So interesting gun store find of the day was a Beretta Cougar in .45ACP. Non-railed DA/SA gun in great shape. Seemed a little clunky and heavy for an 8 round .45, but the finish is great and well I'm intrigued with the rotating barrel action. Yes, it would probably be nothing more than a range toy, but it's cool...

I've never shot or even handled one, but I'm intrigued by the action as well (from what I understand it's similar to the PX4, which I've also never shot) and I like .45s. If you buy it I'd be really interested to hear a range report!

They're fun guns, but out of print. As such, support, parts, etc may be scarce. Not as many were made as, say, the Beretta 92.

They are a great “gun geek” gun. Different operating system, good looking IMO, out of print so some cool factor there and made by a storied company. They shoot really well too. Purely as a “weapon” I would look elsewhere but as a cool gun go for it.

Now keep in mind the rotating barrel needs to have a little grease. This system is both the strength and weak link of the gun. In larger calibers like .45 it really does a great job of re distributing recoil forces. The downside is that rotating barrel needs a little more care/grease and is more susceptible to locking up in an adverse condition/foreign debris incident.

All in all though I think they are great guns.

Coworker has the Stoeger version in 40
Shoots like a 22, especially compared to my 357Sig P320.

Buy it now!!!

I went through a huge Cougar stage years back. I sold all my full sized ones but kept the Compacts. I love them. The grease comment is correct. Very easy to convert the safety/decocker to decocker only unlike the 92 series. You remove one spring and ball bearing or something like that and it’s instantly a G model. Go buy it. Feels great in hand as well.

The Cougar was a great platform in my opinion but suffered sales due to it's looks. It is not the most pleasant gun to look at but very accurate and comfortable to shoot. I had an original Cougar years ago and sorry I sold it. The pistol will outlast most shooters and the parts that you will need to replace-springs and the like, can always be had. Stoeger makes it now and it is a reliable handgun just as if Beretta made it.

quote:

Originally posted by patw:
The Cougar was a great platform in my opinion but suffered sales due to it's looks. It is not the most pleasant gun to look at but very accurate and comfortable to shoot. I had an original Cougar years ago and sorry I sold it...

Outstanding gun. What killed it, imo, can be summed up in one word: mag.

Stupid Beretta designed this one with a different mag than the 92 series and introduced it right smack at the beginning of the Klinton era AWB. So, it could only use the 10-rounder. If they had designed it to take the ubiquitous 92 series mags, it would have been quite popular, because folks would have been able to use those full capacity pre-ban mags. I had the the original Cougar at the time, also, but eventually sold it. By the time the AWB sunset 10 years later, the world has moved on.

Great guns. Great shooters. Get it and I believe you won’t regret it.

I am looking, still to this day, for the harder to get Cougars.. the one in 357Sig.

You’ll shoot it more than you think. Great pistols. Go for it.

Another fan of the Cougars. Buy the .45 before it disappears. I am currently looking for a 9mm full size 8000.

I have a Beretta Cougar 8000F. It’s a fun pistol to shoot.

I wish that I would have purchased an 8045F also. For me, I just think it would be cool to have a Beretta semi auto in .45ACP.

If it really is Beretta and not Stoeger then buy it if the price is not exorbiant. A Stoeger is good for the right price as Beretta transferred the machinery to Turkey. Its considered unsexy but will put the holes where needed. I wish that I had not passed on pre-stampede deals.

I have the Stoeger 9mm. The rotatimg barrel absorbs the torque of recoil. The muzzle rises a bit and settles back down in the center.

The ergos and trigger are preferable to the 92FS, IMO.

I have the 9mm and the sub compact. Really nice guns I shot them pretty well. Never was a fan of the .45 but that just me.

The official gun of RAINBOW. Buy with confidence.

(Tom Clancy reference)

Q is right. Proprietary mags was a dumbass decision. Other than Glock mags 92 mags are probably the most ubiquitous mag out there. You can get great mags in the factory wrapper for under 10 bucks usually. (Checkmate mags work great if you are in Iraq lol). I use them for matches. They get dropped in dirt and rocks regularly. No issues and I prefer their flush fit to a baseplate. All that to say nobody wants to buy Cougar mags.

92 mags can be made to work; they're the exact same thing, but a different position for the release (cut a new slot). The later Cougars use a 92 mag release even.

I owned about 7-8 of these. I'm down to just 8357's and one 8045. They're great guns but ultimately...the PX4 is more ubiqitous.

Have one in .40 that was surplussed off years ago from our local Sheriffs dept, it was in new condition having spent it's time in the weapons locker. Great pistol, i think it just never sold well because of it's ungainly appearance. Just realize that you have to dig for accessories for it, thank God i got mags,holsters, and other small parts when they got rid of them.

I’ve had one in .45 since they were introduced. I love it but don’t shoot much with it. It’s not as practical as other options but certainly is a cool gun. Reminds me of the Walther P5. There are better options so mostly collectors and fun nerds have them. I’d buy it and have some fun with it.