WWW.HANDGUNS.COM OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2019 HANDGUNS 51
THE STR-9,
THE FIRM’S
FIRST STRIK-
ER-FIRED
9MM, IS
READY TO
PLAY IN THE
BIG LEAGUES.
STR-9, a striker-fired 9mm semi-
auto pistol.
There’s no shortage of competi-
tion in the polymer-framed striker
gun market, and with so many op-
tions available today, Stoeger has to
bring something special if it hopes
to make the STR-9 stand out from
the competition. To do this, Stoeger
is borrowing from its shotgun play-
book: Give buyers a reliable gun
that’s loaded with features at an
affordable price.
The STR-9 features a carbon-
steel slide with a matte black ni-
tride finish. The corners of the slide
are rounded to make the gun ride
comfortably when carried, and the
front and rear slide serrations are
deeply cut and sharply angled—al-
most a shark fin shape when viewed
in profile. Since the serrations are
wider than those on most compet-
ing guns, there are only four of
them at each corner of the slide.
An angled machine cut at the
muzzle end of the slide gives the
gun a stylish look, and it blends
with matching scallops on the front
portion of the frame. There’s a
beefy, spring-powered extractor
on the right side of the slide and a
loaded-chamber indicator just aft
of the chamber opening that offers
a visual and tactile reference re-
garding the pistol’s condition.
The front and rear steel three-
dot sights are dovetailed into the
top of the slide, and the rear sight
comes with beveled corners and a
flat front ledge suitable for one-
handed cycling.
A 4.2-inch barrel gives the
Stoeger an overall length of just
under 7.5 inches. Height from the
base of the magazine pad to the
top of the slide is 5.25 inches, and
at the widest point on the grip, the
STR-9 measures 1.3 inches. The
slide itself measures just over one
inch wide.
These figures place the STR-9
close to the 9mm Ruger American
pistol and the Glock 19 in terms
of overall size. The American is
slightly longer than the Stoeger,
