When SIG SAUER sprung the little P365 on the world a couple of years ago it shook the carry gun market. No one could figure out how they stuffed ten plus one rounds into that little form factor. Then, once buyers took a look at it, they wondered why no one had done it sooner.
Other makers of concealed carry handguns have been playing catch-up ever since. With the recent rollout of the Springfield Armory Hellcat pistols, SIG now officially has some very worthy competition.
This is going to be a standard review of the Hellcat in its own right. We’ll do a separate side-by-side comparison post of the Hellcat and the P365 since 1) that’s the competitor Springfield clearly had in its sights when designing the new gun, and 2) you, dear reader, no doubt want to know how the Hellcat stacks up against the big boy on the block.
Oh, OK. Here’s one photo of the two of them together . . .
But that’s all until the head-to-head comparison post later this week.
Read our post comparing the Hellcat and the P365 here.
For now, suffice it to say that the new Springfield Armory Hellcat does everything the SIG P365 does (and gives you one more round while doing it).
The Basics
The striker-fired Hellcat has been introduced with two models; a standard configuration and one Springfield calls the OSP for Optical Sight Pistol. The only difference is the OSP has a slide cut for a micro red dot. We got the OSP model with an excellent Shield RMSc sight pre-mounted (see Jeremy’s review of the Shield RMS here).
I’m not someone who likes to tote a concealed carry gun with a red dot, but if you are — or even you think you might be — you should opt for the OSP model.
It’s only $30 MSRP more than the standard model and a lot less expensive than getting your slide milled later. If you have the OSP and you want to add a reflex site to your Hellcat down the road, it’s ready for the RMSc or similar mini reflex sight.
The RMSc red dot co-witnesses nicely with the Hellcat’s standard U-Dot night sights (more on those later).
The new Hellcat 9mm handgun comes with two magazines; an 11-round flush-fit magazine and an extended mag that packs a lucky 13 rounds.
If you want ultimate concealability, the flush mag is the way to go, though that makes the Hellcat a two-finger gun. Springfield includes a pinky extension that you can add to the 11-round magazine to catch that dangling digit if you wish.
The extended magazine not only gives you two more rounds, but a full-fisted grip as well. It also, however, adds a half inch in length so won’t conceal quite as easily.
Whether you buy the standard or OSP model, the Hellcat sports an excellent set of sights, what Springfield calls their U-Dot sights. The rear is a drift-adjustable metal U-notch outlined in white.
On the business end, Springfield mounted an Ameriglo Pro-Glo high visibility tritium night sight. It features a tritium vial surrounded by a day-glo rim that’s easily visible in almost any light. It also co-witnesses perfectly with the RMSc optic.
Just about my only real complaint with the Hellcat’s design is the slide serrations. Springfield puts them fore and aft and even extended the serrations over the top of the slide at the rear “for positive engagement in adverse conditions,” as they say in the marketing materials.
The problem is the serrations just aren’t aggressive enough. They’re relatively shallow, both front and back, and if your hands are wet or sweaty, there’s a good chance your grip could slip when racking the slide.
If you run your Hellcat OSP with an optic mounted, that will serve as a good handhold. The rear metal sight isn’t ramped so you can use it to rack the slide on a hard surface (a tactical rack) if you have to accomplish it one-handed for any reason.
Have you noticed what isn’t on the Hellcat? That’s right, this is the first striker-fired Springfield pistol with no grip safety. There’s no frame safety either. The Hellcat comes equipped with a familiar safety blade on its forward angled flat trigger.
Springfield even managed to squeeze a short length of rail on the Hellcat’s diminutive dust cover. The good news: it’s a standard rail (not a proprietary one, thank goodness) that lets you attach a light or laser to the Hellcat if you want.
Springfield went into great detail describing the grip texturing they selected for the Hellcat. They called it an “adaptive grip texture” that’s supposedly made up of two levels of tiny pyramidal shapes. They claim the taller ones have been flattened for more comfort and less wear when you carry the gun. The shorter ones come into play when you grip the pistol.
I’ll have to take their word for it because I’ll be damned if I can see anything like that with the naked eye. The good news, though, is that the grip texture is nearly ideal. While it may look like skateboard tape, it’s not nearly as abrasive, and still provides a solid, positive grip, even with sweaty hands.
The grip is textured all around including the upper thumb position above the magazine release. There’s also a small section of texturing on the forward part of the frame. This is a handy place to index your finger while holding the gun. It’s also just right for positioning your weak side thumb using a thumbs-forward grip when shooting.
Carrying the Hellcat
As someone who regularly carries a single-stack GLOCK 43, the transition to packing a Hellcat was a smooth one.
For instance, here’s the Hellcat snuggled up against my G43. The slides are the same width. The Hellcat’s grip is 1/8th inch wider. That’s because it’s packing an 11-round magazine as opposed to the GLOCK’s 6-round single stack mag.
Yet the Hellcat is a comfortable 22 ounces when fully loaded with the 11-round magazine and one in the chamber. That’s a very reasonable weight that most concealed carriers can handle. And 12 rounds of 9mm Luger is a capacity standard they won’t want to do without.
Hellcat At the Range
The Hellcat’s accuracy is impressive for a little 3-inch barreled micro-compact. I shot it both with and without the red dot and fed it a steady diet of FMJ range ammo and a lot of personal defense rounds. This is, after all, a concealed carry gun that should be carried with JHP ammunition.
Bullet weights tested ranged from 115 to 147 grains including JHPs such as Federal HST, Remington Golden Saber, Hornady Critical Defense and Winchester PDX1 Defender. Nothing gave the Hellcat problems. Everything fed and fed reliably.
As you can see from the image above, it’s extremely accurate at personal defense distances. I also shot the Hellcat braced using the red dot at 25 yards. I’m no Jerry Miculek, but I managed a 4.25″ group. Shooting with a pistol as small as the Hellcat, that’ll do.
As for recoil, it’s…not bad. With the flush magazine, it’s slightly snappier than my G43. But the difference is negligible and with the extended magazine (and three fingers on the grip) it’s no big deal at all. Follow-up shots were easy and accurate.
While I’m no trigger snob, the Hellcat’s trigger is clearly one of the best bangswitches I’ve shot on a striker fired carry pistol. It may not be at the top with the likes of Walther, but it’s definitely up there. There’s a clean take-up with an ever-so-slight bump right before it’s fully staged. Then it breaks very cleanly at 5.7 pounds.
The very perceptible (both tactile and audible) reset kicks in about half through the release. That means follow-up shots can be made quickly and accurately.
In the end, the Hellcat is an extremely attractive concealed carry package. Springfield took a couple of years to come up with an answer to the SIG P365 and you can see the work that went into the final product. The Hellcat is a very worthy competitor to the SIG and one that many buyers will think is the more compelling choice.
Specifications: Springfield Armory Hellcat 9mm Pistol
Height: 4″ (flush magazine), 4.5″ (extended magazine)
Barrel Length: 3″
Overall Length: 6″
Width: 1″
Capacity: 11+1 (flush magazine), 13+1 (extended magazine)
Sights: Drift-adjustable rear U-notch, Ameriglo Pro-Glo front night sight
MSRP: $569 (Std), $599 OSP (OSP) model – $499 and $529 retail
Ratings (out of five stars):
Style: * * * *
Springfield’s polymer guns have never been known for their style. Then again, very few plastic fantastics are particularly eye-catching. But as polymer frame guns go, the Hellcat is better looking than most and it’s the best-looking Croatian gun Springfield has produced. That may be damning with faint praise, but there you go.
Ergonomics: * * * *
It’s obvious that a lot of thought went into the Hellcat’s design. It’s both comfortable in the hand and easy to shoot. The beavertail should prevent slide bite for large-handed shooters and it has a reversible mag release. The magazine release is easy to access without adjusting your grip. The only downgrade here is for the serrations in the Melonite slide which just aren’t grippy enough.
Concealability: * * * * *
This is a very easy gun to carry. As someone who totes a slim, single stack G43 daily, the Springfield Hellcat gives me five more rounds in virtually the same size and form factor. That’s a big capacity upgrade and one that won’t be lost on most gun buyers.
Reliability: * * * * *
As always, with a new design, time will tell for sure. But we fed the Hellcat a full range of ammo; everything from cheap range stuff to a variey of personal defense loads in different bullet weights. It shot everything without complaint.
Customize This: * * * *
As a brand new pistol platform, there aren’t a huge number of customization options out there yet. That said, there are already holsters available from Crossbreed, Alien Gear, Galco, DeSantis and more. The Hellcat has a small standard rail (thank you, Springfield, for not making it proprietary) to add a light or laser, if that’s your thing. And if you’re someone who likes a red dot on your carry gun, buy the OSP model. What else is there, really?
Overall: * * * * 1/2
Going back to the beginning, Springfield Armory — like so many gun makers — is playing catch-up to the P365. And with the Hellcat, they’ve come up with an admirable answer to the standard that SIG has established. This is an extremely attractive, competitively priced micro-compact that gives the gun buyer more carry capacity and does it in a package that’s easy (and even fun) to shoot. The Hellcat will give the SIG a serious run for its money.
Springfield armory here in Illinois helped the democrats pass new licensing laws on gun stores in this state. At the last minute, they tried to pull back but the damage has been done…..there are now new regulations that are driving small gun stores out of business….and the democrats are coming back for more, with plans to mandate such high tech and expensive security for gun stores that most gun stores will have to close……and Springfield Armory was part of this process……..
Worse, the new “licensing board” is requiring gun stores to do things that police are legally prevented from doing. One of their new “requirements” is a 24hr/per day video monitoring of all parking areas complete with license plate readers and retention of records for MONTHS. Interestingly enough, this requirement only applies to dedicated gun stores.
Never forget.
Never forgive.
eff SA
I hope your “Never forgive, never forget” attitude extends to the NRA. Because over the years they’ve done a lot of crap which clearly shows they are in it for the money and dont give a darn about American citizens.
You wanna knock Springfield Armory then you need to learn some Gun Manufacturer HISTORY.
Read what S&W did and what Ruger did which to me is worse that what people accused Springfield Armory of.
Not only did S&W and Ruger stab gun owners and the 2nd Amendment in the back they were proud to do it as the Government offered them carve outs that they proudly took.
So before you blow up on SA read some history.
As for the NRA? Fuck them. I don’t give money to people to protect my 2nd Amendment rights. That’s why you vote. Without us the NRA isn’t shit and I hope they go belly up and face down.
Then you park elsewhere and go into the store….
I heard their next hand gun release will also be an import like the XD series, but it’s a British designed smart gun named the BA, for Benedict Arnold.
https://bearingarms.com/bob-o/2017/05/01/springfield-armory-rock-river-arms-oppose-gun-dealer-licensing-act/
Who cares. They’re a crap company. No Illinois gun stores should stock their products.
No illinois Gun store? no. NO gun store.
Period.
Amen brother. Over 1000 FFLs gave up in Illinois because of the law the springfiled assisted in passing. That company and rock river are crap.
Why did u do another review of the P365?
Too bad HS Produk doesn’t sell these directly! Never Springfield!
As said above: It’s Springfield. No. Next.
They should just call it the Springfield Judas, now with 30 pieces of silver. Given how much damage their pet lobbyist did to Illinois gun owners, they should be driven out of business permanently.
Sadness. Looks interesting and I like the sights.
Too bad its SA. The Croats need to find a new shill in the US.
Springfield Armory can eat shit and die as well as that other traitorous company, TTAG knows well enough to add something to the article about it but alas no quips or anecdotes on the subject. That’s what we are here for apparently. Seriously though we the readers don’t forget I expect the same of TTAG staff
Do a Google search. It was TTAG that broke that story. You know about it thanks to us.
This is a review of one of Springfield’s guns. We aren’t going to add references to every company’s past issues in every post about their products.
Should we mention Bill Ruger’s love of 10-round magazines the next time Ruger rolls out a new revolver? Does Smith & Wesson playing footsy with Bill Clinton on gun control need to be included in every M&P review?
If you want to remind people about these and other past indiscretions, go ahead. That’s what the comments are for. But we won’t be chewing up valuable electrons to do it.
Side note: Bill Ruger’s infamous 10 round magazine pitch was a sacrificial lamb to congress. He was afraid they would take semi-autos wholesale if he, as an authority figure in the gun industry, didn’t acquiesce to that much at least. The Mini was not a shabby seller and came with factory 30 round magazines, and he had barely just started selling semi-auto handguns to the market, touting their capacity and coming out with new models and revisions at breakneck speed. Let’s not forget the 10/22 and the Mark series of 22LR guns, both semi-autos.
Nobody accounts for those things, and yes, this could all be speculation, but I did find a source some years back that made a much more compelling case for it than I did, someone who was familiar with Bill Ruger’s past a bit more and watched all his testimonies about this.
But hey, the people of the gun like to forget and not forgive sometimes.
I was waiting for this^
Gargling with spite is generally unnecessary, somebody will do it for you.
Ruger’s proposal was for 15 rounds. The Ruger P85 held 15, but the evil Glock 17 held 2 more. Gor some reason, the Glocks were outselling the Rugers. The Dems passed it as 10 rounds.
If you are going to bring up S&W, you should point out that their former anti-2A stuff was because of their UK parent company, which is no longer part of S&W. And that was all well in the past. Unlike Springfield Armory who is still the same Springfield Armory who sold out Illinois gun owners not that long ago.
I highly doubt Dan I’m the only one who feels the lack of any info no matter how small feels like a rug sweep and that yes you did break the story but so what, I had that feeling like the sites staff 2A commitment was unwaivering but with reviewing and putting SA out there without a caviat is you promoting it simple as that.
just link back to your own stuff then, that few 1s and 0s aint take up much “space”
Sorry to disagree, but if you as the writer know that SA was instrumental in helping pass legislation that later resulted in driving gun shops out of Illinois, then YOU DO have an obligation to your readers to mention that in your review.
Trash!
Never really been a fan. Just came for the comparison and the salt. Mhhhmmmm… salt.
Not just regular salt, but that dirty road salt on the pavement, after the ice is melted and a couple dogs and a bum has taken a piss on it.
Road ‘salt’. Nasty potassium chloride corrosive crap.
One of the few good things about living in Florida is no road anti-ice…
Thanks for the review Dan. The new Hellcat looks very promising to me. I like that the grip appears to be a bit wider than the P365 as I found the P365 overall too small for my hands/fingers and for me a little wider grip makes no difference in IWB CCW. Can’t wait to try out the Hellcat.
“skateboard tape”
I always find it funny that gun guys call it skateboard tape. As a skateboarder, we always called it grip tape. It’d be really funny if we called it handgun tape.
Thanks for the laugh!
The upside is that you can buy a sheet of “skateboard tape” for around $1.25 – $1.50…that’s a lot of grip adjustments for many, many years (remember to use an old pair of scissors for trimming to fit…do NOT use your spouse’s best sewing scissors).
I just bought a one-foot length of the 3M stuff for my new toy, and it was 78 cents at the local Ace hardware…
We always called it deck tape, but I never heard it called skateboard tape either.
I’m surprised to learn that it’s snappier than the G43 since the Hellcat is heavier and thicker. I shot a G43 and I thought it was a bit snappy, but slightly better than the Ruger LC9.
I wonder if they plan on a manual safety version? I think most people that go for the XD / XDM line like that grip safety.
I really love the Springfield grip safeties. Seems to me they’re the best of both worlds: insurance against an accidental trigger pull plus never having to worry about whether you left the safety on or off. The lack of one is the only thing that would make me hesitate to buy this gun.
I do too. I have an old XD9 and I like the loaded chamber indicator also. For some reason folks don’t like either, I ask why, and they never have a good reason.
The grip safety is too shallow, grip the gun wrong, or wearing gloves in cold weather and no click or bang for you.
The need to make it with a memory bump like some 1911s
The SCCY w/ its 10 rounds of 9mm is the real competitor for the Sig 365. You can almost buy 3 SCCYs or the price of one Sig 365.
I only have second hand imformation, but it seems to be that SCCY pistols have issues of QC.
I owned a SCCY CPX gen 2 a few years ago that had qc issues. Slide locking back after almost every shot despite having rounds left in the mag.
I also owned 3 Sigs, 2 P320’s and a P365, in the past couple years that had qc issues. One of the P320’s was certified pre-owned (shrugs shoulders).
Haven’t owned another SCCY since then but I’m pulling for the company to do well. Their pistols are almost as affordable as Hi Points (yeah yeah I know, but at least they’re reliable) and from what I’ve read their cs is also great. As far as Sig, the classic P series and even the P250 made me a huge fan. But after reading about their recent issues and experiencing some of those issues myself, it looks like it will be a long time before I think about owning another “modern” Sig.
I think the Sccy is taller if not longer.
But right now is like 125 after a rebate from Sccy.
I’ve owned three SCCY’s: two 9mm and the new CPX-3 .380 with quad lock technology. I like the .380 best since it’s more accurate, less recoil and I can therefore shoot it better. This the best bang for the buck in a .380 anywhere in the world and it’s made right here in Florida.
I see the crybabies are out in force today. In addition to being utterly predictable, they grow more shrill, much like the Warming cultists when their predictions are all wrong.
TTAG can and should review each new gun that comes out, even Glocks seriously defective and unsafe products that continue to maim people due to the lack of a real safety.
I carry a Springfield XDM daily, it works, it’s reliable, it has a safety that’s not on the flaming trigger and it’s accurate.
I guess if they are going to continue to whine, I’ll have to start posting just how many glock leg incidents have occurred anytime someone mentions a glock. You guys are seriously whiny crybabies. Go PROTEST Springfield, not here. The fact you continue to whine here shows that you are nothing but babies throwing your toys out of the stroller. All your frantic bleatings here do is annoy people, if you want to change Springfield or Illinois law, you need to do something in the real freaking world, not whine in the comments here on the internet. If you hold a protest at Springfield HQ, I’m sure TTAG will cover it. Put some skin in the game.
Huh. Crybabies. Guess you don’t live here in the once just okay state of Illinois. The giant importer know as Springfield Armory screwed us yesterday, today and tomorrow. F*** them. I have $$ to spend, going elsewhere. There’s my skin in the game.
https://bearingarms.com/bob-o/2017/05/01/springfield-armory-rock-river-arms-oppose-gun-dealer-licensing-act/
Yes but it’s THEIR (Springfield Armorys) Trade Association and here in your link I read that SA said they didn’t know until “after the fact” what THEIR trade association had done. Really??? Who buys that line of s%$hi$%t???
And here’s an excerpt from it:
“…we (Rock River Arms) were as shocked as everyone else to find ourselves exempted from provisions of SB1657 and that IFMA (their trade association) was no longer opposing that bill, even though RRA still opposed it.”
Again, who buys that s$%hi%$t????
Here’s the way I read it: Rock River Arms (RRA) wanted to be exempted (and to hell with every other gun maker and gun shop) and once they (RRA) got what they wanted they feigned “shock” that they were exempted. To cover their ass, they publically stated they were against the bill knowing full well it would pass. End result:they get exempted and everyone else gets screwed.
Hey Springfield Arms…is it really your position that you had NO idea that YOUR OWN Trade Association was doing this and, that by the time you found out what they were doing, that “it was too late”??? If so, do you still belong to this same trade association and are you still giving that same trade association money to belong to it?????
You’re about the only person who’s acting like a spoiled baby, Springfield attempted to support laws intended to restrict firearms in their home state while hoping for a carve out for themselves. People are stating they won’t buy their new product because of their previous actions and then you come trundling in to spout a bunch of hot garbage and act like you have some sort of high position to fire crap from.
If knowledge of Springfield’s asshattery will prevent even one person from buying their shit, it’s worth it.
Oh, and if you develop a case of Glock nuts because your dumb ass doesn’t know to keep your bugger hook off of the bang switch, that’s a feature, not a bug.
“Bugger hook”.
Damn dude, your leatherneck is showing ROFL.
I knew I picked the wrong week to cut back on my daily crayon intake.
I find sniffing markers and eating paste helps take the edge off.
That expression used to be quite popular around here in TTAG’s earlier years.
we used to eat pogo paste (minty) as kids.
dad said they used to drink the ink in their desk wells for the refill delay…
Glock? Psh. Whatever. Springfield? Puke! Any striker fired? Hell no. Be a man and Get a real mans gun like a 1911 or revolver you sissy.
Black powder muzzle loading derringer all the way. If you need more than that you probably shouldn’t own guns at all.
No no no, if you need more then that, you wear a brace of black powders like black beard 😉
and after you’ve fired your 5-7 shots, i’ll be pew’ing a few more into ya, and still leaving with some to spare
I’d actually prefer that people opted for companies to stay the fuck out of politics where politics and company business interests don’t intersect.
Personally I don’t give a fuck what RRA/SA did because they were trying to protect their bottom line against something that was probably inevitable regardless of what they lobbied for or against. The way, IIRC, this thing ended up being shadily passed a year later indicates that the Democrats were going to get their law come Hell or high water.
But really, the point is this: We DO NOT want to be asking companies to bail us out when the voters fuck up. In the long term that’s a road to laziness where, at best, the voters don’t learn the error of their ways and gain the maturity to fix those errors. Also, in the short term it’s a road to being outspent because there are a lot more companies run by antigunners than there are by PROgun folk.
Sure, the vast majority give no fucks either way but if we get into a “muh company can out lobby your company” slugfest we’re gonna lose when some asshole like Ed Stack decides that flushing the entire company’s operating budget down the toilet for gun control is a good idea. Unscrupulous polesmokers like that will bankrupt companies to achieve political ends whereas no matter how pro-gun some other CEO is they’re probably not going to spend their company into oblivion just to virtue signal to us.
If you’re an anti you can bankrupt a company by supporting gun control and, at worst, get a “bailout” with a cushy “advising” or lobbying job within the Democratic party. Do that on the right and you’ll be a pariah who’s looked at as an idiot, sued into oblivion and cast aside like the trash you are.
Best political analysis I’ve read on one of these posts.
I seldom read comments that use the word fuck. I prefer people with a more mature and educated vocabulary. If people can’t talk better than that why should I take their comments seriously?
Thanks for the comments. I was all set to go looking for a hellcat to replace my EDC Gucci Glock 19 Clone. I had forgot all about what Springfield did. Not buying anything from them now. Currently boycotting Amazon, Dicks, Walmart, and etc. Stop funding the enemy.
Thank you Dan. The reviews on TTAG are consistently mo’ better (honester?) than the old time gun rags (need I mention Guns & Ammo wherein I have never read a negative comment on a review).
The slide serrations on my P365 are just the right amount of grippy….sorry SA that IS a deal breaker for me (also the biggest reason why I will not consider a Beretta APX…even at severely discounted prices).
Street price looks to be the same between SA and Sig.
Sig for the win! (and you don’t have that slimy feeling on your conscience afterwards).
You are a traitor to America,Business & Liberty if u buy any Springfield Armory or Rock River Product after what they did to gun owners and mom and pop stores in Illinois!
As a result of their push & support for anti-gun anti-FFL cost to do business to sell guns over half or more FFL’S in Illinoise have gone out of business!
U may as well buy terrorist made guns from Turkey who support & fund ISIS!
I didn’t follow this Illinois law, but maybe you can explain something. I notice this keeps coming up. Was this really “a result of their (SA) push & support” or was this inevitable after dems picking up extra house seats and winning the governor race? I get that SA supported it initially, then fought against it, but did it really only pass because they initially helped to lobby for it? Just curious. I didn’t follow this site back then.
They initially opposed the bill along with rock river. Then they negotiated a carve out exception for manufactures so they would be exempt and that put the bill back in play. Without their opposition, the bill was able to go forward. When all hell broke loose and we found out, they opposed the bill but it was too late. Now, I don’t believe they have a carve out, nor do big box stores. However, the only ones getting screwed in this deal are the smaller and mid range stores. The bigger stores had to shell out a lot of dough to come up to code. And it looks like they will have to shell out more. springfield and rock river suck bad.
Oh they got their carveout. The bill only applies to retailers that do more than 10% of their volume in firearms.
The GOP still held the governor’s seat when this bill was passed in both houses. They lacked the votes for a veto override, but Madigan being a weaselly piece of shit kept the legislature out of session until after BJ the Hutt was sworn in and could sign the bill into law since the new legislature hadn’t been sworn in yet, so the bill wasn’t technically dead.
Springfield Armory and Rock River funded the slimy piece of shit lobbyist who said that so long as the bill didn’t affect manufacturers, they would support it.
I did not realize they still had their carve out. Pricks.
Looks like the the governors race wasn’t even close for some reason.
So are you guys also boycotting the Republicans whose sitting Governor let this shit happen, and voting Libertarian or forming a new party?
The sitting governor did everything he could. He pocket vetoed the legislation. What happened was that Madigan rules-lawyered the bill into still being alive to be signed by BJ the Hutt. (Our new grossly overweight piece of shit commie who got into office a few steps ahead of a tax fraud indictment.)
This is where the market is right now. Small pistols with mid size capacity. Contrary to current conventional wisdom these pistols do not make larger pistols obsolete. The Yankee Marshal dealt with the pros and cons of small pistols in video earlier in the year. The pros amounted to easy to carry and that’s about it. I think everyone should own a small pistol if they can afford it either for backup or when circumstances dictate a small gun but from my perspective spending $450-$500 on a pistol for limited use is not worth it
Exactly. And it seems people rarely factor in barrel length and its effect on which ever round they choose. For instance modern 9mm is a decent and popular round now, but there’s a big difference in its performance coming out of what is essentially a 2” barrel then a 4-5” barrel. Not picking on 9, that goes for any round.
My department issued .40 caliber pistols for years and every year five to ten percent could not qualify their first attempt, mostly disinterested women. This became expensive what with overtime, etc. So the training department sold the idea of dropping down to 9mm because it was easier to train with and there had been great advances in 9mm ammunition. This maybe true but ammunition development didn’t stop at 9mm. The .40 and .45 also benefited from this development.
In the last few weeks I’ve become a big fan of pocket carry. The small guns with ~3 inch barrels will do well enough to social work. No one is going to yell “give me your money!” from 25 yards away.
Let me translate that into plain English for you: “I’m never going to use it but it’s nice to have one just in case so I will carry a tiny gun.”
That is probably a realistic assessment however, the probability of a discrete event is zero or 1. A fractional probability is just a population statistic. If I asked you what the life time probability that I will be in a terrorist attack is you would come back with too small matter. So there I was in the New Foresman Conference Room on the mezzanine level in the Pentagon on September 11, 2001. For me that probably is 1.
Is it not worth a few extra ounces if the larger pistol gives you a better chance of survival?
No.
“The problem is the serrations just aren’t aggressive enough. They’re relatively shallow, both front and back, and if your hands are wet or sweaty, there’s a good chance your grip could slip when racking the slide.”
That’s the problem with my new CZ RAMI, it is an absolute *bitch* to rack the slide, with the double-wound slide spring as stout as it is. My weak hand is now my strong hand (not by choice) and the only place I can grip it to rack it is at the rear serrations, but when I do that, I can’t look in the chamber to verify clear, the palm of my hand now blocks the view. Aggravating doesn’t begin to describe it. I’m currently experimenting with skateboard tape, if that doesn’t work out, the RAMI will be delegated to bedside gun duty…
Those double springs, well all springs, often need to just be broken in by gently warming the gun (via firing it repeatedly, the best form of warming a gun).
Also, if you can, I suggest using a gripper with individual fingers like the one’s made by ProHands. Sucks but they work and work pretty fast, ask me how I know.
The ‘exerciser’ is a good idea, I’ll pick one up at the local sports mega-mart.
And a few hundred rounds through it is also a good idea, thanks…
all that external frame stoutness yields less slide for purchase. the 2075 is a cz i do not own (i certainly would like to), hope it works out.
cgw says 1000rds for recoil spring replacement. i can’t find a lighter one available, dpm makes a triple rate that parabolically ramps up towards the rear of slide travel, but has the same initial tension.
very cool pistol.
Another outstanding gun by Springfield Armory. If its not a Springfield then its just another gun.
Too bad it’s way bigger than the P365. They can’t even make a better direct competitor when they try. Fail.
It is not way bigger. I have both and they are almost identical. The hellcat has a slightly bigger grip, which for me is better. When I say slightly bigger I mean very little difference
It’s NOT way bigger than the 365, geeeze some of you guys are such knuckle heads. Compare the dimensions of the two pistols.
All the gun control support shenanigans aside, you do know this is a Croatian import and that the company selling it has nothing to do with the original Springfield Armory, right? Just making sure.
No buy Springfield. Springfield very bad man.
Huh. Crybabies. Guess you don’t live here in the once just okay state of Illinois. The giant importer know as Springfield Armory screwed us yesterday, today and tomorrow. F*** them. I have $$ to spend, going elsewhere. There’s my skin in the game.
خرید تجهیزات شبکه
Hey, bot. Stealing comments from others to push your shady site? Tsk, tsk!
Too bad HS Produk doesn’t sell these directly! Never Springfield!
زوج درمانی قطعی
Firefox is warning me your ‘clinic’ website is a security threat :
“Firefox detected a potential security threat and did not continue to armitacilinic.com. If you visit this site, attackers could try to steal information like your passwords, emails, or credit card details.”
Needless to say, I went no further. How many businesses do you run, anyways?
Translated –
“List of Armita Specialty Clinic Services
۱. Specialized Marital Dispute Resolution (Comprehensive Couple Therapy)
۲. Specialized marriage counseling
۳. Genetic counseling
۴. Psychotherapy
۵. Psychiatry
۶. Psychoanalysis
۷. Academic advice
۸. Career counseling
۹. Telephone and video counseling
۱۰. Psychiatric visit and home psychology counseling.
۱۱. Addiction quitting advice
۱۲. Treatment of Obesity
۱۳. Quit smoking and hookah
۱۴. Psychotherapy for chronic pain
۱۵. Sex Therapy
۱۶. Treatment of sleep disorders
۱۷. Life Skills Training”
That’s quite a variety you have there. Especially the third from the last one… 😉
I want one, but SA isn’t going to get any cash from my grip.
And I probably won’t have long to wait before they hit the secondary market cheap, hard as Springfield is working at saturating it.
Great review! Will have to fondle one sometime. Looks good, like the specs and sights.
Why “no one had done it sooner”?????? Kel-Tec did it in 1995. Sig/Springfield whoever else is 25 years behind.
Looks good, only time will tell. However, it’s deemed so dangerous that the gray suited thugs that rule in commie kalifornia say NO. Unless of course you’re special. Like law-enforcement.
Just two questions:
1) How did Springfield find room to pack that much contempt for customers into such a small frame?
2) Where are we supposed to grip the gun? – I don’t seen any designated areas…
I hear this has primer drag as well. I really enjoy my non-primer dragging P365XL.
Not on the gun I tested.
From what I saw as well, it to (P365XL) has primer drag, albeit considerably less than the P365, but none the less it’s there.
I read just the opposite that the Sig had the primer drag.
Write “GRIP ZONE” on the thing and their sales will triple!
Don’t care about politics, I like guns and nobody can refute that the Hellcat osp is anything but marvelous. I just bought one with the optics. My regular carry is a Glock 43 or gen 5 19. Buy the way I also love my Sig 320 carry in both Sig 357 and .40 cal. Like I say, don’t care who makes them.
Great review. I’m going to give it about four or five months before I get one, to see if there are any issues. If it works well, I’ll get one. I like Springfield pistols. Maybe if all you whiners don’t buy them, then the price will drop and more money in my pocket. So whine on.
I’m with you, Croatian made with Springfield name on it for import reasons. It’s a SPECTACULAR pistol that I ordered just today, can’t wait till it comes in. That’s not saying I don’t try to always buy American, i do, not just with guns. Sometimes ya gotta go outside the norm.
I will stick solely with the Hellcat review, and not get in to politics, past comparisons, egos, etc. I held a Hellcat alongside my P365 today at a local gun show. The dimensions are so close, I don’t believe you would notice any significant difference in size or weight. After comparing, I would never buy the Hellcat due to the profile and thickness of the trigger guard, which pressed very hard into my right middle finger. The undercut was not as good either, so as hard as I tried, I could never fully grasp the grip with my medium-sized hands. It truly felt like a block of wood. The P365 also has a smoother trigger, with a better reset. I have been a Glock guy for 30 years, and this is the first Sig I ever owned because I never liked them. I have never owned a Springfield, except for the old civilian M14-style rifle. I have now included the P365 in my concealed carry rotation with my Glock 27. Hellcat, great attempt, but not there yet.
Very interesting thread that mainly is BS. This is a gun review, not a political forum. Your boycotts sure are making an impact aren’t they? I don’t see Walmart, or any other store mentioned going broke because of your immature knee jerk reactions. Any way, if you don’t like the bills being passed, get off your ass and vote. If the gun grabbers win, it is on you, not any company. Thanks for a good review. I own three Springfields, two XDs and a mod 2 and wouldn’t change them for any other gun. I don’t buy a gun because someone recommends it, I buy it because it is reliable, fits my hand, and feels good, and shoots holes where I point it. I am seriously looking at the Hellcat. I have shot my Springfield at Front Sight Academy shooting 300 rounds a day in training for four days straight without a malfunction, while guys next to me with their glocks and Sigs spent their time clearing their weapons over and over. That is what I look for. If you don’t like Illinois, and I don’t blame you, MOVE and quite wasting my time crying about it. I want facts about the gun, not your opinions.
It has been my experience when shooting sub/micro compact pistols there will be primer drag. It is not a sig only issue, if it’s a issue at all. The M&P has been out for sometime & it to has primer drag, however I personally or any one I know have ever broken a M&P shield firing pin. Glocks sub compacts also have primer drag, but again, me nor anyone I know have ever broken a Glock firing pin. I am not saying it does not happen, I am sure it does. I have been into sub/micro compacts for sometime. It has been my experience, that once I started getting @ or below 3.8 inches, the pistol is prone to primer drag. I have also noticed that depending on which ammo you use, the drag or swipe may be deeper or shallower. I would guess that would have to be related to what type of primer caps (hard or soft) are used. I personally do not reload at this time so that is just a guess.
As for the political aspect, I wish I could sit here & say that what RRA & SA did or didn’t do, knowingly or otherwise did not bother me, it did. I should point out, that I didn’t know about any of it until after I made my second SA sub-compact purchase. When I did hear about this I researched it as much as I could in my spare time. After reading articles, watching youtube videos & the interview with some SA exec I came to the conclusion that they know they messed up. While I do not believe they can undo the damage they have already done, from what I am hearing, going forward their going to oppose any new legislation that infringes on our 2A rights. While not a ideal situation, I am good with that. All that being said, I am not a “fan boy” of any particular manufacturer. I think they all make some really good firearms. I wish I could own certain ones from each manufacturer 🙂 I personally will not boycott SA. I would have to boycott Glock, S&W, Colt, Ruger etc etc for “messing up” as well. I will not limit my self. I also will not tell you that you should or should not boycott any of these manufactures, that’s for you to decide.
As for the SA Hellcat, I rented one on a Sunday and bought the OSP version on the following Monday. Personally I will not be running a optic for sometime. I bought the OSP version simply “if I change my mind”. I only put 50 rounds through the rental when I decided I wanted it, here is why, it fit great in my hand, the flat trigger took absolutely no time to get used to, and where I pointed it, it put a round there. Me personally, I think sub/micro compact firearms are meant for up & close personal protection, 3 to 8 yards. I practice at 6 & 7 yards mostly. On this particular Sunday, with the hellcat, using the 11 rnd mag & one in the chamber, using a dbl tap cadence if you will, with 1 second in between dbl taps, at 6 yards w/a 6 inch bulls eye target, I put 11 of the 12 rnds in the center 3 rings. The sights are quick to pick up for follow up shots. Trigger is good, clean & the audible & felt reset was loud & clear. That being said, its no SIG trigger. Sig has by far the best out-of-the box triggers on the market imho, the hellcat doesn’t even come close to it, but it works.
I’ve Owned 2 Springfield Armory Firearms in the Past, a XD(M) 3.8in Bi-Tone 9mm and a XD Mod.2 3.3in 9mm in Bi-Tone as Well – I Can’t Understand Why So Many People On Here Hate Springfield Armory, I Love Them – If Anything I Hate Glocks. My EDC is a S&W Shield 2.0CT But I’m Picking Up My Hellcat OSP in 9mm Tomorrow (1/6/2020) From My Local Gun Store!!!
Thanks for the great, in-depth review of this pistol. I have regularly turned to your reviews due to the detail in your narratives and the honest objectivity of your opinions. I have one question dealing with this, and many other striker-fired guns. I personally am a hammer-DA/SA or DAO guy for concealed carry (showing my age… still lament the demise of the S&W CS9). I am, however, comfortable with many striker-fired guns. My issue is that many reviews (and just as many manufacturers’ pages) do not say if their guns are DAO or SAO striker systems; this gun included. Now I realize that the terms DAO & SAO are generally not associated with the term “striker-fired”, but the operation is important. In my mind, with a SAO striker system, the trigger will typically only release the firing pin; generally by rotating the sear. The slide action will then re-cock the firing pin. With the DAO striker, the trigger will cock and then release the firing pin (i.e. double action) as in the Ruger LC9s through EC9 family and many H&K models. I prefer this system, given that it has a good, smooth trigger design. Which system is the Hellcat? Springfield is silent on this detail on the “Hellcat page” of their site. Being a new model, I’d think they would say more than “striker-fired”. I’m sure that with enough prowling the net for more reviews, etc. I could find the answer. However, as I deem you the Godfather of pistol reviews, I will trust your answer. Thanks, and keep up the good work!
Will the Hellcat fit in the Glock 43 holster?
My wife purchased a Springfield Hellcat and having multiple FTF with hollow point ammo. Springfield service so far has been terrible and reply was to use other ammo brands. Anyone else having this issue?
I have had mine for a few months now and I have yet to have a ftf or any other failure. Have you tried plain old Winchester 9mm 115gr JHP? Another brand I use that I have never had a issue with is Liberty civil defense ammo in 9mm. Bear in mind that the liberty ammo is pricy, @ $23 for 20rnds. It’s pretty loud but for sub/micro compacts it greatly reduces’s the felt recoil/muzzle flip.
No but Springfield Service said it would fire Federal HST fine but first I have heard of the Hellcat being finicky about ammo. Mine had issues with Sig V Crown both 115 and 124 grain along with the new Sig CCW hollow points. Plus had same ftf with Black Hills Hollow points. Feedback from Springfield was they were not surprised and are aware of problem with some brands.
Man sorry to hear you are having issues. I can only speak to Winchester, Remington and Liberty ammo. 115gr & 124gr ball,. 115gr JHP from Winchester, 115gr Remington ball and 50gr frangible Liberty Civil Defense. The Liberty ammo weighs next to nothing. Super light, great for maxing out both mags and carry. Good luck to you. Hope you sort it out. The Hellcat is fun to shoot.
A shooting buddy has a Hellcat and is successfully using the Federal HST 124 standard velocity loading. I have a P365 that is a garbage mouth (acts like a Labrador Retriever – eats anything that will fit in it’s mouth)…I also use the HST 124 for my carry ammo or Gold Dot 124’s if I’m out of HST’s.
The Hellcat will not feed Sig V Crown Hollow points neither 115 or 124 grain. Same for the Sig CCW and zI also tried some Blackhills Hollowpoints that also had same issue.
It shot range ammo just fine with no issues.
Try a sampling of Speer Gold Dots, Federal HST’s, Remington Golden Sabers, Hornady Critical Defense. All of these cartridges are very good self-defense rounds manufactured to exacting specs. Find one that your Hellcat is happy with and stick to it for your defensive round. In a small firearm like the Hellcat (Sig P365) I use the standard pressure loadings (I prefer 124 grain)…the +P ammunition offers very little advantage from such a short barrel and is harder on your hand and the frame / slide of small autos.
Practice regularly with whatever range ammo works.
Thanks and I spoke with a Springfield manager and after a heated discussion will be sending it back to them and they will test and try to duplicate the issue with the Sig V crown like they should have done the first time. I shoot regularly and no issues with my Glocks, Sigs, H&K, S&W and Walthers using V Crown or any other brand with either 9mm or 40 s&w. Even my Remington RM 380 shoots everything I put in it. If the Hellcat is going to be finicky will not want it..
Appreciate your feedback.
Good luck with SA.
Keep on shooting!
All you Illinois boys should move to VA. Oh by the way gun laws are getting tougher every day no matter where you live. I’m from Chicago, murder capital of the USA. Keep voting for DEMS.
I just bought the Hellcat and for the price, it’s awesome. This gun is designed for close protection and in your face trouble. After 40 rounds +/- I was able to achieve less than a 6 in spread at 20 yards. It was the best investment I made for personal protection next to my AR15.
For a concealable, high capacity handgun (at a low cost), it rocks.
To update everyone took the Hellcat to the range today and re-tested with both magazines and first used Federal HST JHP and it shot flawlessly. Then tried with the Sig V Crown hollow points again and had FTF on multiple attempts so without a doubt it has issues handling some ammo. Would some of you that also have a Hellcat try using the Sig Ammo and see if it works for you or not? Be interesting to see if this is a one off issue or common one?
I sent Springfield a video showing the FTF and waiting on their response.
I will try today. I say try bc all the ammo in stores was practically gone Thursday. All the common ammo that is, 22, 9mm, 40s&w, 45acp, 223, 556 and 300 blackout. There was a few boxes of 768×39. Should be able to pick up the Sig V-Crown ammo tho. The “defensive ammo” was still on the shelf. Our local big box “sporting goods” store opens up @9am. Range doesn’t open till noon on Sundays tho.
I could not find any Sig ammo in any grain this past sunday. By the time I got out and about late afternoon everything was out. I did make it to the range tho. Took 1 rifle & 2 pistols, the Hellcat being one of them. I had 9 Federal HST rounds left over from about a year ago from another pistol so I put all 9 rnds threw the Hellcat and it chewed them up and spit them out. I have Sig ammo in 45acp and 1 of my 1911’s has issues with it only when using certain mags (mec-gar & colt). When using Act Mags tho It runs smoothly. Have you tried both mags? It could be a mag issue, doubt it but no harm in checking.
George
Really appreciate you trying to find the Sig ammo.
I did test with both mags and had the same FTF with both of them. Mine shot the Federal HST too with no issues. I noticed both the Sig and Blackhills HP have a wider opening than the Federal HST so that might be the issue. Hope to hear back from Springfield in the next few days but so far they have been indifferent and not much concern dealing with me but hoping they pick it up a notch.
Regards
No problem at all. Hope SA get their act together and help resolve this for you. I have only had to contact them once. I wanted taller sights for my XD Mod 2 45acp. So I called SA to get the sight cut dimensions and they instead gave me a shipping label and swapped them out for taller sights free of charge. It did take about a month tho.
Good Luck
Funny, no one mentioned the lineage of the K98 Mauser.
To Hell with the Hellcat misfeeds as well as, the accuracy at 25 yards is horrible. The first round that comes out of the gun, is always far to the left I mean off the target far to the left, even adjusting I can pull it in but it is normally low and to the left, nice grouping and all but still, that first round is just off into oblivion (I’ve had others fire this weapon and responded, where the heck did that first round go?)
I know this isn’t a fair comparison however, my S&W MP40 Shield, first round out dead on bullseye. Rapid fire still brings the group in around the bullseye.
Can someone tell me if there is something wrong with the rail? The sites look aligned with the factory etching however, I would have to give the HellCat a failing grade.
I had something a similar experience in the beginning. For me it was the grip was smaller than any other pistols I own so I was canting it ever so slightly which translate to inches or ft down range. Once I realized that I straightened out the shots. For fun I’ll shoot it 15yd (groups nothing to write home about) but for practice I shoot at 7 to 8yd with good groups. My opinion l, this is good platform for up close defense up to 7 or 9yds. Above that groups widen out a good bit. Could be just me tho.
If I had to defend my life at a distance of 25yrds or greater, I’m running, not shooting. However, you’re not the first to have issues with the low and left thing, many have. Take your rear sight and slightly tap it to the right until it groups center low. Then take a file and shave a few swipes off the top of the front sight and group again until your happy enough with it without digging into the dot. Low left problem solved. Feeding issues? Use something spec, try critical defense rounds, they may work fine and are very effective.
I just bought my first handgun, a Hellcat. As a new gun owner, I’ve signed up for a class in late July but want to start buying ammo now due to the shortage. I bought a box of “Federal Law Enforcement HST 9mm +P Ammo – 50 Rounds of 124 Grain JHP Ammunition ” but am concerned about the +P in this gun. I haven’t been able to find a definitive statement on whether or not it’s acceptable for this model. Any thoughts?
According to Springfield it is rated for +P rounds.
Just acquired the Hellcat – – 50 rounds down range, mostly 115gr with some 147gr JHP.
No issues with operation. Accurate, great trigger, reasonable recoil even with the 147gr.
Grip coating should be left off of the magazines. Gets a bit painful on the little finger.
I bought the dark earth Hellcat on 10 July 2020 it took me almost 3 weeks to find a leather holster specifically made for this model. I take very good care of things that cost a considerable amount of money. I wanted to make sure I did not get any holster wear, after finding a leather holster specifically made for the hellcat I soaked it in silicone stuck a Springfield XD .45 in the holster giving it a few twists and then placed it in a plastic bag. I carried the Hellcat only on weekends, after a couple of weeks the finish on the bottom of the slide was worn, I contacted Springfield, they advised me to send the slide to the factory. I procrastinated a week because I needed the handgun, a Springfield rep told me to expect a turn around of four or five weeks not counting shipping time, My work partner bought the same Hellcat and holster but his is blue/black he carries his most every night and on weekends his weapon has no alleged holster wear. I bought the handgun out of need rather than just having another handgun. Has anyone else had a problem with finish wear on the slide of the dark earth model?
Thanks for a detailed and apparently concise review. Many commenters just.. well, add non constructive commentary.
As someone interested in this mico-compact CC category I found this article helpful. Keep up the good work
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