Tell me about your Hellcat

[TGO David]

Just as the title says, I’d like for you to tell me about your Springfield Hellcat. Bonus points if you have a Hellcat Pro.

What do you like about it? Dislikes? How does it handle compared to a conventional mid-sized 15rd handgun like a Glock 19, Sig P320, etc.?

 I’ve got one of the first generation P365s but I’ve also been thinking about a 365XL or Hellcat Pro for summer carry. 

[jhc77]

I’m interested too. Might hold off until I read some comments before grabbing a G48. 

[Erik88]

I bought a regular Hellcat OSP earlier this year. I'll be honest that I didn't enjoy shooting it at all and that's rare for me. I enjoy shooting handguns a lot more than long guns. It has considerably more recoil than I was expecting and more than similar size guns I own. I was having issues with the slide locking back because I was riding the slide stop. I had to adjust my grip to a position that really wasn't ideal for me but that issue stopped. 

I also had the worst groupings of any gun since I was a beginner shooter. I couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong. I'm by no means an expert shot but I can usually get a grouping I'm not embarrassed about. 

This is the first gun I've owned with a U notch rear site so that was likey the issue. I was getting better groups with my wife's Sig P238. 

So that's my take. It's a neat gun with excellent ergonomics and a ton of capacity in a tiny package. It was reliable aside from the slide stop issue which was my fault. 

I may try to install a different rear site and see if that helps. 

[Handsome Rob]

2 minutes ago, Erik88 said:

I bought a regular Hellcat OSP earlier this year. I'll be honest that I didn't enjoy shooting it at all and that's rare for me. I enjoy shooting handguns a lot more than long guns. It has considerably more recoil than I was expecting and more than similar size guns I own. I was having issues with the slide locking back because I was riding the slide stop. I had to adjust my grip to a position that really wasn't ideal for me but that issue stopped. 

I also had the worst groupings of any gun since I was a beginner shooter. I couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong. I'm by no means an expert shot but I can usually get a grouping I'm not embarrassed about. 

This is the first gun I've owned with a U notch rear site so that was likey the issue. I was getting better groups with my wife's Sig P238. 

So that's my take. It's a neat gun with excellent ergonomics and a ton of capacity in a tiny package. It was reliable aside from the slide stop issue which was my fault. 

I may try to install a different rear site and see if that helps. 

I had the exact same issues when I rented a Hellcat (I was 50/50 between that or the 365) The U notch site didn't bother me in the last, in fact I think I prefer it after shooting my Canik. However, my groups were atrocious. The recoil was far worse than I've experienced with other 9s & I too had the slide ride issue. I just couldn't get comfortable with it. The Sig, on the hand, fit me like a glove & confirmed my thought that I'm actually not a bad shot! 

[TGO David]

1 hour ago, jhc77 said:

I’m interested too. Might hold off until I read some comments before grabbing a G48. 

I considered a G48 briefly but it just doesn't feel like there is enough of a difference, dimensionally, between it and a G19 for me to not just carry my G19 instead.  Maybe one hole difference when tightening up my belt.  Especially when I consider that I'd probably use Shield Arms magazines for 15rd capacity, meaning that the weight of the ammo between either the G48 or G19 would be identical.

 

[jhc77]

22 minutes ago, TGO David said:

I considered a G48 briefly but it just doesn't feel like there is enough of a difference, dimensionally, between it and a G19 for me to not just carry my G19 instead.  Maybe one hole difference when tightening up my belt.  Especially when I consider that I'd probably use Shield Arms magazines for 15rd capacity, meaning that the weight of the ammo between either the G48 or G19 would be identical.

 

With a G17 and 19X the 48 or Hellcat would fill my gap. My PPS is riding the bench but for some reason I’m jonesing for a 48. 

[TGO David]

3 minutes ago, jhc77 said:

With a G17 and 19X the 48 or Hellcat would fill my gap. My PPS is riding the bench but for some reason I’m jonesing for a 48. 

Yeah, the 48 makes a lot more sense when your other options are a 17 or 19x.

If you want to get really freaky, do a G43X MOS and spring for a Parker Mountain Machine Micro JTTC barrel and comp package.  It will come in at the same length as the G48 but... comp'd.

 

 

I am toying with this idea, myself.  I think the Hellcat is now out of the running based on the fact that several TGO'ers have said the same things about the gun that I've read elsewhere.  Which means I'll either do a P365XL Spectre Comp or a G43X and PMM JTTC comp package.

[jhc77]

4 hours ago, TGO David said:

Yeah, the 48 makes a lot more sense when your other options are a 17 or 19x.

If you want to get really freaky, do a G43X MOS and spring for a Parker Mountain Machine Micro JTTC barrel and comp package.  It will come in at the same length as the G48 but... comp'd.

 

 

I am toying with this idea, myself.  I think the Hellcat is now out of the running based on the fact that several TGO'ers have said the same things about the gun that I've read elsewhere.  Which means I'll either do a P365XL Spectre Comp or a G43X and PMM JTTC comp package.

I learned from owning a 26 about tinkering. Probably ordering the 48 tonight. 

[KahrMan]

31 minutes ago, jhc77 said:

I learned from owning a 26 about tinkering. Probably ordering the 48 tonight. 

I have an extra G48 if you want to borrow it for a couple of days to see how you like shooting it.

[jhc77]

21 minutes ago, KahrMan said:

I have an extra G48 if you want to borrow it for a couple of days to see how you like shooting it.

Free time is extremely small unfortunately. Middle school track, flag football(him), dance and gymnastics(her) have me pinned down. Time to myself is from 0500 to 0630(gym), work then kids.  Very gracious offer though.

[DennisG]

I love shooting my Hellcat, but there is something about the small size that forces my thumbs up onto the left side of the slide, and always manages to keep the it from locking back on an empty mag. Single hand shooting is comfortable, but I just can't get both paws on it and out of the way of the slide, and I'm too lazy to change my grip for one gun.

The 365XL is another really comfortable gun, but I have a similar problem getting a good two handed grip on it.

I have Hogue grip sleeves on both of those to get more girth to grip, but it's just not enough.

[JustEd]

Have owned Hellcat and P365.  Probably would still have the P365 but mine did not have the optic cut.  It seemed just as easy to sell it and get a Hellcat with cut, which I did.

Did not like the trigger on the Hellcat so changed it to a Apex.  The Sig P365 was fine out of the factory.  Other than that, they are both just fie for carry.  Have nothing to choose one over the other with the trigger job done on the Hellcat.

On both guns the magazines are difficult to load by hand, ie no loader.  Both break in after cycling ammo through them. 

Both shoot and cycle well for me.

SMGA recently had the P365 on sale which made it more attractive than the Hellcat price wise.  Not sure of today's pricing though.

jmo:  Both come with really good iron sights, though the Hellcat's are a bit easier on my old eyes.  However, running a rds it is a rather moot point.  Oh yeah, both irons are sighted to a combat hold with the irons, which I hate.

 

[DesertRanger]

I wanted to like the Hellcat- I rented one at my range and shot 50 rounds. I found the recoil to be noticeably more than my standard P365, and my grouping was larger than normal as a result. I had a buddy with me who went to buy a Hellcat- after trying it out, we both agreed that the recoil was a bit much. In the end, I bought the P365 XL and my buddy bought a G48. Much more manageable for me to shoot the P365. I put Hogue grip bands on, but Ive always done that-even on my p220 when it was my duty weapon. Good luck on your decision.

Edited March 24, 2022 by DesertRanger

[Samthebam]

Me and a buddy took both my recently acquired at the time Sig P365, and his new Hellcat to the range a couple years back.

We took turns shooting both one round at a time, with the other guy helping with the swap out. We did this repeatedly.

Both of us shot the Sig more accurately, with less recoil than the Hellcat.  The Hellcat also had a misfeed.

I was glad that I owned the Sig, have carried it ever since.

BTW, I formerly pocket carried a Glock 43 and liked it really well but just couldn’t justify such a difference in rounds available to continue to carry it vs. the Sig.

[Erich]

I have OSP and RDP variants. I agree its snappier than anticipated for its size. I was disappointed with the effectiveness of the comp on the RDP. Its only slightly noticeable. For comparison, I notice much more of a difference between my G19C with its factory barrel vs non comp barrel. A function of the short lever arm.

But I will disagree about its accuracy / groupings. For a 3" barrel, I thought it was excellent. When you have the sight picture down, no problem consistently hitting full sizes silhouettes @50yds or keeping 4"  @ 15yds firing at a decent pace. However it is much more demanding on the basics to get there. Not an "easy" gun to shoot, does not suffer lax grip or inconsistent grip and trigger placement. It will reward very deliberate handling. And as others said, you may have to adapt to its slide catch. I think its fair to say you have to treat it differently. Unfortunately those things may not make it the ideal carry gun in a pressure situation. You'd have to spend more range time with it than you would other guns in your rotation. 

[faraim45]

I bought a Hellcat Pro on Monday. Mounted a Crimson Trace 1500 last night. Hope to shoot it tomorrow. It is about the same size as my Sig P365XL with Wilson grip module. I may have found the elusive perfect edc gun. 

[Snaveba]

Nope, you already have the perfect EDC, IMHO. 

[Fencersms]

Brought a Hellcat pro through Royal Range's EDC #3 course the other week. The Pro's larger grip eliminated the issue of getting a good grip on the gun, but would agree that this thing hits hard. Noticed my hand actually feeling sore the next day (~100-200 rounds?). I really like the ergonomics of the gun, i shot a Mod2 for past couple years so the trigger is what I am used to, no complaints there.

Definitely need to take it through some more challenging classes to really make a final decision. Should I have rented it next to a 365xl? Probably. But the price was right, i really enjoy the sight picture, and have never had a failure with a Springfield.

[JustEd]

old thread which had already replied to

Dumb ole me.

Edited September 9, 2022 by JustEd
added comment

[faraim45]

I went to the range yesterday to compare my Sig P365xl and Hellcat Pro. When I first bought the Sig I couldn't get comfortable with the grip module contour. I replaced it with a Wilson Combat module and like it much better than the factory module. The Hellcat Pro grip frame fits my hand better but the square cross section is noticeable. I can get three fingers on the front straps of both, but the short rear backstrap on the Sig allows the heel of my palm to be pinched during magazine changes if I'm not careful. I placed dot sights on both, a Holosun 407k green dot on the Sig and a Crimson Trace CTS-1550 red dot. The Holosun is the more expensive sight and had a dot that appeared more distinct and easier to use. The Sig rear sight is removed when an optical sight is mounted and the Holosun is one of the offerings that have a rear sight groove. Just enough of the iron sights are visible to allow use. On the Hellcat the optical sights are mounted in front of the rear sight. The Crimson Trace allows about half of the iron sights to be seen, so that combination allows easier iron sight use. Obviously different optical sight thicknesses will affect iron sight pictures. Trigger pull for the Sig is about 4.5lbs. but is a little  ratchety. I have to be particular with my finger placement on the Sig to get an acceptable trigger break. The Hellcat's pull is 5.5lbs. but is very smooth. I zeroed the optical sights at 25 yards, using Czech fmj and Speer Gold Dots. Both were equally accurate with the military ammunition grouping about 6" and the Gold Dots about 2". In the future I'll buy a better quality of practice ammunition. As for shooting, the recoil on both seemed to be about the same to me. 

Neither of these handguns is perfect, but I could live with either. However, due to the extra concentration required when changing magazines, pulling the trigger, and using the iron sights in an emergency, the Hellcat Pro suits me a little better. I hope this helps any of you folks who are considering either of these fine handguns.

 

 

Edited September 11, 2022 by faraim45

[JustEd]

Nice comparison. 

On my Hellcat setup the rear sight on the Holosun 407 k x2 would be too low.  Fortunately the iron sights on the Hellcat are quite visible through the window of the Holosun.

For some reason I can not seem to post a picture of it

[JustEd]

Ahhh, apparently my benefactor status was not up to date.

[faraim45]

JustEd, did you have to adjust the posts on your Hellcat slide or did the Holosun fit with no modification?

[JustEd]

Had to shave off two posts and slightly shorten the two remaining ones.

Had a smith do it, but only charged 35 bucks.  Just put some cold blue on top of the ground posts, seems to bee all that is needed.  My smith has a milling machine so the work was clean with no damage to slide.

Still, it is a pain to have to do this.

[JustEd]

btw, If you want to mount the Holosun check to see if someone makes an adapter plate to save the grinding down.

See if one of these is right for your setup:  https://chpws.com/product/springfield-hellcat-to-holosun-407k-507k-adapter-plate/

https://www.calculatedkinetics.us/products/hellcat-osp-to-holosun-407k-507k-eps-carry