Recently I got a couple of Springfield Hellcats in stock and I couldn’t miss an opportunity to put one in my own collection! I was asked by a few people what my opinion on the gun has been so far. With that in mind, I thought I would share my opinions in a blog post. I tried to be as impartial as possible, but as many of you know, I am a big fan of Sig and have a couple P365’s. The 3 things I will focus on in is the trigger, grip & feel, and my performance with the gun.
The Hellcat is Springfield’s entry into the high capacity micro-pistol market with a “class leading” 13+1 round capacity chambered in 9mm. The trigger pull came in at around 5.5lbs for me. The trigger is flat faced with a trigger bar safety. I wasn’t a fan of the travel and play in the trigger, personally. It was about a ½” of travel, then another ½” to break. Reset is about ½” also. There is a tactile and audible reset. The trigger itself isn’t particularly special when comparing it to the P365, which in my opinion is much better than the Hellcat. Now the Hellcat’s trigger is much better than the XDs, for those who have them.
I was able to find the grip on the gun, despite it not having a “Grip Zone”. The texturing is surprisingly nice! It’s aggressive enough to maintain traction with it in wet conditions, but not so rough that it will sand your skin when you carry. It does have stippling forward of the trigger for your weak side thumb or your trigger finger. It has carried over serrations on the back of the slide and on the front for those who press check their pistols. Overall, for my stubby, fat fingers the grip was comfortable, but those with bear claws may find it a bit too small. Comparing this to the P365, I think the grip on the Hellcat is better. It just feels nicer in my hand.
My overall performance with the Hellcat was virtually indistinguishable from the P365SAS with no malfunctions. The sights on it are a U-dot sight with tritium front dot that was very easy to see. I wish the Hellcat had night sights standard. It would have really set itself apart from the P365SAS whose sights are non-existent in low light conditions. Additionally, for those who may have an issue with limp-wristing a firearm, causing malfunctions, despite my best efforts to induce an issue from poor grip and recoil management, it functioned perfectly. My groupings at 10 yards were consistently within 5” which for me is more than sufficient in a pistol of this size.
I think the gun is a big advancement for Springfield, who I have never really been a fan of. I think the gun stands on its own very well, could be a great carry gun for almost anyone, and I will be recommending it as a great carry option.
My Pro’s for the gun is that it is comfortable in the hand, better slide serrations for grip, it includes a 13 round magazine standard, and it’s a sturdy made firearm. My cons, the trigger doesn’t feel good to me, it missed out on the night sights, and it’s made in Croatia. For some of you that won’t make a difference, for others, Made in America is important. I’m not so impressed that I am retiring my Sig, I still think I favor the P365 more. I am going to carry the Hellcat for a little while and put it through its paces some more and see if I can break my Sig bias.
