I admit that I liked the early guns. The design is unique due to the fact that it is a short-recoil, locked-breech system that uses a rotating barrel. When the gun is fired, the recoil impulse pushes the slide and barrel to the rear. After a short movement, the barrel is revolved by cam action against what is called the central block tooth, which is best described as an angled protrusion on the top of the locking or central block. This block rides on the recoil spring and guide rod inside the frame, turning the barrel as it moves back and forth. This unlocks the barrel, allowing the fired case to eject and then chambering a new round.

The Stoeger Cougar proved to be capable of some great accuracy as this benchrested 25-yard group shot with Cor-Bon DPX displays.

This rotating design keeps the barrel in alignment with the target, potentially creating a more intrinsically accurate firearm. The barrel is throated and the frame relieved so that the chamber will accept a wide variety of bullet styles, reliably keeping feed malfunctions to a minimum.

My test gun was the F model in 9mm, which incorporates an ambidextrous safety/decock lever on the rear of the slide. When the lever is pushed down, the hammer is decocked, while the trigger action is rendered inoperable. According to the instructional manual, a G Model (spring loaded, decock lever) and a D Model (DA only) will be offered, but as of this writing they are not available. The trigger action is a double-action/single-action mechanism with a long first trigger followed by short triggers thereafter due to the slide cocking the hammer.

I'm not going to kid you, the first double-action trigger is long and heavy--12 pounds according to my trigger scale. However, the single action is a very manageable four pounds with a reset distance of just over a quarter-inch. Like many modern semiauto loaders, the Cougar has a safety device that blocks the forward travel of the firing pin unless the trigger is pulled completely through its cycle.

STOEGER COUGAR ACCURACY RESULTS
Cor-Bon 115-gr. DPX HP	4.00	1.50
Remington 1240-grain +P Golden Sabre	4.75	2.75
Federal 124-grain HST HP	4.50	3.25
Hornady 147-grain TAP XTP HP	3.25	2.50
Buffalo Bore 147-grain Unicore HP	5.50	3.00
Winchester 147-gr. SXT HP	4.00	3.00
Groups in inches. Seven-yard groups from holster drill, 25 yards from bench rest.

The grip configuration of the Cougar is best described as a straight backstrap with an indent for the web of the hand. I like this grip, as it fits a wide range of hands even though it houses a double-stack 15-round magazine.

The grip has an indent in the backstrap just below the grip tang. This helps hold the hand solidly in place while keeping the grip as small as possible.

Being able to grip any pistol correctly is essential for accurate shooting, especially when your life is on the line. Whether or not you agree with the concept of point shooting, it is important to be able to fit the gun in your hand so that it is in alignment with your arm so you can point it straight at the target. If the gun is cocked to one side or the other, the gun will not be a natural extension of your arm, thus getting it on target quickly and naturally will not occur and your potentially life-saving shot will go wide of the target.

The grip is long enough to get the entire shooting hand wrapped around it without having the pinky finger hang off the end. I do not like guns with such short grips, as it makes them difficult to grasp solidly during the draw while also making it difficult to rapidly insert a magazine without pinching the hand. While the middle finger is the primary gripping finger, the ring and pinky fingers help cam the muzzle down during recoil, reducing flip and allowing the gun to get back on target faster for follow-up shots. The front- and backstraps have vertical serrations, while the plastic grip panels are lightly checkered to aid in a secure grip.

The front and back grip straps are serrated to enhance the grip during rapid-fire strings.

Other features of the Cougar include a reversible magazine-release button and three-dot combat sights. The magazine button is recessed into the grip to stop inadvertent activation and releasing of the magazine, but for those of us with short thumbs, the gun must be either turned or flipped to access the button. If the gun were mine, I would relieve the plastic grip panel behind the button to solve the problem.