[Roger Woodbury]

A few years ago I decided to do some shooting again. It had been more than twenty years since I had done any pistol shooting and I took my nearly new, Smith & Wesson wheel gun to the range and spent some quality time throwing .38 caliber at targets. Nice.

Then I began to wonder about semi-automatics and decided that I really ought to try some out and learn...maybe buy one. Also, the rise in random shootings made me begin to consider having something smaller and more slender than a revolver to carry. After a loooong search and a LOT of reading I chose a Stoeger Cougar. I couldn't beat the price for what in fact was a Beretta, and decided I could live with .40 caliber as it in fact was less expensive than the .38 rounds that my S&W needed.

I love the Cougar. The rotating barrel and heft make the gun a pleasure to shoot. I have a holster (not a GREAT holster), and carry it otw as Maine is an open carry state. (I have a concealed carry license anyway.) The problem with the Cougar is it's a pretty stout firearm and doesn't carry well due to its overall size. So I started looking for something a bit easier to carry without quite the bulk. I will continue in .40 caliber because I don't want to keep more than one caliber in inventory. I discovered Steyr.

Now as I said before, the last time I had done any pistol shooting at all was before the "plastic explosion" so I was first of all not at all familiar with polymer guns, and also not at all familiar with striker fired pistols. I have approached all of this with a decided dislike of both.

But the Steyr seems to be calling to me in a strange, siren song and I may take the tumble.

I have handled ONE CA-1 in a local gun shop which they had ordered to a customer. I have never fired one, but am very familiar with all the shooting reviews on YouTube, so know to expect the gun to be soft shooting due to its design and shape. The triangular sights really have me hooked! And of course, from a carry standpoint, it seems perfect. I'm thinking the S40-A1 for me.

My wrestling with the whole process has been mostly because I like the positive safety controls of the Cougar/Beretta pistols and have an inherent suspicion of the striker fired pistols and their completely different approach to firearm safety and security. I need to get by this because my first pistol experience was fifty years ago in the USAF with the S&W Model 15 which had no safety at all, and in fact rounds were already ready to fire if there were any in the cylinder. It's just new to me, I think. (I was once suspicious of automatic transmissions in trucks, but I digress....)

By the time you read this, I may have taken the plunge. I have no doubt that the Steyr is arguably a better pistol than that 'other, overrated' Austrian gun, and I think I've just gotta have that sight picture since if I'm learning about a new semi-auto handgun, I shouldn't just stop with the striker, but the whole gun needs to be new.

So, now, back to the search for a holster, and in a bit, I think I'll tip over the edge and buy that Steyr.

 

[MicPop]

Hey Roger, go ahead and do it All of my handguns were&are Beretta Cougars(and I bought a Stoeger just for comparison and ended up keeping it), I have them in 9mm/.40/357 SIG/.45 and shoot them at least once a week. I'm also a USAF guy and I like the Cougar not just for it's all-metal construction and rotating barrel but bc it's so familiar in terms of the M9 control scheme. So, like you I'm a big Cougar fan and mostly have a disdain for polymer and striker-fired guns, having shot plenty of them(long live the hammer, DA/SA, and metal lol).
I eventually broke down and bought a S&W M&P in 357 SIG(my first polymer/striker), not bad but not great. So I saw the Steyr and it just looked different and neat(especially with the sights), but absolutely no one around here carried it where I could handle one so I just took the plunge and bought one. Well, let me tell you: now I have 3(L9/L40/M9) lol The trigger is phenomenal(light and crisp, with a wicked short reset), the ergonomics are like the Cougar with finger grooves/increased angle/and a low bore axis that points naturally, and the sights are intuitive and fast to pick up.
I was beyond pleasantly surprised and now one of the Steyrs goes with the Cougars and I to the range weekly. Aside from the weak/erratic ejection(which will smooth itself out, but will always look weak in comparison to the authority and consistency of the Cougar flinging brass), I have no complaints and these are definite keepers
If you are still looking for a holster and would like an IWB look at Clinger Holsters. I use one in an appendix carry and they are well-made, affordable(about $40-50), and have a money-back guarantee if you don't like the product with a turnaround time of about 1-2weeks. And for OWB I usually grab a Blade-Tech, which I've just stuck with for most models I have as the fit is great, and the customer service is outstanding(if the holster doesn't fit to your liking contact them to send it back and they will send you out another until they get right or just refund your money)and they typically run $60-70 with about the same turnaround as Clinger.
I know that was super wordy, apologies-but hope it was helpful

 

[Roger Woodbury]

Hey Roger, go ahead and do it All of my handguns were&are Beretta Cougars(and I bought a Stoeger just for comparison and ended up keeping it), I have them in 9mm/.40/357 SIG/.45 and shoot them at least once a week. I'm also a USAF guy and I like the Cougar not just for it's all-metal construction and rotating barrel but bc it's so familiar in terms of the M9 control scheme. So, like you I'm a big Cougar fan and mostly have a disdain for polymer and striker-fired guns, having shot plenty of them(long live the hammer, DA/SA, and metal lol).
I eventually broke down and bought a S&W M&P in 357 SIG(my first polymer/striker), not bad but not great. So I saw the Steyr and it just looked different and neat(especially with the sights), but absolutely no one around here carried it where I could handle one so I just took the plunge and bought one. Well, let me tell you: now I have 3(L9/L40/M9) lol The trigger is phenomenal(light and crisp, with a wicked short reset), the ergonomics are like the Cougar with finger grooves/increased angle/and a low bore axis that points naturally, and the sights are intuitive and fast to pick up.
I was beyond pleasantly surprised and now one of the Steyrs goes with the Cougars and I to the range weekly. Aside from the weak/erratic ejection(which will smooth itself out, but will always look weak in comparison to the authority and consistency of the Cougar flinging brass), I have no complaints and theses are definite keepers
If you are still looking for a holster and would like an IWB look at Clinger Holsters. I use one in an appendix carry and they are well-made, affordable(about $40-50), and have a money-back guarantee if you don't like the product with a turnaround time of about 1-2weeks. And for OWB I usually grab a Blade-Tech, which I've just stuck with for most models I have as the fit is great, and the customer service is outstanding(if the holster doesn't fit to your liking contact them to send it back and they will send you out another until they get right or just refund your money)and they typically run $60-70 with about the same turnaround as Clinger.
I know that was super wordy, apologies-but hope it was helpful

Thanks very much! Very helpful. I'm was very pleased to hear from someone with your practical point of view, especially someone with Beretta/Stoeger Cougar experience! As I said before, my pistol was a near-new, S&W Model 67 which I bought from a gunshop client of mine in 1979. It had come in on a trade hardly fired and I came along, saw it, and just had to have it. It went home with me, got put away and was never fired again until I shot it in 2015 when I decided I wanted to do some shooting. My other pistol then was a S&W Model 10...obviously the Air Force got me hooked on the K-frame revolvers.

When I decided to sell the Model 67 to finance the Cougar and it arrived, my first day at the range was an eye-opener. I found the Cougar to be much easier to shoot with considerably less felt recoil than the Model 67. Who knew? The Model 10 was a gun I bought when I was stationed in Florida and there was concern about security in the neighborhood during the work days. In those days (1972-ish) the cops were few and far between where I was living and I was in a secure, locked-down building during my duty days. I bought the Model 10, took my wife out to the palmetto orchard and watched her put five of six into a half gallon milk carton at twenty five feet. I knew if anyone messed with her or our kids, she'd be more than a match. But after that one shooting, the gun was never again fired and looked it.

After deciding I wanted another "carry" autoloader, I sold the Model 10, too, and have been waiting for months getting my head in the right place. (And yes: like Porsche 911's: good ones bring ALL the money, and I got ALL the money for my two K-frames.)

Anyway, I have pulled the trigger! The price for the S40 was sooo good I couldn't wait any longer. Once the gun arrives, I'll decide what to do about a holster but I think it's going to be a leather belt holster from Craft or Falco or some such. I'll report further as things progress....I'm visiting the range in October so it will be interesting to see how the two pistols compare.

Roger

 

[MicPop]

My pleasure man, glad it helped Those old K-Frames are def classics, I'm glad you got a good price for them.
I'm glad you went ahead and took the plunge, I don't think you will regret it at all Looking forward to hearing your thoughts after your range visit

 

[SurfGent]

Indeed. Range report