This is your Editor’s first attempt at writing a gun review. Today I’m going to give you my impressions of the Springfield Hellcat.
For those who are unaware, the Hellcat is Springfield’s answer to the Sig Sauer P365, Glock 43 and other micro 9mm pistols. Here are the specs on the Hellcat.
- TYPE: Striker-fired semiauto.
- CARTRIDGE/CALIBER: 9mm Luger.
- CAPACITY: 11 + 1, 13 + 1 (extended mag)
- BARREL: 3 inches.
- LENGTH: 6 inches.
- HEIGHT: 4.12 inches.
- WIDTH: 0.88 inches.
- WEIGHT (standard): 18.3 ounces w/ flush mag., 18.6 ounces w/ extended mag.
So, how does that compare to the other major players in the micro 9mm market? Well, the Hellcat is a hair longer than the P365 and a quarter inch shorter than the 43. It’s also a bit shorter than the P365 and the 43 with the flush magazine in place.
Now that the facts are on the table, lets get to what I thought of the pistol at the range.
Let me start off by saying the pistol I shot was both brand new and not mine. A friend of mine bought one and wanted some help in breaking the gun in. When I got my hands on it, the pistol had a grand total of 50 rounds through it. By the time I was finished, it had seen 350 rounds. This wasn’t a long term test by any means, but I did put the pistol through it’s paces and developed some pretty strong impressions.
Before we go any further, I need to say that the Hellcat is a very well sorted pistol. I experienced a single malfunction during the range session. That malfunction was due to faulty ammo and not anthing to do with the gun. (On a slight tangent, I have noticed a decline in the quality of ammo coming from the major manufacturers of late.) Despite being brand new, I could not induce a malfunction no matter what I tried. I limp wristed it, gangsta gripped it and even fired it upside down.
As far as the sights go, I found the night site front and U notch rear easy to see and precise enough for the purpose. At 25 yards I was getting 3-3 1/2 inch groups. Not spectacular, but more than acceptable for a pistol I was unfamiliar and uncomfortable with.(More on that later). I should have noted this with the specs, but the Hellcat comes in two flavors, standard and OSP. OSP stands for Optical Sighted Pistol, and the Hellcat OSP has an optics cut on the slide. The pistol I tested was the standard version.
Now for my complaints, and theyre all related. And they all have to do with the grip, specifically the backstrap. This is truly subjective, and your mileage may, and probably will, vary.
In my hands, there is not enough curve or palmswell on the backstrap of the Hellcat. Additionally, the transition from the sidepanels of the grip to the backstrap is too abrupt, with little radius on the backstrap. What does that mean? Well, to put it simply, the pistol moved around in my hand under recoil. I found myself rolling my offhand thumb up onto the top of the slide between shots and regripping the pistol. Not ideal for a combat pistol. In the photos below you can see the Hellcat compared to it’s biggest competitors. Notice that there is more palmswell on both the P365 and the 43.
Final Impressions.
I really wanted to like the Hellcat. As I said above, it is a particularly well sorted pistol. I really like the sights, really, really like the sights. But compared to It’s major competitors, for me, it falls short. I have a fair bit of experience with the Sig (about 1000 rounds), and a bit, (about 300 rounds) with the Glock, and as of right now I’d chose either of them over the Hellcat. The Sig has a better trigger, the grip on the Glock fits my hand better. And being in NY, the extra capacity is a wash, we only get 10 round mags. (Although, if I’m being totally honest, I’d rather have a Sig P938 or Springfield 911 in 9mm over all of them.)
All that said, if the Hellcat fits your hand, it’s an excellent choice. It runs well, it has good sights, has the highest standard capacity of the three top competitors. If the pistol came with interchangable backstraps, or I could find some sort of grip sleeve that improved my grip, I might change my mind about it, until then. . .