GUN TESTS GRADE: B

$350

This was a recent price at ImpactGuns.com. We found this handgun for retail in a local shop for $340. Interestingly, Stoeger is marketing the pistol in three versions. The first (31720), found for $277 in stock at ImpactGuns.com, comes with only a medium grip insert and a single magazine. We firmly believe you need at least three magazines with a service pistol — the magazine in the gun, the one on the belt, and one resting. The pistol tested (31721) comes with three grip inserts and three magazines. We feel the extra $72.50 is a worthwhile investment. Another version with night sights (31722) retails for $400 at ImpactGuns.com.

As for similarities to the Glock — one rater stated it is a Glock! — mechanically, the internal parts are identical in appearance to the Glock 17 pistol, for the most part. They do not interchange, as far as we can tell. We tried to swap some of the parts and it was a no go. Some of the pins may interchange, but that is the extent of it. The striker of the Glock is a rectangle, while the Stoeger uses a rounded firing pin. The spent brass looks just like any other handgun’s spent brass. The Glock extractor is driven by a rod plunger and spring. The STR-9 uses a longer pivoting extractor powered by a coil spring.

The STR-9 pistol is a polymer-framed design with a striker-fired action. The action is partially prepped by the slide, either by racking the slide or by the slide moving in recoil after firing. The striker is prepped against spring pressure and a press of the trigger continues to move the striker to the rear and fire the pistol. Simple enough. The Stoeger works in exactly the same manner as the Glock 17 and every other Glock handgun, and similar designs such as the Smith & Wesson Military & Police pistols. There is a lever set in the trigger that must be pressed to release the trigger. This lever also prevents lateral discharge. The action is consistent from shot to shot. The trigger action has a stiff take-up and breaks at 7.5 pounds on the Lyman digital trigger pull gauge. This trigger press is heavier than the standard Glock 5.5- to 6.0-pound press. This trigger, we felt, is a limiting factor in getting the most performance out of the STR-9. Fitting the hand to the tool felt good, and the three backstraps allow that to be fine-tuned. Finger placement and fit and feel are good. The frame features nine flats in the front strap, three on each side and three across the actual front strap, and a slight finger swell that all the raters liked.

The rear strap is nicely checkered. Some felt the rear checkering was too sharp. (Why don’t makers offer one smooth grip insert for the few that prefer this? Another 50 cents?) Slight finger indentions are located on each side of the frame, and there is a protected magazine release. The magazine release is advertised as reversible, but we did not attempt to change it. There is a light rail molded into the frame. The serial number is in the dust cover forward of the trigger guard. The trigger guard differs little from the Glock, with a squared section in the front and an undercut in the rear. Someone paid close attention to ergonomics and got it right with this handgun. The grip has something of the early model Glock and the Heckler & Koch VP9 as well.

The steel slide isn’t as square as the Glock and is nicely beveled at the top. There are aggressive cocking serrations both forward and rear. The cocking serrations were rated excellent by all raters. They are a good feature on a $340 pistol. The sights are traditional black steel sights with white three-dot inserts. They seem more similar to the SIG P320 than other types, but the height would be wrong with SIG P320 sights. The rear sight is flat on the front, allowing racking the slide with the rear sight if needed. The sights proved well regulated for factory loads. The 6 o’clock hold was used for 115-grain ammunition, 124-grain ammunition was close, and we used a dead-on hold at 25 yards for 147-grain ammunition.

This was a recent price at ImpactGuns.com. We found this handgun for retail in a local shop for $340. Interestingly, Stoeger is marketing the pistol in three versions. The first (31720), found for $277 in stock at ImpactGuns.com, comes with only a medium grip insert and a single magazine. We firmly believe you need at least three magazines with a service pistol — the magazine in the gun, the one on the belt, and one resting. The pistol tested (31721) comes with three grip inserts and three magazines. We feel the extra $72.50 is a worthwhile investment. Another version with night sights (31722) retails for $400 at ImpactGuns.com.

As for similarities to the Glock — one rater stated it is a Glock! — mechanically, the internal parts are identical in appearance to the Glock 17 pistol, for the most part. They do not interchange, as far as we can tell. We tried to swap some of the parts and it was a no go. Some of the pins may interchange, but that is the extent of it. The striker of the Glock is a rectangle, while the Stoeger uses a rounded firing pin. The spent brass looks just like any other handgun’s spent brass. The Glock extractor is driven by a rod plunger and spring. The STR-9 uses a longer pivoting extractor powered by a coil spring.

The STR-9 pistol is a polymer-framed design with a striker-fired action. The action is partially prepped by the slide, either by racking the slide or by the slide moving in recoil after firing. The striker is prepped against spring pressure and a press of the trigger continues to move the striker to the rear and fire the pistol. Simple enough. The Stoeger works in exactly the same manner as the Glock 17 and every other Glock handgun, and similar designs such as the Smith & Wesson Military & Police pistols. There is a lever set in the trigger that must be pressed to release the trigger. This lever also prevents lateral discharge. The action is consistent from shot to shot. The trigger action has a stiff take-up and breaks at 7.5 pounds on the Lyman digital trigger pull gauge. This trigger press is heavier than the standard Glock 5.5- to 6.0-pound press. This trigger, we felt, is a limiting factor in getting the most performance out of the STR-9. Fitting the hand to the tool felt good, and the three backstraps allow that to be fine-tuned. Finger placement and fit and feel are good. The frame features nine flats in the front strap, three on each side and three across the actual front strap, and a slight finger swell that all the raters liked.

The rear strap is nicely checkered. Some felt the rear checkering was too sharp. (Why don’t makers offer one smooth grip insert for the few that prefer this? Another 50 cents?) Slight finger indentions are located on each side of the frame, and there is a protected magazine release. The magazine release is advertised as reversible, but we did not attempt to change it. There is a light rail molded into the frame. The serial number is in the dust cover forward of the trigger guard. The trigger guard differs little from the Glock, with a squared section in the front and an undercut in the rear. Someone paid close attention to ergonomics and got it right with this handgun. The grip has something of the early model Glock and the Heckler & Koch VP9 as well.

The steel slide isn’t as square as the Glock and is nicely beveled at the top. There are aggressive cocking serrations both forward and rear. The cocking serrations were rated excellent by all raters. They are a good feature on a $340 pistol. The sights are traditional black steel sights with white three-dot inserts. They seem more similar to the SIG P320 than other types, but the height would be wrong with SIG P320 sights. The rear sight is flat on the front, allowing racking the slide with the rear sight if needed. The sights proved well regulated for factory loads. The 6 o’clock hold was used for 115-grain ammunition, 124-grain ammunition was close, and we used a dead-on hold at 25 yards for 147-grain ammunition.

Written and photographed by Gun Tests Staff, using evaluations from Gun Tests team testers.