/impossible to disassemble. The rod is plastic so
# probably just replace periodically rather than worrying about doing more
# than a wipe down.
#
# It seems hard to beat for the price (ok, 1 year warranty sucks) with fine
# fit and finish but some no-no's: +p and +p+ are not recommended and no dry
# firing. The manual goes so far as to recommend the snap-caps with a
spring.
# At least now I can shoot relatively inexpensively at the local ranges that
# require factory loads. Will have to get some snap-caps so I can work on
# trigger technique though.
#
I got the Cougar .45 back when it was new. I really like it, not the least
being that the rotating barrel system eliminates any torquing of the gun in
my hand with heavy slugs. I find it fits the hand very well and, for a "full
size" gun, it's reasonably compact. (A game officer came by while I was
shooting it, and I let him try it. He said it would make a great duty gun.)
The only downside to the rotating lock system is that it makes the gun a bit
thick for an inside-the-waistband holster carry. I just wish Wolff would
come up with extra power magazine and recoil springs for it. (Right now it's
most comfortable shooting 200 grain loads.)