STOEGERTHROWSA STRIKE
and the Glock is just 0.2 inch
shorter overall. Length of pull—
measured from the top of the grip
to the face of the trigger—is all but
id entical between the Glock and
the Stoeger, measuring just under
- 8 inches. With an empty magazine
in place, the STR-9 weighed 26.4
ounces on my scale, less than the
Ruger American but slightly more
th an the Glock.
The STR-9’s polymer frame
comes with an accessory rail and a
well-proportioned grip that bor-
rows elements from several exist-
ing designs. Shallow finger grooves
and a deep undercut in the trigger
guard seat the shooting hand in the
proper position, and the grip angle
promotes a high hold on the gun.
Additionally, the removable grip
panels feature a slight palm swell
that comfortably fills the hand
when firing. Three interchangeable
backstraps and three magazines
come standard on the STR-9 modelI tested, which carries a suggested
retail of $389.
If you want to save a few bucks,
the basic version comes with a
single stainless magazine and one
backstrap at a suggested retail
price of $329. However, having the
ability to swap out grips for a per-
fect fit—not to mention two addi-
tional 15-round metal magazines—
warrants spending the extra money
if you can stretch your budget a bit.
Street price for the base model
should be around $300 and roughly
$350 for the upgraded model.
There’s also a top-end version with
tritium night sights, three back-
straps and three grip modules with
a suggested retail price of $449,
which means it will likely be priced
around $400 at your local gun shop.
I think all three versions are excel-
lent bargains.
Internally, the STR-9 is similar to
many competing striker-fired guns.
There’s a single recoil spring on a
stainless guide rod, and the barrel< The STR-9’s controls are minimal but functional, just what you want in acarry gun. It has a locking plate takedown system with pull-down tabs in the
frame.