With Springfield Armory’s Hellcat being as popular as it is, why do we need the Hellcat Pro? Looking a little beyond that, why are manufacturers rebounding back from the Micro-9 trend and introducing larger handguns? Is there something wrong with the tiny 9mm pistols?
Everyone’s Doing It
Springfield’s Hellcat begat the Hellcat Pro. Sig’s P365 begat the P365 XMacro, and the P365 XL, and…well, you get the picture.
For a while, gun makers were shrinking their pistols to be as tiny as engineeringly possible, stuffed with lots of rounds. The angels sang, and shooters rejoiced. Everyone was happy, and all was right with the world.
Or was it? Something spurred people to want just a little bit more. As best I can tell, it might be the snappiness that the wee, little pistols exhibit at the shooting range. Maybe I’m mistaken, but I’m thinking muzzle flip is the reason why people began clamoring for larger pistols.
But not just any larger pistols. After all, we have a ton of mid-sized pistols from too many makers to name. It seems that people love the features of the Hellcat and P365, et. al; they just want them in something that’s a little milder when the trigger is pulled.
And they’re not just mid-sized anymore. No, these new pistols seem to fall somewhere between the mid-sized Glock 19 chassis and the tiny, Micro-9 frames. These sure do feel like a slightly new class of pistol in grip and frame size. I’m not even sure what to call them — “Micro-9s On Steroids”? They’re not Micro-9s, but they’re not quite mid-sized.
The Glock 19 has a 4.02-inch barrel. Sig’s P365 XMacro has a 3.7-inch barrel. The Hellcat Pro has a 3.7-inch barrel. Yes, Sig and Springfield Armory seem to be slugging it out, trying to outdo each other between their P365 series and the Hellcat series. You know what I say? Good! Because you know who wins? We, the consumers! The more competitive they are, the better products we get to choose from.
Yes, there are other manufacturers in the mix, but I’m just hitting the highlights. These slightly-larger-than-micro-9 pistols are giving their competition a run for their money. What competition? Guns such as the Glock 19 that I mentioned. For years, there was a saying: “All pistols want to be a Glock. And all Glocks want to be a 19.” The pistol was (and still is) that good. The size, capacity, and durability are great.
But now pistols like the Hellcat Pro are besting the Glock 19 with a slimmer, lighter, smaller profile that carries the same number of rounds. Should you run out and get rid of your Glock 19 and replace it with a Hellcat Pro? I wouldn’t call you crazy if you did.
Are the differences between the Hellcat Pro and the beloved G19 earth-shattering? Not quite, but it speaks volumes of how pistol makers are refining designs to get the most out of them that’s possible.
One huge difference between the Hellcat Pro and the 19 is the grip. The 19’s grip seems larger and more blocky, especially in the 19 Gen. 3 version with the controversial finger grooves. Comparatively, the Hellcat Pro’s finger grooves are incredibly subtle, the grip texture is much better, and it’s just plain smaller.
Hellcat Pro Tech Specs
Let’s take a look at the Hellcat Pro’s specs. In short, it’s like a little Hellcat grew into adolescence, sharing many of the same features that its smaller brother has. The particular pistol that I received from Springfield Armory is their Hellcat Pro OSP 9mm in Flat Dark Earth. The FDE is a Cerakote finish that, so far, has proven to be very durable. The frame is molded from FDE polymer.
The pistol came with a Shield SMSc red dot sight (RDS) already mounted and zeroed from the factory.
As mentioned, the hammer-forged barrel is 3.7 inches. Weight is 21 ounces, which is not much more than most micro-9mm pistols, and certainly less than many medium-sized pistols (remember that unique niche I was raving about?).
Length is 6.6 inches, and height is 4.8 inches. Comparatively, the Glock 19 is 7.36 inches long and 5.04 inches high, just to give readers an idea, since the Glock 19 is so well-known.
The grip width is one inch.
There is a dual captive recoil spring with a full-length guide rod.
The pistol is optics-ready and the slide is milled to accept an optic. There is a plate that can be removed and an optical sight mounted in its place.
The dust cover sports a Picatinny rail that has two grooves and should accept the majority of pistol weapon lights and lasers on the market.
Two 15-round magazines come standard with the Hellcat Pro. Incidentally, these magazines also fit the Hellcat; they just stick out the bottom of the magazine well.
There are both forward and rear slide serrations for cocking, which work fairly well. The plate that fills the spot when an optic is not installed also has the cocking serrations, so they overlap the top of the slide. I like this touch, which is also featured on the Hellcat.
The Optic
Shield’s RDS is my first pistol optic. Yes, I’m a dinosaur being dragged into the 21st century kicking and screaming. At the moment, the jury is still out on whether or not I like optics on handguns. I’m seeing certain advantages, along with some disadvantages.
For the most part, I think the RDS is neat. There is a definite and considerable learning curve, especially for old-timers who have done a few million presentations with iron sights. No, the dot does not jump out at me when I present the pistol. I’m working my tail off to make that happen, and so far, I’m seeing some modest results.
For the moment, I’m going to say that working with an RDS is…interesting.
The Hellcat Pro Grip
Just like on the Hellcat, the Pro has the Adaptive Grip Texture. Springfield states that this texture is comprised of both tall and shorter pyramids. The tall ones have flat tops while the shorter ones are pointed. When you grip the pistol hard, those points enhance the grip. My eyes aren’t good enough to see if they are pyramids or not, but what I can tell you is that this grip texture might be the best in the pistol industry for locking the pistol into your grasp. It’s almost like gripping sandpaper, but it’s not quite as abrasive against your skin while you’re carrying the pistol. Suffice it to say, it really locks the gun into your hand, even if your hands are wet. I tried it.
There are also some extremely subtle finger grooves. They are barely there (just a hint) and work wonderfully for my medium-sized hands. Most people don’t seem bothered by them, even folks who normally despise finger grooves. These are so subtle, I’m not even sure I’d call them finger grooves.
Overall, the grip is a huge factor that drew me to the Hellcat Pro (and the Hellcat) — it just feels right!
As an added bonus, the edges of the magazine well are slightly beveled, so magazines are funneled into the mag well.
Balance
The pistol’s balance kind of goes hand-in-hand with the grip. On the Hellcat Pro, I find the balance to be about perfect. There’s just something so satisfying about picking up a weapon and having it balance as though the thing were custom-made just for you. That’s how I feel when I pick up the Hellcat Pro.
Overall, the proportions just work really well.
I suppose I could mention the grip angle here. I’m not sure of precisely the angle in degrees, but for me, it’s great and factors into the comfort of the grip and balance of the pistol overall. Everything seems to be working in harmony. The grip and balance are two huge factors that instantly endeared this pistol to me.
Reliability
To date, reliability has been perfect (we expected no less). A variety of 9mm FMJ rounds and also Speer Gold Dot (both 115 and 124 grain) hollow points have fed without issue.
Hellcat Pro Trigger
The Hellcat Pro’s trigger is Glock-ish, in that it has the blade safety on the trigger face that we see on so many pistols these days. It also has that Striker-Fired Pistol take-up that leads to the wall. Once the wall is hit, there is some creep before it breaks cleanly. It’s a little heavy feeling, but when it breaks, it’s crisp. I definitely can live with this trigger, though it’s not conducive to accuracy at the longer ranges. More practice will help me to master it, and it will also smooth out over time. Overall, I’m a fan of the trigger.
Accuracy
The pistol performed quite well in the accuracy department. I wish I could make the same claim of my abilities. All joking aside, I did okay. The temperature was in the 90’s with humidity to match. To be honest, the weather was wearing us out on the range. We had some great groups and a few mediocre groups. But it was clear that, when we did our part, the pistol was totally up to the task.
As well, this was the first time that my testing buddy and I were using an RDS on a pistol, so there was a learning curve. I’ll admit that, as the range session progressed, groups were tightening up and improving. I have faith that future range sessions will see smaller groups.
Sights
The Hellcat Pro’s sights are the same as those of the Hellcat: A rear U-notch outlined in white with a front post that has a lime green circle around a dot of tritium that officially makes them night sights. I really do like these sights, they are some of the best in the market, being easy to pick up with the eyes.
Magazines
Hellcat Pro magazines are constructed of heavy gauge stainless steel, just like on the Hellcat. As I mentioned, they hold 15 rounds. Construction is very robust, and we don’t expect to be seeing any issues with these magazines in the future. They eject very enthusiastically from the mag well. Each mag has witness holes (numbers five through 15) on the back. The base plates are constructed of polymer.
Ten-round magazines are available for restricted states.
Magazine Release
The Hellcat Pro’s magazine release is excellent, consisting of an elongated shape that has serrations half of its length. It protrudes just enough to be easy to activate, but not so much that you’ll hit it by mistake. Empty magazines come flying out of the pistol, to the extent that I was surprised and impressed the first time I tried it.
Hellcat Pro Firing Characteristics
Was the pistol snappy? Not really. In fact, it’s one of the smoother-shooting compact 9mm pistols on the market. Certainly far less snap than the Hellcat. Which, I suppose, is what people have been seeking (and manufacturers are providing).
Follow-up shots on targets were easier than with smaller pistols and occurred at a rapid rate, especially at close distance. This is a pistol that I could take to the range and shoot simply for the enjoyment of shooting.
Aesthetics/Coolness Factor
The FDE finish really does it for me. Additionally, Springfield contoured the slide enough to make the pistol look interesting in a sea of other polymer, striker-fired pistols. As far as looks go, this pistol is pretty cool. And I have to admit, whether I’ve warmed to the optic mounted on the slide or not, it does add a certain coolness factor to the pistol.
All in all, I like the looks of the Hellcat Pro. All that would mean nothing if it didn’t function as well as it does.
Springfield Armory hit another home run with the Hellcat Pro.
I was impressed (and still am) with the original Hellcat, so much so that I own one. However, the Pro model really sets itself apart from so many of the other pistols on the market currently. It’s not large, but it’s just big enough to “Get ‘R Done”. Accuracy is very good and recoil is quite tolerable. Fast defensive shooting is not only possible but realistically expected from this pistol.
It’s light enough to carry all day, and not so large that you feel as though you’re carrying a surfboard in your pants. It’s not too big, and not too small, but just right. I think even Goldilocks would approve.
I believe this is going to become my new carry pistol for the majority of the time. It’s especially easy to conceal in cooler weather when garments are heavier. I’ll split the time difference with my standard Hellcat.
When you fire this pistol, nothing on it feels like a compromise; it acts like a full-sized pistol when you’re shooting it, and a compact pistol when you’re carrying it. Springfield has managed to stuff the best of both worlds into one package.
