Beretta Cougar and recoil

[Mike H]

Guys,

Recoil is always an issue with me, no matter how tolerant you are of it, it will inevitably detract from your shooting performance and is therefore something to be minimised where doing so does not detract from other more significant issues eg adequate stopping power. As such I'm always interested in new ways of dealing with the problem and I have as of yet been unable to lay my hands on the revolving barrel Cougar for a range session, a handgun that promises much in this area.

Some say that the high barrel axis of the Cougar negates any advantages offered by the new barrel unlocking design. Is this true, and how does the gun stack up caliber for caliber against other guns, and most importantly, what's the new .45 like to shoot, does it recoil more than the .40 Cougar, about the same or less. Any observations from owners on the above or any general comments appreciated.

Would you buy another ??

Regards,

Mike H

 

[ctc]

Mike H,

I have an 8040F, .40 Mini Cougar and there is (to me anyways ) a noticeble difference between this one and some of it's competitors - Glock 27 & Sig P239. I also thought it had less muzzle flip. As for the .45 I have yet it.

 

[Mike in VA]

Mike H. -
I have 4 .45's - A Cougar, H&K USP45C, and Kimber Comapct and Ultra Carry. The Cougar is the 'softest' of the bunch, followed by the H&K, then the Kimbers. I find none of them objectionable, but my wrist starts to hurt after about a 150 rnds with the Kimbers, where I can go another box or two with the Cougar before I become uncomfortable. I haven't compared it to anything in .40, FWIW, HTH. M2

 

[Morgan]

CTC - I don't think of the Glock 27 as a good comparison to the Cougar. Maybe the 23 (or whatever their mid-size .40 is - I don't have my Glock Decoder Ring).

Mike - If you haven't tried one yet, shoot a full size USP in any caliber. The nested spring type recoil inhibitor really works well, and the gun is tough and reliable. The compacts are pretty soft shooters, too, but nothing compares to the full size.

 

[Mike in VA]

Morgan -
MY USP45C is very close to the Cougar, the only reason I rate it a bit 'harsher' is that because it is about 6-8 oz lighter, there is more muzzle flip. It is a soft shooter, very accurate, and a fine alternative to the Cougar. The only thing I don't care for too much on the Cougar is the slide mounted safety, which I find a bit clumsy and sharp. The H&K's is frame mounted and works like a 1911, i.e. sweep down to fire, which is more intuitive to me. Wouldn't give either one up, though. M2

[This message has been edited by Mike in VA (edited April 27, 2000).]

 

[Gremlin]

My Beretta .45 Cougar is the lightest re-coiling .45 I've ever fired. The best way for me to compare the recoil was to take my Ruger p94 .40 cal and the Cougar into the range at the same time--I ended up trading in the Ruger to buy the Cougar.

When firing the two of them side by side, the recoil was nearly identical. Both guns have the aluminum alloy body with steel slides, have similar weights, and sizes. The Ruger had a slightly longer barrel (0.2 inch) and I had added a Hogue aftermarket grip to it, so the two weren't identical, but they were close.

The recoil was the same. And the Cougar was about a thousand times prettier. And about ten times more accurate. And it shot .45 ammo--love those big holes in the silhouette.

And it recoiled the same or less than the .40 cal.

Firing single handed at the silhouette at 10 feet yielded two things: 1) big holes center torso 2) quick follow up shots in the same location due to minimal recoil.

Hope that helps...

------------------
Life is far too short to spend it with an ugly gun...

 

[mept]

The owner at the range I use brought out a pair for me to try when the range was real slow one day. Both were Cougars with minor mods, one in 40 one in 45. I believe the 40 was loaded with standard 180g and the 45 was loaded with a lighter gr round, with the intent to increase the velocity of the round I guess. Anyway, the 45 was much smoother, easier to shoot and more accurate out to 25 yards. It was so easy, the owner shot a clay pigeon out at about 25-30 yds then when it was busted into half its size he finished it off with a round or two. I could barely see the piece, he was very accurate with it moreso than myself, I would by the 45 in a second if that was my selection to choose from.