Stoeger STR-9 Thinline Pistol: Slim and Prim

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Many manufacturers make carry guns under the premise that they’ll see only a limited round count, and therefore throw ergonomics and feature sets to the wind. But what if the reason folks don’t shoot their carry piece is because it wasn’t made with training and practice in mind?

Stoeger Industries was brave enough to consider this and, as a result, created a concealed-carry pistol that includes all the features of a full-size handgun and is built with actual range use in mind. Dubbed the STR-9 Thinline, it is the latest addition to the STR polymer-frame, striker-fired family.

At a shade over one inch thick, the Thinline lives up to its name, making it minimally intrusive on the waistline. While this measurement is one that makes or breaks a pistol for CCW usage, the grip length is the more prominent design feature on this gun. With the flush-fit magazine inserted, there is 2.25 inches of meat to wrap your fingers around.

When swapped with the extended magazine, this is stretched to 2.75 inches. There’s also an option with an extended base plate that lands roughly in between those two.

Ergonomics

The grip is molded with three textures that are intelligently placed. A deep checkering is present on the backstrap, which meets the softest part of the hand. It’s the least aggressive, which makes a whole lot of sense to me. On the frontstrap is a tighter, multi-directional stippling that is a touch grittier, as is the area where your fingers are most likely to contact the frame.

Last, a skate-tape-like texture covers the side panels to integrate with what is undoubtedly the toughest skin on your paw. Two pads of the same texture are also located just above the trigger guard to serve as a tactile reference point for your trigger finger when you aren’t actively firing.

While the Thinline is shaping up to compete with full-size pistols, it stays true to its self-defense roots with minimalist controls. A nearly flush magazine button is protected by a rearward ledge to ensure it isn’t inadvertently released. Instead of adding bulk to make it ambidextrous, Stoeger simply built it to be reversible for those who need that.

The slide stop is gently recessed—again to stave off accidental activation while firing, or snagging on the draw. Aside from an internal striker block, the only safety on the Thinline is the trigger blade. This puts less between your draw and putting rounds on target.

Caring About Carrying

The Thinline’s slide is built to give the armed defender some of the same advantages as the recreational match shooter. It is cut with four compensation ports that mate with a recessed barrel to direct pressure upward, which, in turn, drives the muzzle downward under recoil for less muzzle rise and faster follow-ups.

The slide is cut for the RMSc optics footprint, and the sights are tritium night sights, with the rear drift-adjustable for windage.

I set up my gun for testing by topping it off with a Vortex Defender CCW optic. The Thinline will fit many holsters made for guns like the Springfield Hellcat Pro or SIG P365-XL, and I settled on a generic inside-the-waistband rig to wear it around the house for a few days.

I found it was indeed comfortable and, for the most part, unobtrusive. However, when I paired the extended mag with a tighter shirt, it did print a bit.

Accuracy

Accuracy results are shown in the accompanying table. The gun fed all three loads with impunity and printed acceptable groups across the board. I thought the trigger was pretty good, although there is a bit more creep than I would like to see for precision shots.

Stepping over to my steel field, I was able to make good use of the compensator. It kept the muzzle down and placed pairs of shots within mere inches of each other without the need to reacquire the sight. While I said the trigger is a bit sloppy on the break, it had one heck of a snappy reset.

I ended the day with some failure-to-stop drills, which gave me a chance to switch from speed to precision and gauge how well the gun recovered. As advertised, I found that it shot more like a full-size pistol than a compact. Finding the dot was effortless, on account of the gun’s natural pointing ability, and in most cases when I picked it up, the iron sights were also aligned.

The Stoeger STR-9 Thinline digested all 350 rounds without missing a beat, so it’s totally reliable. It’s concealable as well, with the different magazines offering good flexibility. You can solve the printing problem with the extended mag by adding a wedge to a holster or changing your carry position. The other solution is to carry it with one of the 14-round mags, as even those offer enough real estate for my entire hand.

Stoeger STR-9 Thinline Specs

• Type: striker-fired semiauto
• Caliber: 9mm Luger
• Capacity: 14-, 16-round mags supplied; 10-rounders available
• Barrel: 3.3 in., nitride-finished, cold-hammer-forged alloy steel
• OAL/Height/Width: 6.8/4.8/1.1 in.
• Weight: 22.4 oz.
• Construction: nitride-finished alloy steel slide w/compensator cut; black polymer frame
• Sights: drift-adjustable notch rear w/tritium dots; tritium front; Shield RMS/RMSc optics cut
• Trigger: 6.25 lb. pull (measured)
• Safeties: trigger lever, striker drop
• MSRP: $529
• Manufacturer: Stoeger, StoegerIndustries.com

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