Originally Posted by
JonInWA
I'm a little, no, color that a lot more skeptical. Todd Green and I had some pretty detailed discussions about the Cougar, and I personally had an 8357 which I had obtained BNIB, presumably an override from the North Carolina production run.
It's a gun that I really wanted to like; the ergos were quite nice, and I was intrigued by the potential of the rotating barrel/cam tooth concept, particularly regarding higher intensity/energy/pressure spiking cartridges, like .357 SIG and .40.
Unfortunately, if frankly just didn't work all that well in reality with .357 SIG and .40. Both NH HP (.357 SIG) and Utah HP (.40) divested themselves of their Cougars well before they approached their forecasted end of use lifespan. There were significant extraction issues that were never successfully resolved, particularly with .357 SIG, despite repeated BUSA engineering/re-engineering efforts. If the guns were not properly and continuously lubricated, in relatively short order during firing sessions they would seize up, and couldn't be further operational until the reciprocating metal parts cooled.
Concurrently, I suspect that there was very little, if any advantages derived from the rotating barrel with 9mm; .45 ACP, I'm not sure, but LAPD, who authorized a special longer barrel version of it specifically produced for them was much more predisposed to the Glock G21, as it was lighter, had a greater magazine capacity, had lower maintenance requirements, and was more weather impervious (and presumably was far less expensive regarding the guns, magazines, spare parts and armorer training, and required far less time for maintenance protocols).
Interesting gun, very nicely made, but kind of like the WW1 experiences the Canadians had with the Ross rifle, which failed miserably in the gauntlet of real world use.
Its successor, the PX4 has fared much better. As a hipster, dilettante pistol, the Cougar has its charms, but for actual use, there are far better choices, in my opinion.
Best, Jon