Second, the breech end of the rotary barrel does not move up and down during the action cycle, as all tilt-lock barrels must. This means the Cougar's frame design can be more compact and less deep, and it puts the grip higher and thus in more direct alignment with the axis of the barrel. The result is improved pointability and notably less muzzle flip and perceived recoil.

The Cougar's frame design (lower left) is more compact than a 1911's and puts the grip higher and thus in more direct alignment with the axis of the barrel--providing better pointability and less felt recoil.

Third, and to me most important, a rotary-barrel pistol is inherently more accurate. All Browning-type tilt-lock barrels "hinge" at the muzzle, so the muzzle fitting of barrel to slide must necessarily be loose enough to allow its opposite end to wiggle up and down. Think about that: every Browning recoil-operated semiauto made, no matter how precisely spec'd and fitted, must have its barrel loose enough in the slide at the muzzle to allow it to be levered downward at the opposite end in order to function. No wonder muzzle bushing problems have plagued accuracy-minded shooters of the Government Model 1911 and its myriad offspring.

With a rotary barrel, the problem doesn't exist. Relative to slide/barrel fit at the muzzle, all a rotating barrel does is move straight back and straight forward a very small distance, no slack involved. The barrel always stays level and aligned. It doesn't wiggle, so the muzzle fit can be exceedingly tight--much tighter than a tilt-lock gun.

A well-fitted rotary barrel auto is therefore inherently more accurate than any tilt-block system. Of course, I say this realizing that the actual performance of any design depends entirely on how well its manufacturer can produce it. A sloppily produced rotary barrel gun will certainly be no better than a well-crafted conventional Browning design. With the newly transplanted Cougar series, Stoeger's Turkish craftsmen have executed a superbly fitted system, which shows in the firing review.

The rotary barrel design dispenses with the familiar barrel bushing, and the author says this concept results in a more accurate pistol since the muzzle fit is much tighter than in a tilt-lock gun.

Guns & Ammo received two sample Stoeger Cougar 8000s, one in 9mm and one in .40 S&W. I put both through a 25-yard evaluation with the factory open sights, using six each commercial 9mm and .40 S&W loads. The accuracy results are shown in the accompanying chart.

Overall, I found both pistols exceptionally pleasant to fire. The short-stroke rotary barrel action is immediately apparent when you pull the trigger and feels distinctly different compared to a conventional Browning tilt-lock gun.

I had a Beretta Model 96 Centurion .40 S&W at hand during the firing (only a third of an ounce different weight than the Cougar), and several other shooters on the range who fired both guns were likewise impressed at how different--quicker and less "jumpy"--the rotary-barrel Cougar felt to shoot.

I have been a believer in the rotary-barrel semiauto concept since I first handled and fired one of Gene Stoner's early 1980s prototypes of the design that was eventually purchased by Colt for its failed AM 2000. I was a strong fan of the original Cougar series, and I commend Beretta and Stoeger for this reintroduction--and for Stoeger's superb execution of the Cougar design at such an affordable price. Now just give me a .45 ACP version like the one I foolishly sold.