We came across the Stoeger STR-9 Combat SX on a demo table at a police event at Scottsdale Gun Club on May 15, 2025, and were blown away by the trigger, ergonomics, and accuracy of the sub-$700 pistol.
The table on which which the STR-9 Combat SX was displayed was sandwiched between tables holding more expensive firearms from other manufacturers, including a renowned German gunmaker. But there was something about the look of the STR-9 Combat SX, and the threaded barrel, and the feel of the serrations, and the way the grip locked into our hands.
So we shot the pistol in the Scottsdale Gun Club indoor range. The crispness of the trigger was both completely unanticipated and mighty satisfying. We were shooting a 20+1 magazine and by the second magazine we were putting bullets into bullet holes on the paper targets.
Stoeger let us play with the gun a bit, so we immediately took advantage of the optic cut on the slide and added a Trijicon SRO. As a result, this story just keeps getting better. We had to keep reminding ourselves that the MSRP on this gun is $699 because it shoots, functions, and feels like a $1,000+ pistol.
The STR-9 Combat SX ships with high-visibility adjustable fiber optic sights, ambidextrous slide release levers, extra backstraps–to tune the grip to the shooter’s specific liking–a holster, and two 20-round magazines. A third magazine which holds 17 rounds is also included.
We shot a number of pistols from various companies that are traditionally associated with law enforcement sidearms during the police demo day but the STR-9 Combat SX stood out.
We have probably put 400-500 rounds through the STR-9 Combat SX at this point and the only thing that makes us want to do is put 400-500 more through it. The ergonomics are spot on, the trigger is excellent, and the accuracy superb. Moreover, the threaded barrel, optic cut, and quickness with which it comes on-target attest to a tactical design that is more than skin deep.
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio, a member of Gun Owners of America, and the director of global marketing for Lone Star Hunts. He was a Visiting Fellow at the Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal in 2010 and has a Ph.D. in Military History. Follow him on Instagram: @awr_hawkins. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange. Reach him directly at
