Revisiting the STR9! (Well, one of them.) In this article, we return to the archives for a Stoeger STR 9 Review. Specifically, we’ll be looking once again at the STR-9F model. This article was originally published in May of 2022.
While widely known for its shotguns, Stoeger Industries branched out into the handgun market back in 2019. Over the past three years, they have expanded upon their initial STR-9 offerings to add an STR 9 Compact, sub-compact, and full-sized 9mm striker-fired pistols to their lineup.
Stoeger has earned a reputation for durable shotguns and intends to build upon this legacy by bringing affordable and reliable handguns to market, and for the most part, throughout my testing, I found this to be true.
Stoeger STR 9 Review
The full-sized Stoeger STR-9F, reviewed here, was one of the new guns of 2022. This pistol comes with a 4.68″ cold hammered barrel and “high strength” alloy steel slide coated with a black nitride surface. Utilizing a full-sized design, the longer barrel provided great accuracy, which I will get later, and allowed for a longer sight radius to help the user make more precise shots.
Incorporating a unique pattern of the front and rear slide serrations, Stoeger can machine aggressive slide cuts using fewer cutter passes. This, in turn, provides a fully functional firearm with less machine time to help pass savings onto the customer. The ridges are plenty deep to grip and rip when needed.
Stoeger also added an integrated 1913 Picatinny rail, as all modern pistols should, so users would be able to mount a Surefire/Streamlight/etc. weapon light, Crimson Trace, Viridian or other laser etc. (if they so choose).
The STR-9F utilizes standard adjustable 3-dot white sights. While these are nothing particularly special, they are tried and true. The front and rear sights are dovetailed to the slide and also seem to be made of metal. Hopefully, they’ll last longer than some of the plastic “iron” sights that some other polymer striker-fired pistols are incorporating these days.
Note that the rear sight has a flat front edge, which makes racking the slide one-handed easier.
Grip and Ergonomics
The frame fits my hands well. While some people do not prefer finger grooves on the grip, they are spaced great for my hands and add a little more surface area to grip onto.
Stoeger uses three different types of texturing, all of which seem to do their intended job well.
The rear protruding points hold onto my palm great, and the rest of the OEM stippling looks modern and works as it should. Three interchangeable backstraps are included to allow customizing the best fit for varying hand sizes.
The flat-faced trigger comes with a standard pull weight of roughly 5 lbs. Stoeger says that it has a crisp and clean-breaking trigger, but the one I received was kind of “spongy.”
There was no definitive wall to the trigger, but the reset is very positive and sets your finger right back on what should be the wall. This helps the user to be ready to break that next shot and eliminates unnecessary excess finger movement needed to operate the trigger.
Stoeger boasts a low bore axis for the STR-9F. Mechanically speaking, the lower you can get the bore axis into the center of the shooter’s palm, the less vertical movement will be created due to moments and inertia.
I found the STR-9F to have a shorter frame than a Glock 19, but the beavertail on the frame was a little thicker. This caused my hand to sit lower on the frame, and the benefit of the lower slide was almost negated.
Overall, the recoil was very similar to most other striker-fired pistols on the market, but I found it to be slightly more snappy than a Glock 19. Still, it was very manageable and comfortable to shoot.
You may also want to read our earlier review of the STR-9.
STR9 Magazine Performance
Stoeger offers two options when purchasing the STR-9F. Either version will be the exact same 9mm pistol; the difference will be in the magazines. As of this writing, there is a 10-round mag option and a 17-round mag option.
From what I can tell, it looks like the 17-round mag is the exact same as the 15-round mag they sell for the standard STR-9 but with an extended baseplate. It has round marker cutouts, but they are only 15, which confused me at first.
Rest assured, you can load two more rounds for a total of 17, though.
The magazine fed without issue. The only issue throughout my review was when I was loading the magazine. After loading up around ten rounds, the ammunition got into a bind and kind of locked up.
All it took was a quick unload and a more careful reload before I was good to go again. It’s a minor issue, sure, but I wanted it to be noted. Since the STR-9F only ships with one magazine, this should be kept in mind.
Accuracy Assessment
Featuring a full-sized frame, the STR-9F packs a 4.68″ barrel, which performed great. I shot three different groupings from 10 yards standing unsupported and believe I was the limiting factor when it comes to group sizes.
Apparently, I also can’t count, so after intending to shoot 5 round groups, I shot one 4 round group accidentally.
Listed below are the groupings from 10 yards for the closest four (4) rounds from each group:
- 2.3″ — Fiocchi 158gr FMJ
- 0.9″ — Blazer Brass 124gr FMJ
- 1.8″ — Hornady 100gr FTX
Shooting a couple of hundred rounds of 124gr Blazer Brass through this pistol, I had zero malfunctions or issues to note. I never even added oil. Straight out of the box, the STR-9F kicked butt and honestly far exceeded my expectations for a pistol in this price range.
The size and feel of this pistol are very comparable to that of other full-sized handguns, but a gun wanting to compete in the already crowded striker-fired market needs to bring something to the table. The advantage I found was that it delivers largely the same performance as some of the “big names” while undercutting their prices by a significant margin.
While I couldn’t afford to run a couple of thousand rounds through it to speak towards the long-term reliability, it thrived for the couple hundred rounds I threw at it.
The Stoeger STR-9F packs some serious performance for its class and cost.
Stoeger STR9F Specs and Features
Caliber: 9×19.
Operation: Semi-automatic
Action: Striker Fired
Slide and Barrel: Cold hammered barrel, slide and barrel high strength alloy steel with nitriding surface treatment
Sights: Standard 3-dot system
Frame: Technopolymer, reinforced with glass fiber
Overall length: 202 mm / 7.95″
Barrel length: 119 mm / 4.68″
Barrel rifling: 6 right grooves, pitch 250mm.
Overall width: 31 mm / 1.22″
Overall height: 142 mm / 5.59″
Sight radius: 176 mm / 6.93″
Distance between barrel axis and upper back grip: 19 mm / 0.75″
Magazine capacity: 17
Weight with empty magazine: 735±5 gr / 25.9 oz
Additional Reading
- Stoeger: A History of Affordable Quality Firearms
- Stoeger Industries on Wikipedia
- Stoeger Industries online
Does the STR come in a40S/W or any other caliber besides a9mm
I have the STR9. Pretty impressed with it. Build and finish is every bit as good as my Glock 17, feels and handles much better ergo wise, and much better sights. Solid materials, good solid polymer frame, well finished slide. Racks easily. Loads easy enough. Has been reliable. Probably the best pistol for the money on the market and it performs well above its price point! It is “just another polymer pistol,” but it’s slso “just better” than those “others.”
Oh gee, another Glock clone. Oh wow…. :>I
You might want to research Stoeger a bit more, as they didn’t branch out into firearms in 2019 like you say. Their first pistol was made in the 1960’s. Then continued more into pistols in the late 90’s and early 2000’s.
I’ve obtained 3 STRs and have installed Glock parts to upgrade. Striker springs, spring cups, Siderlock safety triggers, Johnny glocks pretravel triggers, all with no or minor mods. I also have fitted Clipdraws on them by using an M&P full size with .014″ removed from the back of the backplate. GREAT guns. Too bad I can’t get a threaded bbl for them. Stoeger is annoying as heck ro buy parts from.
How much pressure was needed to rack the slide? How hard was it to load the magazine to overcome the spring pressure?
People with hand strength issues need to know! Thanks!👍🤠