Peglegjoe
Professional
So, I was at the range last night with a beginner friend. She's still trying various handguns - her first visit was a G17. Last night she tried the M&P Shield 2.0, the 365XL, my 1952 .38 Colt revolver, my XDs...and a Hellcat.
Naturally I had to try them all as well.
I'd used the M&P a lot when I was taking my handgun course so I didn't bother with that one. I tried the 365XL, and it felt small in my hand (I have fairly big paws). The Hellcat...I liked. I was familiar with it instantly since my EDC is the XDs. The weight wasn't bad, even with a full 13rd mag. LoveloveLOVE the sights. I fired it true, right from the start - I suppose since I'm used to the subcompact grip already, I wasn't dropping any shots like some folks report doing.
2 issues - and again, this is a rental gun that has been getting a LOT of use (although the range does do very good maintenance as soon as the guns return from the lanes).
First, the mag was a BIT*H to load. That spring was super-tight, or the lift plate was super crunchy, or something....12 was hard to feed, 13 was damn near impossible. My thumb still hurts. My XDs loads up like butter compared to that thing. But it was nice to run nearly 2x the rounds through the gun as my XDs, without a reload.
Second, and this manifested after we (combined) ran about 50 rounds through it, the slide started staying back, even mid-mag. It did it to her a bunch of times and I chalked it up to beginner/grip/learning. Then, it did it to me once. I handed it to the R.O., and it did it to him the first round he fired. It wasn't the usual-reported "the slide doesn't stay back after the last round", it was a mid-mag slide staying back, as if it was empty even though there were 7, or 9, or 3, more rounds in the mag. Could that have been a feed issue from that crunchy mag spring? Maybe. We were shooting Federal 115 FMJ that the range supplied (their gun, their ammo).
Overall? I really liked it. It felt natural to me, again, since my EDC is the XDs. Sights are great. Capacity is awesome. Weight, even fully loaded, didn't seem bad - but I wasn't able to strap it to my side as if it were holstered, while fully loaded, to compare to my XDs.
I'm glad I got to fire it. It put my mind at ease a bit - I no longer "have" to have one immediately. The capacity is nice, but overall it isn't different enough from my XDs that I feel compelled to grab the first one that comes available. Maybe that will change once my budget opens up a bit and I have some "extra" cash...but right now, I'm not anxious about "when can I have one?". Makes it easier to wait for accessories to catch up to Hellcat production, too.
On the way out for the night, on a lark, I asked to hold a 911 they had in the rental case, in .380. I was amazed - even with my big paws, it felt substantial in my hand (the 365XL felt like I was clutching a pencil by comparison). I may have to try one of those next visit, just as an option for backup, or for easier concealment in shorts-and-tee-shirt weather. She liked the feel of it as well. I'd have to get used to a thumb safety, but...
Naturally I had to try them all as well.
I'd used the M&P a lot when I was taking my handgun course so I didn't bother with that one. I tried the 365XL, and it felt small in my hand (I have fairly big paws). The Hellcat...I liked. I was familiar with it instantly since my EDC is the XDs. The weight wasn't bad, even with a full 13rd mag. LoveloveLOVE the sights. I fired it true, right from the start - I suppose since I'm used to the subcompact grip already, I wasn't dropping any shots like some folks report doing.
2 issues - and again, this is a rental gun that has been getting a LOT of use (although the range does do very good maintenance as soon as the guns return from the lanes).
First, the mag was a BIT*H to load. That spring was super-tight, or the lift plate was super crunchy, or something....12 was hard to feed, 13 was damn near impossible. My thumb still hurts. My XDs loads up like butter compared to that thing. But it was nice to run nearly 2x the rounds through the gun as my XDs, without a reload.
Second, and this manifested after we (combined) ran about 50 rounds through it, the slide started staying back, even mid-mag. It did it to her a bunch of times and I chalked it up to beginner/grip/learning. Then, it did it to me once. I handed it to the R.O., and it did it to him the first round he fired. It wasn't the usual-reported "the slide doesn't stay back after the last round", it was a mid-mag slide staying back, as if it was empty even though there were 7, or 9, or 3, more rounds in the mag. Could that have been a feed issue from that crunchy mag spring? Maybe. We were shooting Federal 115 FMJ that the range supplied (their gun, their ammo).
Overall? I really liked it. It felt natural to me, again, since my EDC is the XDs. Sights are great. Capacity is awesome. Weight, even fully loaded, didn't seem bad - but I wasn't able to strap it to my side as if it were holstered, while fully loaded, to compare to my XDs.
I'm glad I got to fire it. It put my mind at ease a bit - I no longer "have" to have one immediately. The capacity is nice, but overall it isn't different enough from my XDs that I feel compelled to grab the first one that comes available. Maybe that will change once my budget opens up a bit and I have some "extra" cash...but right now, I'm not anxious about "when can I have one?". Makes it easier to wait for accessories to catch up to Hellcat production, too.
On the way out for the night, on a lark, I asked to hold a 911 they had in the rental case, in .380. I was amazed - even with my big paws, it felt substantial in my hand (the 365XL felt like I was clutching a pencil by comparison). I may have to try one of those next visit, just as an option for backup, or for easier concealment in shorts-and-tee-shirt weather. She liked the feel of it as well. I'd have to get used to a thumb safety, but...
