So I made an impulse purchase the other day and picked up a Hellcat Pro. The rebate put me over the edge and between all the major players in this area it seemed to have the least complaints.

While the 43x/48 seem to have their share of striker issues, and the Smith seems to have its fair share of magazine issues and the P365 seems to have a mix of issues likely stemming from QC, the Hellcat seems to have two main complaints a crappy trigger and "They are so very snappy".

Without going into a range review per say as I only have about 120 rounds down the pipe at this point let me address these two things.

1st-The Trigger. Good lord people its a perfectly serviceable striker fired trigger. Good tactile reset, creepy but decent break. I mean it sure as hell isn't a PPQ/PDP trigger but its your basic striker fired mediocre Glock'esqe trigger. If this trigger causes one woe and radically effects their shooting then I shudder to think what a DA revolver would be like to folks.

2nd-The MASSIVE SNAPPY RECOIL OF THIS BEAST!!!! Sigh. Now I've shot a great deal of guns including micro 9's and I certainly know what recoil and snappy really is. All I am going to say is if you find a Hellcat Pro super snappy you probably need to work on your technique. I dare say its more of a pussycat then a Hellcat in this regard. Even though logically I knew what to expect going in I damn near hung on for dear life for that first shot because of EVERYBODY complaining about how much recoil these things have........lets just say.....I shot low on that first shot .

I mean these are light weight super thin guns in a martial caliber, yes they will have a little bit of recoil but good Lord lets keep things in perspective here some "snappy monster" this thing ain't even with +P ammo.

A Glock 27 is a bit snappy, a .357 J frame is snappy, a .40 caliber Shield is a bit snappy. A 9mm Hellcat Pro is........well I mean its a gun it makes noise it has a tiny bit of recoil as guns tend to do but that's about it.

I mean Jesus I was watching a video recently where somebody was complaining a Beretta 92 was "snappy" A BERETTA 92!!!!! The damn thing is this side of crew served....if you find a Beretta 92 "snappy".......see a doctor.

Rant aside. I like the little thing. Shot great. Totally reliable, good accuracy out to 12-13 yards or so, loaded mags seat easily, seems fairly robust. I need to get some rounds down range but should make a decent carry option.

Take care, Shoot Safe,
Chris

quote:

The MASSIVE SNAPPY RECOIL OF THIS BEAST!!!!

What's wrong with this gun? Is it so different from the P365? Sure, the P365 has some recoil, but man, I wouldn't even call it snappy. It even handle s +P just fine. I've never shot the Hellcat, so I can't compare. The Pro is supposed to be a little bigger than the original, isn't it?

I have NO IDEA. All the micro 9s shoot about the same in this regard and none are all that much to write home about in that regard. I just know how much everything I read talks about how incredibly snappy these things are.

I don’t see it. But maybe it comes from shooting a lot and a lot of different guns and not being particularly sensitive to this stuff.

The Pro is almost the same size as a Walther PPS with the 7 round mag. Maybe between the 7 round and the 8. It’s a tad longer in slide/barrel. So yes bigger than the true micros. Sort of between the XL and XL Macro.

quote:

Originally posted by cslinger:
While the 43x/48 seem to have their share of striker issues

Care to elaborate? This is the first I've heard of striker issues.

I’m not really sure about 365 issues either. Very early there were some strikers breaking which quickly was rectified. I own 6 of these and have not had a single issue. What QC issues do you think they have?

Shooting Speer Gold Dot +P through a Taurus 905 is my definition of “snappy”.

Say hello to snotty snub nosed recoil somewhere in-between 357Mag & 44mag. It’s quite the fun range novelty revolver for my friends who think revolvers suck.

As I’ve been off and on researching these different guns striker failures/failures to ignite came up a fair bit here and there.

I’m not saying EVERY 43x/48 sucks or P365 or all the mags are wonky with Smith etc. these are just the most common complaints I came across. Like most products these are all likely the outliers as folks tend to post the bad not the good but those were the things I came across mining the interwebz so to speak.

Specific to the 365 it was a weird mix of rusting, trigger issues, back plate failures and striker issues. It was diverse enough to make me think QC vs a bad run or part.

Again I didn’t compile a list and keep in mind the bazillions of these sold that are fine. I just decided to roll my dice on snappy and shitty trigger.

I heard plenty about the vicious recoil the Hellcat, then I actually shot one. Frankly it wasn't that bad (aside that it's a Springfield). To me it was a little harsher on recoil than the P365, but I would mostly attribute that sensation to its blockier, somewhat sharper grip and edges jamming itself into the skin of my hand more so that the SIG or a Shield+ does, which I suppose could help give the illusion that it's a "snappy lil' bugger" compared to its immediate competition. As for the Hellcat Pro, if anything it should be even more controllable though since I've yet to shoot one (and doubt that I ever will), I've no personal experience to support that op/ed.

I've not heard of any issues with the Glocks myself and haven't experienced any with either G43X that I own, but it's not surprising that there will those who will find something to grouse about. It's the internet, after all. As for the Shield+, I will say that trying to send the slide into battery using the slide stop is agonizing...but that's mostly when the gun is new and the only janky thing that I've come across. Over time my Shield+ has loosened up and dropping the slide via the slide stop is no longer a big deal. None the dozen or so factory 10 and 13 round mags have given me any problems to date, though I only have about 1100 rounds through the gun split amongst all of those magazines, so I doubt that any of the mags actually has considerably more that 100 rounds of actual live fire usage.

But I will say that I do prefer the recoil characteristics of the Shield+ over that of any of its most natural competition that I've shot to date.

Saw a ported M&P Performance Center Shield .40 in the LGS at an amazing price. I wondered why it was so cheap and then I shot it. With my carry ammo of choice (middle power Underwood JHP), it is undoubtedly the worst recoiling small auto pistol I have ever shot. And magazines are UpLula mandatory!
However:
Its very accurate with excellent fiber optic sights. Good trigger. Fully reliable. Manual safety for safe pocket carry.
Would I dump it due to recoil? Nope. I wont shoot it all that much and its positive performance outweighs the recoil. Snappy, thy name is Shield ported PC forty!

Congrats on the purchase. update us on performance and carry mode when you get more time with it.

quote:

I mean Jesus I was watching a video recently where somebody was complaining a Beretta 92 was "snappy" A BERETTA 92!!!!! The damn thing is this side of crew served....if you find a Beretta 92 "snappy".......see a doctor.

One solution

So, if you carry one of these you're a snappy dresser?

quote:

Originally posted by ruger357:
Congrats on the purchase. update us on performance and carry mode when you get more time with it.

Will try to do so. I like to get a couple hundred rounds or more down range before I develop any initial thoughts and in this case want to “carry” for a bit/do some draw and reload stuff even if not for “real” yet. It will be carried assuming it makes the cut in a Vedder Light Tuck IWB around 3 o’clock. I guess I am a FUDD these days as AIWB ain’t for me even though all the cool kids do it.

quote:

So, if you carry one of these you're a snappy dresser?

Well played you earned a golfers clap.

cslinger, no doubt that perception is everything. At this point, I've had everything in the class. Plenty of A-B, C-D, B-D, A-C, etc, LOL. I do agree that the trigger is not an issue.

The Pro is definitely a step-ahead of the progenitor, HellCat. THAT little booger is snappy, LOL. It has the most bounce-to-the-ounce when compared with the original 365, Shield, G43, and even the new FN Reflex. I experienced bad pinch of my wee finger when shooting the HC with either pinky-rest base, or the extended mag.

Okay, now the Pro is best compared with the 365XL, G48, Sheild Plus/ EQ, MC2C, etc. Again, with all of it's pluses, it was/IS, still the class leader in muzzle-flip for me.

To me, "snappy" means quick and a little harsh in recoil. But manageable.

Snappy doesn't convey punishing or exceedingly heavy recoil.

Snappy is the right term for the most of the small and micro nines.

Snappy is not the term for an AirLite J frame in .357 with full power loads. That is punishing or even brutal. That thing hurts with heavy loads.

Did they modify the original trigger whereas if you did not pull the trigger safety all the way in before the trigger slack was taken out, the gun could not be fired? So an example of this on my friend's Hellcat, I have baby fingers, and if my trigger finger applies any pressure on the front off-side of the trigger before the trigger safety is pulled (caused by my short ass fingers), it will lock the safety against the frame. Her Hell cat is several years old though, so they may have fixed it by now.

quote:

Originally posted by cslinger:
2nd-The MASSIVE SNAPPY RECOIL OF THIS BEAST!!!! Sigh.

Yeah, I don't get it. Mine must be defective, it's not snappy.

quote:

Originally posted by VictorLouis:
cslinger, no doubt that perception is everything.....

Absolutely. My take is it is a 21ish ounce 9mm handgun and it recoils/muzzle flips about like all the rest in its class. Now that said that statement probably comes from equal parts experience and lack of talent and skill. I've run a TON of guns including most of the itty bitty stuff and like I said they all feel similar.....but some of that is my lack of skill and talent which likely makes me less likely to be able to perceive major differences or eke out the performance of the better ones in this regard.

As for the trigger, I have had no issue pulling the trigger. The dingus works just as it should IMO. Can I lock it up if I push laterally yes.....can I do the exact same thing with a Glock.....Yes, can I do the exact same thing with a Walther....Yes. So basically I don't perceive a difference in this regard. I have had absolutely no issues with the trigger.

Is it true they're coming out with a 380 version, the Heckcat?