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Stoeger redesigns its popular STR-9 platform to create a great new micro-compact carry gun: the STR-9MC
(Michael Anschuetz photo)
December 13, 2023
By Brad Fitzpatrick
If you poured a drink for every polymer-frame 9mm pistol on the market, your liver would be burned up in short order. More than any other segment, the polymer-frame striker-fired pistol market is overrun with models, and standing out in this crowded field requires something special. Stoeger has indeed managed to produce something unique among striker-fired 9mm carry guns, though: a micro-compact pistol that comes with all the features most shooters want for a price that starts below $400. Known as the STR-9MC, it’s one of the best values in carry guns today.
The STR-9 family of pistols is not new. The original STR-9 arrived in 2019, and since that time Stoeger has played with the frame and slide sizes and added features to specific models. The new STR-9MC is totally different. Rather than being a compact version of the original gun, this pistol utilizes a unique frame and slide that have been slimmed down to compete in the micro-compact field. That means it’s going up against the Springfield Hellcats and the Taurus GX4s of the world. How does the Stoeger match up against each of them?
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More Inside This Issue:
ALL GROWN UP By J. Scott Rupp
The latest GX4 from Taurus, the Carry, is a great all-around 9mm.
ONE SWEET SAVAGE by Keith Wood
Following on the heels of the Stance, Savage introduces a 1911.
THE NEED FOR SPEED by J. Scott Rupp
The SIG P226 XFive single-action semiauto is one fast-shooting pistol.
GREAT REFLEX by Richard Nance
FN America offers up its first micro-compact, the Reflex.