Beretta 8045 Cougar .45acp's -Just purchased & would like to hear pros & cons.

[586L-Frame]

Hi All,
I just purchased two Beretta 8045 Cougar .45acp's tonite
at RCGE from Paul. (I couldn't resist).

Here is their ad...

http://shopping.sacbee.com/rop/ads.aspx?advid=1101108&adid=8624913

I would like to learn more from Forum mbrs pros and cons
on this Beretta model 8045 to enhance my knowledge base.

Any info, much appreciated.
Thanks,
586L-Frame

DLC’s Beretta 8045 Cougar .45acp nbr-1.


x

[9mmepiphany]

nice pick up

i was looking at them very hard when i was in there last week looking at the Sig 226s they had.

the Cougars were very clean and looked like a good buy. what stopped me wasn't the width of the slide (a common objection) but that the slide lenght proportion to the frame height made it balance too far back for me. YMMV

what attracted me to them was their appearance in Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six novel and the rotating barrel action. i'm a Beretta 92/96 fan of their non-tilting barrel and like actions that are a little "different"...like the H&K P-7 (gas delayed) and P9S (roller-locked)

i Cougars i've fired were very accurate, but had an odd "twist" to their recoil due to how they unlock. but sure to keep the locking lugs well lubed. their triggers were smooth and that safety was easy to "flip off" should you decide to carry "safety on"

their actions are strong, just thick

[cdtx2001]

I had one, but it was the compact model. It was a fun gun but the muzzle flip was a bit much. Sold it and bought a 1911. I think it's a great gun, but I prefer a 1911.

[586L-Frame]

I had one, but it was the compact model. It was a fun gun but the muzzle flip was a bit much. Sold it and bought a 1911. I think it's a great gun, but I prefer a 1911.

The Cougars will be complementing my other .45's.
586L-Frame

[586L-Frame]

nice pick up

i was looking at them very hard when i was in there last week looking at the Sig 226s they had.

the Cougars were very clean and looked like a good buy. what stopped me wasn't the width of the slide (a common objection) but that the slide lenght proportion to the frame height made it balance too far back for me. YMMV

what attracted me to them was their appearance in Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six novel and the rotating barrel action. i'm a Beretta 92/96 fan of their non-tilting barrel and like actions that are a little "different"...like the H&K P-7 (gas delayed) and P9S (roller-locked)

i Cougars i've fired were very accurate, but had an odd "twist" to their recoil due to how they unlock. but sure to keep the locking lugs well lubed. their triggers were smooth and that safety was easy to "flip off" should you decide to carry "safety on"

their actions are strong, just thick

Hi 9mmepiphany,
Thanks for your review and advice on lubing the locking lugs.
586L-Frame/Dlcchp

[novabrian]

I love Cougars!! Oh you meant the gun!!!

[flatovercrest]

Great guns. I have never heard of particular issues with Cougars. They are very reliable and well built. I'm looking for one myself.
Make sure you join the beretta discussion group at www.berettaforum.net

[Rekrab]

Hmmm, I wouldn't mind having one of these since the Px4 .45s aren't on the DOJ list.

I'd love to see a proper range report >.>

[dfletcher]

Is the one pictured representative of what RCGE has for sale? Looks very nice, good price - may be time to trade in the old 639.

[586L-Frame]

The one pictured is one of two of my actual purchase on Saturday.
I asked to take a digital photo with my Sony cybershot before they
placed it in their holding cell for 10 days, besides the second one I prepaid
for that I will dros in another 30 days.

586L-Frame

[586L-Frame]

Is the one pictured representative of what RCGE has for sale? Looks very nice, good price - may be time to trade in the old 639.

Hi dfletcher,
My Beretta 8045 is representative of some of their stock at RCGE
that was presented to me.
They had more in the storeroom, besides the one in the glass case.
Check them out!

586L-Frame

[leitung]

I think RCGE gets those every once in a while.. Good pickup!

[Jado]

The Beretta Cougars are one of the finest pistols the company ever produced, in my humble opinion. They were not marketed well.
LAPD oficers were permitted to use the 8045 in the late 1990's shortly after the pistols were inroduced. LAPD required 4" barrels instead of the
3.7" stock barrel . Beretta did a special run of 4" barrels for LAPD. Other than protruding a bit from the muzzle end of the slide, they did not perform any diferently than the stock barrels. The LAPD barrels are difficult to find and are prized by some collectors.

The several Beretta Cougars I've owned, including the 8000F, 8045F and 8045Mini have all been highly reliable, accurate and comfortable. I can't recall any failure to feed or fire with any ammo.

Because of The rotating barrel, the felt recoil in the 9MM and .45 is somewhat less than other semi-autos.

It is important to keep the grove in the block that facilitates the barrel rotation lightly greased (not oiled) to ensure reliable functioning.

The pistol has a very easy and convenient take-down design. It is nicely engineered.

Some who like hi-cap pistols have considered the magazine capacity of the 8045 to be a drawback. It has never been an issue to me.

Enjoy your Cougars. You did well.

[TurnersGunslinger]

I just bought a 8040 cougar

I just picked up a 8040 Cougar, original beretta and it was unfired, I scored it for $300. I took it out and put 200 rounds through it and it fired beautifully and now resides in a el paso rig on my hip. it is the nicest shooting .40 I can recall shooting in a real long time. Now I just need to finde a 8000 and a 8045 to complete the trio! GOOD BUY BUD!

[pontiacpratt]

It is important to keep the grove in the block that facilitates the barrel rotation lightly greased (not oiled) to ensure reliable functioning.

I had the block and barrel on my PX4 (the cougar's plastic brother) NP3'd helps a lot in that department.