The stock sights are adequate, but any decent combat pistol is better served with a set of tritium night sights. My test gun was easily equipped with a set of Ameriglo sights, which are quickly becoming my preferred night-sight system. The tritium inserts are bright and easy to see, while the white rings that allow the sights to be seen in daylight are covered so that they are not scrubbed away during routine cleaning of the firearm. The addition of the Ameriglo sights was a serious, but inexpensive, improvement to this budget gun.

To fieldstrip the gun, lock the slide to the rear, then rotate the disassembly latch downward. Once this is done, the slide, barrel and recoil-spring assembly can be removed.

As good as the reintroduced Cougar looks, only a trip to the range would tell the whole story. I decided to test accuracy in two ways: benchrested at 25 yards from a Hornady Delta Rest and rapid fire at seven. Since the Cougar is intended to be a police/military service pistol as well as a personal defense gun for the legally armed citizen, shooting it fast at close distance makes sense.

The drill was to draw from the holster (a Comp-TAC Kydex paddle holster), fire six rounds as fast as I could see the sights and reset the trigger. I learned a long time ago that the sights should establish the trigger cadence, and that is exactly what I did. For me, that is a shot-to-shot time around a quarter-second.

All shots needed to stay within the eight-inch Primary Neutralization Zone (PNZ) of the DST Target as supplied by Law Enforcement Targets (www.letargets.com). The PNZ Target Series emphasizes hits to the high chest region, where the most vital body organs are located.

The rotating barrel groove and central block tooth are shown here. The design keeps the barrel in alignment with the target.

Let's face it: Handguns, regardless of caliber, are not very effective regardless of caliber. Incapacitation is a direct result of where your hits are delivered and how many hits can be delivered. Thus, the seven-yard drill from the holster has some legitimacy. The benchrest 25-yard drill was a result of my personal curiosity to see if the rotating barrel that stays in alignment with the target does offer greater accuracy. The results of the accuracy test are seen in the accompanying chart.

The Cougar fits nicely in a Comp-TAC paddle rig, a good concealed carry choice.

Without a doubt, the Stoeger Cougar is plenty accurate for its intended purpose. The close-range accuracy was certainly affected by the long first trigger press of the DA/SA action. Many consider this a "safety" against involuntary discharge, and a legitimate argument can be made for this mode of thought. At the same time, working through the long first trigger and then "picking up" the short trigger does take some effort to master.

Think for a moment what occurs when a fast shot is attempted with a long first trigger action. Pressure is applied with the trigger finger to the rear. The more leverage that is applied to the rear, the more likely the muzzle will be taken out of alignment with the target.

The Stoeger Cougar was tested with a wide variety of 9mm ammo styles and weights.

Add to this the tendency of the lower fingers to apply pressure, which can also take the muzzle off target, and it is easy to see how most people, who are moderately trained, perform better with a short action and consistent triggers. A trigger like the HK LEM or SIG K-trigger would be a real improvement for the Cougar, but it would also raise the reasonable price of this gun.

SOURCES
Comp-tac-Kydex Holsters; (281) 209-3040
Law Enforcement Targets; (800) 779-0182

Will the Cougar make it this time around? I think that it has a very good chance. It is currently available in both 9mm and .40 S&W, making it an appealing choice for law enforcement officers as well as basic academy cadets who might have to buy their own gun upon entering the academy.

It will be interesting to see where Stoeger takes the Cougar line. The design and feel of the gun is already quite good. To my way of thinking, forget the current D and G models and come out with an LEM-style short-action DA-only design. If Stoeger can keep an inexpensive price point on a gun like that, then we would really have something.