Springfield currently has a rebate (extended to the end of September) that includes three magazines and some sort of range bag so I ordered an optic ready Hellcat with a safety.

I just received my new Hellcat yesterday. Today I put 2 magazines through it from 15 yards, standing unsupported. The first 3 were high so I went to a 6:00 hold and the next 3 were near the center. I then went to rapid fire which spread the pattern but all would be center mass. It shot well.

Putting the last round in the magazine is near impossible but I managed with the included loader. I'll load them again and let them sit fully loaded.

The trigger didn't give me issues but the take up, if that's what it is, feels pretty nasty. I partially disassembled it later but I haven't found the issue yet. The sear and mating surface on the striker seem pretty polished already. I was expecting to polish them but I don't think that's the issue. I'm open to suggestions on that topic. I don't really want to put in an after market trigger, etc. I don't mind the trigger pull weight at all. I just want it all silky smooth.

I'll try to add the required pictures a bit later. My internet is embarrassingly slow and I don't feel up to that battle at the moment. I don't have anything nice to say about ATT.

Edit: Picture added, such as it is. I even placed the required knife candy, again, such as it is. I didn't say it would be a perfect target: 15 yards standing unsupported on top of my bush hog.

Attached Images

Hellcat.jpg (93.4 KB, 152 views)

The sights on that Hellcat are pretty nice. U may never want an optic.

The sights are nice.

OK, I really couldn't find much online on working the action on the gun so it was Bubba time.

First, I removed the striker and polished it a bit. I then polished the striker spring channel with 600/1000/1500 paper. Better but still lacking. Redid the channel starting with 400 then 600/1000/1200/1500. Better but not great. I then removed the sear and polished it with the glass filament from a street lamp and then finished with the Dremel and polishing compound. Also polished the mating surface on the striker with the filament along with the trigger bar where it depresses the safety plunger. It's now much better but I'm still not 100 percent satisfied. One of the aftermarket striker springs from one of the trigger kits would undoubtedly help but I don't really want to change parts.

I bought the version with a manual safety. I will note that the spring for the safety along with the little piece that provides the positive on/off feel for the safety is a real b.. oops uh it's difficult to reassemble. It required a little heavy gun grease to hold that little buggar in place for reassembly. Otherwise it's all pretty simple.

I did have to reassemble it twice as the first time the safety didn't work. The little piece that gives the safety the on/off feel got under the safety lever while reassembling the first time. Of course that wouldn't be an issue if you got one of the versions without a manual safety.

As I said, it's still not perfect but I'll let it go for awhile before I address it further. I think the feel I don't like is still coming from the spring inside the striker channel. I did wipe the inside of the channel down very lightly with Honda Moly 60 paste.

I just bought my 21 year one for his first official handgun. The sights are fantastic and the natural sight line is spot on. He loves it. The extra goodies pushed me over the edge...

Nice grouping. And putting your favorite knife just outside the 10 ring is a good way to make sure you concentrate and don’t hit the knife.

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Thirty characters. Exactly...

I got rid of the regular HC shortly after they intro'd the Pro version. Snappy little bugger it was, LOL. While I cannot comment on your other mods, I wanted to issue a caution on your last part.

NONE of the striker guns should have any lube in the striker channel. There's too much chance of sludge build-up retarding the strenth of the spring. This can lead to mis-fires, aka the deafeningly loud 'CLICK'.

I was reminded of this lesson with a recent used Shadow G-lone. I was getting misfires with range-ammo that is 100% in other pistols. Got that sucker home, and pulled it out to find sludge and particulate matter along the assembly. The tunnel it rides in was even worse. Solvent, Q-tips and pipe cleaners. Got it back-up-to-snuff.

Bought one for my daughter. Bought my wife a 365X. Daughter told her mother we have the same gun. Wife said no we don't. Haha

Yeah, I'm aware of that. My coating with the moly paste was minimal.

Yeah, I'll clean it if it gets fired much. Not technically a striker gun but I decided to clean the firing pin channel on my old 669 long ago. I was shocked at the amount of tiny brass filings and dust that was in there. I'm sure there's a bunch more in there again now. It is pretty easy to pull the striker assembly on the Hellcat for cleaning.

PS: It doesn't really seem snappy to me. Actually when firing it the recoil didn't enter my mind at all so it couldn't have been much.

It seems to me that many striker fired guns have a draggy take up because of the mediocre finish on the trigger bar and firing pin safety plunger. Then there are the times the finish on the outside of the plunger and the hole it moves in causes drag. Now you can be into a really fiddly job.

A less common issue is the polymer trigger dragging on the polymer frame. I'm all for trying to make the gun dirt tight, but parts that do not need to touch shouldn't.

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Release the Kraken

I was able to isolate most of the perceived draggy take up to the spring in the striker channel. The take up now seems much shorter although it's not. Technically it's not actually take up it's the actual compressing of the striker spring as it drags along the channel during compression.

Cleaning up the sear helped a bit and a little more work on it could probably still help. I didn't change the shape of the sear or remove any measurable amount of metal. There is some sort of machining grove near the middle of the sear I was tempted to remove but it would have required removing some metal I'm not talking about the slight step in the sear that's below the part that contacts the striker. It is a groove that is almost in the middle of the contact area. I left it because it seems like it the now polished ungrooved areas on either side of the groove should both contact the striker making the groove irrelevant. I think the striker contact surface area is wide enough to bridge the groove.

As mentioned I did polish the trigger bar where it contacts the safety plunger. I didn't touch the plunger itself as I'd of had to remove it and it looked plenty polished from the factory. Depressing the safety plunger by hand I don't feel anything so I left that alone.

I don't really feel much of anything from the trigger plastic parts.

I guess it actually came out pretty good. It will never get as nice as a striker system that is fully or nearly fully compressed upon chambering. For this type of gun and carry I actually want a fairly heavy trigger and to have to pull it a bit to compress the striker spring. I just want it to feel smooth.

A lot of people like them, but I’m not a big fan of the plastic Springfield pistols. Aside from the gritty trigger, does it shoot well?

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NRA Life Member

Well comparing it to my XDs 45 it's still not quite as slick but the trigger pull is much shorter, although not near as short as some. The trigger is pretty slick now although I wouldn't call it 100% perfect. It's probably as good as it's going to get. It's way better than it was. Overall it shoots pretty nice although I don't have 100 rounds through it yet.

Get yourself a Lula tool for loading magazines. Very good idea and lets that last round be easily loaded into your mag. I've got a Sig 365 that I have to use the Lula. Money well spent.

It's already gotten easier to load the last round. I think I'm good but thanks.

I have the similar Sig P365 and had a hell of a time squeezing in the last few rounds also. Good news - the mag's will loosen up a bit after a few hundred rounds.

When practicing at the Range and shooting a few boxes, I always use a Uplula loader. It is fast, comfortable to use, inexpensive, works on a plethora of different magazines for other guns, and works GREAT!