Stoeger's STR-9

I have to admit when I think of Stoeger my first thought turns to shotguns. You know, all those solid and affordable side-by-sides, over-unders, pumps, semi-autos and such? When the call came to me from them about a new gun on the horizon, I sort of automatically assumed it was a scattergun of some sort. When they mentioned we should consider it for American Handgunner, well, that was different indeed.

Stoeger having a handgun shouldn’t be much of a surprise. Not too long ago the company offered the Cougar, a unique rotary-locked 9mm made in Turkey, patterned after the Beretta 8000 pistol. In fact, Stoeger has a long history with pistols spanning its nearly 100 years in business, often importing interesting pistols for the American market. Which brings us right back to the subject of that phone call several months ago.

Striking Forward

If you want a part of the handgun market today, it’s an unavoidable fact you need to offer something striker-fired and polymer-framed. Whatever your feelings on the subject, it’s impossible to ignore the effect pistols like the GLOCK, Springfield XD and the S&W M&P series have had on the handgun market. But, as a dyed-in-the-wool fan of blued steel revolvers and 1911s, I own my healthy share of “plastic” pistols too. They work, they’re generally easy to shoot well and they’re affordable and I can’t ignore that.

Enter the new STR-9 from Stoeger, a simple, straightforward Turkish-made 9mm pistol with a starting MSRP of only $329. Add into the mix an interchangeable backstrap system (with optional additional inserts), loaded chamber indicator, reversible magazine release and more, and you have a pistol fitting neatly into the Stoeger line. Specifically, it’s a gun giving you a lot of bang for the buck. Vintage Stoeger thinking.

Hands On

While the starting MSRP of the STR-9 is indeed only $329, this is a purely bare-bones version of the gun. At this price it comes with a single 15-round magazine — 10 if you live in places I refuse to live — and a single medium-sized backstrap. If you’re willing to bump up to $389, you get three of the stainless steel magazines and three backstrap inserts — small, medium and large. Kick it up to $449 — still a deal — and you get this as well as tritium night sights as an upgrade over the standard white three-dot sights. I received the second of these options.

The pistol came in a basic cardboard box, packed inside was the pistol, three magazines, a gun lock and a magazine loading tool. If you keep any accessory for this pistol, make sure it’s the loading tool — more on this in a moment. The pistol has an attractive matte-black finish on the steel parts, and it settled into my hand nicely.
If you’ve fired any GLOCK, S&W, FN or similar striker-fired pistol, you’ll know exactly how this gun works. Internally there’s a “drop safety” firing pin block, disengaged when you move the trigger rearward. The trigger itself has a central “paddle” safety blocking unintentional movement of the trigger, and there’s no manual safety. Controls are made up of a reversible magazine release and a slide stop lever. That’s it.

Externally, the STR-9 is everything you’d expect in a polymer-framed pistol. It has an integral Picatinny rail molded into the dustcover area, a square-faced trigger guard — bringing back memories of the 1980s and Miami Vice — front and rear cocking serrations and a nice loaded chamber indicator at the rear of the ejection port atop the slide.

I must say I liked the shape of the grip, from the replaceable backstrap to the finger grooves on the frontstrap. It just fit my hand, right out of the box. Chunky checkering on the backstrap and smooth “sandpaper” texturing on the sides of the backstrap insert and in the finger grooves ensure a solid grip. The pistol’s weight of 24 oz. makes it easy to handle, and it sports a 4.17″ barrel and an overall length of 7.44″.

So, My Final Thoughts?

The STR-9 is a solid polymer-framed pistol option for those on a budget looking for a good home defense or — if you don’t mind the full-size dimensions — concealed carry pistol. It won’t break the bank and will go bang every time you pull the trigger. While it could use a little bit of refining — particularly the trigger — this is a simple-to-use, reliable pistol backed up by Stoeger’s five-year warranty. You won’t go wrong with it if you want a basic 9mm you can count on. Looks like Stoeger’s solidly back in the handgun game!

For more info: www.stoegerindustries.com Ph: (800) 264-4962

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